Tobacco.org

Repeal Smoking Bans Home  

This site has been brought up in an effort to help organize individuals and groups to begin the process of seeing smoking bans repealed in the United States and worldwide.

Advocates of smoking bans are being met with determined and increased opposition. Smokers and non-smokers alike have begun to realize this is an issue of individual rights and individual ownership. Business owners are increasingly not obeying no-smoke ordinances.

We are all in need of camaraderie in these trying times. Citizens of countries are becoming more polarized in their beliefs. They're drawing metaphorical lines and refusing to budge. Smoking bans do nothing but further divide peoples.

And, believe it or not, that's OK with the no-smoke zealots. They've lost perspective. They're out of control. They're the new American nazi's.

Like the nazi's in 1930's Germany, the no-smoke slobs demand you give up self-governance. Whether you want to or not. They demand it.

And if you don't want to? They demand you be fined and/or jailed and/or put out of business - or even your home - until you submit.

For ooooooooo-smooooooking. That's how far and obscene the no-smoke fascists have taken the issue.

Smoking bans and clean air acts have nothing to do with protecting individuals and the collective health of a populace.

Like drug addicts who inject drugs into their veins to feel a false sense of drama and enlightenment, the no-smoke zealots are addicted to the false sense of drama injected into their lives via fighting for their "Cause," be the cause right or wrong. And they want you to feel the drama they feel. . . .

Miller and others - American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, TheTruth.com - have metaphorically spit on the graves of every Amercian who fought and gave all to preserve freedom.

Smoking ban advocates couldn't care less that people went to war so that theirs might live free

REPEAL SMOKING BANS. THEY'RE UN-AMERICAN sticker above: 2.75" x 15.00," no-fade vinyl. $4.00, postage included.

They go great in tandem with the PRACTICE RANDOM PATRIOTISM stickers.

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Remembrance tribute moved — for a shelter  

A ROYAL British Legion club has been forced to move a war memorial — to make way for a smoking shelter.

The four feet-high monument has been at the club in Astley Bridge for more than eight years.

It has now been dismantled and is awaiting a new home.

The memorial features around 40 names, but with no clue to their regiments. The history of the monument is unknown.

A club committee member, who did not want to be named, said: “If there had not been a smoking ban, the memorial would be where it has been for at least eight years. “Bolton Council put pressure on us to have the shelter because they said people were smoking in the doorways.

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• New York Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Join As Co-Sponsors of The Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act 

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) hailed the support of Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) who have signed on as co-sponsors of a bill to establish the first ever multi-agency, comprehensive program targeted at lung cancer.

Entitled Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2009, S.332 authorizes a five year program to reduce the mortality rate of lung cancer which continues to be the number one cause of cancer deaths both nationally and in New York State. Lung cancer causes more deaths each year than breast, prostate, colon, kidney, melanoma and liver cancers combined.

"Lung cancer affects millions of men and women everyday and we must do everything we can to fund ways to combat this deadly disease," said Senator Schumer. "I am proud to sign onto this legislation to help promote earlier detection and better disease management to improve cancer survival rates in New York State and across the country." . . .

To insure accountability, the bill requires an annual report to Congress and creates an oversight board composed of the three Cabinet Secretaries and representatives from the fields of lung cancer treatment, research and advocacy.

In addition, the bill directs the Secretaries of Department of Defense (DOD) and Veterans' Affairs (VA) to implement an early detection and disease management program for military personnel who are at high risk for lung cancer because of smoking or exposure to carcinogens during active duty.

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Clubs OK'd to decide on smoking  

EAST LONGMEADOW - Private clubs will be able to choose whether to allow smoking indoors after the Board of Health decided not to include them in the town-wide smoking ban.

The Board of Selectmen, which also serves as the Board of Health, held a public hearing Tuesday to hear town opinion on whether private clubs should allow smoking indoors.

Health Inspector Fred C. Kowal met with the board to request that they ban smoking in private clubs due to the health risks associated with smoking and the well-being of non-smoking employees.

