Tobacco.org

Early Voting on Smoking Ban Starts Monday 

Two groups hope the smoking ban vote will getting a lot of attention. . . .

The ordinance would prohibit smoking at Amarillo businesses.

A "yes" vote on the ballot is for the ban.

A "no" vote will allow smoking the way it is.

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Public Housing Smoking Ban Eyed 

State Fire Marshall John Dean and the Smoke-Free have introduced a statewide initiative would ban smoking in apartment houses.

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Outdoor smoking areas not addressed under Florida statute 

Q. At a recent meeting, the board decided to ban smoking at the outdoor pools and near the clubhouse. They said Florida law does not allow smoking at a public place. Is a condominium pool considered a public place? Can the board elect to do this by themselves? —D.B., Sanford

A. There is a Florida statute concerning indoor smoking, FS 386, but it does not cover outdoor areas. In past columns, I have recommended that the board set aside a smoking area and a nonsmoking area. Maybe the board establishes a nonsmoking near the clubhouse and a smoking area on the outside of the pool deck. What some smokers do not realize is that their second-hand smoke can be hazardous to some people. I have volunteered at a village that brings terminally ill children and their families to Central Florida for a week and provides tickets to the theme parks.

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Study finds racial disparities in smoking cessation treatment 

A new study from the American Cancer Society finds black and Hispanic smokers are less likely than whites to receive and use smoking cessation advice and aids. The study, published in the May issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, also finds men and those without a usual source of medical care were less likely to be screened for tobacco use and receive advice to quit.

Members of several racial and ethnic minority populations bear a disproportionate share of the adverse health consequences of tobacco use. There is strong evidence that interventions, ranging from a health care worker’s brief advice to quit to extensive counseling and the use of pharmaceutical and behavioral adjuncts, can considerably improve cessation rates in smokers. Smoking is associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and is an important contributor to inequalities in health.

For their study, American Cancer Society researchers led by Vilma Cokkinides, Ph.D., analyzed survey results from 4756 smokers

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LEININGER: Smoking ban not a moral issue 

But this is a legal issue, not a moral one: Who should decide whether smoking should be allowed in adults-only businesses where no one is ever victimized by being subjected to secondhand smoke involuntarily?

The Shafers, on the other hand, are victims - even if they are able to sell off some Tailgators' equipment and decorations at a fraction of their original cost.

So is Brenden Newland, a single mother who worked at Tailgators from its first day to the last but is now worried about the future because "I just lost my job." . . .

In other words, the smoking ban is increasing the distance bar customers must drive to get home. Good plan.

The Shafers don't want sympathy, nor do they expect the kind of massive government help big businesses locating downtown are getting. All they wanted was a chance - a chance they say died when the smoking ban was born.

So Wednesday night the Shafers and their regulars said goodbye, doing their best to use up the inventory. Many were smoking, but there's nobody left for the smoking police to punish.

The fact that some people will find smug satisfaction in that says far more about their morality than it does about the Shafers'.

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Smoking ban in Fujairah soon 

Fujairah Municipality will implement a decision to ban smoking in government departments, public facilities, markets and major commercial outlets in the emirate starting May.

Khaleej Times has learnt from Eng. Ali Qasim, head of environment protection section in the Fujairah Municipality, who also pointed that the decree is ready and will be approved in the few coming days. He announced that the environment protection section in cooperation with the Fujairah Education Zone and a number of private sector establishments, held a celebration to mark the 'Regional Environment Day' in the area of Masafi.

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China announces broader smoking ban for Olympics 

CHINESE authorities unveiled sweeping new rules against smoking on Thursday which would enable visitors to the Olympics to book smoke-free hotel rooms and non-smoking restaurant tables.

The rules, taking effect on May 1, are designed to promote a 'smoke-free' Games, officials said.

They broaden existing smoking bans in some public places and order hotels and restaurants to provide smoke-free facilities for the first time in the Chinese capital, said Sun Xuanli, deputy head of the city's health committee.

'This lays the foundation for a smoke-free Olympics,' Mr Sun told a press conference.

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New anti-smoking mascot replaces Yosi Kadiri 

First Posted 08:53pm (Mla time) 04/24/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Move over, Yosi Kadiri.

Meet QuitsS, the dancing and bouncing mascot that debuted this week as the clean-cut symbol of the new Quit Smoking Support (QuitsS) program, a workplace-based project batting for a holistic approach to curbing the habit among employees.

Blue-eyed QuitsS jump-started on Tuesday evening the three-year engagement between its creator, the corporate foundation Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), and nine companies for a customized anti-smoking program.

