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State logs 7 complaints for smoking ban violations 

Montana health officials say they have logged seven complaints about businesses allegedly violating a state-wide smoking ban that was fully implemented last week.

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Hollandale looks at smoking ban  

The town of Hollandale may become the latest city to become smoke-free.

A draft of a smoking ban ordinance was presented to the Board of Aldermen Tuesday night.

Several Hollandale businesses have already made the decision to not to allow smoking in their establishments.

"We are concerned about the health of our citizens, and we want to promote good health," said Mayor Melvin Willis, about the reason for the considering the ordinance.

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NFRN Implores Labour MPs to Obtain True Facts Surrounding the Proposed Tobacco Display Ban 

The National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) is urging all Labour MPs to be fully aware of the facts surrounding underage smoking, tobacco displays and international case studies in advance of the Report and Third reading of the Public Health Bill (specifically clause 21) on Monday afternoon (October 12).

The call comes as the Department of Health is poised to make one last attempt, on Monday morning, to convince MPs that a display ban will effectively reduce the levels of underage smoking. The NFRN expects the DoH to use a number of statements to achieve its aim. These may include suggestions that tobacco manufacturers design and price packs of cigarettes to attract children and that retailers are being convinced by the tobacco companies and, instead, should be recruited by Government to manage tobacco decline. However, the NFRN does not expect any evidence to prove that the removal of tobacco displays from shops will have any effect on whether children smoke or not.

National President Suleman Khonat said: "There are many international cases to show removal has no effect, but these facts will be nowhere to be seen next Monday morning. Clause 21 of the Public Health Bill is - quite simply - bad policy and, worse still, could even have an adverse effect on the trends of the past few decades."

The NFRN has raised its concerns at all three Party Conferences and also in a full page advertisement in today's (October 9) issue of The Times.

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Public housing smoking ban considered 

A new law could mean the end of smoking within public housing in Stillwater.

Congress passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act earlier this year, and President Barack Obama signed the bill this summer.

Stillwater Public Housing Authority Executive Director L. Glen Redding said he will draft a revised policy for review and vote by the authority no later than February. The updated policy could go into affect as early as March, he said.

The authority has banned smoking in public housing common areas since 1985, he said, and this proposal would extend the ban to individual homes.

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Chicago smoked out of cigarette-tax revenue 

We walk up to the bulletproof glass at the counter.

"Newports, short," we tell the clerk, sliding payment to him through the slot below. He slides back our cigarettes and a receipt.

The damage: $7.50. Smokers looking for economic relief must love this store. It's a dollar cheaper a pack than most stores in Chicago.

But if you're the deficit-ridden city or Cook County, this store is not your friend. Not when the pack bears no evidence that the 68-cent Chicago tax and the $2 Cook County tax have been paid.

As cigarette taxes have gone up, smokers have been finding ways to avoid them, from driving out of state to buying online.

A Tribune spot-check found that in some cases, local retailers are helping out, selling untaxed cigarettes right off their shelves.

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VIDEO: Tampa cigar maker rolling for record  

Tampa grand master cigar maker Wallace Reyes began work Thursday on what he hopes will be a world record. Reyes is making a 180-foot long cigar.

"We gonna show Tampa and the world basically that this is still (the) cigar capital of the world, that we're still making big things here," Reyes said.

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• Smoking May Increase Risk of Breast Cancer 

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have reported that women who have smoked 100 or more cigarettes in their life have a significantly increased risk of developing breast cancer. The details of this study were published in the September-October 2009 issue of The Breast Journal.[1]

Although both active and passive smoking are known to increase the risk of lung cancer, findings for breast cancer have been mixed. A recent review of published studies suggests that both active and passive smoking may increase the risk of breast cancer—particularly premenopausal breast cancer. The following observations were made from this review of 19 studies:

* Passive smoking increased the risk of breast cancer by 27%.

* Among premenopausal women, passive smoking increased risk of breast cancer by 68%. . . .

[1] Croghan IT, Pruthi S, Hays JT, et al. The role of smoking in breast cancer development: An analysis of a Mayo Clinic cohort. The Breast Journal. 2009; 15: 489-495.

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• U.S., Canadian authorities seize smuggled cigarettes on Wolfe Island 

U.S. and Canadian law enforcement authorities arrested five Canadians on Tuesday night and seized more than 6,400 cartons of untaxed cigarettes, State Police said today.

Two boats, four vehicles, approximately $27,000 in Canadian currency, cocaine and hashish were also seized, police said.

Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Kingston Police, New York State Police, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Metro Jeff Drug Task Force worked together to investigate an organized group smuggling untaxed cigarettes from the Cape Vincent to Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada.

On Tuesday, when a 20-foot boat loaded with 3,200 cartons of cigarettes was driven across the St Lawrence River to Bayfield Bay, Wolfe Island, police were waiting for them.

Canadian authorities, led by the RCMP arrested four individuals, seized the cigarettes, the boat and three vehicles. A search of one of the vehicles discovered the Canadian currency.

U.S. authorities, led by New York State Police, arrested one subject, seized 3,250 cartons of cigarettes, 3.5 grams of cocaine, 10 grams of hashish and a van used to transport the cigarettes.

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• Judge tosses evidence in Kan. tobacco trafficking  

WICHITA, Kan. -- A federal judge has tossed out key evidence in the case against a Kansas tobacco wholesaler and his business associates who are accused of trying to avoid paying $25 million in cigarette taxes to Oklahoma and Indian tribes.

U.S. District Judge Monti Belot ruled Thursday that a Kansas Highway Patrol officer had no reason to suspect that the driver of a U-Haul van that was found to be loaded with cigarettes was violating any laws, and the search was therefore illegal.

"The officer testified that he was curious, and that does not rise to the level required by the Constitution," said Jack Focht, the attorney representing the driver of the van, Danny Davis.

It is unclear what impact the barred evidence will have on the prosecution's case.

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• Smokers in Croatia go back in bars as tobacco ban lifted - temporarily 

On April 1, Croatia banned indoors smoking in all public places, and bar owners say the restriction has halved their profits and forced many of them to close. . . .

So the government announced Friday that it will ease the ban, allowing spacious cafes and bars to have separate smoking areas, while smaller ones can decide whether to allow smoking or not.

Smoking places will, however, have to install extensive ventilation systems.

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Smokes 37% illegal: study 

More than a third of the cigarettes smoked by area teens are contraband, according to an annual study that collects butts from outside of city high schools.

The National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco (NCACT), which conducted the butt collection analysis across Ontario, says Brantford is at the high end of the contraband problem with 37% of the butts picked up being counterfeit, illegal or duty not paid.

"We haven't released the figures for the rest of the province yet, but last year, the provincial average was 26% and this year, you're at 37%, so it's really up there," said Gary Grant, a NCACT spokesman.

The NCACT coalition -- which was founded by the Canadian Convenience Stores Association -- says it's dedicated to fighting against illegal cigarettes in Canada.

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UK Electronic Cigarette Company Gains Royal Approval 

cheapelectroniccigarettes.co.uk are easily the UK's largest online retailer of Electronic Cigarettes and constantly strive to not only provide excellent products to consumers but also support and promote their industry at every opportunity.

The addition of the Smokestik Royale however catapults cheapelectroniccigarettes to a whole new level. . . .

"Lady Victoria Hervey was essential to the design process, now fronts the product and recently launched it at London Fasion Week. We are proud to become the online retailers for the product and look forward to a long lasting relationship with Smokestik."

Lady Victoria Hervey is the elder daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol. and the older sister of the 8th Marquess of Bristol and of Lady Isabella Hervey.

She was raised at Ickworth House, the family seat in Suffolk,

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司机吸烟乘客可拒付车费 昆明出租车禁烟何其难 

“出租车司机在车内吸烟且不听劝阻的，乘客可以拒付车费，违规者一经查实将罚款500元……”近日，天津市颁布的这份新出租汽车禁烟通告，让有关出租车内禁烟的话题，再次成为焦点。司机吸烟乘客可以拒付车费，而且高额处罚，那么乘客吸烟，司机又该怎么办？在春城昆明，不管是司机还是乘客都知道出租车内不该吸烟，但记者走访部分的哥的姐后得知，要在出租车内禁烟说起来容易，真要把烟灭了却不容易。

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天津的哥吸烟可拒付车费 驾驶员一经查实将罚款500元 

人民网·天津视窗10月7日电：天津市颁布的出租汽车禁烟通告明确规定，出租车司机不准在车内吸烟。目前黄金周已经过半，据记者观察，有一些“烟民”乘客“打的”时，随意在出租车内吸烟。客管部门提醒，司乘双方都不要在出租汽车内吸烟。

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上海市人大常委会举行立法听证会 控烟立法难点在哪 

上海市人大常委会日前就《上海市公共场所控制吸烟条例（草案）》举行立法听证会。据介绍，该条例草案自8月21日公布以来，上海市人大常委会收到市民来信传真电邮58件，包含212条修改意见和建议。

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