Tobacco.org

Senate OKs tobacco paraphernalia bill 

Anyone who provides tobacco paraphernalia to a person under 19 could face a class C misdemeanor under a bill the Utah Legislature has approved.

The Utah Senate passed House Bill 206 unanimously Tuesday. It now advances to Gov. Gary Herbert.

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Smoking stops the lungs' ability to self clean 

Our lungs are like a blind alley -- one way in and the same way back out. Fortunately, healthy lungs can clean themselves.

The lungs are penetrated by bronchial passages, which branch into smaller and smaller bronchioles, eventually ending in the alveoli or air sacs. This is where the work of oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange takes place. Each inhalation carries with it pollen, dust, germs, spores, viruses, smoke particles and all manner of contaminants. Lungs, however, have a defense -- mucociliary clearance.

Many types of cells line the air passages of the lungs, but we will talk about three of them: columnar cells (shaped like a column), goblet cells (shaped like a goblet), and squamous cells (squamous means flat).

The columnar cells have actively beating hair, or cilia, protruding from the top. . . .

The result of this continuing suppression of lung cleansing is the development of never-ending inflammation and irritation of the bronchial passages and chronic bronchitis. Only by becoming nonsmokers, can they stop this and other destructive processes.

It has been my experience that most all smokers wish to be free of the injuries and expense of smoking. Today, their is good news. Physicians have available many different approaches to help patients achieve this goal. Now, more than ever, your doctor can help.

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Crabby's goes non-smoking 

Crabby's is located at 815 W. 7th St. in Joplin.

A bill, HB 1766, proposed by Walt Bivins (R-97), is a revision to the Indoor Clean Air Act that would prohibit smoking in certain places.

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Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids tour coming to Ontario high schools 

Leading action sports event producer, ASA Entertainment (ASA) is bringing the ASA High School Tour to Ontario, CA from February 22 to 26, in support of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The ASA High School Tour is an interactive action sports exhibition that will visit select high schools across the country to inform students about the dangers of smoking.

The Tour will present the important anti-tobacco cause message through announcements, trivia questions, brochures and attention-grabbing performances. It will educate students about the dangers of tobacco use, the risks associated with second-hand smoke and ways to combat the pressure to start smoking.

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Bar busters - investigating the smoking ban  

With a hidden camera NewsChannel 3 uncovers exactly what Virginia law intended to prohibit.

At Alibi's in Virginia Beach NewsChannel 3 caught customers and even the bartender lighting up - the ashtrays full, the air filled with smoke. . . .

It's been more than two months after changes to Virginia's Indoor Clean Air Act banned smoking in restaurants and bars.

One exception is that owners are allowed to build a smoking section that is structurally separate and with its own walls and door. The room also needs to be ventilated in a way that does not recirculate smoke filled air into the non-smoking section.

Alibi's is not in compliance with Virginia law. The Department of Health agrees.

NewsChannel 3 has uncovered documents that prove Alibi's knows it's out of compliance because city health inspectors found the same smoke-filled bar when they visited last month.

The non-smoking section in Alibi's is not visible to customers

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Smoking decision has AHA fuming 

THE Australian Hotels Association has reacted with fury to a ban on smoking in Launceston's outdoor dining areas, due to come into effect next year.

On Monday, the Launceston City Council voted to introduce the ban next January, despite opposition from both the Launceston Chamber of Commerce and Cityprom.

The council heard officers had sent out 50 surveys on the proposed ban to outdoor dining operators, but had only received one completed form back.

AHA chief executive Steve Old said he was flabbergasted by the council's decision, and that his organisation would be lobbying aldermen to overturn it as soon as possible.

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HAVE YOUR SAY: Smoking to be banned at two Manningham parks  

Manningham Council will ban smoking in two of the city's most popular playgrounds - Wombat Bend, Lower Templestowe, and Ruffey Lake Park, Doncaster.

The ban will run for a trial period of 12 months and, if successful, could be extended to Manningham's 144 playgrounds.

