Tobacco.org

Bar owners think positive as smoking ban goes into effect 

It used to be that when a customer came in and bought a retail bottle of beer to take home his family could smell the Tall Pine Lounge on him when he walked in the door.

That is no longer the case after the smoking ban in public spaces went into full effect last week. The Montana Clean Indoor Air Act of 2005 requires all enclosed public places and workplaces to be smoke free as of Oct. 1. Bars and casinos that have been exceptions to the law must also become smoke free.

Businesses are also required to post no-smoking signs that are clearly visible at all public entrances.

Tom Beaubien, owner of Tall Pine, said he is trying to look at the ban as a business opportunity; his bar just opened up to a whole new clientele that used to not come in because of the smoke.

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• New smoking ban a bit hazy on Flathead Reservation 

Here on the Flathead Indian Reservation, the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act has run into some hazy skies.

Tribally owned bars and casinos are exempt from the state's smoking ban. That means the Grey Wolf Peak Casino north of Evaro and the Kwa Taq Nuk Resort in Polson, owned by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, still offer both smoking and nonsmoking casino areas.

But here on the Flathead Reservation, some enrolled tribal members who own liquor licenses also allow smoking in their bars.

"The way I understand it, the state and health department won't pursue it if we allow it, because they have nowhere to take it," says Lori Peterson, an enrolled member of the tribes and owner of the Pheasant Lounge in Ronan.

Rick Wheeler's bar sits a block away, on the other side of Ronan's Main Street.

"Ninety percent of my customers smoke," says Wheeler, who is not a tribal member. If he enforces the smoking ban, Wheeler says, virtually all of them will simply cross the street to a bar where they can light up inside, and the business he's owned for 20 years will go belly-up.

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Tobacco money for Little Shell Chippewa cut off following audit 

State officials have stopped distributions of tobacco grant money to the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa after an audit revealed problems with the tribe's accounting practices.

The Montana Department of Health and Human Services audit says lax oversight and record keeping allowed for "potential abuse" of a $180,000 annual tobacco use prevention grant.

Half the money was for tobacco programs for the tribe's 4,300 members scattered across Montana and surrounding states and provinces. The remainder was for similar programs for American Indians in Great Falls and Billings.

The agency's public health administrator, Jane Smilie, said the funding for the tribe's internal program could be restored if the tribe improves its accounting.

"We will review their response and determine if our auditors think what has been put in place is adequate," Smilie said.

In the meantime, the contracts for the Great Falls and Billings programs will be put out for bid.

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UM looks at other tobacco-free campuses  

The University of Montana is gearing up to become a tobacco-free campus by fall 2011 and it is not alone in its effort to ban tobacco products on school grounds — 172 other college campuses across the nation have done the same thing.

And not just colleges are taking such initiatives.

Designating tobacco-free grounds is becoming a “mega-trend,” said Clare Lemke, coordinator of the Montana Tobacco Free Medical Campus Project that helped four local hospitals go tobacco-free on Oct. 1.

“When I started this position in fall of 2007, there were three hospitals with tobacco-free campuses and by the end of November (there will be) 30,” Lemke said. “That’s just about half of the hospitals in the state.”

Along with the 172 tobacco-free university campuses nationwide, there are at least another 322 smoke-free campuses, said Julee Stearns, UM health promotion specialist and chair of the UM Tobacco Task Force that drafted the University’s tobacco-free plan. These tobacco-free university and hospital campuses serve as models for UM’s plan.

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EDITORIAL: Reservation casino smoking policy comes at a cost  

It's a niche market created by the last segment of Montana's Clean Indoor Air Act originally put in place four years ago. Across the state smoking is now prohibited in all indoor public places, including bars and casinos that had, up until Oct. 1, an exemption if they did not allow anyone younger than 18 to enter their establishments.

So it's not surprising that some businesses on the state's Indian Reservations, which are not subject to the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act, are now marketing to people who like to have a cigarette with their cup of coffee, meal or adult beverage or while gambling -- indoors. . . .

Unemployment on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation is about 50 percent. Do employees of casinos that allow smoking really have the option of looking for another job that does not expose them to secondhand smoke without facing significant obstacles, such as a longer commute?

Tribes are waging a battle on commercial tobacco use, cigarettes and spit tobacco, for a good reason. According to the Montana Department of Public Health and Hu-man Services, the prevalence of smoking among Native American adults was 55 percent in 2008 . . .

"It's up to the people to complain if they want to change it," said Theda Moorsette, the Chippewa Cree Tribe's tobacco prevention specialist. "It would be good for our health and youth."

Tribes wouldn't allow school personnel to expose pupils to secondhand smoke. Most ban smoking from tribal buildings and offices to protect workers.

So why then are the tribal members who work in casinos on reservations treated by a different standard?

It's time to speak up and complain.

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MAIER: Too soon for an all-campus tobacco ban 

Even though 94 percent of UM students surveyed said they don’t smoke on a regular basis, that’s still 6 percent that does. If that number can be applied to recent fall enrollment numbers at the University — 14,921 students — that would mean about 895 students would be affected by the ban as smokers. Some of them are probably freshman required to live in campus housing.

It’s fine to try to educate people about the negative effects of smoking and it’s good to have resources available to help people quit. But it’s too soon for a complete ban of tobacco products.

I don’t doubt that there are good intentions behind this policy or that it has the potential to do some good things for this campus. But because I remain troubled by its overbearing nature, I can’t bring myself to support it. For better or for worse.

