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VIDEO: High Schoolers Don HazMat Suits At Statehouse  

Hundreds of high schoolers with the group Our Voice Xposed rallied at the Vermont statehouse Thursday, calling on legislators to push for stricter laws on secondhand smoke.

Many of the students, who came from across the state, donned orange HazMat suits to make their point. They argued for more smoke-free zones in Vermont towns and parks.

Students also pointed out that younger people and children can be the most at risk for secondhand smoke complications.

"Kids ... breathe faster. Therefore, we breathe in more chemicals, more smoke (and) more toxins that end up hurting our bodies more in the end. Over time, this can lead to some serious problems," Manchester student Ryan Burns said.

Burns and others also called on state legislators to push for a ban on smoking in cars with minors in them.

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Smoking ban still hazy 

After weeks of discussion, the decision to ban smoking in downtown Burlington fell into the hands of Mayor Bob Kiss who chose to veto the bill City Council approved on Jan. 9.

The fight, however, is not over.

City Councilor, Joan Shannon, said she would try and persuade the council to override the mayor's decision, according to the Burlington Free Press.

"Eighty-six percent of our population doesn't smoke, so why should 100 percent of our air space be given over to smokers?" Shannon said to Fox News.

Kiss wrote in his veto message that the current ban is bad for everyone.

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Vermont searches for shop for anti-tobacco efforts  

The Vermont Department of Health has released an RFP for media and public health education services to reduce smoking in the state.

The health department wants to cut tobacco-use rates by up to 12% by 2020. To reach this goal, the agency will charge the winning firm with launching several campaigns. The two-year contract begins in July and has a renewal option for two additional years. The budget for fiscal year 2012 will be $788,515.

The department will ...

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Ban On Smoking Outdoors In Public Places Sparks Controversy 

The Burlington City Council recently voted to ban smoking outdoors in a wide swath of downtown. Mayor Bob Kiss vetoed the ban, raising questions about enforcement, exemptions for sidewalk cafes, and where people who work downtown would be able to go to smoke. We'll talk to two city councilors about the ban, and why they voted they way they did - Joan Shannon, who co-sponsored the ordinance, and Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, who voted against it. We'll also hear from Garry Schaedel, theDirector for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for the Vermont Department of Health, and from Allen Gilbert, executive director of ACLU Vermont.

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Councilor seeks override of Kiss' veto of Burlington's downtown smoking ban  

City Councilor Joan Shannon, D-Ward 5, said Friday she will try to persuade the City Council to override Mayor Bob Kiss's veto of a downtown smoking ban the council approved Monday.

"The next step is to see if we can get a couple more councilors on board to override the veto," she said. The ban passed 8-6; 10 votes would be required to override Kiss.

In his veto message, Kiss said the ordinance was too hard to enforce, unfair to employees who work in the restricted areas and hypocritical.

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Mayor Kiss' veto message re: no-smoking ordinance 

This veto message responds to the Ordinance Committee proposal passed by the City Council at its meeting on January 9, 2012 regarding smoking in outdoor places related to the Church Street Marketplace. At that meeting, I recommended against passage of the proposal before the City Council because it is a compromise proposal that in its details ultimately shapes up as bad public policy.

The City’s Department of Parks and Recreation-in response to a similar issue of outdoor smoking-participated with the Ordinance Committee in the creation of a policy that banned smoking in places where people congregate and when signs are posted. This means sporting events, North Beach, and picnic areas managed by Parks and Recreation are routinely protected-but it does not restrict someone from smoking as they Walk their dog alone at Roosevelt Park on a Thursday afternoon. As a policy in the parks, I believe this policy is effective and generally enforceable.

What was passed for the Marketplace on the subject of outdoor smoking assurnes too large an area for non-smoking, but then riddles the smoking restriction with an OK to smoke on private property (in the alleyways behind stores, bars, and restaurants, and Wherever private property is available for use), or in outdoor cafes on land leased for this use by the City, or from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. every night. This is a long way from a prohibition of smoking-especially if the basis of the proposal is for the protection of people from second hand smoke.

The proposed ordinance does nothing to protect the employees of businesses from second hand smoke

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• Mayor Kiss vetoes Burlington's downtown smoking ban 

Mayor Bob Kiss vetoed a Burlington City Council-approved downtown smoking ban Friday morning. 

In his veto message Kiss said the ordinance was too hard to enforce, unfair to employees who work in the restricted areas and hypocritical. 

"The smoking ordinance opens the door to difficult, inconsistent and selective enforcement by law enforcement officers. This is a bad result for everyone," Kiss wrote.

In an 8-6 vote Monday night, the Burlington City Council banned outdoor smoking in downtown areas between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

The ban would exempt outdoor cafes and private alleys from the no-smoke zone, which is bounded by Winooski Avenue and by Pearl, King and Pine streets.

Public health concerns over secondhand smoke drove the eight councilors who voted "yes." Questions about enforcement and the "pay-to-play" privilege at cafes stoked opposition. The debate often pitted public health concerns against questions of the impact of such a ban on downtown commerce.

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Burlington mayor vetoes smoking ban 

The mayor of Vermont's largest city on Friday vetoed an outdoor smoking ban in downtown Burlington, saying the ordinance is difficult to enforce and doesn't protect some employees from secondhand smoke.

