Tobacco.org

Stop-smoking efforts among nation's best 

Randy Myers can offer a testimonial to the smoking cessation program at Bucyrus Community Hospital.

So, he agrees with The Joint Commission, which chose the program as one of the 10 best in the nation.

"I smoked for 40 years and was able to quit two years ago because of the help I received from this program," Myers said. "The team came to General Mills, where I worked, and offered the classes and aides.

"I used the nicotine patches and lozenges that were given to me through the program, but the support I received from them was amazing and very helpful."

The program spurred the facility to become the first tobacco-free hospital campus in Ohio on June 17, 2004.

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Smoking ban opponents: Vote flawed  

Groups opposing the state smoking ban have taken the fight up a notch, citing evidence of ballot fraud -- more than three years after voters approved the ban.

Opponents of Ohio Bans said the petition that placed the smoking ban on the 2006 statewide ballot was tainted by numerous irregularities, such as 46 convicted felons gathering signatures. The group claims the petitions never should have been certified.

Nearly 59 percent of voters approved the ban in 2006. The ban prohibits smoking in most public places in Ohio, including bars and restaurants.

According to an Ohio News Network report, members of Buckeye Liquor Permit Holders Association want the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the fraud claims. They want family-owned businesses and private clubs exempted from the ban.

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Smoking ban committee now has 3 members  

A special committee expected to review Decatur’s two-year-old ordinance that bans smoking in public places is up to three of its planned five members.

But the ad hoc group still had not scheduled its first meeting as of Friday, and two city councilmen have said they will not make appointments to it.

Council President Greg Reeves confirmed Friday he had appointed Ted Whittington to represent his district on the committee.

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Robert Soave: Smoking and students' rights 

Last week, the University held its first public forum to discuss implementation of the campuswide smoking ban. While not really answering questions like, “Whose idea was the smoking ban?”, the University clarified what will happen to students who violate the ban. . . .

I find myself wondering if the University set a date so far in the future in order to minimize complaints from students, most of whom will graduate before being affected by the ban.

Whether intentional or not, this tactic may be working. I’ve heard some people who aren’t thrilled with the idea of a ban say that they don’t care too much because it won’t ever affect them. But regardless of how many students this will impact, all members of the campus community have an obligation to voice their opposition to an unfair policy that sets a dangerous precedent against students’ rights. I'm not a smoker, and never have been. . . . I question how much money will be saved by banning an activity that only about 14 percent of employees and 16 percent of students engage in. Keep in mind that smokers won’t be forced to quit, they just won’t be able to smoke on campus. So instead of significantly reducing health care costs, all this ban will do is further inconvenience and alienate smokers.

The University is free to promote public health all it wants by offering programs to assist smokers who want to make the choice to quit. It can hand out pamphlets on the risks of smoking. It can offer discounted smoking cessation products, as it plans to under the ban. But the activity itself must remain a right of all students on campus.

I urge everyone to attend the next forum, which will take place at 5 p.m. on Nov. 19 in the Walgreen Center’s Stamps Auditorium on North Campus. Students and faculty must make it clear to the administration we aren’t comfortable on a campus that tramples the rights of individuals so easily.

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• S.F. moves to curtail tobacco outlets  

Smokers are huffing and businesses fuming over a controversial new proposal to drastically reduce the number of stores in The City that can sell cigarettes.

Since 2003, retailers hawking tobacco products in San Francisco have had to apply for a special permit. The permitting process helps The City keep track of sellers and crack down on those vending to minors, officials said.

But now there are too many permits citywide -- particularly in low-income neighborhoods -- according to city officials and anti-tobacco advocates, who have created legislation that would greatly reduce the number of stores that sell tobacco.

An initial proposal imposes a cap of 35 permits for each of the 11 supervisor districts -- 385 total in The City. That is a more than a two-thirds reduction from the 1,097 stores currently selling tobacco products citywide.

The proposal would not take away permits from businesses, but it would reduce them through attrition until there are no more than 35 per district. Also, owners would not be able to transfer the permits when they sell their stores, said Janet Clyde, a commissioner in the Office of Small Business.

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Columbus Smoking Ban Discussion  

Columbus could become the next city in the state to ban smoking if the city council approves a proposal on their Tuesday night agenda.

A Tennessee law is the basis for the proposed ordinance which would ban smoking in public places.

Bars and restaurants could allow smoking if they ban customers younger than the age of 21

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Smoking Ban May Impact Voter Turnout 

South Dakota's voter turnout for next November's election could be a lot different than past years.

A local political science professor says a smoking ban on that ballot would likely lure more people to the polls. He says that could have an impact on other initiatives and political races.

Both supporters and people against a statewide smoking ban have worked hard to let their opinions be heard. And many of the arguments boil down to an issue of public health versus personal rights. Political science professor Jay Newberger says strong beliefs on both sides could spark a surge of voters who might not otherwise make it to the polls.

"I think it's gonna bring out a whole lot of voters, people I think generally in South Dakota, all the polls indicated South Dakotans very much, accept the smoking ban," Newberger said.

