Tobacco.org

EDITORIAL: Tax hike would reduce smoking 

There were more adult smokers in the United States in 2008 than in the year before, the first time in nearly 15 years that the rate of smoking has increased , according to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It's a troubling trend for an activity that is the No. 1 most preventable cause of cancer. . . .

Yet, in South Carolina, state lawmakers continue to reject the most effective way to encourage people to quit this harmful and expensive activity: raising the cigarette tax.

South Carolina's cigarette tax stands at 7 cents a pack. Seven cents. That's by far the lowest cigarette tax in the nation, and it has not been raised in more than three decades. . . .

The good news is lawmakers have an opportunity to revive the bill when they convene in January. This is the second of a two-year legislative term, and the Senate can approve the compromise when the session begins.

Whether they do that, or come at the tax increase with a new bill, lawmakers need finally to decide this year to raise this state's abysmally low cigarette tax.

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Cigarettes cause brush fire 

Improperly discarded cigarette butts started a small brush fire Sunday afternoon at Wilderness Cove Apartments in Beaufort, a Fire Department spokesman said.

Tenants at the complex on Talbird Road had put out most of the fire before firefighters responded just before 2 p.m., Lt. Dan Byrne said.

Part of the building's side melted during the small blaze, causing about $1,000 or less in damage, Byrne said.

Sunday's incident provided another example of what happens when people step outside their residence or a business to smoke and throw their cigarette butts on the ground instead of putting them in a proper receptacle, Byrne said.

"We have a rash of these fires usually in the summertime," Byrne said.

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Samurai Karate Studio to Introduce Anti-Smoking Message to Karate Curriculum  

Sensei Chris Feldt, owner and chief instructor for Samurai Karate Studio, located in Columbia, SC, Richland Northeast, announced today that he was introducing a new anti-smoking program as part of his karate curriculum. The flash card program, was developed by Tom Callos, creator and team coach of The Ultimate Black Belt Test and the New Way Network.

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EDITORIAL: Smoking ban shrouded in misunderstanding 

The Florence City Council rejected an ordinance Monday that would have banned smoking in public places. The 4-3 vote raised the prospect of revisiting the issue with a compromise to balance the rights of individuals and business owners with the need to provide a healthy environment in the city.

The ordinance, proposed by councilman Buddy Brand and councilwoman Octavia Williams-Blake, was misconstrued as a referendum on smoking. . . .

Tobacco has been a huge cash crop in the Pee Dee for decades. But this debate is not about the elimination of tobacco and its products. It's about fresh air in public places.

For the sake of a healthy community, we support the no-smoking ordinance. We think it would be progressive and bold for Florence to become the first city in the Pee Dee to ban it.

We applaud city leaders for elevating the issue and ask them to tweak the ordinance for another vote in the near future.

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• Florence City Council votes down proposed smoking ban  

Florence City Council members have voted down an ordinance that would have imposed a smoking ban in most public places.

Voting against it curing Council's regular meeting Monday afternoon were councilmen Ed Robinson, Billy D. Williams, Bill Bradham and Steve Powers. Voting in favor of it were Mayor Stephen J. Wukela, Councilwoman Octavia Williams-Blake and Councilman Buddy Brand.

At least 12 city residents spoke about the ordinance before council members voted.

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VIDEO: Florence residents, mayor weigh in on proposed smoking ban 

On Nov. 9, Florence City Council will vote on a proposed smoking ban in most public places.

The ordinance would prohibit smoking in places like restaurants, bars, educational and health care facilities, common areas of apartment buildings as well as many other places.

Though it may face opposition from some smokers, the ordinance is gaining popularity from many local residents.

"I don't like to determine what other people do, but we have been out west to California and Phoenix in the past year and it's banned everywhere out there and there's a difference, and it is nice not to have to worry about that in public if you don't have to," Florence resident Jennifer Peebles said.

Even some restaurant managers say they support the proposal, though they say they will continue to try and accommodate everyone.

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Council bans smoking on gov’t property 

The air will be cleaner on county government property and in county vehicles following a Tuesday night ruling from Greenwood County Council.

Council officially passed an ordinance that bans smoking on all county government property and in county government vehicles. The smoking ban takes effect immediately.

While the ordinance pertains only to county property and vehicles, it also encourages local residents to give up smoking in other locations. A portion of the ordinance reads as follows:

"Although this ordinance only applies to certain properties and vehicles owned by or leased to Greenwood County, due to the risks posed by second-hand smoke, the Greenwood County Council strongly encourages persons to refrain from smoking in their places of work and worship, and in buildings open to the general public, as a matter of courtesy to fellow occupants and as a matter of health for all concerned."

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Florence council members to propose city smoking ban  

If three members of Florence City Council have their way, the smoking lamp will be extinguished in certain areas of the city.

Council members Octavia Williams-Blake and Buddy Brand are sponsoring a bill to regulate smoking. A co-sponsor is Mayor Stephen J. Wukela.

The bill is scheduled to be introduced at the regular Nov. 9 Florence City Council meeting. First reading would be proposed at that time.

"I want the public to know the smoking ordinance is not about people's right to smoke," Williams-Blake said, "it's about protecting employees and the public from the (proven) harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

"I think the public is ready for a smoke-free city. . . .