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Patrick: $2.3 million for smoking cessation and youth tobacco prevention 

Gov. Deval Patrick recently announced more than $2.3 million in federal recovery funds to help smokers quit and prevent youth from becoming addicted to tobacco. Massachusetts received the full amount requested for all three tobacco cessation and prevention grants and is one of only a few states in the nation share that distinction. . . .

"We are proud that Massachusetts has the lowest smoking rate in the country, but there is more work to be done," said Secretary of Health and Human Dr. JudyAnn Bigby. "These federal funds support our ongoing efforts to promote wellness and prevent chronic disease in Massachusetts."

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House committee votes against newest smoking ban bill 

A bill that would give voters the choice to exempt liquor and gambling establishments from the statewide smoking ban on the 2010 ballot didn't make it out of committee.

The House Health and Human Services Committee voted not to put it to debate. . . .

Leaders of the smoking ban advocacy group "It's Time" said they're pleased the committee cut down the bill because they said it would confuse voters.

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West Columbia smoking ban gets initial OK 

West Columbia took the initial step Tuesday toward joining other Midlands communities that ban smoking in stores and offices.

A divided City Council ended its 18-month holdout and gave preliminary approval to limits weaker than those elsewhere.

Workplaces where only the owner is employed and private social clubs are exempt from the restrictions, waivers that aren't common.

Here is how West Columbia City Council members voted on the smoking limits:

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Redding bans smoking at City Hall  

The City Council voted 3-2 this evening to adopt a voluntary smoking ban on the Cypress Avenue campus rather than writing the prohibition into the municipal code.

That means the ban would lack the teeth of enforcement fines for violators. A smoking ban the council imposed at the Redding Library this past spring does include fines potentially up to $1,000.

Council members were reluctant to take such a hard line at City Hall, where smoking hasn't been such a problem.

"More and more smokers are becoming conscious of where they are," said council member Rick Bosetti, who voted with the majority to impose a voluntary ban. "I would not want to penalize people for doing something legal."

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Smoking ban won't be on ballot 

The San Angelo City Council determined Tuesday there is “not enough time” to perform the procedural requirements dictated by the city charter, state law and election code to meet the deadline to get a smoking ban ordinance on the May ballot.

The council decided during its regular meeting to cancel a special meeting that had been scheduled for the same afternoon at which the council had been expected to accept the petition from the City Clerk Alicia Ramirez.

Ramirez had validated the petition Saturday.

According to the charter, the council has to accept such petitions at a regularly scheduled meeting, call for its publication in the Standard-Times, then hold a public hearing at another regularly scheduled meeting before it can approve the petition. . . .

Smoke-Free San Angelo, the group that organized the petition, thought the meeting today would count as one of the two required, thus leaving one more regular meeting March 2 for a public hearing. However, because the meeting at which the petition was to be accepted was a special meeting, the petition will not be able to go through the required two regular meetings and public hearing.

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University Park bans smoking in public areas  

University Park officials approved a ban on smoking in public places Tuesday, becoming the latest - if not the last - city in North Texas to do so.

The City Council's unanimous vote was an anti-climax to the weeks of negotiating that preceded it. Bar and restaurant owners, as well as some smokers, had complained about the proposal when it reached City Hall late last year.

But the final version adopted Tuesday contained a few compromises that appear to have eased concerns.

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EDITORIAL: Our View: Mercy's new smoke policy is a no-smoke policy 

Hospital's strict ban sends a message and makes sense to fulfill its mission.

Mercy Medical Center is right to ban smoking at all its facilities.

As a health care provider, it's only natural that it takes a firm stance against smoking. . . .

The policy sends a great message from our biggest local health care organization. It makes sense that Mercy is banning smoking.

One could ask why it took so long to do so.

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RCC considers new smoking regulations 

MEDFORD, Ore. - Rogue Community College is considering becoming a smoke free campus.

Currently, people are allowed to smoke anywhere outside, as long as it's at least 20 feet from an entrance. There are currently 3 proposals the school board is considering. The first is a full cigarette and chewing tobacco ban. The second is a ban only on smoking, the third is having designated smoking areas.

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