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Only three complaints lodged so far in Great Falls 

Since the Montana Clean Air Act went into full effect Oct. 1, outlawing smoking in public indoor places including bars and casinos, the City-County Health Department in Great Falls has received three complaints of alleged violations at establishments in Cascade County.

The health department does not release the names of establishments that are the subject of complaints, spokeswoman Kate Marone said.

When the department receives a complaint, it first investigates to see if the complaint is valid. Then officials work with the establishment to make sure the owners and managers understand the act. The department also provides owners and managers with education on how to comply with the act.

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• Continued smoking in reservation bars, casinos boosts business, raises questions 

ROCKY BOY -- Smoking and gambling have gone hand in hand for Deanna Standing Rock for years.

But when the statewide smoking ban went into full effect earlier this month, adding bars and casinos to the list of public places where smoking is not allowed, Standing Rock didn't fear an end to her smoke-and-slots routine. That's because she plays at a casino located on one of Montana's seven Indian reservations, where smoking is still allowed inside bars and casinos.

Reservations are exempt from the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act, although far-reaching smoking bans have been implemented by Montana's sovereign tribes. The act does apply to nontribal members who own bars and casinos on Indian reservations.

The exemption has created a competitive edge for businesses such as the Chippewa Cree tribe's Northern Winz Casino on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation, according to casino officials. They are now marketing the casino as smoker friendly in order to lure customers away from bars and casinos located off the reservation.

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No smoking fallout?  

Butte bar and casino patrons don't appear to be avoiding their favorite watering holes despite the statewide smoking ban.

Jim Dodd Sr. has been a smoker for 30 years and an admitted creature of habit. But the law banning smoking in all bars and casinos, which went into effect Oct. 1, hasn't stopped him from making his regular stops at the Met Tavern, 1375 Harrison Ave.

"You come down here to see your friends and have a good time," he said Monday afternoon as he watched the Colorado Rockies on one of the bar televisions.

When the urge hits him to smoke, he steps outside like everyone else.

"I'm too old to change," the 55-year-old said.

Initial fears that the smoking ban would hurt the tavern and casino businesses so far appear unfounded, according to some.

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Tobacco products to be tamped out by 2011  

The University of Montana is on its way to becoming a tobacco-free campus by fall 2011.

The UM president’s office endorsed a timeline for phasing in policy starting this semester, according to UM Executive Vice President Jim Foley. The first phase includes sending questionnaires to faculty and staff, because students were already surveyed. The ASUM Senate passed a resolution supporting the plan last Wednesday.

However, it’s not a “take it or leave it” plan, Foley said. The steps leading to completion in 2011 will give everyone the opportunity to talk about an issue that should be discussed, he said.

Julee Stearns, UM health promotion specialist and chair of the UM Tobacco Task Force that drafted the plan, said that as of Oct. 2, there are at least 322 smoke-free campuses and 172 tobacco-free campuses nationwide. Montana Tech will also be completely tobacco-free in July 2010. The tobacco-free plan, drafted at the request of UM President George Dennison, aims to ensure the campus environment is healthy and accessible for everyone, Stearns said.

Stearns said 76 percent of UM students surveyed reported that they encountered more second-hand smoke on campus than in any other location.

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LETTER: Montana still tries to squash smokers 

I think Art Healy may be right so far as if smokers quit patronizing bars and casinos and restaurants due to the "no smoking" laws. Sooner or later it is bound to hurt the businesses. My question is, if this "no smoking" law was enforced supposedly to protect the health of business patrons, why don't they eliminate the booze, too? . . .

It is in the Declaration of Independence - inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Does it say anywhere that this applies only to nonsmokers? I know many of you will argue the right to life, and you would be correct, but for the smokers, it is their life and their right, too. I feel that these bans are not the way to rectify the situation.

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Smoking snuffed out  

The air is clean across the Montana State Hospital campus, where a culture of smoking was snuffed out over the summer.

Hospital officials implemented a tobacco-free policy on June 1, eliminating smoke breaks for both patients and employees.

After four months, Chief Executive Officer Ed Amberg said the policy has been accepted with relatively few problems. Once or twice a week, some patients may be caught with tobacco or lighters, Amberg said.

"Occasionally, we've had to talk to both patients and employees who have violated the policy," Amberg said. "We knew some people would be unhappy, but it's in the minority." An important aspect in planning the policy, Amberg said, was for staff to follow the same rules as patients. Whereas workers could smoke on breaks or during lunch in the past, they are not allowed to under the new policy.

"Patients don't want to smell tobacco on staff members ... if they can't use it too," Amberg said.

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Big Story: Smoke Free  

The no smoking requirements that went into effect at bars, restaurants and casinos across the state on Oct. 1, also apply to most other businesses and work places in the state.

The Montana Clean Indoor Air Act, adopted by the State Legislature in 2005, requires no smoking in enclosed public places including stores, public and private offices, health care facilities, public schools, transportation and business vehicles.

Businesses that haven't already banned customers from smoking are required to post no smoking signs and enforce the no smoking rules inside their buildings. Free "No Smoking" signs and other no smoking materials are available from Smokefree Montana by calling 1-866-787-5247.

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Four indoor smoking violations reported in Cascade County 

In the eight days since Montana bars and casinos went smoke-free under the state's Clean Indoor Air Act, Cascade County has received four complaints of indoor smoking.

The City-County Health Department could not confirm which businesses received the complaints.

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State logs 7 complaints for smoking ban violations 

Montana health officials say they have logged seven complaints about businesses allegedly violating a state-wide smoking ban that was fully implemented last week.

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