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Officials set smoking ordinance hearing 

The second public hearing on the county-wide smoking ordinance has been set. It will be held May 27 at 7 p.m. in the Peru High School auditorium.

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Outdoor Smoking Ban Mulled 

establishments instead chose to allow smokers to light up on outside patios or outdoor areas that were still part of the bar, but not within the bar's walls. Now a City of Portland committee is supporting an effort to ban smoking on those outside areas as well.

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Action on smoking legislation put off again 

Once again, a House-Senate conference committee has postponed action on legislation that will determine which workplaces and public places must be smoke-free and which ones will continue to permit smoking.

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Aiken City Council to discuss possible smoking ban 

Plans to ban smoking in restaurants and public places in the city of Aiken may get new life.

The city council is having a special meeting May 20 to talk about the idea and to hear from people.

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Anesthesiologists Help Patients Extinguish Smoking Habits 

In response to the continuing tobacco epidemic, the American Society of Anesthesiologists formed a Smoking Cessation Initiative Task Force in 2006. ASA Member David O. Warner, M.D., an anesthesiologist at the Mayo Clinic, heads the nine –person smoking task force on behalf of ASA.

Dr. Warner explains how the ASA initiative differs from the numerous other “Stop Smoking” programs available today. “The focus of the ASA initiative is not only on the long-term benefits of not smoking, but also on the benefits of not smoking as long as possible before and after surgery. Smokers require special consideration when undergoing anesthesia for a surgical procedure, because smoking complicates anesthesia management and increases the risks of complications.”

As a component of the Smoking Cessation Initiative, ASA is advocating the Ask –Advise – Refer program. This offers physicians practical advice on how to engage their patients in a conversation about their smoking habits and refer them to helpful expert resources, like the national tobacco quit-line, 1-800-Quit- Now.

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Councilman proposes smoking ban at Wilkes-Barre playgrounds 

Councilman Bill Barrett wants smoking prohibited at city playgrounds, a ban that other local communities have passed or plan to implement.

Barrett invited Melissa Rehrig, youth and school health coordinator for Steps to a Healthier Pa. Luzerne County, to a council meeting Thursday at 6 p.m. to discuss prohibiting smoking at playgrounds to prevent children's exposure to secondhand smoke.

Barrett learned of the organization after a co-worker at Luzerne County Community College complained about someone smoking in the playground area at Kirby Park and throwing butts in the mulch. He wants Pennsylvania to have a state law like California, which prohibits smoking in all playgrounds.

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It's never too late to quit: Women who give up smoking can reverse health hazards, study says 

According to the latest figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20.8 percent of adults in the United States smoke, accounting for about 438,000 deaths each year. In Wisconsin, 21 percent of adults smoke, according to the latest statistics from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services.

Fiore said that a third of all smokers try to quit each year, and that 70 percent of Wisconsin smokers say they've tried to stop at least once.

Shirley Reimer started smoking a half-pack of cigarettes daily when she 18 years old because it seemed cool and helped her relax. She was unaware she had a genetic lung disease called sarcoidosis that would be worsened by her habit.

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Smoking ban dodges bullet in committee 

A bill to ban smoking in restaurants and other public places across Alabama survived a House committee Wednesday by a single vote, moving it closer than ever to becoming law.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, passed the Government Operations Committee unanimously but only after an amendment that Figures said would have "gutted" it failed by a 6 to 7 margin.

The Alabama Restaurant Association opposes the bill, warning that the provisions give bars an unfair advantage over restaurants.

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Smoking ban in parks up for discussion at public hearing 

Seventy-four percent of those who participated in a city of Wenatchee online poll believe smoking should be allowed outright or with some restrictions in city parks. Only 26 percent of the poll's voters support an outright ban.

Those online voters and the rest of Wenatchee's population will be able to voice their opinions at a public hearing Thursday before the Wenatchee City Council.

Dave Erickson, city parks and recreation director, said he does not anticipate a decision on the issue at the hearing.

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3 arrested in airmail cigarette seizure 

Prohibited parcels: Customs officers have seized 950,0000 illicit cigarettes worth $1.5 million and with a duty potential of $770,000 at the Air Mail Centre.

Customs officers have arrested three people in Hong Kong's largest illicit cigarette seizure so far this year.

In a special operation from April 22 to May 5, officers seized 950,0000 illicit cigarettes worth $1.5 million and with a duty potential of $770,000 at the Air Mail Centre.

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Smoking, fire safety (Fire safety) 

Cigarettes, lighters and matches are the biggest killers in accidental fires in the home. Read on for fire safety tips to help prevent fires starting this way.

Studies in London have shown that they cause up to half of all fatal house fires and are the second biggest cause of injury. In London alone, smokers' materials caused 584 fires involving 12 deaths and 202 injuries in 2002.

Cigarette fires often happen at night after people have gone to bed. People are more relaxed in the evening and may have had a few drinks or be tired. It's important to remember that one final check could save you and your family's lives.

Seven ways to be safer:

* Never smoke in bed

* Always use a proper ashtray and make sure it can't be knocked over

* Never leave a lit cigarette around

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Cigarette Butt May Have Caused House Blaze 

A careless cigarette cast off could have triggered a house blaze in Mill Hill, fire investigation teams have said.

The flames ripped through the house in Longfield Avenue on Tuesday evening at about 8pm. . . .

Cigarettes or cigars, lighters and matches are a major cause of accidental fires in the home A London Fire Brigade spokesman . . .

Visit the London Fire Brigade website to find ways of preventing cigarette fires.

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Small Business Chamber supports hike in cigarette tax 

The SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce announced its support Wednesday of H.3567, the cigarette tax, as amended by the perfecting amendment of Alexander, Land, Hayes and Lourie adopted Tuesday.

The Small Business Chamber has supported an increase in the cigarette tax providing the revenue would be used to help small businesses in our health insurance crisis, said Frank Knapp, Jr., president of the organization. "In general, H.3567 accomplishes this by enabling more of our uninsured citizens obtain affordable health insurance coverage."

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2nd UPDATE: BAT Pricing, Currency Pushes 1Q Operating Profit Up 18% 

British American Tobacco PLC (BTI) Wednesday unveiled better-than-expected first-quarter results, citing better pricing and favorable exchange rates.

The London-based maker of Lucky Strike, Kent, Dunhill and Pall Mall cigarettes, said that net profit rose to GBP599 million in the three months to March 31, from GBP495 million a year earlier.

Sales were up 14% at GBP2.54 billion, while operating profit - the key figure U.K. analysts and investors track - rose 18% to GBP807 million in the first quarter.

Analysts had predicted a 13% first-quarter rise in average operating profit to GBP782 million from GBP692 million a year earlier.

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Plans to peg cigarette tax rate to inflation dropped  

South Carolina's Senate has dropped plans in a $159 million cigarette tax increase to tie the rate to rising medical prices.

The state's 7 cent tax is the nation's lowest, and senators agreed Tuesday to increase it to 57 cents a pack. Efforts to keep the inflation factor in the bill failed Wednesday on 17-23 vote.

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