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EDITORIAL: Lawmakers siding with tobacco firms 

You've got to give Mike Moser credit. The man has a sense of humor.

While talking about the current state of the proposed ban on smoking in public places in Wyoming -- which the state House has riddled with more holes than fishing net -- the lobbyist for the Wyoming State Liquor Association said: "Our position is that it is a good middle ground."

Right, Mr. Moser. It no doubt is a "good middle ground" for liquor dealers, who are all lathered up about the possibility that they will lose business if the ban is passed. . . .

Making matters worse is that Mr. Moser told a House committee during this session that he has no ties to the tobacco industry. Oops.

Once again efforts to create a healthier state -- to protect innocent bystanders from harmful, even deadly, secondhand smoke -- have been snookered by good old boy lobbyists and lawmakers who trust them more than they trust their own constituents.

The people of Wyoming have said -- in survey after survey -- that they want a statewide ban on smoking in public places.

Yet the best the House could do was to pass a bill that exempts bars and allows local communities and counties to opt out. . . .

Statistics show that 90 adults will die in Wyoming this year from the effects of secondhand smoke. Perhaps Mr. Moser and the tobacco companies don't care about that, but we do, and so do the people of this state. The time will come when a ban will be accepted in Wyoming. Just not this year.

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LETTER: Smoking ban is ludicrous 

I for one am tired of the high-and-mighty attitude of nonsmokers telling us how evil we smokers are. Sure, I smoke; my children grew up around me smoking. Their health is no worse off from my second-hand smoke as from pollution from cars and factories. To this day they don't smoke. I applaud them for their decision.

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Secondhand smoke ads draw criticism  

Some state lawmakers are questioning a state-funded billboard campaign warning people about the dangers of secondhand smoke.

The billboards are green with bold lettering and carry well-known sayings about death, but in place of words like “death” and “dead,” the phrase “secondhand smoke” is substituted. For example, one sign says, “’Til secondhand smoke do we part.”

Reads another: “Ding-dong, the witch is secondhand smoked.”

The billboards went up amid debate over a possible statewide smoking ban. A bill that would ban smoking in public places across the state has been introduced in the Legislature. The bill has been heavily amended but made it to the state Senate after clearing the state House.

Rodger McDaniel, deputy director of the Wyoming Department of Health, said warning the public about the danger of secondhand smoke is a legitimate mission of his department. . . .

EDITORIAL: State's anti-smoking campaign isn't lobbying 

The controversy over the Wyoming Department of Health's campaign about the dangers of second-hand smoke demonstrates how blurry the line can be between state employees conveying information and lobbying lawmakers.

Did state health officials improperly cross the line with their ongoing billboard campaign, which has accompanied a print advertising blitz? Despite grumblings from some legislators and others, we don't believe they did.

Yes, state legislators are in the middle of an emotional debate over a proposed ban on smoking in public places that passed the House and is now in the Senate. But health hazards posed by second-hand smoke are hardly a new issue for the department, which has consistently conveyed the same anti-smoking message for years. . . .

But the Department of Health has nothing to apologize for in its statewide campaign against second-hand smoke. It is providing information that will aid critical thinking by everyone on the issue, including legislators. That's not lobbying, it's the department doing its job.

Don't take power away from Wyoming's EQC

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Future of Wyoming smoking ban bill uncertain 

Top leaders in the Wyoming Senate say the smoking ban bill that passed the House last week may be too flawed to be worth discussing.

Senate President John Hines, R-Gillette, says he hasn't made a decision whether he will assign the smoking ban bill to a Senate committee for a hearing.

Hines says it seems neither the supporters or opponents of a statewide smoking ban are happy with the House bill.

The House bill would exclude bars and restaurants

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Future of Wyoming smoking ban bill uncertain  

Top leaders in the Wyoming Senate say the smoking ban bill that passed the House last week may be too flawed to be worth discussing.

Senate President John Hines, R-Gillette, said Tuesday he hasn't made a decision whether he will assign the smoking ban bill to a Senate committee for a hearing. As amended by the House, the bill would exclude bars and restaurants from the smoking ban as long as they only served customers age 21 or older.

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GRAPHIC: Tobacco-Free Wyoming 

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Wyoming Anti-Tobacco: Carcinogen Trading Cards Via Sukle Advertising & Design 

Since trading cards are big with the Wyoming kids these days (and telling their kids not to chew ain’t so big with Wyoming parents), Denver’s Sukle Advertising & Design developed a set of 14 cancer-causing carcinogen character cards.

Each card features an evil character, with illustrations provided by David Hudnut. The educational cards, packaged as something kids would actually want to collect, were handed out at schools and Thru with Chew events.

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• Anti-smoking billboards draw fire 

As a debate rages in Cheyenne over statewide smoke-free legislation, opponents are questioning the timing of a state-sponsored billboard campaign targeting second-hand smoke.