The Burlington City Council voted Monday to ban outdoor smoking in most of the downtown between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. The ban exempts outdoor cafes and private alleys.

Mayor Bob Kiss said Friday that the ban is a compromise that is bad public policy.

"The smoking ordinance opens the door to difficult, inconsistent and selective enforcement by law enforcement officers. This is a bad result for everyone," Kiss wrote to the city council.

"The Ordinance Committee needs to stay at the drawing board and put something together that isn't hypocritical and works," he said.

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• Burlington bans public smoking downtown  

In a close vote Monday night, the Burlington City Council banned outdoor smoking in downtown areas between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

The ban exempts outdoor cafes and private alleys from the no-smoke zone, which is bounded by Winooski Avenue and by Pearl, King and Pine streets.

Public health concerns over secondhand smoke drove the 8-6 vote of support for the new law. Questions about enforcement and the "pay-to-play" privilege at cafes stoked opposition.

"It's not perfect; it's a compromise," said Councilor Joan Shannon, D-Ward 5, a key sponsor of the resolution. "It's reasonable to expect that we'll need to take another look at it.

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Letter: Burlington has no right to control air 

Burlington wants to ban smoking in outdoor locations. I am a smoker and I say this is going against my right to smoke. When does a city or anyone else get to control the air? If that were possible then I say those in charge in Burlington should keep the temperature at 70 to 80 degrees. Burlington should ban the cold and snow. . . .

Please, if you can, show me where there is a law giving you the right to control the outside air. What's next, banning smoking in cars, on a lawn or in a house? Good luck with that! Oh does the air pay taxes? If not you have no control over it.

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EDITORIAL: Voice of the Free Press: City smoking ban just feel-good measure  

Here we go again.

The Burlington City Council seems unable to let go of the idea of banning smoking on the Church Street Marketplace. The councilors' latest attempt was Monday, passing an ordinance for a partial ban on outdoor smoking by a 12-2 vote.

This is a half-baked effort. . . .

Take this to its logical end, and the city will have to put up signs that read, "Welcome to Burlington, please extinguish all smoking materials."

Secondhand smoke is a real health issue, but a partial ban in a limited part of the city complete with exemptions is little more than a feel-good measure and a tool for selective application.

If we are to start with banning smoking on Church Street, go all the way, strip out the exemptions and do this in the name of protecting public health.

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Burlington City Council backs downtown smoking ban  

A partial ban on smoking in downtown Burlington made headway Monday night, with the City Council approving by a 12-2 vote an initial presentation of the new ordinance.

Health, business and social-justice concerns shaped more than two hours of discussion about the measure.

The in-process resolution -- whose purpose is to protect residents and visitors from secondhand smoke -- will be forwarded to the council's Ordinance Committee for refinement.

Larry Walters, a board member of the Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Community, termed the resolution imperfect, but one that might balance health, business and civil liberties in an "absolutely beautiful bloody compromise." . . .

The proposed ordinance would prohibit smoking on public property in parts of downtown from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., but would exempt smoking on private property and on stretches of sidewalk leased by the city to cafes and restaurants.

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Burlington City Council weighs downtown smoking ban 

An outdoor smoking ban for downtown Burlington will be considered by the City Council at its regular meeting today at Contois Auditorium.

The proposed ordinance would exempt smoking on private property and on stretches of sidewalk leased by the city to cafes and restaurants.

The proposed no-smoke zone would be bounded by Pearl Street, South Winooski Avenue, and King and Pine streets.

About half of the outdoor cafe spaces downtown allow smoking, according to the Church Street Marketplace.

If approved, the resolution -- whose purpose is to protect residents and visitors from second-hand smoke -- would be forwarded to the council Ordinance Committee for refinement.

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Percentage of smokers drops in Vermont 

While 76,000 Vermont adults still smoke, their numbers are de­clining.

Results from an annual behavo­rial risk factor telephone survey released Wednesday peg the per­centage of adult smokers at 15 per­cent in 2010 compared with 17 per­cent in 2009. More than 7,000 Vermonters older than 18 were queried in the survey, which is funded by the U.S. Centers for Dis­ease Control and Prevention.

The Vermont Department of Health released the smoking data on the eve of today's 36th anniver­sary of the Great American Smoke­out -- a day when many smokers attempt to quit.

"We're encouraged by the re­duction in the overall number of Vermont smokers," Vermont Health Commissioner Harry Chen said. "We realize that quitting smoking is one of the most diffi­cult behavorial changes a person can make."

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• Dorset goes smoke free  

The town of Dorset and The Collaborative have announced that town properties are now tobacco-free.

The policy, signed into effect last September, applies to six properties encompassing approximately 60 acres. The properties include a children's playground, the town hall, two properties with hiking trails, the town green, and the town garage campus. The properties will be designated as smoke free with signs provided by the Vermont Department of Health and The Collaborative.

In a statement announcing the new policy, Dorset Town Manager Rob Gaiotti stated the policy should be a plus for the area and its residents. "The Collaborative has been a great resource for our town, and this policy will allow residents and visitors to enjoy a safe environment in Dorset, whether visiting the town hall or taking a walk at the one of the town parks," he said in the statement.

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