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• 7 governors consider measures against passive smoking  

Seven governors are considering mapping out their own measures to prevent secondhand smoking, a Kyodo News survey showed Saturday. The survey was conducted earlier this month before Kanagawa Prefecture introduces Japan's first ordinance in April banning smoking in public facilities such as hospitals, schools and government offices.

Among the seven, the governors of Kyoto and Nara responded that they will study if it is necessary to introduce penal regulations for that purpose, according to the survey.

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BAUER: An essay on smoking in airports  

This newspaper carried two articles juxtaposed to one another last week that touch on a topic close to my heart. That topic combines notions related to cultural sensitivity, cross-cultural experience, and tolerance for people who are different than we are.

On the right side of page 19 in the March 16 issue of The China Post, readers saw the headline, “Taiwan, Japan target 3 million tourists.” Next to that report (of approximately 400 words) was a briefer article entitled “Airport smoking areas being considered.” A photograph of several men smoking cigarettes on a terrace in Terminal 2 at the Taoyuan airport accompanied the article. . . .

It seems reasonable that there ought to be a difference in smoking laws for public and for private places. What about smoking at international airports such as ours in Taoyuan and Kaohsiung?

The buildings are clearly for public use. People using the airports, however, may come from cultures that are less than aggressive in efforts to change citizens' smoking behavior or to protect non-smokers' rights. Should Taiwan amend its laws to make it possible for persons passing through airports to smoke in designated areas? As I ask the question, I am assuming such places could funnel fumes, not back into the building, but directly into the open air.Airports do sometimes relax rules. Consider duty-free stores. I've never been in an international terminal without one of those. I don't mind not paying tax on a bottle of Jim Beam Black.

I live, work, and pray with a group of missionaries I am proud to call my brothers. We are of ten different cultures, six of which are Asian. What American English terms "cultural diversity" is an every day fact of life for us. . . .

Father Daniel J. Bauer SVD is a priest and associate professor in the English Department at Fu Jen Catholic University.

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Ed Hungness: Until the smoke clears 

I am holding my breath because there is still the chance pro-smoking groups could carry the battle into the courts to fight the new ruling. The majority of the state's citizens are hopeful that they won't press the issue.

This past fall, much attention was given to the swine flu. We are always reminded that some 35,000 people die every year from the flu. In contrast, approximately 450,000 people die annually from smoking-related illnesses.

Before I get too many smokers upset, let me confess that I used to be a smoker. . . .

A waitress, when asked, said she looked forward to "not smelling like the bottom of an ashtray." She said that her clothes smell like smoke, her hair smells like smoke and even her purse smells like smoke. Upon her arrival home, she would be greeted by her children with an unflattering chorus of, "Mommy, you smell!"

The majority of business owners are delighted with the new law. They don't feel jobs will be threatened or businesses closed as claimed by pro-smoking lobby groups. In fact, this will likely be a stimulus for their businesses because customers, employees, friends and relatives might actually live longer.

Three cheers for all the restaurant and bar owners who have already made their establishments smoke free in an effort to create a healthy environment for their employees and patrons.

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Possibility Of All-Out Smoking Ban 

On Thursday, March 18, the vote to ban all public smoking in California fell short of needed votes. Another vote is expected to take place early next week.

Senate Bill 4, which was introduced by Long Beach Assemblywoman Jennie Oropeza, is titled "The No Smoking at State Parks and Beaches Act." If put into law, the legislation would impose a fine of at least $100 or $250 on those caught smoking at state parks and beaches. According to Oropeza, there are a number of reasons why the bill would be an integral one for state safety. Oropeza cited the EPA's claim that cigarette stubs act as marine debris and harm marine life, accounting for "38 percent of all debris items found on beaches" in the U.S.; that "smoking-related debris poses a persistent and serious threat to marine life and beachgoers over California's 1,100 miles of coastline"; and that according to the state Department of Forestry, "smoking has been found to annually cause more than 100 California forest fires and more than 3,400 acres of damage." Oropeza also blamed smoking for "four of the 25 worst wildfires in California" between 1929 and 1999, which have caused well over $1 billion in damages.

Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, a Democratic representative from the 41st District (which includes such areas as Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Topanga and Port Hueneme) is one assembly representative pushing for the ban.

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Proposed Conway parks smoking ban softened  

A proposed ordinance intended to address air quality and litter issues at Conway parks by banning smoking has been revised, calling now for the creation of designated smoking areas rather than banning tobacco use outright.

Consideration of the revised ordinance is on the Conway City Council agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting.

Aldermen discussed in January an ordinance banning the use of any sort of tobacco anywhere in city parks, with the need for such an ordinance evidenced at that meeting by a pair of plastic jugs filled with cigarette butts collected from Laurel Park — mostly near the playground — by members of the Asian Pacific Coalition for Smoke Free Arkansas.

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Raynham eatery tries again for outdoor deck 

Theodore Kesaris, owner of Christopher’s Seafood & Steakhouse on Route 138, will be making his fifth bid next month for an outside deck.

Selectmen in Raynham have turned down Kesaris’ four previous requests to construct an outdoor seating area, to accommodate both smokers and customers during warm weather, citing concerns from neighbors.

During an interview Thursday, Kesaris said selectmen should take into account – at a public hearing scheduled for April 6 – the fact that outside patios or decks are now standard fare for restaurants and lounges in the area.

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In small-town bars, smoke's gone and so are gamers 

But when the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act, which outlaws smoking in enclosed public places, went into full effect Oct. 1, Romanchuk saw business drop off significantly.

"Now it's just more like a hobby," he said. "It's barely making ends meet."

Just up the road, the Tracy Bar is seeing the same thing.

