Tobacco.org

N.H. moving ahead with e-cigarette ban for youth 

Electronic cigarettes are readily available at mall kiosks and the Internet, come in flavors like tobacco, strawberry, chocolate and vanilla, and replace smoking with "vaping."

And though they deliver a dose of nicotine steam, they can still be legally sold to and used by minors.

Mara Zrzavy, a 16-year-old ConVal Regional High School student from Peterborough, thinks that's just wrong, and worries kids her age will view e-cigarettes as cool and become addicted to the nicotine. After they're hooked, some will switch to regular cigarettes, which are cheaper, she said.

"It's like having a new cell phone. It's cool. It's electronic," she said.

Zrzavy and other New Hampshire youth involved in anti-drug programs helped persuade the House to pass a bill barring e-cigarette use by minors and hope the Senate will do the same.

Supporters want lawmakers to apply New Hampshire's law on tobacco products to e-cigarettes. New Jersey has barred use by minors, in workplaces and other indoor public places. Several other states are considering laws restricting use by minors.

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Robbins Umeda LLP Announces Investigation of Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. 

Robbins Umeda LLP has commenced an investigation into possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of state law by certain officers and directors at Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. ("Schweitzer " or the "Company") /quotes/comstock/13*!swm/quotes/nls/swm (SWM 45.88, +0.89, +1.98%) . Schweitzer manufactures and sells paper and reconstituted tobacco products to the tobacco industry, as well as specialized paper products for use in other applications. The Company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Robbins Umeda LLP's investigation concerns whether the Company's directors and officers caused the Company to issue materially false and misleading statements. Specifically, the investigation will determine whether these directors and officers misrepresented the strength of Schweitzer's competitive position in the United States and its ability to withstand European competition.

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Smoking ban to get medical support  

* The City Council will consider giving final approval to a stricter smoking ban at Monday's meeting

* Health professionals from St. Mary's and Deaconess are expected to speak for the ban

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Smoking, alcohol banned in Brelsford Park  

The new adventure playground in Coffs Harbour's Brelsford Park will now be smoke-free.

The park has been added to a growing list of public facilities going smoke-free, such as the International Sports Stadium.

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OfficialWire: It's Goodbye (For Good!) To Stained Teeth, With Electronic Cigarettes 

The revolutionary technology in these cigarettes allow smokers to puff their way to glory, without any visible, negative affect to their teeth at all.

In fact, to understand the reason for which smokers of traditional cigarettes tend to have yellow, stained teeth, one needs to look at the constituent elements of these cigarettes. When traditional cigarettes are smoked, they give out emissions in the form of carbon monoxide, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and also result in the formation of tar. Since one smokes using the mouth, all of these elements end up leaving their sticky residue on the teeth, which over time turn yellow as a result.

With e cigs, such a situation is not possible at all, since they do not contain any of the constituent elements as mentioned above. These are essentially smokeless cigarettes and since there is no smoke emission at all, the likelihood of any kind of discoloration or stains which are purely a result of the aforementioned smoke, is simply impossible.

Therefore, if you have otherwise been gifted with a beautiful and enchanting smile but have been consciously trying to avoid flashing it, because of your yellowed and stained teeth, consider switching to an electronic cigarette today - there really couldn't be a more compelling reason to flaunt your captivating smile than this.

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• £23m bid to find the first 'safe' cigarette 

A TOBACCO giant is pumping £23million into a British research centre to come up with the world's first "safe" cigarette.

Scientists at British American Tobacco say they want to cut out some of the 4,000 potentially harmful chemicals found in cigarettes.

And they say the new product could dramatically reduce rates of cancer among smokers.

But the scheme has been slammed by anti-smoking campaigners who claim such cigarettes would still cause health problems.

BAT is tranforming its base in Southampton into a global centre for research and development. It will house 1,100 staff.

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• City Tries to Shut M2 UltraLounge Over Smoking Ban  

The Bloomberg administration is moving closer to shutting one of the largest and busiest nightclubs in the city, as part of an aggressive new strategy to revoke the operating licenses of clubs that health officials believe promote smoking.

The nightclub, the M2 UltraLounge on West 28th Street in Manhattan, went on trial last week at a special administrative court that the city uses when it seeks to take away property. If the case against the club succeeds, it would be the first time the city had closed a business solely for flouting a ban on smoking.

City officials have also moved to take several other clubs before the court, seeking to revoke their food and beverage licenses. It has been an open secret for years among the late-night set that there is a network of so-called smoke-easies throughout the city, from little neighborhood dives to glossy, exclusive boîtes, that let patrons smoke illegally.

Health department officials say that the vast majority of businesses comply with the 2002 law forbidding smoking in clubs and bars, but that inspectors have struggled to enforce it at a handful of high-end places that seem to market themselves as smoker-friendly, some even offering loose cigarettes for sale. . . .

“Some of the clubs where smoking is going on tend to be very, very cool clubs, and a bunch of guys showing up in jackets tend to be very, very uncool,” said Thomas Merrill, general counsel for the health department.

So in recent months, the department has deputized a team of inspectors — many of them younger and hipper-looking than the stereotypical bureaucrat — to work into the wee hours, posing as patrons and hunting for tolerance of smoking by clubs’ employees. . . .

Five of the clubs have settled with the city, typically agreeing to devise a plan for correction and to pay for any violations, health officials said.

In all but one of the cases, if inspectors find indications of continued smoking during the next year, they can immediately shut the club down and bring it to trial.

