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Philip Morris Prevails In 1st Solo Smoking Suit In Alaska ($$) 

An Alaska jury on Wednesday found in favor of Philip Morris USA Inc. in the first individual health liability and deceptive advertising case over smoking to be tried in the state, according to the tobacco giant.

The suit was brought by Dolores Hunter on behalf of Benjamin Francis, her common law husband. Francis died from lung cancer in December 2004 at the age of 52 after a lifetime of smoking a pack or more a day of Marlboro cigarettes, according to Hunter.

The suit accused Philip Morris of falsely marketing filtered and light cigarettes as safer than regular cigarettes and launching a fraudulent, decadeslong campaign to convince smokers that cigarettes were healthier than they actually were. She brought claims for fraud and misrepresentation, reckless failure to warn, deceptive advertising, conspiracy, and addiction defectiveness, among other allegations.

“The jury determined that Marlboro cigarettes are not defective and that the plaintiff was responsible for his own smoking decisions,” Murray Garnick, associate general counsel for Altria Client Services, a subsidiary of Philip Morris parent Altria Group Inc., said in a statement.

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• Philip Morris USA Prevails in Alaska Suit  

A Bethel, Alaska jury today returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Philip Morris USA in the first individual smoking and health case to be tried in that state.

“The jury determined that Marlboro cigarettes are not defective and that the plaintiff was responsible for his own smoking decisions,” said Murray Garnick, Altria Client Services senior vice president and associate general counsel, speaking on behalf of Philip Morris USA. “This and other recent verdicts show that Philip Morris USA has powerful defenses in these types of cases.” . . .

The case is Hunter v. Philip Morris USA, case number 4BE-06-00407-CI.

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Alaska's Providence Medical Center Discriminates Against Smokers. Are the Obese Next?  

Discrimination is good. Just ask the managers of the Providence Alaska Medical Center in Alaska's largest city. They're trumpeting a decision to ban the hiring of people who smoke. . . .

There is, you see, discrimination and then there is DISCRIMINATION!

Discrimination against smokers? OK!

Discrimination against the obese? Not OK!

Or at least not OK for now. Who knows about tomorrow?

A reasonable person might wonder if maybe there isn't a better way. How about just calculating the extra cost in health care premiums for smokers and the obese, and then sending each of them a monthly bill to remind them it might be a good idea to change their habits. It might actually be possible to help people live healthier lives -- if, of course, the goal is really to help them live healthier lives. If, on the other hand, the goal is to save money, Providence might find some subtle, legal way to get rid of the obese folk, too.

Their absence would make the medical facility look healthier because, I've got to confess, when I'm at Providence wandering around, I can't tell the smokers from the non-smokers.

There's no one sending me any conflicting messages that maybe smoking is OK. But there are plenty of big bodies sending the message that being overweight is fine.

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Great American Smokeout takes place Nov. 17 

Every third Thursday in November, tobacco users are encouraged to make a plan and set a date to quit for life, or pledge to be smoke-free for 24 hours as a part of the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout. This year's Great American Smokeout is on Nov. 17.

To promote this event in Juneau, informational booths will be set up for the week of Nov. 14-18 in the main lobbies at the SEARHC Ethel Lund Medical Center and the SEARHC Dental/Behavioral Health Clinic. On Prince of Wales Island, an informational table will be set up in support of this event on Nov. 17, at the Alicia Roberts Medical Center in Klawock, at the Alma Cook Health Center in Hydaburg and at the Kasaan Health Center.

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Providence hospital will screen job applicants for nicotine 

Smokers, if you want a job at Alaska's biggest private employer, forget about it. Providence Alaska Medical Center and its affiliates around the state will stop hiring tobacco users as of Nov. 17.

That's when Providence will begin testing prospective employees for nicotine along with illegal drugs.

"We believe that by doing this move, to where we are no longer going to hire tobacco users, that we are sending a very clear message into the community that we are not only the leaders in health care, but we're really the leaders in health," said Tammy Green, director of health management services for Providence Health & Services Alaska.

Providence is not the first big employer in Alaska to make the change. Back in the mid-1980s, Alaska Airlines stopped hiring smokers in states where such bans are allowed, including here.

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Smokers and Tobacco Users Won't be hired at Providence Hospital 

Smokers and tobacco users will no longer be hired at Providence Alaska Medical Center starting Nov. 17, according to hospital officials.

When prospective hires apply they will take a drug and tobacco test. If they fail, applicants can reapply in six months.

The new policy does not affect current employees.

All three major hospitals in Anchorage -- Providence, Alaska Regional Hospital and the Alaska Native Medical Center -- have smoke-free campuses, but Providence is the only one to take the policy a step further.

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AUDIO: Tobacco giant faces wrongful death suit in Bethel 

Philip Morris, the largest tobacco company in the world, will be defending themselves next week in court against a wrongful death suit brought forward by at least one woman from the YK Delta.

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• Alaska woman files lawsuit against tobacco giant 

The common-law wife of a man who died of lung cancer has filed a civil lawsuit against the nation's largest tobacco company, accusing it of engaging in a deceptive advertising campaign designed to get people to smoke, including those in Alaska villages.

