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Petitions get OK in smoking fight  

Opponents of an expanded smoking ban that was to begin July 1 have enough valid signatures to delay its implementation and put the issue on next year's November election ballot, South Dakota's secretary of state said Thursday.

But neither side is convinced that it's headed to a vote yet.

Secretary of State Chris Nelson said his office randomly sampled 5 percent - or 1,270 - of the roughly 25,000 signatures turned in Monday. Based on that review, some signatures were thrown out. But the percentage that passed muster, extrapolated out for the entire number turned in, led them to certify 18,320 valid signatures, Nelson said.

To get on the ballot, smoking ban foes needed 16,776 signatures.

Ban supporters to review petitions

Jennifer Stalley, South Dakota government relations director for the American Cancer Society, said a group of ban supporters is making copies of each petition and will review all signature to ensure their validity. It has until 5 p.m. July 2 to do do.

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Smoke Flies Over Milford Hookah Lounge 

A hookah bar in Milford went up in smoke last week, but not because it burnt down. The Milford Health Department shut down it down, but the owner has appealed and plans to reopen Friday night.

According to a news release from the Milford Health Department, the Olive Tree Hookah Lounge was closed because smoking tobacco through a water pipe is a "significant health hazard."

For those who don't know, smoking hookah is when you smoke flavored tobacco through a water pipe.

Salmmer Karout of Hamden is challenging Milford's attempts to block him from reopening his exotic smoking lounge featuring hookahs and belly dancers. He appealed the city's action and plans to reopen the club Friday night.

According to the World Health Organization, a typical one-hour session of hookah smoking exposes the user to 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.

Milford officials decided smoking is bad for you and felt the need to step in and protect the people who were making the choice to smoke hookah.

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Council approves smoking ban in city parks 

The Atascadero City Council voted 4-0 in favor of prohibiting smoking in all city parks, the Charles Paddock Zoo and public events. Councilman Jerry Clay was absent.

Councilman Tom O'Malley made the motion and Councilman Bob Kelley seconded it, with the assistance of the city attorney since the motion was leading to a city ordinance.

Brady Cherry, city community services director, told the council that, "this item this evening is to consider some smoking restrictions to our parks and recreation areas as well as the Charles Paddock Zoo."

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• DOD, VA Should Take Stronger Steps To Combat Tobacco Use in Military, Veteran Populations 

Because tobacco use impairs military readiness, harms the health of soldiers and veterans, and imposes a substantial financial burden on the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, these agencies should implement a comprehensive strategy to achieve the Defense Department's stated goal of a tobacco-free military, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. DOD should gradually phase in a ban on tobacco use in the military, starting at military academies and officer training programs and among new recruits, the report says. DOD should also stop selling tobacco products in Army and Air Force commissaries -- Navy and Marine Corps commissaries already do not sell them -- and should stop selling them at a discount in military exchanges and other stores. In addition, Congress should allow VA to establish tobacco-free medical centers.

The report was requested by DOD and VA, who asked the Institute of Medicine to identify policies and practices that could lower rates of smoking and help soldiers and veterans quit.

Tobacco use reduces soldiers' physical fitness and endurance and is linked to higher rates of absenteeism and lost productivity, the report says. In 2005, 32 percent of active-duty personnel and 22 percent of veterans were smokers; rates among active-duty personnel have recently increased, possibly because of growing tobacco use by deployed troops.

"We found that the adverse effects of tobacco use on military readiness, the health of both smokers and nonsmokers, and the financial cost of the medical care of smoking-related illness in military and veteran populations are a sound basis for moving systematically toward a tobacco-free military," said Stuart Bondurant, professor of medicine and dean emeritus of the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and chair of the committee that wrote the report. "The state of the art in tobacco control is such that with well-managed programs, DOD and VA could eventually be tobacco free with minimal disruption, and with substantial benefit to military personnel and veterans."

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Hookah lounges are growing in Baltimore area  

Two hookah bars, El Basha on East Baltimore Street and the iLounge on North Charles Street, have opened this year in Baltimore, and two more have opened in Towson over the last few years.

Click to see a full size version of the slideshow

The secret to the growing success of hookah is the timeless demographic for trendy nightlife -- college students.

"They think it's cool," said Mohammed Jadoo, co-owner of Arabian Nights. "A lot of people these days are finding out about it, and they've started liking it." . . .

However, there are always risks associated with smoking, even if it's tobacco-free.

"Any time that you're inhaling smoke into your lungs, there's an inherent risk there," said Michelle Bernth of the American Lung Association. "It's not right to think that just because you're smoking something natural, it's OK. Any time that you're inhaling smoke directly into the soft tissue of your lungs, you're putting yourself at risk."

Despite the risks, hookah is growing in popularity among college students.

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Hookah bar owners form association 

With a view to assisting the judiciary and police in curbing the menace of illegal operations at hookah bars, a few hookah bar owners in the city have formed an association and moved an application in the Gujarat high court, seeking to be a party to the suo moto proceedings against the illegally run hookah bars in the city.

Over a dozen hookah bar owners have come forward to curb the illegal activities of some entities in their fraternity. "We have formed an association with the aim to cooperate with the government authorities to curb illegal activities," said a member of the Hookah Bar Owners' Association. "We do not want to be targeted because of the scrupulous activities of others in the business," he added.

Only five hookah bars in the city have the official license to run their business. Others are either compelled to shut down or are running their bars illegally. "We will obey all the guidelines issued by the police commissioner, and will also inform them of any illegal activities we come across," the member said.

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• Combating Tobacco Use in Military and Veteran Populations 

Select a link below to start reading online free!

