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Pottawattomie beach smoking ban on agenda 

The Township Board will resume its discussion tonight on the proposed no-smoking ban in the beach area at Pottawattomie Park on Comstock Street.

The board is proposing to ban smoking, as well as chewing and lit tobacco, within 200 feet from the township park's shoreline on Pottawattomie Bayou.

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Editorial: Smoking-shelter plan needs to be shut down 

The state's ban on smoking in bars and restaurants still has that new-law smell, but already some lawmakers want to water it down. A late-night amendment slipped into a state budget bill would allow smoking shelters to accommodate patrons during the winter.

Now legislators need to reconcile the House version of the bill, which has the shelter exception, with the Senate version, which does not.

Recent efforts by some bar owners to abuse an existing exception in the smoking ban make us wary about the shelter proposal. . . .

With those major caveats, the shelter proposal was worthy of a full hearing at the Legislature. But the potential public-health risks are too significant to allow the amendment to go forward. As written, the proposal is a fundamentally flawed effort to get around the indoor smoking ban. The legislative conference committee should snuff it out.

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• Bill Would Make Casinos Smoke-Free  

The State Legislature recently introduced a bill that would ban smoking in all gaming areas at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard and at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville. Both casinos now have designated smoking and nonsmoking gaming space, but some workers say it is not enough.

Mary Ann Handley, a Democratic state senator representing the Fourth District, said she introduced the legislation after hearing complaints from employees at the two casinos saying they did not like working in smoke-filled environments. In 2003, the state banned smoking in public areas, including bars and restaurants, but the measure did not cover the casinos on Indian territory. Ms. Handley said making the casinos completely smoke-free would be the next step in eliminating public smoking in the state.

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Connecticut smoking ban debate heats up 

As reported by the New York Times: "The stereotypical image of players tempting Lady Luck in a smoke-filled casino could soon become a thing of the past in Connecticut.

"But efforts to ban smoking in the state's two Indian-owned casinos is turning into a test of wills between legislators pushing a bill to make the casinos smoke-free, tribes that own the casinos and Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who wants to negotiate with the owners herself.

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LETTER: Mayor urges kids to weigh in against smoking in public 

Mayor Sally Hutton visited Richmond Friends School on Friday, March 14. We asked her questions about what she is working on. She told us about an essay contest. All sixth-graders are allowed to participate in this essay contest. What you are supposed to do is say what you would do if you were the mayor in Richmond. The winner of the city gets a $50 savings bond.

One thing Mayor Sally Hutton is working on is non-smoking in restaurants.

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Smoking ban fight could go local 

The fight for a statewide smoking ban could end up being decided at the local level.

Despite the fact that a majority of Wisconsinites support a statewide ban, the Legislature has delayed action on such a measure. Allison Prange with the American Cancer Society says that could prompt many communities to take action on their own, by passing local smoking bans.

Several communities have already taken those steps on their own. Most recently, Marshfield and Eau Claire voted to adopt anti-smoking ordinances. Prange predicts more will follow suit as support continues to grow and the Legislature fails to act.

More local bans could help make the push easier for a statewide version.

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Smoking cessation program offered  

The Warren County Health Department is offering the American Cancer Society's "Freshstart" smoking cessation program.

Smoking increases the risk of emphysema, heart disease and lung and other cancers. Quitting smoking decreases those risks. Five years after quitting, the risk of lung cancer decreases by half. People who quit smoking also experience improved cardiovascular function, which leads to lower blood pressure and more energy. They also enjoy a renewed sense of taste and smell.

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• All about surrogate ads, oops!, brand extensions 

Last month, the ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) sent out a bombshell to broadcasters. Freed of legalese, the message was: Stop accepting non-liquor and non-tobacco advertisements from liquor and tobacco brands. The cut-off date? March 28, 2008.

Just days before that missive - or threat, depending on which side you are on - Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss had asked the I&B ministry to take action against tobacco and liquor companies indulging in surrogate advertising in print, electronic and outdoor media as well.

While the I&B ministry directive quoted the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act, the health minister, according to PTI, stated that brands such as Bagpiper soda, McDowell's, Johnny Walker soda and Kingfisher mineral water are using surrogate advertising, which need to be stopped. The same goes for products that have exactly the same brand name and logo, which had earlier been there in the liquor ads.

What happens now? . . .

How will it end? Sources at Kingfisher and other companies say that it will be highly speculative to talk about what they will do. They are waiting for any other directive by the ministries in question.

As the ban goes into effect, one thing is clear. If the broadcasters accept this ruling without question, it won't be long before the 'dragnet' spreads.

The next target could be print followed by radio (which does see a lot of event announcements) and probably the Internet - not necessarily in that order.

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Editorial: Smoking ban gaining public support 

Public sentiment in Wisconsin is building for a statewide workplace smoking ban and, despite no law on the books yet, it's a breath of fresh air.

