Tobacco.org

State cuts imperil no-smoking efforts 

Faced with a 50 percent cut in state funding, Tobacco Free Allegheny plans to dismantle nine of its 12 contracted programs after Wednesday.

"Should the budget materialize with full funding, we can restore the programs, but we're not overly optimistic that will happen," Executive Director Cindy Thomas said.

"We're spending at the rate of a full budget -- we thought we were getting just over $2.1 million. If the cut goes through ... we'll only have $1 million for the year."

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EDITORIAL - Cigarettes aren't candy: Feds rightly stub out a product that kids like  

If you want children to try an unfamiliar food, put some sugar on it. That was always Grandma's solution for convincing tiny mouths to take that first bite of grapefruit. Food manufacturers have been doing the same thing for years, witness the crunchy, sweet glaze on otherwise healthy but bland shredded wheat.

Cigarette manufacturers have used a similar approach by offering flavored cigarettes -- strawberry, chocolate, lime, toffee, to name a few -- but no more.

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City may put more teeth in its ban on smoking  

Smokers in Indianapolis soon could be banned from lighting up in bars, bowling alleys and nightclubs.

In coming weeks, the City-County Council will debate a proposal to strengthen an existing workplace smoking ban that prohibits lighting up in Indianapolis restaurants and public spaces such as hotel lobbies and elevators.

The new ordinance, to be introduced to the council Monday, would eliminate exemptions and give Indianapolis a comprehensive ban similar to those in 11 other Indiana communities and 26 states, including Illinois and Ohio.

"We're way behind on this," said Missy Lewis, chairwoman of Smoke Free Indy, a coalition of health advocates that lobbied for the existing ban. "This is about people being able to be healthy in their workplace."

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LETTER: Depriving 24 percent of freedom to smoke  

The Star and Matthew Tully are at it again trying to deprive 24 percent of the citizens their freedoms of choice with an extended smoking ban in Marion County ("Passing a no-exemptions smoking ban is the right thing to do," Oct. 2).

Why not make it illegal for people to drive Honda Accords in Marion County?

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Gallatin Clean Indoor Air Act coordinator asks for help reporting 

Gallatin County Clean Indoor Air Act coordinator Rick Gale is asking for the public's help in reporting offenders.

"Go online through the Montana Quit Line Web site, fill out your name, address and the violation that you saw that goes against the Health Department Code," Gale said.

Violations can be reported online at tobaccofree.mt.gov or tobaccofreegallatin.org or by calling 1-866-787-5247.

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VIDEO: Smoking Ban Debate Reignites 

The fight over smoking in Central Indiana starts to heat up again. The City-County Council is about to start debating a new, tougher smoking ban in Marion County.

It is comprehensive and it is far-reaching.

"The only exceptions will be personal residences and company cars where only one person is in the car," said Councilor Angela Mansfield.

Councilors introducing the expanded smoking ban Monday hope it is successful.

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VIDEO: Great Falls Community Speaks Out on Eve of Smoking Ban 

At the Black Eagle Country Club Wednesday they'll be giving out cigarettes and hosting a smoke in starting at 7:30.

It seems almost everyone has an opinion about the smoking ban, and those opinions aren't changing. And, while the clean indoor air act will keep public places in Montana smoke free, are smoking regulations really making a dent in smoker's habits?

Kerri Anderson, the assistant manager at Public Drug Co. in Great Falls said, "I've heard a few people say that, 'Well, I might as well quit because I won't be able to smoke at the bar or anywhere.'"

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Butte prepares for Clean Indoor Act  

There will be no more lighting up in bars and casinos as of midnight.

After being excluded from the Clean Indoor Act for four years, time has run out for businesses that attract the most smokers.

In Butte, preparations for the big change are noticeable around town with smoking shacks going up, including at Lisac's Tri-Stop and Good Tymes Casino on Harrison Avenue.

Owner Elaine Lisac says she remains positive about the change despite some worries.

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A Doctor's Word -- Black Americans Can Escape the Smoking Trap  

Editor's Note: Smoking-related diseases are the number one killer of African Americans, and tobacco companies relentlessly market their product in the black community. But each year, many smokers do manage to quit. Dr. Erin Marcus tells the story of a longtime smoker who, at the age of 55, is successfully kicking the habit. . .

Stopping a decades-long habit -- and breaking the physical and psychological addiction of tobacco -- was extremely tough for Jones, just as it is for most smokers. But he is optimistic that he will succeed.

In her next column, Dr. Marcus will describe some of the techniques that worked for Lawrence Jones, and some tips she's gathered while taking care of patients over the years.

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EDITORIAL: Smoking ban is good public health policy 

The links between smoking and cancer are well established and the nation's smoking rate has dropped dramatically in the past 40 years. And recent research suggests that public smoking bans do more than unfairly persecute smokers. The bans have lead to dramatic declines in heart attacks.

