Tobacco.org

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.

Jump to full article »

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."

Jump to full article »

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.

Jump to full article »

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.

Jump to full article »

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.

Jump to full article »

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.

Jump to full article »

• 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.

Jump to full article »

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.

Jump to full article »

• 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.

Jump to full article »

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.

Jump to full article »

REP. JIM BATTLE: South Carolina Agricultural Interests Must Be Protected  

As a farmer I’m proud to note that South Carolina agribusiness accounts for almost 200,000 direct and indirect jobs with payrolls totaling approximately $7.4 billion. Clearly, agribusiness is big business in our state and must be protected.

As such, there is a potentially destructive piece of legislation coming out of Canada that must be addressed. Initially drafted as a health initiative, C-32 has a well-intentioned goal of reducing youth smoking by banning the production, marketing and sale of “flavored” tobacco in Canada. While I have no problem with the bill’s intent, its implementation is cause for concern if it is passed as written. The problem is that “non-characterizing flavors” we use as additives in the production of most of our tobacco are included in C-32’s definition of “flavoring.” This will essentially ban American tobacco from being sold in Canada – thus destroying the tobacco trade between our countries and resulting in numerous job losses throughout South Carolina and across the United States.

Tobacco is still a top 10 cash crop in South Carolina worth an estimated $71 million to the state. . . .

It’s my hope our Congressional Delegation and other officials in Washington will take the necessary steps to help ensure the trade agreements we have in place are adhered to and push to have this legislation rewritten so as to protect our vital agricultural markets.

Jump to full article »

EDITORIAL: Richland council shouldn’t tamper with smoking ban  

The Richland council is scheduled to take a final vote today on a proposal that would allow an establishment to operate "a portion of its workplace" as a "designated smoking area" as long as that area is separate from its nonsmoking area and has its own outside entrance and a separate heating and air system. This preposterous proposal would defeat the primary purpose of the smoking ban, unnecessarily exposing workers to secondhand smoke. . . .

There is growing sentiment among local communities that a web of smoking bans should be approved to protect workers and the public. Richland County wisely joined that movement by passing its smoking ban. This is no time to give ground.

It hasn't yet been proven that patrons abandon bars and restaurants -- or bingo parlors -- that don't allow smoking. Richland officials concerned about that have an alternative to making unwise changes in the county's smoking ban. They could -- and should -- approach neighboring governments about adopting uniform smoking bans. It makes sense for all parts of Lexington and Richland counties to have similar bans. Making public accommodations in the two counties smoke-free would address businesses' concerns that patrons will abandon them for nearby competitors.

Jump to full article »

Richland County could allow some smoking  

Richland County Council is considering a change to its smoking ban allowing businesses to establish separate areas for smokers -- down to the air they breathe.

The proposal would accommodate a bingo parlor whose owner said he poured $300,000 into two ventilation systems so nonsmoking customers could play in half of his building.

Then the county passed a smoking ban.

Councilman Jim Manning sponsored the change to protect Carolina Gold Bingo, which invested in Decker Boulevard, an early suburb the county has targeted for revitalization.

Jump to full article »

EDITORIAL: Officials must resist calls to relax smoking bans  

IT NEVER SHOULD have been on the table in the first place, but it was good to see Richland County Council reject a misguided effort to weaken the county's smoking ban.

The council responded emphatically Tuesday in killing a proposal that would have allowed any establishment to operate "a portion of its workplace" as a "designated smoking area" as long as that area is separate from its nonsmoking area and has its own outside entrance and a separate heating and air system. It also would have allowed some employees to work in smoking areas. While the proposal's chief proponent, Councilman Jim Manning, said workers would have to volunteer to work in smoking areas, there's little doubt people would have been forced to choose between their health and a job.

Fortunately, the council saw the error of making such a change that, while reportedly aimed at addressing concerns of a single bingo operator, would have opened the door to all businesses, including bars and restaurants. Council members didn't even hold a planned public hearing before summarily nixing the proposal. . . .

With Lexington County finally taking action to protect workers from unnecessary exposure to carcinogens, its towns and cities -- from West Columbia and Cayce to Irmo and, yes, Springdale and Chapin -- also should adopt smoking bans. Those who claimed to be waiting for the County Council to act no longer have that excuse.

While any smoking ban is better than none, it's imperative that these cities and towns adopt more than minimal protections. They should all adopt the same or similar bans that would eliminate secondhand smoke in workplaces. A uniform effort would go a long way to safe-guarding communitywide public health. . . .

The more prudent and effective way to guard all South Carolinians against harm that can be caused by secondhand smoke would be for the Legislature to develop the courage to pass and defend a strong statewide ban. There is simply no good reason for our legislators not to require this minimal level of workplace safety for all of South Carolina's workers.

Jump to full article »

Richland kills plan to ease ban on smoking  

Public health advocates turned back an attempt to make an exception to Richland County's smoking ban Tuesday.

"Smoke-free's the new norm," Ian Hamilton, with the S.C. Cancer Alliance, said later.

The Richland County Council undermined Councilman Jim Manning's effort to protect a bingo parlor in his district that invested $300,000 in separate heating and air systems and divided the business in two before the county went smoke-free last year.

Jump to full article »