There are currently four private clubs in town, including the Elmcrest Country Club, 105 Somersville Rd; the American Legion, 3 Legion Court, the Knights of Columbus, 26 Baldwin St., and the Italian American World War Veterans, 213 Vineland Ave. Representatives of some clubs attended the hearing and spoke against the ban.

Currently the town has a ban that applies to all public restaurants shops and buildings. The ban prohibits smoking inside any public establishment.

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A look at smoking in the military 

Highlights of a study commissioned by the Pentagon and the Veterans Affairs Department to combat tobacco use in the military.

Findings:

— Tobacco is used by fewer than 20 percent of Americans compared with more than 30 percent of active-duty military personnel and about 22 percent of veterans.

— Tobacco use in the military has risen since 1998, threatening to reverse steady declines for several decades.

— The rate of smoking among military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan may be 50 percent higher than the rate of those who didn't go there.

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Smoking OK'd for private clubs  

EAST LONGMEADOW - Private clubs will be able to choose whether to allow smoking indoors after the Board of Health decided not to include them in the town-wide smoking ban.

The Board of Selectmen, which also serves as the Board of Health, held a public hearing Tuesday to hear town opinion on whether private clubs should allow smoking indoors.

Health Inspector Fred C. Kowal met with the board to request that they ban smoking in private clubs due to the health risks associated with smoking and the well-being of non-smoking employees.

There are currently four private clubs in town, including the Elmcrest Country Club, 105 Somersville Rd; the American Legion, 3 Legion Court, the Knights of Columbus, 26 Baldwin St., and the Italian American World War Veterans, 213 Vineland Ave. Representatives of some clubs attended the hearing and spoke against the ban.

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• Smoking in the military: An old habit dies hard  

Defense Secretary Robert Gates seems to agree.

"He knows that the situation they are confronting is stressful enough as it is," said his press secretary, Geoff Morrell. "I don't think he is interested in adding to the stress levels by taking away one of the few outlets they may have to relieve stress."

He said Gates is not planning any ban, but is reviewing the study by the Institute of Medicine, which provides independent advice to policymakers, health professionals and the public, to see if steps can be taken toward having a smoke-free force some day.

U.S. military personnel and veterans interviewed by The Associated Press had strong opinions about life in the military without cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco.

Some said it would cut medical costs and make the force healthier, while eliminating smoking breaks would increase productivity. Others said it would dampen morale and reduce recruitment to the all-volunteer military.

Nearly all, however, said it was impractical and probably would never happen.

"It's an outrage," said Staff Sgt. Joe Dunn, 32. "I've been smoking for about 15 years and being forced to stop -- not on my own terms -- is something I'd have a hard time dealing with." . . .

"They've been talking about this for over 10 years now. Nothing has ever happened," said Fink, a Navy veteran and employee at the VA hospital in Nashville. A ban would drive people out of the military, he said, and "the military can't afford to lose anyone."

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Evaluation of young smokers and non-smokers with electrogustometry and contact endoscopy. 

Background

Nicotine has been recognized as capable of inducing changes in taste functionality in conditions of chronic exposure.The objective of this study was the evaluation of taste acuity in smokers and non-smokers and the differences concerning the shape, density and vascularisation of the fungiform papillae (fPap) of their tongue.

Methods

Sixty-two male subjects who served in the Greek Military Forces participated in the study and were randomized chosen. Thirty-four of them were non-smokers and 28 were smokers. All of the smokers used to hold the cigarette on the centre of their lips. Taste thresholds of the participants were measured with Electrogustometry (EGM). The morphology and the density of their fungiform papillae (fPap) on the tongue's tip were examined with Contact Endoscopy (CE). . . .

Conclusion

The majority of smokers showed elevated taste thresholds in comparison to non-smokers. Smoking is an important factor which can lead to decreased taste acuity. The combination of methods, such as EGM and CE, can provide useful information about the vascularisation of taste buds and their functional ability.

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Smokers' Tongues Fail Taste Test 

Smokers have fewer and flatter taste buds. A study of the tongues of 62 Greek soldiers, published in the open access journal BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders, has demonstrated how cigarettes deaden the ability to taste.

Pavlidis Pavlos led a team of researchers from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki who used electrical stimulation to test the taste threshold of the soldiers and endoscopes to measure the number and shape of a kind of taste bud called fungiform papillae. He said: "Statistically important differences between the taste thresholds of smokers and non-smokers were detected. Differences concerning the shape and the vascularisation of fungiform papillae were also observed." . . .

Pavlos concludes: "Nicotine may cause functional and morphological alterations of papillae, at least in young adults."

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• Study: Smoking Lessens Taste Over Time  

A new study confirms what has already been likely known to most smokers - cigarettes lessen taste buds' abilities over time.

Greek scientists studied 62 Greek soldiers' tongues using electrical stimulation to test the taste threshold of the men and endoscopes to measure the number and shape of a certain taste bud. . . .The study was published in the journal BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders.

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Smokefree Innotec, Inc. Finalizes Plans to Test Market its New Product 

Smokefree Innotec, Inc. (Pink Sheets: SFIO) (www.sfio.us or www.smokefree-innotec.com) announced today that it has received the Real Smokefree starter kits at its Nashville Headquarters, which will enable the Company to begin test-marketing the World's first totally smoke-free electronic cigarette.

Chris Hansen of SENCO G.C.S., who is consulting with Smokefree Innotec, will be coordinating test-markets and focus groups throughout the United States. The focus groups will encompass a wide range of smokers, including members of our Armed Forces.

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Smoking ban critics speak 

FAIRMONT -- Almost two weeks ago, most county businesses were forced to go smoke-free.

And now the proprietors of several private and fraternal organizations say they are having a tough time bringing in the same amount of revenue as they did before the new laws, which ban smoking in all public places, went into effect.

"Since the smoking ban went into effect, our losses are running $1,000 a day," said Roy Hogan of the VFW Post 629. "With those kinds of losses, we won't be able to help with things in the community."

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"Everywhere the Soldier Will Be": Wartime Tobacco Promotion in the US Military 

Deployment of young Americans in military engagements places them at increased risk for not only war hazards but also tobacco addiction and disease. Tobacco use diminishes troop health and readiness, and increases medical and training costs.

Military tobacco control efforts began in 1986, yet tobacco use remains high. To determine whether and how the tobacco industry targets military personnel in wartime, we analyzed internal industry documents about the Gulf War (1990-1991) and constructed a historical case study. During this conflict, tobacco companies targeted troops with free cigarettes, direct advertising, branded items, ways to communicate with family, and "welcome home" events. Military authorities sometimes restricted this activity, but frequently enabled it; tobacco companies were regarded as benefactors.

Considering tobacco use a benefit undermines military health priorities. Stronger policy is needed to reframe tobacco use as unmilitary.

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An Iraqi Smoking Ban: Where Can GIs Light Up? 

American smokers who called such legislation "anti-democratic" might find this undertaking by the Iraqi cabinet ironic: after all, the current legislative body is a product of the ongoing Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The high-percentage of Iraqi smokers indicates that this new law will be a lifestyle disruption for much of the population. What remains unclear, however, is how it will affect the cigarette-smoking American soldier.

A 2008 story on NPR gives the estimate that over two-thirds of the soldiers stationed in Iraq light up on a regular basis . . .

it is also true that many soldiers rely on cigarettes for stress-relief. Given the upward trend in military suicides, this encroachment on smoking space provokes concern.

And this is not an issue that will be disappearing soon: a few weeks ago the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs urged the Defense Department to enact anti-smoking laws within the armed services

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Editorial: Pentagon taking on a habit it can't kick 

Getting soldiers off tobacco would not only save lives and reduce serious illness -- it would save taxpayers endless millions by reducing the cost of health care for members of the military and veterans.

But ending tobacco use for the military must mirror programs used for the general public. Prohibition only leads to scofflaws and other problems. A concerted effort to limit tobacco use and boost other anti-smoking efforts have been the most successful in the private sector, and it will be the most successful for the military as well.

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