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City Passes Ordinance to Prohibit Tobacco Sales to Minors 

The ordinance was an initiative of the Kennesaw Youth Council, an eight member team of high school students who provide the Mayor and Council with a teen perspective on city matters and it gained the support of the Cobb County Health Department.

The ordinance covers all kinds of tobacco products containing biologically active amounts of nicotine. It specifically states that retailers are responsible for determining the age of anyone attempting to purchase tobacco products. Vending machines dispensing tobacco will be prohibited in retail establishments unless the business limits admission to anyone age 18 and over.

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• For and against, public speaks out on smoking 

Elizabeth Myers, a cancer survivor, carried evidence of her plight around her neck. She displayed inhalers on ribbons around her neck. Passing the ordinance would mean she could go into bars to listen to her husband, a blues musician, something she can't do now.

The ordinance would close loopholes allowed in a 2005 state law, Georgia Smoke Free Air Act, including banning smoking in bars, long-term care facilities, retail tobacco stores and within 20 feet of entrances to public buildings and businesses.

The very idea upsets Richard Mika, who said he has grown tired of Savannah's over-regulation he moved to Statesboro. He still owns 12 properties in Savannah, and that gave him ground to speak his mind, he said.

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LETTER: Vox Populi: 'I am so excited about the non-smoking in bars in Savannah.’ 

“I am so excited about the non-smoking in bars in Savannah. I can’t wait to go bar hopping again. I think it will increase business because people like me, who cannot stand stinky smok,e will start coming again.”

“I don’t understand the smoking in bars problem. Bars that want to allow smoking should be able too. Simply put warning signs out front. You don’t have to go in. Go to the non-smoking bar. Duh.”

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Push for smoking ban continues 

Savannah is holding another meeting about a proposed smoking ban. The ordinance would prohibit smoking within 20 feet of any business entrance. WTOC's Don Logana will talk to experts about impact the proposed ordinance would have around town.

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Proposed Smoking Ban Draws Large Crowd at Town Hall Meeting  

A proposal to limit where smokers in Savannah can light up continued to draw loud support and opposition Wednesday night.

The proposed ordinance would ban smoking in all Savannah workplaces, including bars. Areas within 20 feet of business entrances, playgrounds, bus stops, and outdoor restaurant seating would also be off limits.

About 30 people lined up at the city's quarterly town hall meeting Wednesday night to voice their opinion.

Several business owners have raised both economic and safety concerns about the plan.

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New program helps smokers kick the habit 

Uninsured adult smokers who want to kick the habit can now turn to the Liberty County Health Department for help.

The Georgia Department of Community Health, which oversees the local health department, launched its nicotine replacement therapy program this week. The program’s purpose is to help reduce tobacco use among Georgia residents who are 18 years old or older.

To participate, individuals must first call the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line, a free service that provides counseling, support, and referral services for tobacco users. The NRT program will allow participants to receive a free four-week supply of either nicotine gum or the nicotine patch.

“There are a lot of people who really want to quit smoking but don’t have the resources,” said Cristina Gibson, Coastal Health District Director of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. “This free service is a great way for those people to get the support they need to help them quit.”

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Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer a Key Topic for Elekta Presenters at Annual ASTRO Conference 

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has accepted four abstracts from users of Elekta Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) technology on the use of SBRT to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The clinicians will present their findings during presentations at ASTRO's 52nd Annual Meeting (October 31 - November 4) at the San Diego Convention Center.

NSCLC, the most common form of lung cancer, arises from a number of causes, including active smoking, passive smoking (secondhand smoke), asbestos and radon exposure. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women. Each year, primary carcinoma of the lungs affects 93,000 men and 80,000 women in the United States and 86 percent die within five years of diagnosis. The incidence of lung cancer peaks between the ages 55 and 65.(1)

"The research in which our Lung Cancer Consortium is engaged is completely consistent with ASTRO's theme this year: Gathering Evidence; Proving Value," says Joel Goldwein, M.D., Senior Vice President and Director of Medical Affairs for Elekta. "The researchers have made a number of very important discoveries, some of which I believe will be likely to change how SBRT is administered to this challenging group of patients. It doesn't get much more valuable than that."

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Public Hearing On Proposed Savannah Smoking Ordinance Changes 

Savannah's City Council is considering a very controversial change to the city's smoking ordinance that would ban smoking in many places where it is now allowed. On Wednesday - the first of several public hearings on the proposed changes was held at City Hall. More than a dozen people stood up to speak at the meeting - many downtown business owners - by far the majority speaking out against the proposed changes.

