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Concern at Maori women smoking during pregnancy 

A call was made today for Maori women to quit smoking during pregnancy.

The Public Health Association's conference in Waitangi was told 50 per cent of Maori women still smoke and 80 per cent of this group continued to smoke during pregnancy.

Te Hotu Manawa Maori manager Irene Walker said the rate of Maori smoking during pregnancy must reduce.

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Tobacco displays increase risk of teens smoking  

New research from New Zealand confirms international evidence that tobacco displays encourage children to start smoking.

Researchers found that the more times teens visit retail outlets which display tobacco products or report noticing tobacco displays in shops, the more likely they are to be susceptible to smoking, have experimented with smoking or be a regular smoker.

That's the conclusion of four researchers with Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) after they examined the results of a survey conducted among 27,000 Year 10 (4th form) students from 238 schools last year.

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• Tobacco and Aboriginal people in NSW 

Tobacco use is a major cause of morbidity and mortality for Aboriginal people in NSW. Few interventions to reduce the harm resulting from tobacco use have been developed specifically for this population. However, brief interventions for smoking cessation, pharmacotherapies such as nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion and varenicline, quit groups and interventions aimed at reducing smoking by pregnant women and hospital inpatients are likely to be effective. Broader population interventions such as anti-tobacco advertising, price rises for tobacco products and prevention of sales to minors are also likely to be effective in reducing the harm resulting from tobacco use. . . .

Conclusion

There has been little research and evaluation of anti-tobacco interventions for Aboriginal people, and limited population-specific service delivery in tobacco control in NSW. The implementation of Smokecheck, a program designed to train health professionals working with Aboriginal smokers, is encouraging. While the role of specialist tobacco workers in Aboriginal communities requires evaluation, access to mainstream specialist tobacco workers and pharmacotherapies to assist cessation is important. Broader population health measures such as advertising campaigns and restrictions on smoking in public places are also likely to reduce the harm resulting from tobacco to Aboriginal people in NSW.

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• Casinos going green to save energy, money, but smoking can get in the way  

Even in an industry closely identified with devil-may-care gluttony, going green makes business sense as consumers increasingly demand sustainable products and services . . .

The trend is reaching even casinos in Las Vegas, long criticized by environmentalists for its extravagant use of natural resources.

In April, the Palazzo Las Vegas resort became the world's largest building project to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certificate from the U.S. Green Building Council. . . .

Casinos typically face a big obstacle to LEED certification: the need to satisfy customers who smoke. LEED requires separate smoking areas and systems to contain and remove smoke and monitor air quality, said Ashley Katz, spokeswoman for the green building council.

Absher said those requirements make the casino the only section of the 76-acre, mixed-use CityCenter project that MGM doesn't expect will qualify for LEED certification, despite the casino's other sustainable features.

"We will meet all the other standards," he said. "But we cannot overcome this. Smoking is something that is very important to our customer base at this point."

It's especially hard to limit tobacco use in a tribal casino, given its iconic status in American Indian culture. But Turtle Creek developers tried to do the next best thing by installing a purifying system.

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• Griffo: Bill benefits tobacco dealers  

State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, announced Sunday the Senate is poised to pass a bill he developed that would create a tax credit for retail tobacco dealers who are located close to American Indian tobacco stores or a border state with a lower cigarette tax.

The bill would supply an annual tax credit ranging from $10,000 for a retailer 20 miles from a Native American store or border state to $1,000 for a retailer 40 miles away.

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NY Looking For Ways to Tax Cigarettes on Reservations | WKBW - TV Buffalo, New York | Local News 

New York State lawmakers are considering a different way to collect taxes from cigarettes sold on Indian reservations. Native Americans say they don't have to charge New York State taxes on cigarettes because they're on sovereign territory. But some state lawmakers, including Antoine Thompson, say they want to level the playing field for stores in New York that do collect taxes. One potential plan is to make it illegal for cigarette manufacturers to sell to wholesalers that sell to tax-free stores on reservations.

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• New York takes aim, again, at tax-free reservation tobacco sales 

The state will try a new tactic in an effort to collect taxes on sales of tax-free cigarettes sold by Indian retailers.

Negotiators said Friday a legislative deal that will be ready for passage Monday in the Senate and Assembly would make it illegal for a tobacco manufacturer to sell cigarettes to any wholesaler who has failed to agree to stop selling tax-free cigarettes to Indian retailers, such as those on Seneca Nation reservations.

The question is, if the measure is approved and signed by Gov. David A. Paterson, will it be enforced? Or, like another similar law approved several years ago, will the administration ignore collection of the tax?

Supporters believe the law could result in the state reaping more than $400 million in cigarette excise taxes currently lost to tax-free sales.

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Some stores take hit on cigarette tax hike  

Michael Hubric, owner of Michael John's Mini Mart on Seneca Road, said he hasn't heard a single one of his cigarette-buying customers is quitting because of the tax increase, which brought the total tax on a pack of cigarettes to $2.75. He said they're just not shopping at his store anymore.

"They are going to the Indian reservations," he said. "They're buying for friends and family members, getting 10 to 15 cartons and coming back with them, which is highly illegal.

"If smokers are going to quit, they have to want to quit," Hubric added. "If they don't, they're just going to find cheaper places to get them."

Hubric said the tax increase has made an impact on his business, as he has sold 149 less packs than last year this time, just for the period since the tax increase has been in effect. . . .

Despite the financial impact the increase has had on his store, Hubric doesn't have any problems with the hike. His issue is with the state not enforcing regulations for buying cigarettes at Indian reservations, where state taxes do not apply.

"I'm fine with it if they would enforce the law of two cartons per visit," he said, "but no one's doing anything about it.

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• Smoking down 20 percent in Alaska 

Alaska’s air is less smoky than it was last decade with cigarette smoking down 20 percent from 1996 state levels.

Roughly 21 percent of Alaskans reported smoking in a new behavioral survey by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services based on 2007 data. This number is about 27,000 people lower than 12 years ago. Fairbanks weighs in a hair above the state average with a 22 percent smoking rate, down from 26 percent a decade ago.

Smoking statewide declined most steeply among women and adults, and smoking by Alaska Native youths was chopped almost in half. Yet rates are still spiking in rural areas, among Alaska Native adults and among low-income non-Native adults. Progress varied depending on factors such as region, age, race and ethnicity and income level.

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• Disposal of smoking materials blamed for deadly Manitoba fire 

Two brothers — Troi Castel-Lapansee, 3, and Robert Castel-Lapansee Jr., 4 — and their cousin, Letrel Bighetty-Castel, 5, died of smoke inhalation in the fire in the remote community, located about 700 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg

Simon Nicholas, 57, died almost three weeks after the fire in a Winnipeg hospital, also due to smoke inhalation.

The fire broke out on the afternoon of March 10 in a house trailer on the reserve. . . .

Corrections and Clarifications

* A fire that killed three young boys and a man in Pukatawagan, Man., in March was caused by careless disposal of smoking materials, not careless smoking as was originally indicated in the headline.

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LETTER: Gambling on economic development, but without the smoking health risks 

Congratulations to chiefs Darcy Dixon, Bruce Labelle and Clifford Poucette and their councils for their commitment and efforts to bring economic development and job opportunities to their nation members through the new casino at Stoney Nakoda. Creating a smoke-free environment for the many members who will be working at the new casino should be the next step to protect their health. First Nations people suffer disproportionately from the non-traditional use of tobacco . . .

First Nations members deserve a healthy public environment and need their chiefs to show true leadership on this important issue.

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• Careless smoking blamed for deadly blaze 

A house-trailer fire that killed three boys and their 57-year-old uncle in Pukatawagan March 10 was caused by the careless disposal of a smoking item, according to officials.

A spokesman for the Office of the Fire Commissioner could not clarify who tossed the item or whether it was a lit cigarette.

Letrel Bighetty-Castel, 5, and his two cousins, Robert Castel-Lapensee Jr., 4, and Troi Castel-Lapensee, 3, died in the blaze

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Report Links Tax-Free Cigs To International Terrorism 

Illegal cigarette sales in which vendors don't levy the proper taxes on their products have led to a surge in tobacco smuggling and a consistent cash flow for global terrorist groups, according to a recently released congressional report.

The Committee on Homeland Security report states that "recent law enforcement investigations ... have directly linked those involved in illicit tobacco trade to infamous terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas and al Qaeda." . . .

The Bureau of Indian Affairs of the US Department of the Interior recognizes 561 Indian tribal governments in the United States. The agency reports that 55.7 million acres of land are reserved for Indians across the country. On Long Island, there are two Native American reservations - the Shinnecock Indian Nation and the Poosepatuck. A spokesperson for the Shinnecock Nation said she had no information regarding vendors' policies on taxing cigarettes on the reservation. However, a source on the Poosepatuck reservation said vendors there sell tax-free cigarettes to non-Indians "all the time."

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• Casinos trying to clear air of cigarette smoke 

But in an age when an estimated 80 percent of Americans don't smoke, tribal casinos are investing in smoke-clearing equipment to keep non-smokers happy and playing the slots.

"It's a business decision casinos are making," said Sheila Morago, executive director of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association.

"People say they don't want smoke in their faces. And engineers keep coming out with newer and better (smoke-removal) systems."

The Gila River Indian Community is spending approximately $500,000 on a state-of-the-art smoke-clearing system at a casino under construction south of Chandler. . . .

Retired Tempe physician Leland Fairbanks, now president of the Mesa-based Arizonans Concerned About Smoking Inc., explained that toxic particulates from tobacco smoke may remain in the air after the smoke itself is blown out of a room.

"And it isn't the smoke that kills anyone; it's the toxins," he said.

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• Smoking at KCK casino clouds KC, NKC bans 

The pint-sized 7th Street Casino in downtown Kansas City, Kan., could thwart a metrowide effort to ban smoking on casino floors.

Here's why:

Bans approved by Kansas City voters in April and the North Kansas City Council on Tuesday evening don't take effect until "all" surrounding casinos also are covered by similar laws.

The language in the two city-approved ordinances appears to cover the tribal 7th Street Casino owned by the Oklahoma-based Wyandotte Nation.

Billy Friend, second chief of the tribe, said Wednesday, however, that the tribe had no plans to snuff out smoking there.

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