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Bay College to ban smoking  

ESCANABA - As of Jan. 1, Bay College will be designated a smoke-free, tobacco-free campus, according to college officials. Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend a meeting today to provide feedback on the policy and its implementation.

Executive Dean of Student Services Matthew Soucy said the new policy follows several complaints that have been made about smoke wafting into the building, from students and faculty.

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Great Falls Residents Complain Smoking Ban Isn’t Enforced  

Smoking in Montana's bars, casinos and restaurants was forbidden Oct. 1, but some Great Falls residents are complaining the prohibition isn't being enforced.

That's prompted the Great Falls City Commission at a meeting Tuesday to again take up an issue many had thought resolved last month.

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• VIDEO: A smoke-free Lebanon: Reality or pipedream?  

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

* Lebanon has one of the highest smoking rates in the world, according to WHO

* No minimum age to buy cigarettes; 65 percent of 13-15 year old boys smoke

* Anti-smoking guru Dr G Saade says patients with smoking-related diseases getting younger

* Lebanese unlikely to give up the weed easily as they associate smoking with freedom . . .

In restaurants and cafes, on the streets, in the airport and even in elevators, Lebanese delight in lighting up. The World Health Organization (WHO) says Lebanon has one of the highest smoking rates in the world.

"We are a tobacco-friendly society," says cardiologist Dr. Georges Saade, a former WHO official who now heads the Tobacco Control Project at Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health.

Dr. Saade is a committed anti-smoking campaigner and for years he's fought an uphill battle for funding to increase awareness of the risks of smoking.

The ministry estimates that if attitudes towards smoking don't change, this small nation of four million will experience at least 3,000 tobacco-related deaths each year.

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Cigarette Taxes, Chicago 

A study co-authored almost a year ago by Michael D. LaFaive, director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative at the Center, continues to garner media attention.

"Cigarette Taxes and Smuggling," released Dec. 2, 2008, and LaFaive were cited Friday in Chicago Talks and Saturday by NBC Chicago. Both media outlets addressed two major points in the study: higher cigarette taxes do not increase government revenue, and those higher taxes can also lead to more cigarette smuggling.

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Ban coming on tobacco products at state prisons  

Prisoners and workers at the Department of Corrections are about to deal with a big change.

The Department is banning tobacco use at its 37 facilities. In 1995, they banned the use inside buildings and that led to a riot by state prisoners in Lee County. This time they hope phasing it out gradually will ease inmates into the transition.

The state prison system is following the lead of facilities like the Dougherty County Jail that has been tobacco free for 15 years and Lee County Jail that went tobacco free nine months ago. Prison leaders say it's counter productive for inmates to give up smoking in jail only to start lighting up again in a state facility.

By the end of 2010 Georgia's state prisons will be tobacco free. The Georgia Department of Corrections says it's a move that will improve the health of inmates and save tax money by cutting health care costs.

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Crestview Hills will ask for smoking ban 

Crestview Hills City Council will be asking Kenton, Campbell and Boone fiscal courts to pass a smoking ban in indoor public places.

The council passed a resolution urging the fiscal courts to enact the ban at the regular meeting Thursday Nov. 12. The resolution passed 4-3 with a tie break vote cast by Mayor Paul Meier.

The city plans to send the resolution to all three fiscal courts.

"It's the right thing to do for the public," Meier said. "Drinking is legal; drinking and driving is not legal. Yes, you have a right to smoke, but you don't have a right to smoke if it's going to harm someone else."

Council member Thomas Moser cast one of the three dissenting votes on council.

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dot.life: The anonymous bullies 

You don't have to roam far online to find examples of rudeness, aggression and downright bullying. I had a quick scan of the politics blogs - left and right - this morning and these were just a few of the comments I found:

"He should be hung drawn and quartered, as slowly as is possible to maximise his suffering."

"This EVIL person deserves no pity. He is accomplished in one thing only. Utter Cowardice."

"The rest of Parliament should be shot, not hung."

But it's not just politics that is discussed online with this level of vituperation. Almost any area of life - from religion, to the environment to literature - seems capable of attracting those, who when sat in front of a computer, will tap out messages of hate that they would never be likely to express face-to-face with their opponents.

And what do nearly all of these angry people have in common? They are anonymous, leaving just a nom de guerre scattered across various blogs and message boards. . . .

• Smokers Worldwide Support Workplace Smoking Bans, Study Finds 

The majority of smokers worldwide support smoking bans in the workplace, according to a new study by RTI International and Harris Interactive.

The study, published in the International Journal of Public Health online edition, surveyed more than 3,500 employees who smoke and more than 1,400 employers (both smokers and nonsmokers) in 14 counties about their attitudes toward workplace smoking and cessation.

The results showed that 74 percent of smoking employees and 87 percent of employers felt that the workplace should be smoke free. . . .

The greatest support for workplace smoking bans was in India (85 percent) and Japan (75 percent). In contrast, only one-third of employees in Germany (33 percent) and Poland (37 percent) agreed with a workplace smoking ban.

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