Top Department of Health officials, meanwhile, insist that the billboard campaign and an accompanying print advertising blitz are appropriate, and were not purposely timed to influence the vote.

"This is part of our mission is to educate the public on the dangers of tobacco use and second-hand smoke," said Department of Health Deputy Director Roger McDaniel.

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Lawmakers work to save smoke-free bill  

Lawmakers delayed an important vote on a statewide smoke-free bill Monday after some of the bill's most vocal promoters said they oppose the legislation in its current form.

Smokefree Wyoming, a coalition of health care groups in the state, pulled its support for House Bill 31 over the weekend.

Spokesman Eric Wedell, a Cheyenne physician, said the House inserted a number of loopholes and exemptions into the bill that would leave service workers and others vulnerable to second-hand smoke.

"This means that important segments of Wyoming's population would not be protected, including service workers and now even some office workers," Wedell said in a written statement. "This is why we cannot support HB 31 as it is presently amended after second reading."

Worried the loss of support could jeopardize the bill, a group of House members pushed for and received a one-day delay in the vote.

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• Fire goes out of smoking ban bill  

A day after it endorsed a nearly comprehensive ban on smoking in public buildings, the House inserted exemptions for private business offices and establishments that admit adults aged 21 and older.

Another major amendment would allow city and county governments to opt out of the ban by local ordinance.

Supporters of the bill said they were outraged by the changes, but opponents said the amendments represented a move toward middle ground, and reflect the true desires of cities and counties across the state.

"Ninety-five percent of Wyoming communities have not passed smoking bans," said Mike Moser, executive director of the Wyoming State Liquor Association. "What the Legislature did was an approach of moderation."

The changes now put the bill in a precarious place.

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• Cigarette tax hike dies quickly  

An effort to boost the state cigarette tax by 50 cents a pack died a speedy death in the state Legislature Wednesday.

The House Revenue Committee took testimony on House Bill 224 and then declined to even consider the bill. It died for lack of a second.

HB 224, sponsored by Rep. Lori Millin, D-Cheyenne, would have raised the tax on a pack of cigarettes from the current 60 cents to $1.10. . . .

Marian J. Schulz, lobbyist for tobacco giant Philip Morris USA, said the cigarette excise tax is not a dependable source of revenue for local governments, and is "aggressive and unfair to adults who smoke."

Schulz said the tax increase would hit the poorest Wyoming residents the hardest, and retailers would suffer because of the resulting decrease in cigarette sales.

She noted that convenience stores nationwide depend on tobacco products for more than a third of their revenue.

"Philip Morris USA believes Wyoming smokers already pay a fair amount of tax on the cigarettes they purchase," Schulz said.

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• House gives early approval to smoking ban 

After two hours of sometimes emotional debate Thursday, the House gave initial approval to a statewide ban on smoking in all public buildings except private smoke shops.

Testimony on House Bill 31 featured a personal anecdote about cancer survival, a speech comparing second-hand smoke exposure to assault with a firearm and testimony likening the bill to regulations imposed under Germany's Nazi regime.

Multiple attempts to exempt bar and restaurants failed, in large part because of technical problems with the amendments. The exemption for smoke shops, sponsored by Rep. Jim Roscoe, D-Wilson, passed on a voice vote.

In its current form, HB 31 would ban smoking in nearly all buildings where the public is allowed. It contains exemptions for private vehicles, homes, designated smoking rooms in hotels and motels and federally approved American Indian religious ceremonies.

As in previous smoke-free debates this session, Thursday's testimony focused on two principle themes: private property rights vs. public health safety.

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Cigarette tax extinguished 

Without discussion, the House Revenue Committee killed a proposal Wednesday to raise cigarette taxes 50 cents a pack.

"My goal is actually to sell less cigarettes," said bill sponsor Rep. Lori Millin, D-Cheyenne. "Then we aren't paying so much in health-care costs at the end."

House Bill 224 would have raised the total tax on one pack of cigarettes to $1.20 and generated about $21 million. The bill would have earmarked that money for local governments.

Wyoming is near the middle of the pack in state taxes on cigarettes, according to committee testimony. The average tax across the nation is $1.12, said Jan Drury of the American Heart Association.

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HOMER: Legislators can choose to save lives  

Smoking and secondhand smoke continues to pose a significant health risk to Wyoming citizens, including youth, pregnant mothers, hospitality industry workers, and restaurant and bar patrons. The public health costs are a burden to taxpayers and employers. Wyoming's Legislature now has the opportunity to enact a resolution that will result in healthier birth outcomes and many lives saved. . . .

Our elected officials in Cheyenne can choose to vote against the proposed statewide smokefree resolution and let the scientific reports continue to pile up while more people suffer diminished health and premature death due in large part from the smoking of others.

Alternatively, Wyoming's legislators can choose to act courageously and take action on the clear body of evidence that has been amassed since researchers began studying the health hazards caused by secondhand smoke, and start saving lives and reducing health costs in the Cowboy state.

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