http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/category/smoking_bans.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/51c97ae4-53e5-11e1-9eac-00144feabdc0.html http://tobacco.org/news/333638.html A club of Middle Eastern investors plans to cash in on disgruntlement felt by many smokers about being forced outside to enjoy their habit by opening the UK’s first hotel built around smoking culture. Arab Investments, the Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti-backed group behind plans to build the City of London’s tallest skyscraper, hopes the £36m hotel, which will be among the most expensive in the country, will offer smokers an oasis from the ban that has forced them out of most buildings since 2007. The 36-room hotel, which sits on Knightsbridge, south of Hyde Park and close to Buckingham Palace, will include separate cigar and cigarette smoking terraces and the world’s largest hotel-based humidor. “Smokers have been pushed around by everybody since the ban came in and, basically, they have to go outside if they want to smoke,” said Khalid Affara, chief executive of Arab Investments. . . . However, smokers wanting to enjoy a night at the hotel, which will be called the Wellesley, will have to pay a lot for the pleasure. The 36 rooms, designed to be a blend of traditional hotel accommodation and upmarket concierge-serviced residences, range from £350 to £12,000 a night for the larger four-bed suites. Financial Times UK Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=717043 http://tobacco.org/news/333637.html Monday night, North Myrtle Beach passed a smoking ban, Tuesday night, the Town of Timmonsville passed one. Town council members unanimously passed the smoke-free ordinance. It bans smoking in enclosed spaces that are open to the public. WPDE 15 tbrown@wpde.com (Tonya Brown) Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/smokers-light-up-on-gulfport-beach-to-protest-local-smoking-ban/1214407 http://tobacco.org/news/333636.html A small group of cigar aficionados met recently on Gulfport Beach and lit up their favorite smokes. Enjoying cigars was not the point. They were trying to get cited. Under a recently passed Gulfport ordinance, smoking on Gulfport Beach is banned. They were there to test the right of local government to enact smoking bans in public places, citing a state law they say takes precedence. Because of legal technicalities, no one was ticketed that day, Jan. 14. . . . The controversy stems from the mid 1980s, when Florida became the first state to eliminate local control of smoking regulation. It happened with the passage of the Florida Indoor Clean Air Act, which contained a clause saying state laws superseded local laws. Since then, other states have passed pre-emption statutes and some have subsequently dropped them. But the Florida law remains intact and is one of the broadest. It survived a 2003 constitutional amendment that made all enclosed workplaces smoke free. St. Petersburg Times Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120206/NEWS05/702069918/0/FRONTPAGE http://tobacco.org/news/333635.html Massena Housing Authority officials will hold a public hearing later this month to receive comments about a proposed change to smoking regulations that would require residents who live in Victory Apartments or high-rise apartments at Laurel and Grasmere terraces to close their doors if they light up. Executive Director Patrick J. Regan said the authority wants to ensure that others in the apartment complexes with hallways aren't exposed to secondhand smoke. The policy would not apply to residents of family housing, where there are doors that open to the outside. Watertown Daily Times Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.sj-r.com/opinions/x392614169/Letter-Smoke-free-law-under-attack http://tobacco.org/news/333633.html Once again, the health of Illinois citizens is under attack by an effort to weaken the Smoke-Free Illinois Act. Rep. Anthony DeLuca of Chicago Heights recently introduced a bill to allow businesses to buy smoking licenses from local liquor control commissioners. Another bill would allow bars, strip clubs and other establishments, for a fee, to apply for smoking licenses, provided they installed filtration systems for the air. According to the American Cancer Society, "This bill is a potential setback for the health and well-being of the people of Illinois. If adopted, residents throughout the state will be denied the life-saving, public health protections of the Smoke-Free Illinois Act."? The ACS firmly believes that everyone deserves the right to breathe clean air, free of the cancer-causing poisons known to exist in secondhand smoke. . . . Illinois workers' desire to work in a smoke-free environment and to shop, eat out and breathe clean air doesn't matter to DeLuca. We must put a stop to this and not allow Illinois lawmakers to put their special interests above our health. State Journal-Register Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2012/02/how-are-hookah-bars-still-legal.html http://tobacco.org/news/333627.html Are hookah bars legal? That's the real question you should be asking, as the law treats hookah smoking and cigarette smoking the same, as they are both tobacco products regulated by the same statutes. As cigarette smoking decreases, hookah use seems to be rising, particularly amongst the younger generations, possibly contributing to the perception that hookah bars are legal while cigarette smoking is not. This is actually not the case, as many hookah bars operate illegally. The reason for this is the state of smoking laws across the country. Smoking bans operate on a city, county and state level, prohibiting tobacco smoking in workplaces, with minor exceptions. In jurisdictions with such bans, hookah bars must fit into these exceptions in order to operate legally. . . . Now that you know the facts, keep in mind the following: Hookah bars, legal or not, pose the same risks as establishments where cigarette smoking is permitted. FindLaw blogs Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.independentmail.com/news/2012/feb/07/bans-rarely-answer/?partner=yahoo_feeds http://tobacco.org/news/333617.html Add more ammunition to the arsenal of anti-smoking efforts with the latest report on secondhand smoke from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to researchers, more than 1 in 5 high school and middle school student are passengers in cars while others are smoking. (One caveat: In the case of the high school students, the study did not determine if they were in cars with their parents or their peers.) . . . But turning smokers into criminals isn’t the answer. Raising cigarette prices has been somewhat effective, although that has created a black-market trade that will only get worse. Attempts at prohibition didn’t work with alcohol. And let’s be honest: It hasn’t worked with drugs. Why would we expect it to work with tobacco? Education would be a more worthy effort, if we spent as much time — and funding — on discussion as we spend trying to dictate individual behavior. Anderson Independent-Mail Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.pinedaleroundup.