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You are cordially invited to attend the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' 12th Annual Youth Advocates of the Year Awards Gala
When: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
5:30: General Registration Begins and VIP Reception (ticket holders only)
6:00: Reception
7:00: Dinner and Awards Presentation
Where: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel 1150 22nd Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20037 (202) 835-0500
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The District of Columbia Council has taken a critical step to protect kids and taxpayers from the devastating toll of tobacco use by doubling the District's cigarette tax to $2 per pack. We applaud the Council for approving this life-saving measure and urge members to also increase funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The $1 cigarette tax increase is a win-win-win solution for the District of Columbia -- a health win that will reduce tobacco use and save lives, a financial win that will raise much-needed revenue and reduce tobacco-caused health care costs, and a political win that is popular with the voters.
The evidence is clear that increasing the cigarette tax is one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking, especially among kids. Studies show that every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes reduces youth smoking by 7 percent and overall cigarette consumption by about 4 percent. The District can expect the $1 cigarette tax increase to prevent some 4,100 DC kids alive today from smoking; spur 3,100 DC smokers to quit for good: save 2,100 DC residents from smoking-caused deaths; produce more than $100 million in long-term health care savings; and raise about $11.7 million a year in new revenue.
The D.C. Council voted on Tuesday to double the city tax on a pack from $1 to $2.
The tax is being raised to pay for a proposal by Council member David Catania to boost health care payments.
"I think that's an excellent idea when I look at health outcomes," said Council member Yvette Alexander. "With the health outcomes, we do want to send a strong message."
The D.C. Council is poised to increase taxes on cigarettes and property transfers to make up a $35 million budget shortfall, while still providing new funding for schools and tax relief for small businesses.
Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) said yesterday that the council has reached a consensus on a strategy that would maintain many of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's priorities in his $5.7 billion spending plan for fiscal 2009 and resolve the key areas of disagreement.
The revised budget package, which the council will vote on today, also includes amendments . . .
Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large) also came up with what he called "new taxes" on cigarettes and health-maintenance organizations to help pay for "Healthy DC."
Today, U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) applauded action by the Senate Rules Committee to close two smoking rooms in Senate office buildings, a move that will protect the health of Senate staff and U.S. Capitol visitors alike. The closure takes effect today and makes the Senate office buildings some of the first buildings on Capitol Hill to be completely smoke-free.
“Congress should be setting an example when it comes to fighting the health risks of smoking and second-hand smoke. Closing down the smoking rooms and our recent ban on tobacco sales in the Senate are critical steps that will improve the health of those who visit and work in the Senate,” Sen. Lautenberg said. “I want to thank Chairman Feinstein for working with me to keep those who work and visit here safer.”
In August, Lautenberg and Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jack Reed (D-RI) sent a letter to Senate Rules Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), requesting the committee “protect the health of employees and visitors to the Senate by eliminating smoking in Senate buildings entirely.” The two smoking rooms closed by the committee’s action were next to a coffee shop in the basement of the Hart Senate Office building; and in the Dirksen Senate Office building cafeteria. Now, smoking is prohibited in all of the Senate’s public buildings. A copy of the letter is attached.
Statement of Bernadette A. Toomey, President and CEO
WASHINGTON, May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On behalf of the American Lung Association, I commend Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jack Reed (D-RI) for their successful efforts to prohibit smoking in all public places in the Senate. For too long, Senators, staff and visitors to the Senate Office Buildings have been exposed to secondhand smoke. We also thank Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Robert Bennett (R-UT), the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules, for their leadership in supporting and implementing this important public health measure.
While we recognize today's announcement as a critical step in the right direction, the American Lung Association also urges the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives to make the entire U.S. Capitol complex smokefree. Ironically, many Senators and House Members are prohibited from smoking in worksites and public places while in their states and districts--but they are still allowed to smoke in personal and committee offices on Capitol Hill. Smoking is also still permitted in two locations in House office buildings. No one should be exposed to secondhand smoke as a condition of employment.
The push to end smoking in the movies lights up Congress this week as the anti-tobacco American Legacy campaign plans to highlight their campaign in an event scheduled in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.