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Bar owners to Savannah: Let our customers smoke  

Savannah City Council members got strong blowback Wednesday on a proposed ordinance that would further restrict public smoking.

In an hour-long hearing in City Hall council chambers, a few dozen bar and business owners rallied behind 11 speakers who argued the ordinance, which would ban smoking in bars and many public spaces exempted in a 2005 state law, would put smokers out of bars and onto sidewalks, streets and squares. A few of them described the ban as un-American, a step toward socialism and "an attempt by creeping forces of Puritanism." . . .

After the hearing, Mayor Otis Johnson, who has publicly endorsed the initiative from Healthy Savannah, said the buffer is something council will have to consider.

"We have to be aware of the width of our sidewalks and whether it would cause congestion," he said.

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Hookah Bars Worries About Possible Smoking Ban 

In Savannah there are a pair of hookah bars.

At the Mirage it's lunch and dinner during the day, hookah late nights.

The owners told me they have only been open about 5 months, and when they applied for a business license, no one told them about a possible ban.

Mirage says get rid of the hookah and you made end their business.

They make about 25%t of their money off the 10pm and later smoking. . . .

And while there are nearly 1000 ingredients and chemicals in cigarettes, Middle Eastern's owner, points out the hookah tobacco is much more natural, and not as harmful.

He says most folks just come in to try a hookah once or twice, relax and enjoy. And don't keep smoking afterwards.

As for business, it wouldn't destroy his business, but he says most of Middle Eastern's hookah customers are tourists. The ban it would affect his bottom line, a lot.

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• Smoking "Quit Line" offers free nicotine replacement therapy  

Donna Smith had sworn to friends if she ever quit smoking, it would be on her death bed.

That was before she had grandchildren.

"When I found out I had emphysema, that's when I realized it was time to quit," said Smith, 53. "They were a lot more important to me than any cigarette."

But as much as she wanted to quit, doing so felt almost impossible. For nearly three years, Smith tried quitting cold turkey or using nicotine patches, but neither method worked.

A new program through the Georgia Quit Line offered the right combination to finally reach success.

Starting last Sunday, the state Tobacco Use Prevention Program relaunched its Nicotine Replacement Therapy program.

The program offers uninsured coastal Georgia residents who call the Quit Line a free, four-week supply of nicotine replacement products in addition to one-one-counseling from a smoking cessation expert.

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Georgia Offers Program to Help Smokers Quit 

Smokers in coastal Georgia are getting government help to kick the habit.

The Georgia Department of Health has launched a Nicotine Replacement Therapy program in five of the state's 18 districts, the ones cited as having the highest percentage of adult smokers.

To be eligible, smokers must be at least 18 years old and uninsured, and they must enroll in the multiple call program provided by the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line, a free counseling and support service.

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Savannah could soon become smoke free  

If the mayor has his way, there will be no more lighting up in most Savannah businesses.

A proposed smoking ordinance could make it nearly impossible to legally smoke at all in some parts of the city.

That's because it includes a rule that bans smoking within 20 feet of any business entrance.

Bars would become smoke free, and cigar bars and private clubs also fall under the ordinance, as well as outside seating and decks.

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Savannah City Council ready to snuff smoking 

Savannah City Council members are ready to endorse a proposed ordinance that further bans smoking in bars, restaurants and some outdoor spaces.

Council members Thursday had their first discussion of the proposal, which is endorsed by Healthy Savannah, the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association. Mayor Otis Johnson also has endorsed the ordinance, saying it is an important step in protecting those who, like him, have heart conditions or other health risks aggravated by exposure to secondhand smoke.

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VIDEO: Could Savannah Become Smoke Free? 

The smokers feel they're being targeted... and in a way they are... already they've been told to get their nicotine fix outside... now the city is taking it a step further...

Under the proposed Smoke free Air Act there are several places you will no longer be able to smoke, one of them is within 20 feet of restaurants with outdoor seating and serving areas. Another place you won't be able to smoke...within 20 feet of all public transportation platforms and shelters and playgrounds are also off limit. Not just while you are on the playground with your children but also 20 feet within the playground area. Designated smoking areas at work will also have to be at least 20 ft away from any entrances.

Too many rules say some smokers downtown...

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