"It's affected us horribly," said LeeAnn Pond, who has worked at the bar for about a decade. "The gaming is way down. It's slowing us way down." . . .

There's no evidence that rural areas have been hit harder than Montana's cities, said Rick Ask, administrator of the Montana Gambling Control Division.

"Most everybody dropped quite a bit," he said. "We are seeing it both in rural areas and in the cities."

Some counties in northcentral Montana have seen larger drops in gambling than others.

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Cigarettes become a privilege at Spartanburg County jail 

Cigarettes are prohibited in South Carolina prisons but treated as a privilege in the Spartanburg County jail.

Jail Director Larry Powers said, based on studies and personal experience, he believes allowing inmates controlled access to cigarettes prevents a black market from developing to sell cigarettes and reduces the personnel hours required to enforce such a ban.

Powers tried banning cigarettes years ago after issuance of a county ordinance, but two officers began selling cigarettes for $1 apiece, paper matches for 10 cents and a "striker" for 50 cents. The officers were fired. . . .

Generic cigarettes are sold for $4.90 per pack, and name brand cigarettes are sold for $5.52 per pack, Powers said. Those prices will go up if a proposed increase in state taxes is passed. The money from the cigarette and other canteen purchases is used to buy basketballs, checkers and chess sets and televisions for inmate use, Powers said.

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Federal grant announced today to support tobacco-free initiatives in Linn County  

Tobacco prevention and cessation will be targeted with a $2 million grant that Linn County Public Health received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Ringgold County also received part of the total $3.2 million awarded through the

Communities Putting Prevention to Work federal stimulus program.

In Linn County, director Curtis Dickson said the grant will fund 15 public health positions to work on making school districts completely tobacco free and other initiatives.

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Worth Noting: Series to address new smoking ban 

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and the Jackson County Health Department will be putting on a series of presentations later this month to help businesses better understand how to comply with the state's new smoking ban that takes effect May 1. I'll have details on meetings this week.

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• 'No Smoking' in Palace of Justice  

NO smoking in courts please.

The Supreme Court made this request as it reiterated calls to avoid smoking inside public buildings after three lawyers were seen smoking inside the Public Information Office of the SC building in Ermita, Manila.

In an en banc resolution penned by Associate Justice Arturo Brion, the high court said the courts should designate areas for smoking.

The high court warned lawyers Brandon Domingo, Leo Felix Domingo, and Emiliana Helen Ubongen that a repetition of any prohibited smoking under the law and against internal court policies shall be dealt with more severely.

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Smoking law drags some places down  

Kopcial has grown frustrated as his tobacco-dependent patrons migrate to bars that remain smoke-filled. He has complained to Roanoke police, the state health department and the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Department.

The new law makes local health departments responsible for monitoring compliance with the law during routine inspections of restaurants. But the health departments say the law gives them no authority to cite violators. The most they can do is refer a case to police, said Robert Parker, a spokesman for the state health department's Southwest Virginia regional offices.

Police have visited a handful of smoke-filled restaurants since the law took effect Dec. 1. They've issued no summonses. If they did, the top penalty would be a $25 civil fine.

Instead of writing tickets, Roanoke police are educating restaurant owners and citizens about the law, police spokeswoman Aisha Johnson said. Offending businesses are told they must go totally smoke-free or build a separate room for smokers with a separate ventilation system. How to enforce the law is being discussed by police, health officials and the ABC. Johnson declined to elaborate on those talks.

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11 lakh fined for smoking in Delhi's public places 

The Delhi government has fined over 11 lakh people for smoking in public places and earned over Rs.15 million since 1997.

"The effort to make Delhi smoke free started in 1997 and since then we have 'challaned' over 11 lakh people for violating the smoking law," R.P. Vashishta, head of the anti-smoking wing of the Delhi government, said.

"We are earning nearly Rs.12 lakh annually through fines. I believe that fines are the way to control tobacco consumption," he said.

In Delhi, smoking in public places attracts a fine up to Rs.200.

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Veterans hope to make clubs exempt from state smoking ban 

rmy veteran Mike Stapleton said clubs where those who fought to defend the freedoms of this nation gather should be exempt from the state's smoking ban, which takes effect May 1.

"It's wrong for lawmakers to tell us private clubs what to do," said Stapleton, 61, who served in the Vietnam and Desert Storm wars.

"This (smoking) should be up to members. When we were under fire, being shot at and bombed, we'd smoke when we got a break to calm our nerves and relax."

Stapleton, of Jenison, and others at American Legion Post 179 in Grandville have signed a petition to get all veteran clubs exempt from the law passed in December. The ban applies to all bars, restaurants and workplaces. The only exemptions are for cigar bars and the gaming floors of existing casinos.

The petition drive, being coordinated on the east and west sides of the state, so far has 1,500 signatures from members of American Legion posts, Veterans of Foreign Wars and other clubs.

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Pro-environmental smoking ban at state beaches faces vote as soon as Monday 

The final Assembly vote on Senate Bill 4, a statewide effort to protect California´s coastal landscape and state parks, is expected to occur as soon as Monday.

On a day when the Assembly had several absences, the measure by Sen. Jenny Oropeza, D-Long Beach, fell just shy of the necessary 41-vote majority on her plan to ban smoking at state beaches and designated areas of state parks. A full house is expected Monday.

SB 4, the No Smoking at State Parks and Beaches Act, would establish a fine of up to $100 for smoking at a state beach or park. It was recently amended to allow the state Department of Parks and Recreation, citing enforcement concerns, to designate areas where smoking is banned.

More than 50 groups and organizations support Oropeza´s bill, including the cities of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach and Torrance, as well as state firefighters, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups.

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