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No tobacco use will be allowed at any Redmond Regional Medical Center facility starting Aug. 1.
The new policy means that patients, visitors, volunteers, employees, vendors and physicians will be prohibited from using tobacco products anywhere on Redmond properties.
In April, Redmond became tobacco and smoke-free for its employees., the first step in becoming a tobacco-free facility.
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With the flooding in the Midwest, I have a possible solution to the impending food problem: Have half the farmers in Eastern and Southern states, such as Georgia, plant corn or soybeans instead of tobacco. True, the cost of tobacco will likely rise, but I have a more important addiction --- eating --- that needs to be satisfied and I've heard that I'm not alone in this. . . .
Having more farmers who normally grow tobacco grow corn or soybeans instead should help keep food prices in check.
Last week the Aiken City Council approved the first reading of their proposed smoking ban. But the second reading will not be on the meeting agenda for tonight, June 23rd.
The Aiken City Council has passed on first reading an ordinance banning smoking in indoor public places, including bars and restaurants.
Not everyone who attended the meeting Monday night was in favor of the ordinance.
"I think we have a fair ordinance," said Sam Erb, the owner of The West Side Bowery. "But my concern is if this is passed today, we now have a stronger ordinance than the county." . . .
IN NORTH AUGUSTA
A second hearing on a proposed ordinance banning smoking in indoor and outdoor public facilities in North Augusta drew a crowd of bingo patrons seeking an exception.
Criminals, whose upkeep Georgia taxpayers provide, are encouraged to use the most dangerous substance known to mankind, tobacco.
Did you know that the state of Georgia not only permits prisoners to smoke, but also sells tobacco to them? . . .
Eliminating tobacco in prisons also improves the health of state employees, again saving taxpayers' money. It has been shown quite conclusively that people who do not use tobacco because of workplace rules are much more likely to reduce their consumption and use of this addictive substance, resulting in reduced sick days and health care costs.
Will Georgia be the last state to have such a sensible policy?
Roswell city employees will find it a little tougher to smoke or chew tobacco on the job.
The City Council on Monday enacted a new policy that prevents employees from using tobacco on city property
I was very disappointed to read that Gov. Sonny Perdue vetoed House Bill 887, which would have created an advisory committee to recommend to the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the house the best tobacco use prevention and education programs and practices to reduce smoking rates in Georgia.
The bill had overwhelming support in both the House (138-13) and the Senate (49-0) before being sent to the governor's desk. . . .
I will use my influence to work with American Cancer Society staff and HB 887 sponsors Rep. Mark Butler (R-Carrollton) and Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Loganville) to introduce the bill again next year. Georgia needs to be doing all it can to discourage our youth and adults from smoking and to reduce health care costs attributed to smoking by offering effective programs.
But there is another fire hazard that is not mentioned that can be a major factor in wildfires - cigarette butts.
You may have seen an area of burned grass in the medians of our highways and interstates. A cigarette butt tossed out of a car window most likely caused this. It was probably an absent minded thing as many people do not even consider it litter. Here are some facts everyone should know about cigarette butts:
Dropped cigarette butts have been the cause of numerous house and apartment fires . . .
Cigarette butts contain Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Formaldehyde, Acetone, and Benzene. The nicotine trapped inside 200 cigarette butts is enough to kill an adult human. These chemicals and compounds get washed out of the filter and into our water when it rains. . . .
The Department of the Navy works hard on pollution prevention, health and safety, storm water controls, and other environmental regulations. Please help us protect our Natural Resources and set an example for others to follow.
While this weekend's Relay for Life will be a fun, fund-raising event, there's no room for beer, cigarettes, or political candidates.
During the event, event chairman Cathy Lannae said, Relay rules prohibit dogs, alcohol, smoking at the site. No running or blocking the track is allowed, and no skateboards, skates, or bicycles may be ridden at the event.
And, since the non-profit American Cancer Society cannot be seen to endorse political candidates, Lannae said, "Political candidates cannot distribute materials and teams cannot promote or endorse a candidate at the Relay."
During slavery, Sapelo was part of the plantation economy, but after the Civil War blacks began to buy land and formed settlements. Those were consolidated by the island’s last white owner, the tobacco heir R. J. Reynolds Jr., who forced black residents to relocate to Hog Hammock in the ’50s and ’60s, an act still remembered with bitterness.
Smokers in Aiken County looking to kick the habit but needing an extra push will now have access to a free program.
The Aiken Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Services held a training session Thursday morning for the American Cancer Society's Freshstart -- a four-session program designed to help people stop smoking.
"There wasn't a smoking-cessation program free of charge in Aiken County," said Michael Brazier, of the American Cancer Society. "We felt there needed to be one in this area to help people stop smoking."
Alphia Dunbar, of the Aiken Center, said they teamed up with the cancer society to invite people from other agencies and businesses to become facilitators in the hopes of starting smoking cessation programs across the area.
Bibb County commissioners approved a voluntary smoking cessation program in a 5-0 vote Tuesday that helps employees kick the habit with taxpayer money.
Through the program, county employees who want to quit smoking or stop using smokeless tobacco products are eligible for up to $400 of prescription drug benefits that can be used to purchase a host of nicotine replacement medication, including nicotine patches, gum or pills.
In addition to the $400, the cessation plan also will provide coverage for six counseling sessions, according to county documents.
The smoking rates of blacks in America have decreased two-fold from 1990 to 2001.
For 50 years, blacks' smoking rates were greater than those of whites, Robert Robinson, associate director for health equity in the Office of Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a phone interview.
Robinson plans to discuss how this population disparity was eliminated during today's Bernard B. Ramsey lecture.
"[Robinson] was very involved in some public health initiatives to reduce the smoking rates," Mark G. Wilson, associate professor and department head of health promotion and behavior, said in a phone interview.
Atlanta is among 28 major metropolitan cities finding there's a vast array of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water.
An Associated Press survey of major water providers and independent research finds trace amounts of drugs are showing up in the tap water of at least 41 million Americans. The tests on Atlanta found 10 substances including acetaminophen--the active ingredient in the painkiller Tylenol, caffeine and cotinine--a byproduct of nicotine.