Bolt Bus is an effort by the folks at Greyhound to come to terms with the newly competitive nature of the East Coast intercity bus business. Ever since the various Chinatown bus services arrived on the scene a few years ago, the Big Dog has been left to chase his own tail. Everything the hound did, the Chinatown buses (they started out as a service run by Chinese immigrants for their compatriots in New York's Chinatown) did better: The upstarts were cheaper, faster, more flexible . . .
The Big Dog tried to fight back by noting that some of the upstarts had been the subject of government complaints about their safety. But riders like me didn't care. We preferred to take our chances on the cheap trip, even if some drivers seemed more interested in smoking, eating and chatting while they operated the bus. . . .
Given the price of gas and tolls, not to mention insurance and taxes, these companies can't offer these bargain-basement fares for long, so grab them now. You can always go back to the seething, cursing, wild-driving, smoking Chinatown drivers; those trips get you there for next to nothing, but they feel as cheap as they are.
Kids across D.C. will rally against tobacco on April 2 as they join thousands of young people nationwide for the 13th annual Kick Butts Day, sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Hundreds of events are planned across the nation (for a list of local events, go to http://www.kickbuttsday.org/events).
June 7-8, 2008 in Washington, DC, USA
writing contest
Sponsored by the National Center for Nonsmokers' Rights and Law Professor John Banzhaf . . .
■ Features presentations and discussions of new legal and law-related actions to protect nonsmokers' rights
■ There are a limited number of $1000 travel grants to attend -- Preference will be given to early applicants
■ Will include an introduction to three (3) powerful but often overlooked weapons to protect nonsmokers:
● The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control [FCTC], the world's first antismoking and nonsmokers' rights treaty ● The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which can provide protection for very sensitive nonsmokers ● The Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, an even newer international treaty
Although it was a rainy Saturday, nothing could dampen the spirits of the participants of the DC Quitline(R). DC Tobacco Free Families (DCTFF) hosted a special evening at Saturday's Wizard's game against the Los Angeles Clippers for over 100 D.C. residents who have quit smoking using the free services of the District's Quitline(R) and Unity Health Care, Inc.
Unity and Quitline(R) participants were treated to this celebratory evening to reward them for their efforts to stop smoking. A small group was lucky enough to view the game from DC Tobacco Free Families' VIP suite and meet former Washington Bullet's center Gheorghe Muresan. "It was an extraordinary moment for the Unity and Quitline participants to be congratulated on their efforts by 7' 7" Muresan and made the evening even more memorable," said Vince Keane, President and CEO of Unity Health Care, Inc.
Five years ago: . . . In Washington, tobacco farmer Dwight Ware Watson, claiming to be carrying bombs, drove a tractor and trailer into a pond on the National Mall; the threat disrupted traffic for two days until Watson surrendered; there were no bombs.
In Harrisburg, state representatives are considering a ban on smoking in public places and are getting lost in a hazy cloud of a public health debate. They're probably not considering that a smoke-free ambiance might not be best for every business or that businesses might take care of their own air quality. . . .
I don't smoke, and at The All-American Rathskeller, the smoke from the tip of Ben Lambert's cigarette made my eyes water.
"I don't mind going outside to smoke, if it's the restaurant's or bar's rules," said Lambert, a State College resident. "But there are happy mediaums that satisfy both smokers and non-smokers." . . .
Even on Capitol Hill, representatives are fuming about rules that eliminated selling tobacco in Capitol buildings. Already, they've been prohibited from enjoying tobacco in the Capitol's hallways, entrances and the ornate Speaker's Lobby, reported the Washington Post.
But Congressional members can still puff cigars and cigarettes in their offices, even though most of Washington, D.C. lost their right to smoke indoors a year ago when the city banned smoking in public places, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
It makes me wonder if, one day, I'll stand at the Washington Monument, look down the National Mall and see the only place in the country that allows indoor smoking.
But more than likely, I'll just see another place where people have to stand outside.
Starting this month, sundries shops on both sides of the U.S. Capitol complex have stopped selling cigarettes and other tobacco products leaving lawmakers and staffers who want to light up during a quick break to walk several blocks to the nearest deli that sells cigarettes. Just last month, Capitol Hill staffers could buy their cigarettes and chewing tobacco at Capitol complex shops at a sizeable discount because no sales tax was applied. Then, two weeks ago, House and Senate staffers returned from winter break to find shelves stocked only with lip balm where their Marlboros and Camels used to be. The Democratic-led prohibitions have left many smokers fuming, reports the Washington Post.