Williams-Blake said of the 100 or so people she has spoken with about the ordinance, only one person was against it.

Williams-Blake said the S.C.Supreme Court has upheld all challenges to city smoke-free ordinances, thus validating that it is within Florence City Council's authority to pass smoke-free ordinances.

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EDITORIAL: Florence City Council examines smoking ban  

Florence has waited long enough in deciding whether public places should become smokeless. Florence City Council should have tackled the issue years ago, in our opinion, and we're glad council members Octavia Williams-Blake and Buddy Brand have introduced an ordinance calling for a ban. . . .

Restaurant employees will benefit from no-smoking restrictions, as well. Their health will no longer be jeopardized by prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke.

Certainly, the tobacco industry is threatened by no-smoking campaigns. Tobacco is the leading cash crop in South Carolina, and it's grown on thousands of acres in the Pee Dee.

We do not see no-smoking campaigns as a repudiation of tobacco farmers. They're growing a legal product. Rather, we see it as a public health issue. If people choose to smoke, we encourage them to use tobacco in the privacy of their own home or vehicle.

This issue has been simmering on the back burner for too long. At the least, we hope the council takes a vote, showing us where the city stands on the issue.

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USCPD cracking down on campus smoking policy 

Recent complaints about students and staff smoking in high traffic areas on campus have prompted USC police to crack down on smokers.

People walking past Thomas Cooper or Russell House may notice the usual crowd of students or Russell House employees casually smoking their cigarettes against the sides of the buildings. Whether they are aware of it or not, these people are in violation of the University's smoking policy.

USC's tobacco policy states that smoking and all use of tobacco products is prohibited inside all University-owned or leased buildings as well as within 25 feet of a building or an air intake unit. This policy includes courtyard areas, decks and patios as well.

Officer Kenny Adams of USCPD says that the police and campus safety officers have been enforcing the policy to the best of their abilities since it came into affect several years ago.

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Springdale, Pine Ridge Set to Move on Smoking Bans 

The workplace smoking ban recently adopted by Lexington County is putting the heat on other local councils to follow the lead.

The Town of Springdale, located about a mile north of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, was scheduled to give second and final reading to a proposed workplace ban at its Oct. 6 meeting, according to Town Administrator Natalie McKelvey.

"It mirrors the Lexington County ordinance," McKelvey says.

Like the Lexington ordinance, it would not go into effect until Jan. 1 of next year.

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• Springdale bans smoking; 2 others consider it 

Springdale on Tuesday became the second town in Lexington County to snuff out smoking in restaurants, bars, stores and offices, and two neighboring communities may do likewise.

The ban in Springdale mirrors limits on lighting up in workplaces in unincorporated parts of the county effective Jan. 1.

It's time for the 11 other county municipalities without bans to follow suit to avert public confusion, Springdale Mayor Pat Smith said.

"We need consistency, not a checkerboard pattern where it's allowed in some places and not in others," he said.

His wish won't happen soon as some communities refuse to restrict where smokers light up.

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EDITORIAL: Studies offer evidence smoking bans do help 

Two recent reports on the health impacts of public smoking bans reinforce the sound policy decision local elected officials made when they limited indoor smoking here in Beaufort County. . . .

If these study results bear out here, we should be seeing some positive impacts. The Bluffton, Beaufort County and Hilton Head Island bans have been in place for more than two years.

Many communities across the state, including the city of Beaufort, followed suit after the state Supreme Court turned back legal challenges to local smoking ordinances.

Restaurants, bars and other workplaces have adjusted to the smoking rules with no major ill effects. The fact that the bans were enacted about the same time certainly helped.

We salute local elected officials who pushed for and voted for ordinances that could a big difference in our community's health.

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• Bingo fight lights up over smoking ban  

Bingo parlors on opposite ends of Richland County are suing each other, claiming their competitors are ignoring a county law that prohibits smoking.

The two - Carolina Gold Bingo on Decker Boulevard and Mr. Bingo on St. Andrews Road - have hired well-known lawyers, as well as private investigators to spy on each others' customers.

At the heart of the dispute is Richland County Council's indecision about how vigorously to enforce a law that has generated few reports of violations and carries just a $25 fine. . . .

The lengths to which the bingo parlors are going hints at the lucrative and competitive nature of the business.

The two parlors - among four total in Richland County - each grossed more than $700,000 last year. Carolina Gold was only open part of the year.

The operators don't keep all the profits, though.

Under state law, bingo games must benefit "fraternal, religious or charitable organizations," said Adrienne Fairwell, a spokeswoman for the S.C. Department of Revenue.

However, the state agency is not privvy to the individual contracts that set out how much of the net proceeds a promoter shares with a nonprofit group, she said.

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Tobacco Barn Photography Exhibit To Open To Public 

After a successful by invitation only private showing, a photography exhibit featuring the work of Benton Henry will open to the public this week.

On Friday June 26th at 5:00 pm at the Latta Art Center, Black Creek Arts Council and the Latta Revitalization Commission will be sponsoring an opening reception for Tobacco Barns of the Pee Dee.

The exhibit, featuring photographs by Latta’s Benton Henry, will remain on display through the end of August. Admission to the opening is free.

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