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Edgeworth Club hosts SmokeFeast for Mel Blount Youth Home  

More than 150 cabin fevers plowed their way down to the Edgeworth Club in Sewickley (added incentive, deserted streets during rush hour!) for a night of cigars, cocktails and carnivorous cuisine during SmokeFeast, the inaugural toast that raised $53K for the Mel Blount Youth Home and Imani Christian Academy.

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Philip Morris International boosts share of Ukrainian tobacco market 

Philip Morris International increased its share on Ukraine's tobacco market in 2009 by 0.7% to 35.9%, the company said in its annual report. According to the report, the company reduced cigarette production in Ukraine last year by 11.1% due to the general worsening of economic conditions and price hikes after a rise in excise duty on tobacco in Ukraine.

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Jordanian Union Tobacco books USD 1.7m net profit for 2009 

Jordanian cigarette maker Union Tobacco & Cigarette Industries Company (UTCIC) booked a net profit of JOD 1.21 million (USD 1.7m/EUR 1.3m) for 2009, board chairman, Rijai Salafiti, said without disclosing any comparative figures.

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City residents will soon see more Dorothy's in town, mayor proclaims tobacco-free week 

In other city news, Mayor Joe Denoyer proclaimed, on behalf of the entire city commission, next week to be "Threw With Chew" week and next Thursday as "The Great American Spit Out." In his proclamation, Denoyer read that 9.4 percent of Kansas high school students used chewing or spit tobacco. The Kansas rate is higher than the national average of 7 percent.

People who consume eight-to-10 dips per day receive the same amount of nicotine as a heavy smoker who smokes 30-to-40 cigarettes a day, Denoyer said.

Kay Burtzloff, a board member of the Liberal Area Coalition for Families, accepted the proclamation. One of the coalitions main targets is to eliminate the use of tobacco in public areas for teens and adults.

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Tobacco Crops breeds death in Africa  

Experts have described tobacco crop as a crop of death. This is considering that tobacco farmers all over Africa are impoverished and the farmland which the plant grows turns infertile to other crops.

This position was maintained by Rachel Kitonyo, Chairperson of Africa Tobacco Control Alliance, ATCA, during a meeting of Africa Tobacco Control Regional Initiative, ATCRI in Uganda. Kitonyo says Tobacco cultivation in Africa constitute a big economic and health care challenge.

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Cookeville hospital CEO wants smoke-free sites 

The CEO of a Middle Tennessee hospital is calling for a smoking ban at all of the facility's buildings as soon as possible.

Cookeville Regional Medical Center executive Bernie Mattingly declined to put a time frame on when the ban would kick in, but said he was going to send a packet of information about how such bans were working at other health-care facilities.

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Web letter by Len Maydwell_ Absence of indoor smoking ban is bad for business  

"State Senate President Pro Tem David Long doused the likelihood of a statewide smoking ban" is the start of the story by Nikki Kelly "Senate chief rejects smoking ban" (Feb. 4). Long "doused" the likelihood of a statewide ban by concluding that improving indoor-air quality and protecting Hoosiers' health in establishments covered by the ban is "bad for business in a tough economy." . . .

The assumption that smokers will refuse to enter places covered by the smoking ban overlooks the glaring fact that smokers make up only about 26 percent of the Hoosier population. It's important to note that when employers implement smoking bans, not one employee refuses to go to work because of it. Instead, we elect to enter our workplaces, ban or no ban.

As opposed to running scared from the empty assumption that smokers will refuse to patronize non-smoking establishments, Long would better serve the state of Indiana by considering that the majority of his constituents are non-smokers, and many of us refuse to patronize establishments that allow smoking indoors. He should focus on the majority of his constituency when considering what's "bad for business in a tough economy."

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Editorial: Smoking ban in public housing is the right policy for every community 

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino made statewide news recently when he proposed banning smoking from public-housing units.

The idea is especially appropriate in North Central Massachusetts because there was a fire two years ago in Lunenburg's public housing units that destroyed eight units and killed an elderly man.

We think smoking should be banned from all public-housing units as a matter of policy, because of the danger of second-hand smoke, and because of the dangers of mixing smoking with oxygen tanks, which often happens in senior-housing units. . . .

Boudreau rejects the idea that a smoking ban would infringe on a person's individual rights.

"When you're doing something that's hurting someone else, then I feel their rights shouldn't mean as much as our rights," he said. "If they want to smoke, they can go right outside the door, you know what I'm saying?"

He's exactly right. We say pass the no-smoking policy in public housing and do it sooner rather than later.