QuitsS is the flip side of the tarred monster known as Yosi Kadiri that puffed its way into public consciousness in the ’90s.

While ashen Yosi prompted yucks, QuitsS prides itself as the nicotine-free mascot next door, smiling inside his giant red Q of a body topped with a white cap and brandishing a cracked cigarette stick.

QuitsS’ image is expected to grace companies where the program will be implemented until December 2010, when they aim to see full-fledged quitters on their payroll.

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Smoking ban working in prisons, say guards, officials 

Five months after the statewide smoking ban forced all Illinois inmates to quit cold turkey, naysayers' predictions of doom have yet to come true, said prison officials.

Detractors of the policy when it was first debated -- such as the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees -- warned of the possibility of a cigarette black market arising within prison facilities or arguments over smokes becoming worse due to their scarcity.

AFSCME last year filed an unfair business practices suit against the state, claiming the ban was not fair to employees as it would ratchet up tension in an already tense environment.

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• Big Island council overrides veto on sweeping smoking ban 

It's now against the law to smoke in all county parks and beaches on the Big Island.

The smoking ban is also in effect at other outdoor recreation areas, such as the municipal golf course, rodeo arenas and Hilo Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

A measure banning smoking was vetoed by Mayor Harry Kim earlier this month.

But the Hawaii County Council voted 7-2 last night to override the veto.

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A.C. bans smoking on floor of casinos  

Come Oct. 15, it's curtains for smoking on the casino floor.

City Council unanimously approved a total smoking ban ordinance Wednesday to the delight of anti-smoking advocates packing the chambers.

"We are all in agreement here tonight," Councilman Bruce Ward said before the vote. "We have no opposition from the industry."

The vote drew a chorus of cheers and "thank yous" from the advocates.

"I feel so good for the working people and the visitors who come here," said Ward, a prime sponsor of the ordinance.

Mayor Scott Evans said he will sign the measure into law within 10 days.

"We have finally achieved a benchmark: a smoke-free casino," he said. "This law protects workers' rights. It's the way the country is going."

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Beijing says full smoking ban "impossible" - Yahoo! News 

Banning smoking completely in Beijing is "impossible" but the city will do its best to ensure a smoke-free environment for the Olympics through new regulations to come into force on May 1, officials said on Thursday.

The new regulations ban smoking in sports venues, parks, on public transport and in schools but restaurants and hotels are exempted.

The Olympic host city had pledged to restrict smoking in most public places before the August 8-24 Games and is committed to achieve a "thorough indoor smoke-free" environment required by the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control by 2011.

"But smoking is closely related to people's lifestyle, and particularly Beijing has a large smoking population," Li Lingyan, Vice Director of Beijing Legislation Office, told a news conference on Thursday.

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• Ahead of the curve in no-smoking trend 

While a bill that seeks to outlaw public smoking in the Northern Marianas awaits legislative approval, a handful of restaurants and bars on Saipan have already implemented either a partial or full ban on smoking inside their establishments.

Aqua Resort Club's Costa Terrace Restaurant has been non-smoking since April 2007-making it a full year that the outlet has been tobacco free, according to the Achugao hotel's food and beverage sales manager Yoshimi Yanagisawa

She said that nonsmokers have liked the change and are quite comfortable with the no-smoking policy at Costa Terrace.

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Cigarette Could Be To Blame For Staten Island Brush Fire 

Sources say a cigarette may be to blame for this morning's brush fire on Staten Island.

The blaze started around 9:30 a.m. on Great Kills Beach.

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STEINBERG: Quitters must have  

Remember: If smokers continue to smoke, they have a 50/50 chance of dying from tobacco use. Because of these dire odds, physicians need to keep in mind the risk/benefit equation that surrounds this public health issue and consider several factors in making an assessment to prescribe any medication.

The media's coverage and the public's reaction are skewed. While we must allow the Food and Drug Administration to carefully and completely evaluate the evidence and patient reports and make an informed decision as to what is the best course of action to protect the public, the ultimate go

The media explosion over this issue has certainly amplified the true risk of some of these events. This is not to say that those who suffer from worsening depression or are harmed while trying to stop smoking isn't tragic.The greater question is, "How do we take a reasonable approach and continue to use a treatment that seems to help a huge number of smokers to quit smoking who have been unable to do so otherwise?"

One answer is to allow drugs to be prescribed for patients who need them and look at the actual numbers. The dramatic numbers of smoking-related illness and death tell the story and support nicotine replacement and prescription alternatives if they can help even a fraction of smokers who are trying to quit.

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