In a complaint filed in Bethel Superior Court, Delores Hunter of Marshall accuses Philip Morris USA Inc. and its parent company, Altria Group Inc., of making and marketing cigarettes even though they knew the products were addictive and caused cancer.

Hunter is the court-appointed personal representative of Benjamin Francis' estate. The lawsuit seeks more than $100,000 on behalf of the estate.

The trial is scheduled to begin this week.

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Council gets an earful on smoke-free ordinance 

What would making the last remaining businesses that still allow smoking go smoke-free do to Palmer? City council members got a boatload of guesses Tuesday.

In the end, Palmer Mayor DeLena Johnson moved to postpone action until a full council was present to vote on an ordinance that would make all businesses in the city smoke-free. Councilman Ken Erbey was absent from Tuesday's meeting. A 4-2 vote ensued, with only councilman Richard Best and councilwoman Katherine Vanover objecting to putting the decision off to Oct. 11.

But for more than 90 minutes before that happened, members of the public who filled the council chambers to overflowing took turns giving the city council their two-cents. . . .

Opinions were all over the map. Most bar owners worried about a drop in revenue. But at least one testified going smoke-free is good for business. Bar patrons ran the gamut -- smokers and non-smokers. People on both sides said promised they'd spend more time in Palmer bars or desert them altogether if the ordinance passed.

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• Smoking ban begins in Nome 

The bars and saloons of Nome outlawed smoking Tuesday. Whether they like it or not.

The old-Alaska mining town, famous as the finish line of the Iditarod trail and infamous for its salty pioneer history, has joined a growing number communities across the state that now ban smoking in public places. That means no lighting up in office buildings. No smoking in taxis and no cigarettes within 20 feet of softball fields.

“The biggest thing for Nome is that it makes the bars smoke free,” said Danielle Sylvester, a tobacco prevention coordinator for the Nome community center. “Other than one or two hotels, the bars were really the only place that (allowed) smoking.”

The Nome City Council voted 4-1 for the ban in May. The prohibition actually began Tuesday.

Once a tent-and-log city prospecting town, Nome is one of the largest rural hubs in the state, with a population of about 3,600 people.

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Palmer Looks At Smoke Free Work Place  

the Palmer City council introduced an ordinance Tuesday to keep work places smoke free.

Alaska's "Good Health, Great for Business" campaign has taken off across the State. Anti-smoking advocates say it has been instrumental in bolstering awareness, of the positive economic impact of going smoke free in local bars and restaurants.

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Proposed Palmer smoking ban ignites opposition  

Palmer could be become Alaska's next smoke-free community under an ordinance introduced at the city council's regular meeting Tuesday night.

The ordinance would prohibit smoking in all indoor work places and places of employment within city limits to protect non-smokers from the health risks associated with second-hand smoke. But in practice, just four bars would be forced to enact a ban: Klondike Mike's Dance Hall and Saloon, the Moose Head Saloon, Palmer Bar, and the Caboose Lounge, located within the Valley Hotel.

The ordinance comes up for official public hearing before the council on Sept. 13.

At a crowded meeting Tuesday night, however, the council heard vocal opposition from owners, patrons or employees of three of the bars, as well as the Moose Lodge.

All said a ban would punish smokers and put business owners at a disadvantage because smokers could just drive a few more miles to bars outside city limits.

"It's going to hurt our business, it's going to hurt yours," Palmer Bar owner Mary Lou Coddington told the council, referring to what she'd expect to be a dip in tax revenues to the city.

Supporters of the ordinance include Breath Free Mat-Su, a coalition of local businesses and organizations that favor smoke-free policies; the Mat-Su Health Foundation; and Alaska Family Services Inc.

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• Proposed ban ignites debate among local bar owners, residents  

A bid to make Palmer smoke-free could make it the first city in the Mat-Su Borough to ban smoking in public places.

The ordinance would prohibit smoking in all indoor work places and places of employment within city limits to reduce health risks from secondhand smoke inhaled by people who don't smoke cigarettes.

Palmer City Council has scheduled a public hearing on the ordinance on Sept. 13. The ordinance was introduced at a packed city council meeting Tuesday night.

There are 10 smoke-free communities around Alaska, including Nome, Juneau and Anchorage, where numerous bars and restaurants fell under a 2007 law.

But in Palmer, just four businesses -- all bars -- would fall under the city's prohibition

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Man Vomits Bag of Cigarettes in Kotzebue Jail  

Alaska State Troopers say a fight in Noorvik Sunday morning produced assault charges against three people -- as well as an unexpected stash of smokes.

According to an AST dispatch, troopers in Kotzebue received reports of a disturbance in Noorvik at about 5:15 a.m. Sunday. Investigation of the incident revealed that Noorvik residents Jack Wells, 18; Thomas Nay, 28; and Johnathon Carter, 20, as well as a number of family members and friends, had been involved in a fight over stolen items. . . .

After being remanded, Carter became ill and vomited up a small bag containing two cigarettes, which he had swallowed in anticipation of being arrested by troopers. Carter received an additional charge of promoting contraband.

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Noorvik man becomes ill in jail, vomits stash of cigarettes 

A Noorvik man already in jail for alleged assault charges got a promoting contraband count added when he vomited a stash of cigarettes when in jail.

Troopers say 20-year-old Johnathan Carter swallowed the bag with two cigarettes in it in anticipation of going to jail.

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