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Smoking ban's impact debated 

While some taverns said the local ordinance is bad for business, Clean Air Kansas, which favors a comprehensive smoking ban passed by the state's Senate, said studies show smoke-free ordinances have no effect on revenues.

An economic impact statement issued by the Kansas Health Institute in 2009 found total sales at restaurants and bars in Lawrence increased in the first two years after a smoke-free ordinance was implemented there in July 2004. However, the same study found liquor sales declined during the first two years. Researchers said it wasn't known if the slowdown was linked to the smoke-free ordinance.

Lyle Butler, president of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce, said anecdotal evidence suggests the smoke-free ordinance hasn't had any negative impact on businesses.

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Hookah bar owner fights to get exemption from ban 

CHAPEL HILL -- Adam Bliss finally got his wish recently and received a warning letter from the Orange County Health Department. If he doesn't stop people from smoking in his hookah bar, he could eventually face a daily fine of up to $200.

Bliss, who owns Hookah Bliss on Franklin Street, wanted that paperwork so he could use it to fight the smoking ban for most bars and restaurants that went into effect on Jan. 2. He plans to appeal the warning letter. Hookah bars don't fall into the law's narrow list of exemptions.

"I want to be treated just like the country clubs, the tobacco shops and the nonprofits," he said.

At Hookah Bliss, customers smoke flavored tobacco through a water pipe. The tobacco is placed in the hookah bowl, and then lit pieces of special charcoal are placed on a screen or piece of foil at the top of it, heating the tobacco.

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To smoke or not? 

So far, no one has proposed a public smoking ban in St. Joseph. However, the city applied for a $2 million federal grant in November that would provide funds for anti-smoking campaigns, smoking cessation services and, if citizens come forward, grass-roots efforts for “usage bans.” The city expects to find out if it has received the grant later this month.

Nancy Taylor, public information officer for the St. Joseph Health Department, said the city would aim its efforts on educational programs to change people’s behavior, not restrict it.

“We’re focusing more on prevention and cessation,” Ms. Taylor said. “(A ban) would be something that needs to come from the community; from the citizens to the council.”

Statistics paint a murky picture of whether local voters would support a smoking ban, or what type they would even pursue.

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• Smokers may grumble, but they obey the ban 

As much as smokers and some business owners have complained about the law, nearly all of them comply with it. There are more than 24,000 businesses in the state that are subject to the new regulations. During the first week of February, the state logged 71 complaints about potential violations. No businesses have been fined.

The relatively low number of complaints shows "the coordination we've put into this at the state and local level is working," said Jim Martin, director of policy and programs for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch of the N.C. Division of Public Health.

County health departments are responsible for enforcing the law. Health department officials check out complaints, which can be verified only with evidence, such as a customer smoking or the presence of ashtrays. Verified complaints trigger a warning. After two written warnings, businesses can face fines of up to $200 per day.

Since the law took effect, county health departments across the state have sent only 11 first-level warning letters. In all, there have been 608 complaints statewide, with the number generally decreasing week-to-week.

Enforcement has added another chore for health department staff, but the workload varies from county to county.

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VIDEO: Proposed statewide ban on smoking in public places arises again in Legislature 

Lawmakers in Jefferson City are discussing a bill that would ban smoking in all public places. The proposal aims to eliminate lighting up in public places. Most cities, including Springfield, have their own city ordinances but this would be an overall statewide ban.

The Carriage House restaurant inside Lamplighter on Glenstone Avenue at Sunshine Street Inn is one of the few restaurants with a smoking section. The restaurant manager said more than half his business comes from smokers.

The business, of course, is in compliance with the city ordinance, which requires a sectioned-off room with a separate ventilation system. The restaurant's manager said that's exactly why this resolution is ridiculous and he hopes it won't go through.

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• Spain postpones anti-smoking ban in search of consensus 

The Spanish government has postponed a parliamentary debate on tougher anti-smoking legislation in the hope of mustering more support for the controversial plan, sources of the Health Ministry said Monday. The government had intended to present the law during the Spanish European Union presidency in the first half of this year, but may only do so later in the year, the sources said.

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Summa won't hire smokers, no ifs, ands or butts 

Summit County's largest employer has a message for smokers: Don't bother applying for a job until you kick the habit.

Summa Health System this year implemented a nicotine-free hiring policy.

All prospective hires must agree to a urine test to confirm they don't use tobacco products. Those who test positive for nicotine use aren't hired.

After 90 days, applicants who successfully quit smoking may reapply for employment.

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