Two clubs closed for other reasons, and most of the rest, including the downtown spots Lit Lounge, the Box, Tenjune and Southside, are weighing possible settlements against a looming trial date, city officials said.

The M2 case has gone the furthest.

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N.H. teen leads push to ban e-cigarettes  

Electronic cigarettes are readily available at mall kiosks and the Internet, come in flavors like tobacco, strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla, and replace smoking with "vaping.''

And though they deliver a dose of nicotine steam, they can still be legally sold to and used by minors.

Mara Zrzavy, a 16-year-old ConVal Regional High School student from Peterborough, thinks that is wrong, and worries children her age will view e-cigarettes as cool and become addicted to the nicotine. After they are hooked, some will switch to regular cigarettes, which are cheaper, she said.

"It's like having a new cellphone. It's cool. It's electronic,'' she said.

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Missouri college goes smoke free  

The private, two year school Westminster College, in Fulton, will not allow any smoking on campus by summer.

According to the college, Westminster President Dr. George Forsythe announced that Westminster College will be a 100 percent smoke-free campus July 1.

All designated smoking areas will be eliminated, and smoking will be prohibited both indoors and at all outdoor places on campus.

Anyone, including visitors, who wish to smoke will be restricted to inside their personal vehicles or outside of campus property.

“This policy fits into our mission and values by creating a safe, healthy and clean environment for everyone,” Forsythe said.

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Brandon may become 1st Rankin city to ban smoking  

A tobacco ban ordinance is expected to top the agenda of Brandon aldermen at their April 5 meeting.

If the smoke-free ordinance gets the nod, Brandon will be the first Rankin County city and 33rd in Mississippi to bar smoking in public places.

"It's a bad habit," Ward 5 Alderwoman Yvonne Bianchi said. "If our ordinance helps anyone, it's worth it."

The health benefits of smoke-free areas has propelled this legislation, Mayor Tim Coulter said.

"Basically, we're planning to ban all smoking in retail, restaurant and grocery businesses," Coulter said.

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2 cities to decide tobacco policies 

One metro-area city may be the first in Rankin County to adopt a smoking ordinance, while a Madison County municipality may ban tobacco use on city property.

A tobacco ban ordinance will be discussed during an upcoming work session of the Brandon Board of Aldermen and is expected to to be on the agenda of the April 5 meeting.

If the ordinance gets the nod, Brandon will be the 33rd municipality in Mississippi to prohibit smoking in public places.

"It's a bad habit," Ward 5 Alderwoman Yvonne Bianchi said. "If our ordinance helps anyone, it's worth it."

If approved, Brandon would join Clinton, Flora, Jackson, and Ridgeland.

Madison has a voluntary smoking ban.

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• Teen Smoking Called a 'National Catastrophe' 

Moscow's top doctor said Friday that smoking-related diseases were growing and warned that teenage smoking was leading to a "national catastrophe."

Dr. Leonid Lazebnik painted a grim picture of the harm that tobacco was causing Russians, telling a round table that 65 percent of men and 30 percent of women have smoked at some time in their lives.

In contrast, Lazebnik said, the figures in the mid-1980s were 48 percent of men and 5 percent of women.

He said 24.6 percent of Muscovites are smokers.

"But the scariest thing of all is our future," Lazebnik said. "In Moscow, 73 percent of boys and 65 percent of girls smoke. I see this as a national catastrophe." . . .

City Hall and federal officials attending Friday's round table promised to lobby for laws that restricted smoking in public places and limited cigarette sales.

"We will have no success without a legal base," said Yulia Grimalskaya, deputy head of City Hall's department for family and youth policies.

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Fire fends off rescue attempts in Penn Hills blaze  

A Penn Hills woman died early Wednesday in her burning home, despite attempts by two neighbors to break down her door and save her.

Patricia Ainsworth, 64, died of burns and smoke inhalation injuries, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office.

Firefighters found Ainsworth's body near the front door of her home on Madison Road, authorities said. She died at the scene about 4:35 a.m., 15 minutes after neighbors reported the fire, authorities said. . . .

Firefighters arrived about 4:25 a.m. and pulled Ainsworth's body out of the first-floor living room she used as a bedroom, Penn Hills Fire Marshal Jack Mason said. Firefighters contained the fire to the first floor, he said.

The fire appears to be accidental, probably caused by smoking, Mason said.

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'Lights out' urged for school personnel  

oking on school grounds isn't enough for local school districts officials -- they want them to ditch the habit altogether.

Several local school districts, including Pittsburgh Public Schools, which last month began enforcing its ban, offer smoking cessation programs for teachers and staff.

"Kids are very quick to see hypocrisy in adults," said Cindy Thomas, executive director of Tobacco-Free Allegheny. "We want to see a culture where they get that (anti-smoking) message and see it played out in real life."

Smoking cessation programs are offered

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Smoking ban idea in Upper St. Clair met with mixed reactions 

Upper St. Clair is thinking of asking people to butt out of its parks.

Commissioners will discuss whether to ban smoking in township parks at their March 29 meeting. A vote could come April 5. The township has 14 neighborhood parks and one regional park covering more than 500 acres.

"It was an issue of children around smoke, cigarette butts in the park," said Mark Mansfield, assistant township manager.

He said leaders would have to consider posting signs to enforce the ordinance.

The commissioners talked late last year about banning smoking in playgrounds before deciding to widen their scope.

Neighbors expressed mixed feelings about a ban.

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