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Man dies in Madison Heights garage fire  

A 53-year-old grandfather was killed Tuesday when a fire started in his room in the garage at his daughter's Madison Heights home, a fire official said today.

Madison Heights Fire Marshal Chris McCracken said he didn't yet have the man's name, but that his death has been ruled accidental. . . .

He also said the fire could have been caused by a cigarette because the man was known to be a heavy smoker who sometimes fell asleep with his cigarette still lit.

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VIDEO: Impaired smokers main cause of fires started by cigarettes  

Local firefighters were out for the second day of Fire Prevention Week, letting people know about the dangers of cigarette fires.

According to new research, simple carelessness is not the main cause of cigarette fires.

Fire Marshal Joe Pedrola says smokers impaired from things like drugs, both prescription and illegal, alcohol or fatigue are most likely to cause cigarette fires.

Many people fall asleep on beds and couches while smoking and those materials are highly combustible.

"Oregon safe cigarette law which was enacted about a year ago kind of took care of part of this problem because any cigarettes that are sold in the state of Oregon have to self extinguish," said Pedrola.

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VIDEO: 79-year-old man dies in house fire 

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. -- Firefighters discovered the body of an elderly man in the kitchen of his home after a fire broke out Wednesday morning.

Fire investigators said the fire that claimed the life of 79-year-old William "Willie" Spearman started in the kitchen and was sparked by a discarded cigarette.

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Illegal Tobacco Sales To Minors Declines  

This year's survey showed illegal sales to minors were down from 11 percent last year to only 6 percent this year.

Hawai'i is below the national average of 9.9 percent.

Cigarette smoking is the number one preventable cause of death in the United States, and 80 percent who smoke, began before the age of 18.

"The tobacco manufactures keep trying to get our children hooked," said Dr. Chiyome Fukino.

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Crackdown on stores selling tobacco to Hawaii's kids  

Some hopeful news in the fight against illegal tobacco sales to Hawaii's youth - a state survey shows a significant drop in the number of stores selling tobacco products to minors.

This year's survey released by the Hawaii State Department of Health's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division shows the number of tobacco sales to minors has almost been cut in half compared to last year's survey.

Much of the credit goes to some undercover teens. At the capitol on Monday, they displayed the cigarettes from actual packs they bought from stores across the state. Some were even sold, after the teens told the clerks their age.

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Springdale, Pine Ridge Set to Move on Smoking Bans 

The workplace smoking ban recently adopted by Lexington County is putting the heat on other local councils to follow the lead.

The Town of Springdale, located about a mile north of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, was scheduled to give second and final reading to a proposed workplace ban at its Oct. 6 meeting, according to Town Administrator Natalie McKelvey.

"It mirrors the Lexington County ordinance," McKelvey says.

Like the Lexington ordinance, it would not go into effect until Jan. 1 of next year.

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• Springdale bans smoking; 2 others consider it 

Springdale on Tuesday became the second town in Lexington County to snuff out smoking in restaurants, bars, stores and offices, and two neighboring communities may do likewise.

The ban in Springdale mirrors limits on lighting up in workplaces in unincorporated parts of the county effective Jan. 1.

It's time for the 11 other county municipalities without bans to follow suit to avert public confusion, Springdale Mayor Pat Smith said.

"We need consistency, not a checkerboard pattern where it's allowed in some places and not in others," he said.

His wish won't happen soon as some communities refuse to restrict where smokers light up.

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Small smoking cuts 'would save 5000 lives a year'  

CUTTING smoking rates by even half the amount proposed by the federal government's Preventative Health Taskforce would save up to 5000 Australian lives a year and nearly $1 billion in health and other costs.

The first estimates of the likely savings from relatively modest health improvement goals have found that cutting smoking rates to 15 per cent -- down from 23 per cent in 2004-05 -- would also avoid 158,000 cases of tobacco-related illness.

A 15 per cent smoking rate is much higher than the 9 per cent target to be reached by 2020 suggested by the final report of the Preventative Health Taskforce published last month.

That target has been criticised in some quarters as unattainable in the short or medium term, and the report was attacked for being too draconian in advocating steep tobacco tax hikes

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Action on Smoking And Health ASH Gets Congratulated For Making People Smoke 

Electronic Cigarette users finally take a stance. Well, at least one did.

In a recent PRLog press release entitled "Kudos to the FDA ... bravo ASH, Cancer Research agencies, Federal Governments et al ..." that was recently published, it praised the work of ASH and a public thank you to point out the dangers of the electronic cigarette. This press release was posted on the Action on Smoking and Health website as being a congratulations for Professor John Banzhaf and the work of ASH in their recent fight.

However there is a big problem. The press release is totally bogus.

On it's face value, it is quite humorous and oozing of sarcasm. In reality, this is alarming.