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=2354 http://tobacco.org/news/333606.html Stockman's Bar and Grill instituted a smoke-free policy in its bar area starting on Feb. 1. "It was time to create a healthier environment for our customers, both current and in the future," Stockman's representative Barbara Walker said. Walker also said there is a niche market in Pinedale for a smoke-free environment. Pinedale Roundup Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=601202 http://tobacco.org/news/333603.html Not even a year since Springfield voters approved the smoking ban, the process is in motion to let voters rethink that issue. People who disagree with that ban turned in more than 4,000 signatures to the city Thursday to try and change it. Live Free Springfield needs 2,100 certified signatures to get the issue before voters again, but the group brought in plenty extra -- and hopes the extra effort will let smokers light up again. "One by one, we will look at every signature," says Assistant City Clerk Anita Cotter. She makes sure names match addresses, that signers are registered voters, and that there are no repeats. "We will do everything we can to be as fair as possible." KOLR-TV Channel 10 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.mlive.com/opinion/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/02/allegans_tobacco_ban_will_lead.html http://tobacco.org/news/333596.html Reading Rod Smith's article that Allegan County has banned tobacco use in parks with playground equipment puts a smile on my face. According to facts shared in the article, "the use of tobacco is the most preventable cause of death and disease in the United States… Secondhand smoke, cigarette butts and tobacco spit may be hazardous to people and animals." These are not facts to be taken lightly. I understand tobacco and smokeless tobacco users may be offended at such a law, and may feel their rights are being invaded. However, what about the rights of those who are being exposed to the harmful chemicals produced by tobacco usage? Furthermore, what about children (who can be most vulnerable) and their invasion of rights? Many children are not asked if they mind the secondhand smoke. Kalamazoo Gazette Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://triblocal.com/downers-grove/2012/02/09/man-arrested-twice-for-smoking-and-drinking-at-laundromat/ http://tobacco.org/news/333594.html A Westmont man was arrested for smoking cigarettes and drinking inside the same Downers Grove laundromat twice in two days, police said. Officers were called to Fairview Quick Wash, in the 5100 block of Fairview Avenue, by a frustrated customer who repeatedly told the 56-year-old man to put out cigarettes he was smoking inside the business, despite a prominent no-smoking sign and a statewide ban on smoking indoors in public spaces, according to a police report. Chicago Tribune bslodysko@tribune.com ( Brian Slodysko TribLocal reporter) Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.chillicothetimesbulletin.com/newsnow/x1341770166/Illinois-Tobacco-Free-Communities-grant-assist-in-checking-Smoke-Free-Act-compliance http://tobacco.org/news/333592.html Local government officials announced a collaborative effort to enforce the Smoke-Free Illinois Act within the community. The Peoria City/County Health Department is providing Illinois Tobacco-Free Communities Grant funds to support coordination of local law enforcement efforts to conduct Smoke-Free Act compliance checks in public places where smoking is prohibited. The Smoke-Free Illinois Act prohibits smoking in virtually all public places in order to reduce exposure to second hand smoke. Chillicothe Times-Bulletin mgillespie@timestoday.com (Anonymous) Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.ibj.com/ballard-to-veto-stricter-smokingban-proposal/PARAMS/article/32568 http://tobacco.org/news/333591.html Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard plans to veto a proposed ordinance that would expand the city's public smoking ban, his spokesman confirmed Thursday. The Indianapolis City-County Council on Jan. 30 voted 19-9 in favor of expanding the citywide ban to include bowling alleys, hotel rooms and most bars. Tobacco shops, hookah bars and over-18 private clubs would be exempted. "As the Mayor has said since since it passed, this proposal does not meet his requirements," communications director Marc Lotter said in an e-mail. "By law, he must return the proposal to the clerk of the City-County Council by Saturday. " Indianapolis Business Journal corrections@ibj.com ( IBJ Staff) Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705399076/House-panel-forwards-ban-on-hookah-e-cigarettes.html?s_cid=rss-30 http://tobacco.org/news/333590.html Hookah pipes and e-cigarettes would be banned in public places under legislation a Utah House committee approved Thursday. HB245 sponsored by Rep. Bradley Last, R-Hurricane, proposed to amend the state's Indoor Clean Air Act to define the use of electronic cigarettes and hookah pipes as smoking, therefore prohibiting their use in public places. "I understand that there are strong feelings about this," Last told the House Government Operations Committee. "I think this is a very good place to start regulating, making sure we protect the public even though there are some things we don't know necessarily." Rep. Craig Frank, R-Cedar Hills, voted against the bill, saying he lacked data on the effects of e-cigarettes and hookah pipes and how the devices fit into the indoor clean air act. Deseret News romboy@desnews.com (Dennis Romboy) Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.huntersvilleherald.com/news/2012/02/09/cornelius-bans-tobacco-in-parks/ http://tobacco.org/news/333587.html Beginning next month, using any tobacco products in town parks will be prohibited. Commissioners voted unanimously Monday, Feb. 6, to ban smoking and other tobacco products in the town’s parks, in an effort to reduce litter, reduce exposure to second-hand smoke and promote a healthier town. Huntersville Herald Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT