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Starbucks patio completely smoke-free 

The patio outside Starbucks in the Learning Resource Center is now a non-smoking area.

Faculty and students made many complaints of cigarette smoke entering the building through the air intakes on the exterior walls of the building. Signs of the smoke-free zone are located on the patio and doors leading to the patio.

“Because the patio is down in a bowl, wind is primarily from the west,” said Mike Bath, director of Public Safety. “The smoke blew right into the air handlers and entered the building.”

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Smoker Actually Got Ticket For Smoking In Washington Square Park 

a tipster tells us she got a $50 ticket for smoking a cigarette in Washington Square Park recently. "I really feel like this news should be out there because IT IS RIDICULOUS & people should know. I did some research into this and no one I know has heard of this happening," she writes. Read her whole account of the ticketing below:

I got a $50 ticket for smoking in Washington Square Park. I really feel like this news should be out there because IT IS RIDICULOUS & people should know. I did some research into this and no one I know has heard of this happening. I was sitting with a girlfriend on a bench on the north side edge of the park at lunch, not many people were around (So I know it was not reported by a passerby). A parks guard (i don't even know what they are called) approached me, told me I was not allowed to smoke and took out his ticket book thing right away. I was respectful, as I always am to working people who are doing their job, and asked him to please not ticket me. . . .

The worst part about is that when I pointed out to this asshole parks guy (nope even a cop!) that a large number of the chess touts in the NW corner of the park, who, incidentally, were looking on in amusement, were also smoking he ignored me. It was enraging. . . .

Those regular chess players of the park have been notoriously defiant when it comes to the smoking ban, as one man told The Villager last year: "You could ask me to put it out and if I like the way you ask me, I might put it out. I'm just out here enjoying myself. I'm not a criminal so I don't care what they do." We've contacted the Parks Department for comment on whether that has been an uptick in ticketing people for smoking in the parks.

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City backs off park smoking ban ($$) 

Key West will not consider a smoking ban in city parks with a heavy fine for violators, as the City Commission's agenda showed Wednesday.

Proposed new rules for the parks will, however, include a request that visitors not smoke tobacco products, in an effort to protect the health of others and the island's aquatic environment.

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Cigarette littering fine considered  

INDIAN ROCKS BEACH - What began as a workshop discussion to try to find ways to limit or ban smoking in public parks and on the beach, ended up with a likely crackdown on people who improperly dispose of their cigarette butts.

If a proposed ordinance is passed by the Indian Rocks Beach City Commission in January, smokers could face a $500 fine if they litter the beach with their cigarette butts.

Commissioner Terry Hamilton-Wollin met with a number of citizens who favor a smoke-free environment in the parks and beaches in Indian Rocks Beach and she came away convinced that something had to be done. So in a special hour-long workshop Dec. 13, the commission heard a presentation from health professionals and an anti-smoking group as to the hazards of secondhand smoke in public places.

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VIDEO: High Schoolers Don HazMat Suits At Statehouse  

Hundreds of high schoolers with the group Our Voice Xposed rallied at the Vermont statehouse Thursday, calling on legislators to push for stricter laws on secondhand smoke.

Many of the students, who came from across the state, donned orange HazMat suits to make their point. They argued for more smoke-free zones in Vermont towns and parks.

Students also pointed out that younger people and children can be the most at risk for secondhand smoke complications.

"Kids ... breathe faster. Therefore, we breathe in more chemicals, more smoke (and) more toxins that end up hurting our bodies more in the end. Over time, this can lead to some serious problems," Manchester student Ryan Burns said.

Burns and others also called on state legislators to push for a ban on smoking in cars with minors in them.

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LETTER: SHATENSTEIN: Embrace smoking bylaws 

Re: Bylaw officers are busy enough, Jan. 31.

The Citizen editorial's call for "voluntary compliance" and "common sense" doesn't make the grade when it comes to tobacco use - indoors or out.

We wouldn't suggest that restaurateurs volunteer to keep vermin out of their kitchens, we can and must demand it. A number of studies have shown that levels of carcinogenic PPAHs (particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) increase significantly with the number of lit cigarettes per patio area, more than justifying the current initiative.

While the density of smokers may not be as great in parks, the concentration is more than high enough to cause harm, and there is also the constant danger of toddlers ingesting cigarette butts thoughtlessly dropped by smokers. . . .

In order to change behaviours and encourage smokers to understand they are doing harm to others, even outdoors, the new proposed bylaws should be welcome. Looking across the Quebec-Ontario border from Montreal, many of us are envious of the foresight being shown by Ottawa civic officials.

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VIDEO: New Proposal Could Ban Smoking in Chico Parks 

It's an issue being looked at in several cities across the state. The limiting, or full on prohibition of smoking in public area's, and Chico is no exception. "The City Council received a request from the American Lung Association to look at a citywide prohibition. A ban on smoking," according to Chico Parks and Natural Resources Manager Dan Efseaff.

Council members then began to collect information from multiple departments throughout the city in order to make an informed decision. The Chico Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Chico Business Association, and Bidwell Park and Playground Commission were all asked for a recommendation regarding their area's. Efseaff says as far as the parks go "it's definitely a policy question. So, we left that for the commission to come up with, and they sided 7-0 to support a prohibition."

That news caught many off guard, including Bidwell Golf Course General Manager Courtney Foster.

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County commissioners reluctant to ban smoking in parks 

Previously: In December, the Vancouver City Council voted to ban all smoking and tobacco use in city parks.

What’s new: On Wednesday, the Board of County Commissioners seemed reluctant to extend the ban to county parks.

What’s next: The commissioners will discuss the topic at a Board of Health meeting, but no date has been set.

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Some calling for Walnut Creek to deal with secondhand smoke  

As pressure from anti-tobacco groups and residents mounts, city leaders have indicated they plan to take action on secondhand smoke regulations in the near future.

For the past few years, as surrounding cities and Contra Costa County have passed laws banning smoking both in public places such as parks and in private areas like multifamily housing, Walnut Creek has made no such moves.

Some private apartment companies in Walnut Creek have gone smoke-free on their own. But the city has once again received an "F" grade from the American Lung Association for local efforts to control tobacco.

At a City Council retreat Jan. 24, city leaders prioritized a secondhand smoke ordinance to be part of their work plan over the next two years. At that meeting, Walnut Creek resident and county Tobacco Prevention Coalition member Jennifer Jimenez said more than 90 percent of residents support stronger secondhand smoking protections. . . .

Jimenez's comments come after several recent letters to the city council asking the city do something about secondhand smoke.

"I constantly have to deal with walking through the toxic smoke when I am around town shopping and eating in outdoor dining areas," said Tiffany Chin in a letter to the council.

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Smoking ban unlikely in Clark County parks 

A complete ban on all forms of tobacco is now in effect in Vancouver. But it isn't likely that Clark County will follow the same step.

The Board of County Commissioners during a work session today didn't seem supportive of the ban and indicated they prefer to stick with the current ordinance, which only calls for voluntary compliance to tobacco-free policy.

Commissioner Steve Stuart said he doesn't want to infringe on the rights of a smoker, who, in the first place, is doing a legal act.

"I don't like disenfranchising and marginalizing people, and that's where we get more and more into," he said. "Either make it illegal or not."

Commissioner Tom Mielke expressed concerns that the county may be overregulating.

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EDITORIAL: State buildings smoking ban overdue 

As unpleasant as a ban on smoking outside state office buildings will be for some Delawareans, the twofold benefit is irresistible.

The rise in residents' quitting a dangerous health habit directly linked to their tobacco addiction will continue.

And the residual benefits of slowing the growth of a $1 billion health care tab -- almost 40 percent of the state's budget -- created by smoking workers, retirees and Medicaid recipients can be aggressively attacked.

Making government campuses smoke-free removes the state's dubious role as an enabler of a habit that is both unhealthy and "will heavily burden future generations of taxpayers."

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Smoking ban may hurt Pride attendance: officials 

Organizers of this year's Capital Pride festival are worried a proposed ban on smoking outdoors on city property could crimp attendance at the annual celebration held at Marion Dewar Plaza.

Capital Pride Committee Chair Loresa Novy said the expanded smoking bylaw, which could be in place by spring, could have a disproportionate effect on Ottawa's LBGT community.

"We do have a higher population of smokers within the LGBT population," she said, "And we're worried that they won't attend the festival due to the smoking bylaw."

Novy is also concerned that the costs of enforcing the rules could fall to Capital Pride, and would like to see a more gradual implementation or grace period while festival-goers adjust to the smoking ban.

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City to consider all-day outdoor smoking ban 

The city’s Board of Health will consider a 24-hour ban on smoking outdoors on city properties and bar and restaurant patios at a special meeting next Monday.

The Ottawa Board of Health will consider a report that recommends banning smoking on bar and restaurant patios and all municipal properties – including parks, playgrounds, beaches, sports fields, fruit and vegetable markets and outdoor areas around city buildings.

The report comes after Councillor Stephen Blais asked the Board of Health to consider such a ban – but one that would only be in effect before 8 p.m.

“I proposed the 8 p.m. (version of the ban) as kind of a starting point in the conversation to be pragmatic,” said Blais, adding he was keeping the interests of bar and restaurant owners in mind.

After the Ottawa Public Health consulted with bar owners and the public, the city found there is support for a 24-hour ban as long as it is enforced uniformly, said Blais.

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The Bidwell Park and Playground Commission recommends smoking ban in all parks  

The Bidwell Park and Playground Commission is recommending a no-smoking policy for all city-owned parks, greenways and playgrounds.

Already there are several smoking bans covering certain areas, including City Plaza, city playgrounds and in upper Bidwell Park over the summer and fall.

In addition, the Chico Rod and Gun Club adopted a smoking ban inside its building near Horseshoe Lake. . . .

Mary Brentwood noted that no one has spoken out during commission meetings against anti-smoking policies.

Commissioner Jim Moravec asked about enforcement, looking at park data that showed nine citations and 184 warnings over 2011. Senior Park Ranger Jessica Erdahl said warnings were spurred by the city's efforts to educate the public, while citations are given to repeat offenders or those who were familiar with the law but ignored it.

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Coventry's Millennium Square smoke free for Olympic Games  

COVENTRY has decided to create a 'smoke-free square' for the duration of the Olympic Games this summer.

Last year the Telegraph exclusively revealed how city chiefs wanted to stop smoking in Millennium Place, where they hope families will gather to watch sport on the big screen.

However, it soon emerged the city council did not have the power to ban smoking in an outdoor area. So Coventry's Smokefree Alliance proposed a low cost campaign urging people not to light up in Millennium Place during the Games.

That has now been given the go ahead by Coventry City Council.

Coun Joe Clifford, the council's cabinet member for health and chairman of the Coventry Smokefree Alliance, has been a key supporter of the project and welcomed the news. The Olympics is synonymous with health, fitness and sporting excellence - everything that smoking is not," he said.

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