http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/state/AZ.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/opinion/95692.php http://tobacco.org/news/270702.html Forget those gloomy predictions about bars and restaurants being driven out of business if their customers were not allowed to smoke. An Arizona State University study found that the statewide ban on smoking inside businesses has had no impact on 96 percent of bars and restaurants surveyed. . . . The voter-approved ban took effect in May 2007 with opponents saying it would bankrupt businesses. Instead, bars and restaurants have added outdoor patios and adapted. Some businesses closed, but none blamed the smoking ban. It now is healthier and more pleasant to eat and work in Arizona restaurants. So everyone has won. Tucson Citizen obits@tucson.com Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/255701 http://tobacco.org/news/270701.html A statewide smoking ban in bars and restaurants that took effect more than a year ago has not had a major financial impact on the industry statewide, according to a new report. But the study acknowledges that some businesses were, in fact, hurt by the voter-approved law. And the report does not show whether people are smoking less — or simply going to places where they can still light up. The study, commissioned by the state health department, relies largely on sales-tax data to show that overall receipts at bars and restaurants have pretty much been as forecast. Will Humble, deputy state health director, said that shows that the measure is not killing the industry. But the study, done by the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, drew some derision from Bill Weigele. Arizona Daily Star Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/95541.php http://tobacco.org/news/270649.html The statewide indoor smoking ban that took effect in May 2007 has not had an overall adverse effect on bar and restaurant sales, a study shows. Of the 371 restaurant and bar owners who responded to both a 2007 and 2008 survey, 4 percent said the smoking ban had an effect on their business, with some of those respondents saying the effect was positive. The study, by the Arizona State University W. P. Carey School of Business, did not look at what kind of changes consumers have made as a result of the ban. However, the study's conclusion states, "Smokers still may be spending as much at restaurants and bars, but have switched establishments without a smoking area to ones that have an outside patio in which smoking is allowed. If this is occurring, the negative effect on individual establishments is not seen in the overall data because other establishments have benefited from the ban." According to the survey, the percentage of restaurants and bars offering outside seating increased from 31 percent to 46 percent from 2007 to 2008. Tucson Citizen obits@tucson.com (HEIDI ROWLEY Tucson Citizen) Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.lakewalesnews.com/articles/2008/08/27/opinion/letters/02%20lte.txt http://tobacco.org/news/270454.html Floridians have remained politely quiet, but no more. Too many people worked too hard for the heroic statement of John McCain took on "Big Tobacco" to continue, when in truth, Senator and Gov. Lawton Chiles, Buddy Mackay and the great Attorney General Bob Butterworth sued "Big Tobacco" for $400 million to pay for all the lives they had cost. We won the suit. Behind them solidly were youth and adult teams all over Florida who were nationally recognized . . . Our group in Polk County was SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco). It was a terrific group of kids and some oldies, me. . . . Maybe John McCain learned a few good lessons from our own fearless "Walking Lawton" and could lead the fight in Arizona. Polk County Democrat fpcslfiv@aol.com ( Verna Echols ) Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/08/22/20080822biz-tobacco0822.html http://tobacco.org/news/270341.html scientists in Arizona and elsewhere believe tobacco plants may hold the key to developing a personalized cancer vaccine as well as treatments for other diseases. The experiments are part of a growing field of plant-based biotechnology, and the cancer treatment has gained enough traction to interest the likes of German drug giant Bayer. "Most important is that the vaccine has been successfully used in human clinical trials," said Charles Arntzen, director of the ASU Biodesign Institute's Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology. The made-to-order vaccine has been tested in an early-stage clinical trial, and it showed an immune response in 70 percent of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients without harmful side effects. The Arizona Republic Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/08/16/20080816smokefree0816.html http://tobacco.org/news/270169.html As smoking was banned in more public places over the past decade, one of the state's most vulnerable populations was permitted to puff away: psychiatric patients at the Arizona State Hospital. Exempted from ever-widening smoking bans, the hospital practically encouraged people with serious mental illnesses who live at the hospital to smoke. Up to 20 cigarette breaks a day were written into some patients' daily schedules. That changed on July 1 when the entire campus of the hospital on Van Buren Street went tobacco-free. Residents, staff, visitors, vendors and all others who set foot on the Phoenix property are forbidden from lighting up. The Arizona Republic Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/local/93805.php http://tobacco.org/news/270111.html The Navajo Nation recently came close to doing the right thing and beginning a smoking ban in all public areas, including its future