TABLE OF CONTENTS . . .

13-20 (skim) 2 SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM 21-52 (skim)

3 FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE TOBACCO USE 53-78 (skim)

4 TOBACCO-CONTROL PROGRAMS: EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES 79-132 (skim)

5 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TOBACCO-CONTROL ACTIVITIES 133-174 (skim)

6 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TOBACCO-CONTROL ACTIVITIES

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Smoking ban goes into effect in San Dieguito River Park 

A new no-smoking policy is now in place for the San Dieguito River Park, which stretches from the gateway at the lagoon in Del Mar to the crest of Volcan Mountain.

The Board of Directors of the San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority approved the policy, following the lead of 14 other cities in San Diego County. The authority is a multi-jurisdictional agency formed to plan, create, preserve and enhance the San Dieguito River Valley Regional Open Space Park.

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Mixed Reaction To Smoking Ban Vote  

The South Dakota smoking ban will not take effect as scheduled next week because a coalition handed in enough signatures to put the measure to a statewide public vote in next year's november election.

The petition needed nearly 17,000 signatures to put the measure to a public vote and today the Secretary of State's office says they have over 18,000.

Today, supporters of the smoking ban say they have enough signatures and there is mixed reaction to the news.

Vicki Bruse is a non-smoker who is for the smoking ban but has a daughter who loves her job at the bar and makes a good living doing it but the potential health risks of working in a smoke filled is on both of their minds.

"It's one reason where she knows she has to get into something else because of that. But if it goes smoke free she could enjoy doing what she loves," said Vicki Bruse.

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Ex-WVa. mayor pleads guilty to smuggling tobacco into prison 

Former Mill Creek Mayor Diane Currence will avoid jail time as part of an agreement in which she pleaded guilty to charges of delivering contraband to an inmate at Huttonsville Correctional Center.

Randolph County Magistrate George Riggleman sentenced Currence to a community service program. Both the charges Currence pleaded guilty to are misdemeanors, and other charges have been dropped.

Currence was accused of bringing tobacco and other substances to a prisoner along with her daughter Kathryn and her son Jason.

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Washoe health care facilities to go smoke-free  

Officials of Northern Nevada's three major health care providers Thursday announced they will make their facilities smoke and tobacco free, eliminating designated smoking areas.

Renown Regional, Northern Nevada and Saint Mary's Regional medical centers each will set their own schedule to erase smoking, the largest cause of poor health nationally.

"As health care providers, we have to balance teaching patients not to smoke, as well as set an example for them by helping make our campuses tobacco free," said Mark Crawford, CEO of NNMC.

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Washoe health care facilities to go smoke-free  

Officials of Northern Nevada's three major health care providers Thursday announced they will make their facilities smoke and tobacco free, eliminating designated smoking areas.

Renown Regional, Northern Nevada and Saint Mary's Regional medical centers each will set their own schedule to erase smoking, the largest cause of poor health nationally.

"As health care providers, we have to balance teaching patients not to smoke, as well as set an example for them by helping make our campuses tobacco free," said Mark Crawford, CEO of NNMC.

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What is the cost of secondhand smoke?  

The state Legislature is moving close to passing a worthy bill that just might turn out to be illegal.

Many want to ban smoking at Connecticut's two Indian casinos, saying they want to protect workers exposed to dangerous secondhand smoke.

But Connecticut's tribes warn that any such legislation could threaten hundreds of millions in casino video slot revenue that's shared with state government.

No one is disputing the need to protect the workers. The state already has taken steps in recent years to ban smoking in restaurants, bars and the workplace in general.

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Up in smoke: Milford hookah lounge shut down  

A local hookah lounge has been shut down, two weeks after it opened, by city health authorities concerned about the health hazards of smoking flavored tobacco through a water pipe.

The Olive Tree Hookah Lounge, in a small shopping center at 2007 Bridgeport Ave., offered communal smoking to patrons using large water pipes to puff "aromatic" tobacco mixed with fruit and herbs.

Owner Sammer Karout, an immigrant from Syria who owns a Middle Eastern deli next door to the hookah lounge, has hired a lawyer and is appealing the closure ordered under state and local laws that ban smoking in public places.

Karout said he went through all the proper channels and obtained a state permit before opening his lounge. He said he spent roughly $150,000 to outfit it with elaborate colored lighting, cushioned booths and low, wooden tables.

Before opening, he approached the city Health Department, talked to a sanitarian and was told he couldn't serve food or beverages within the hookah lounge, per state law banning smoking in public places effective 2004. But, he said, he was not told that he could not open the lounge.

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Owner, Milford at odds over reopening hookah lounge 

MILFORD -- The owner of a Bridgeport Avenue "hookah" club that features fragrant pipe smoking and belly dancers is vowing to reopen today, but city officials plan to take legal action if the doors open.

The Olive Tree Hookah Lounge was closed June 19 by the Health Department because the city claims smoking inside the club violates city ordinances.

But club owner Salmmer Karout of Hamden said the Olive Tree is a private, members-only organization, and therefore is exempt from city regulations.

Karout opened Olive Tree Hookah Lounge at 2007 Bridgeport Ave. in May, next door to his Middle Eastern restaurant. Club-goers pay to smoke "fruit-flavored tobacco" through a water pipe in a communal setting.

Karout appealed the city's action and plans to open the club tonight.

City Health Director Dr. A. Dennis McBride said the lounge was closed June 19 because of what he called the "significant health hazards" posed by smoking tobacco through a water pipe. . . .

There is festive music and "among the best belly dancers" entertain his patrons, Karout said. He said the lounge is "very classy."

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