Two research teams came to this conclusion in independent studies recently released. They examined evidence from more than a dozen locations in Europe, Canada and the U.S. that had imposed smoking restrictions. The results were hard to ignore.

There was an almost immediate drop in heart attacks, the researchers showed. And the longer the bans were in place, the more pronounced the decline - an average of 36 percent, said one study. We're reminded of a recent study in Helena that showed that the annual heart attack rate dropped 40 percent after the city banned smoking in public buildings. The rates increased after a court suspended the ban.

Nonsmokers - patrons and employees - will benefit greatly from the ban as secondhand smoke is eliminated. Smokers will have a greater incentive to change their habits.

Some big adjustments are called for as the law is fully implemented today. We're confident that Montanans will recognize that this law is good public health policy.

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EDITORIAL: Clearing the air in our public buildings 

According to tobaccofree.mt.gov, the state Web site dedicated to sharing information about the Clean Indoor Air Act and resources on how to quit smoking, Montanans spend more than $216 million on medical care attributed to smoking each year. Nationally, it is estimated that each pack of cigarettes costs the public $7, half of which is lost productivity and half of which is medical costs. And in Montana, smokers bought 3.4 million packs of cigarettes in 2002.

But most importantly, the site notes that tobacco-related diseases cause the deaths of four Montanans every day.

That alone should be reason enough to quit smoking today. But if it isn't, it's certainly reason enough to take your habit outside where no one else has to share it.

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Great Falls bars implement new smoke-free law 

It's been in the works since 2005, and Montana is now smoke free - at least indoors. As of today, workplaces and public facilities can no longer allow smoking inside, thanks to the Montana Clean Indoor Act.

How are some of the bars in Great Falls coping with the change?

While Cowboy's Bar is complying fully with the law by going smoke-free, some customers were not happy about the change.

Over at the City Bar, lunch hour drew in a great number of customers, but owner Brad Watson says it may be too early to tell if the implementation of law will affect business. Watson hopes a new outdoor smoking area will help make smoking customers feel comfortable.

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GUNASEGARAM: 10 ways to snuff out smoking 

EVERYBODY, including tobacco companies, is now agreed that smoking is detrimental to good health. You only have to look at the cigarette packets to know this.

But nicotine is a powerful addictive drug. If you get hooked, it is very tough to give it up.

The best cure is prevention -- stop people from taking up the smoking habit in the first place. That means the target must be the young -- discourage them by all means fair from picking up the habit in the first place. . . .

We need guts and gumption to deal with this. Here are 10 ways to show we have it.

1. Increase cigarette prices. . . .

10. Adhere to international codes, rules and regulations. The world at large has recognised the dangers of smoking. Most countries in the world are signatories to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which sets out measures that can be taken to discourage smoking.

By adhering to provisions of the code, Malaysia can move forward in the fight against smoking, which statistics show is becoming an increasingly serious problem here.

A phased series of actions based on these lines will go a long way towards checking smoking among our children and discouraging smokers from, well, smoking, thereby reducing the incidence of smoking overall.

It is important not to pull punches because of the cost it might inflict on the tobacco industry. The economic damage that smoking causes through health and productivity costs is far more than the benefits the industry contributes.

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• The aim of the Tobacco Act should be to stop the use of tobacco products  

The Government proposes changing the aim of the Act on Measures to Reduce Tobacco Smoking so that it will be to stop the use of tobacco products. According to the proposal, the display of tobacco products and their trademarks in retail sale facilities will be forbidden in the future. Accordingly, tobacco products may not be sold or otherwise supplied to persons under 18 years, and also the import and possession of tobacco products by them is to be forbidden. Persons selling tobacco products should be aged at least 18 years.

The prohibitions against smoking are proposed to be extended to apply e.g. to facilities used by children and young people and to vehicles, joint facilities of housing real estates, events organised outdoors, and hotel rooms. According to the law proposal the import, sale and other supplying of snuff will be forbidden, but a maximum of 30 packets containing 30 grams snuff may be imported for one's own use. In addition, the sale of tobacco products from automatic vending machines is to be forbidden.

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The Sun Rises in the East, and Cigarette Makers Appeal  

Summary

A win in the U.S. Supreme Court would bring at least temporary relief to cigarette makers. But the odds are against the Court taking the case, and even if Philip Morris did win in Court, the FDA might use its newly expanded powers to regulate them anyway.

Cigarette manufacturers have engaged in legal "attrition" since the first lawsuits against them were brought in the 1950s. The federal court that found members of the industry liable for RICO violations unearthed documents showing that advisors recommended litigation to the nth degree, sometimes only in order to drain the opposing side of their resources

The litigate-to-the-end strategy kept the cigarette industry healthy for many years, but there is evidence to suggest that this strategy is not as successful a bulwark as it once was. . . .

the chances of the U.S. Supreme Court hearing Philip Morris' case are against them

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