Since it's conception in 2004, electronic cigarettes have been used by millions of users worldwide as a way to stop tobacco smoking. And for many, it has been very effective. to date, there has not been one single injury or death related to electronic cigarettes. However, there will be over 400,000 tobacco related deaths this year in smoking real cigarettes. . . .

As this reporter has stated time and time again, ASH is not the most accurate source for information regarding public health, and this recent stunt further underscores this. The recent bogus press release is just proof that as an organization, ASH does not study facts accurately, only looks for what it sees in it's narrow eyes, dismissed cold hard scientific facts, and many times uses misleading information to alarm the public about health hazards that simply do not exist.

As an organization that is supposed to be an organization that promotes the health of the American public, this is more of a health hazard. If a single individual can dupe a large organization like this, imagine what you don't know about what type of information you are receiving from it. . . .

This reporter thinks that John Banzhaf should step aside from his post. He may have made some strides back in the 1960, but in the 21st century, he can't even read a simple sarcastic press release correctly. From many this reporter interviewed, most people feel he is more of a liability to ASH than an asset. This latest farce only proves that all the more.

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LETTER: Big step against Big Tobacco  

Every day, 3,600 children try smoking and one third of them succumb to life-long addiction to nicotine. Many took their first puff on candy flavored cigarettes designed by tobacco companies to appeal to youth.

The free reign of tobacco changed Sept. 22 when it became illegal to manufacture and sell fruit and candy flavored cigarettes. . . .

While the TEC applauds this important step toward preventing the next generation from a deadly addiction, our work is not done. The FDA law left two gaping loopholes to be closed. Menthol cigarettes, the choice of 80 percent of African-American smokers, and flavored cigars and cigarillos, popular with teens, have escaped FDA regulation. We welcome the community to join us in our mission to "reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke in Solano County."

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EDITORIAL: Higher Cost A Deterrent To Smoking 

Connecticut's decision to hike the state cigarette tax to $3 per pack was a no-brainer. The new rate, effective on Oct. 1, will raise millions in urgently needed state revenue, will convince more people to quit smoking and will slash health care costs associated with smoking-related illnesses.

One of the greatest benefits is that more teenagers will not take up the dirty habit in the first place. The national Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids estimates that Connecticut's $1-per-pack tax increase will deter 24,000 youths from becoming addicted smokers, and will convince 10,000 adults to quit. The group also projects $520 million in health care savings. These are significant numbers. . . .

Connecticut can do better. Lawmakers who saw the wisdom of raising taxes on cigarettes ought to demand that some of that new revenue be used to support effective smoking cessation programs.

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American Cancer Society joins smoking ban lawsuit  

The American Cancer Society can take part in a lawsuit that will determine whether a smoking ban approved by the South Dakota Legislature will be referred to a public vote, a judge ruled Tuesday.

The society can intervene because the other parties, the state and opponents of the ban, will not adequately represent its interests, Circuit Judge Kathleen Trandahl said in her ruling. The ruling means the American Cancer Society can pursue its argument that the smoking ban cannot be referred to a public vote because it is necessary for the immediate preservation of public health.

Bars and casinos that oppose the ban collected signatures to force a public vote in the November 2010 election, but Secretary of State Chris Nelson eventually rejected the petitions, ruling too few valid signatures were collected.

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Provinces to work together to fight tobacco industry: Quebec minister 

Several provinces are planning to work together against tobacco companies to recover health-care costs related to smoking, says Quebec's Health and Social Services Minister Yves Bolduc.

Quebec confirmed yesterday it is joining British Columbia, New Brunswick and Ontario in filing a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against tobacco manufacturers, and it's only a matter of time before the provinces join forces to seek compensation, Mr. Bolduc said.

“First each province will launch their lawsuits. As for the strategy that will follow, there will be discussions among the different [provincial] governments,” he said in an interview yesterday.

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Balto. County holds off on ID policy for tobacco 

The Baltimore County Council has deferred a proposal that would require retailers of tobacco products to ask for proof of age from "anyone who looks to be 26 or younger."

The legislation was written to make it easier for police officers to enforce the county's ban on distribution of tobacco products to those under the age of 18.

"It automatically says a retailer needs to card, and it will help us reduce teenage smoking," said Don Mohler, county spokesman.

But several council members said the regulation put too great an onus on retailers.

"If the buyer is of legal age, is the seller breaking the law by not asking for proof of age?" asked Councilman John Olszewski.

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VIDEO: American Cancer Society Talks About Tuesday's Smoking Ban Ruling In Pierre  

The American Cancer Society filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit. Tuesday the Judge ruled to allow the group to join the lawsuit. The judge also ruled that group member Jennifer Stalley would also join the lawsuit as an individual.

Click the video link to watch our live phone interview with Jennifer Stalley.

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