Sixty-nine percent of Wisconsin voters surveyed in March support a ban, compared with 64 percent of those surveyed a year ago. Also interesting to note, fewer smokers oppose the workplace law -- 49 percent, compared with 64 percent surveyed last year. . . .

New England, which has many smoking bans in place, is the only area in the survey that didn't see a jump in OWI fatalities.

Back here in Wisconsin, the smoking-ban debate is shifting more into the public health issue that it is. About the same time that Wieckert introduced legislation to enact a smoking ban, the state Department of Health and Family Services launched a $300,000 media campaign supporting such a law.

It's our hope that Wisconsin lawmakers will soon -- whether in January when they return or in a special session before then -- take a courageous step to pass a statewide workplace smoking ban to protect the health of our residents and provide parity for our businesses.

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STUTT: How I Fooled Myself into Quitting Smoking 

Smoking, for the past 15 years, has been my demon. It owned me. I hunched with my cigarettes in alleys in the freezing rain. I got kicked out of a nightclub for smoking in the bathroom. I almost started a fire at an airstrip . . .

They do acknowledge the connection between placebo and curing addiction. But my addiction isn't cured. Like the alcoholic who can never have another drink, I can never have another cigarette.

I don't think I would have been able to quit unless I'd had my friends tell me the laser would work. I wouldn't have been able to quit without the woman waving the laser telling me I'd never smoke again if I believed I could be a non-smoker. I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't believed the laser was working its magic on my brain. And when I took those vitamins, I believed they were purging my system of toxins. I believed in it, and it worked.

The experts have convinced me my "treatment" was merely a placebo.

Should I feel foolish about that? I don't. I'm a non-smoker.

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Smoking, drinking imperil lymphoma survival 

Smoking and moderate-to-high alcohol consumption negatively affect the survival of people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, dubbed NHL, a European study shows.

"Tobacco and alcohol habits are risk factors for a wide range of diseases," Dr. Renato Talamini said in an interview with Reuters Health. "NHL patients who smoked tobacco and/or drank alcoholic beverages could be more vulnerable to the complications and side effects of cancer treatments," he noted. . . .

Talamini, at the National Cancer Institute in Aviano, Italy, and colleagues evaluated the survival rates of 268 NHL patients seen there over a 20 year period and who were followed for an average of 5 years.

During follow-up, 158 patients died, the team reports in the International Journal of Cancer.

"Moreover," continued Talamini, who led the study, "concomitant diseases due to tobacco and alcohol consumption may increase the probability of treatment toxicity, and thus, may represent an obstacle to adequate chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy."

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Tobacco Smuggler Bought Shame On His Family 

A SMUGGLER involved in the illegal importation and distribution of tobacco products has been ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work for the community.

52-year-old Nicholas Harrison, must also forfeit £20,000 and pay £10,000 costs and a £1,000 fine from more than £31,000 seized by the police when they searched his home in Trevean Road, Truro on December 15, 2005.

Harrison admitted converting criminal property on the morning his Truro Crown Court trial was due to begin on Monday. He denied further charges relating to conspiracy to supply drugs and converting criminal property and the Recorder ordered that these should lie on the file, not to be proceeded with without leave of the court or the Court of Appeal.

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Imperial Tobacco Completes Disposal Of 49.95% Shareholding In Aldeasa - Quick Facts  

Imperial Tobacco Group Plc (IMT.L) announced it has completed the disposal of its 49.95% shareholding in Aldeasa, S.A., held through its subsidiary Altadis, S.A., to Autogrill Espana S.A., a subsidiary of Autogrill S.p.A.

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Iowa Scientists Seek Smokers For Pot Study 

A group of University of Iowa scientists is looking for marijuana smokers to help gain insight into the drug's effects. And they plan to pay subjects as much as $600 to smoke their pot.

The study examines how marijuana affects brain function and cognition, with particular attention to the duration of use and the age of first use. The measure is brain imaging studies and achievement tests, such as for math and verbal skills.

Robert Block is an associate professor in the school's Department of Anesthesia and the lead investigator on the project. He said the group is looking for pot users and control subjects who consume alcohol and tobacco, but not marijuana to participate in the study.

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WIDLOWSKI: MLB: Chewing Tobacco Problem?  

On Wednesday April 9, 2008, I went to the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins game. At this game, I saw a perfect example of the chewing problem in the MLB. It was the ninth inning and I was bored because the Sox were losing by seven runs, so I decided to walk around and stand by the White Sox bullpen. In the front row, behind the bullpen, were a group of high school boys that were yelling to the Sox closer Bobby Jenks.

"Hey Bobby, what are you dipping?" They yelled at the top of their lungs.

The young men didn't mention anything about his pitching game; they were only interested in his favorite tobacco flavor. Jenks pulled his tin out of his back pocket and whipped it up to the front row. Three of the boys fought over it and finally one came away with the tin. He gave all of his friends high fives, and everyone was excited for him.

This is an example how much people look up to their favorite athletes, and even their bad habits.

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