casinos. It was close, but no cigar, as concern for casino profits took precedence over tribal health, as has been true with nearly every tribe that enters into the gaming business. Apparently, they've learned too well the ways of the white man, who also refuses to let customer or worker health concerns stand in the way of maximizing profits in his smoke-filled casinos. . . . The doors, walls and slot machines require less cleaning. And the casino never has to buy ashtrays or matches. As someone who has enjoyed concerts, dining, dancing and gambling at all four Tucson-area casinos, I've always thought the tribes were doing a disservice to their customers and their employees, many of whom are Native Americans, by allowing smoking. What's sad about it is they don't have to sacrifice people for profit. The Taos Mountain experience proves that a smoke-free casino can have both healthy profits and healthy people. Anne T. Denogean can be reached at 573-4582 and Tucson Citizen obits@tucson.com (ANNE T. DENOGEAN Tucson Citizen ) Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=933924 http://tobacco.org/news/270063.html ``Keep your butt in the car." That's the message from Keep Phoenix Beautiful, which is taking up the fight against the most littered item in the United States. The organization is distributing bumper stickers, aimed at reminding smokers to put their butts in ash trays. ``Before you toss that cigarette butt out the car window, think twice about it and use your ash tray," said Tom Waldeck with Keep Phoenix Beautiful. 620KTAR Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.gallupindependent.com/2008/08august/080808shirley.html http://tobacco.org/news/269786.html Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. Thursday vetoed the Commercial Tobacco Free Act that would have banned cigarette smoking and tobacco chewing in all public places on the Navajo Nation, including casinos. In his veto message to Navajo Nation Council Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan, Shirley said that although it is indisputable and already widely known that commercial and smokeless tobacco use is harmful to individual users and those affected by secondhand smoke, he was concerned that the ban would infringe upon bona fide religious ceremonies. The president said the ban also would affect the Nation’s ability to generate revenues through its gaming initiative, did not address concerns of due process and equal protection, and failed to adequately focus on underage smoking. The law, he said, “is unreasonably broad, unenforceable, provides no administrative appeal process, puts the Nation at a competitive disadvantage, and fails to address the real problem on the Navajo Nation of underage smoking.” Gallup Independent gallpind@cia-g.com (Kathy Helms Diné Bureau ) Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/251840 http://tobacco.org/news/269768.html The leader of the Navajo Nation on Thursday vetoed a measure that would have banned smoking and chewing tobacco in public places, resulting in strong criticism from lawmakers and health advocates. Tribal President Joe Shirley Jr. said he rejected the measure because he feared it would infringe on religious ceremonies and inhibit gambling revenue. He also said the measure didn't focus enough on underage smoking. Shirley said in his veto message that the law "is unreasonably broad, unenforceable, provides no administrative appeal process, puts the nation at a competitive disadvantage and fails to address the real problem on the Navajo Nation of underage smoking." Tribal lawmakers approved the ban during their session last month in the Navajo capital of Window Rock, Ariz. AP Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://americanlegacy.org/2637.aspx http://tobacco.org/news/269756.html The American Legacy Foundation commends the Navajo Nation Tribal Council on their efforts to ban commercial tobacco use in all public places. The Navajo Commercial Tobacco-Free Act of 2008 will help to extend and save the lives of thousands of tribal members. This unprecedented measure will serve as the catalyst for the improvement of major health disparities in tribal communities. While tobacco has played an honored ceremonial role in the lives of Native Americans for centuries, current rates of commercial tobacco use among Native Americans are alarmingly high. Thirty-two percent of all adult Native Americans smoke in comparison with a 20.8 percent adult smoking rate nationwide. In 2005, thirty-six percent of teens in the Navajo Nation were current smokers. These rates far exceed other minority/ethnic groups and measures like this one are vital to curbing tobacco consumption and saving lives. Cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death in the U.S. among Native Americans. The significant efforts to create smoke-free reservations, casinos, indoor and outdoor areas are timely; they will also reduce the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and simultaneously encourage Native American smokers to quit. American Legacy Foundation nroberts@americanlegacy.org Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ih3zYlfcs1oVDuzTECuGhklVDtJAD92DP1J07 http://tobacco.org/news/269701.html The president of the Navajo Nation has vetoed a ban on smoking and chewing tobacco in public places. Tribal President Joe Shirley Jr. says he rejected the measure Thursday because he feared it would infringe on religious ceremonies and inhibit gambling revenue. He also says the measure didn't focus enough on underage smoking. AP Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.gallupindependent.com/2008/08august/080708tobacco.html http://tobacco.org/news/269700.html Is protecting the health of the Navajo people endangering their livelihood? Robert Winter, CEO of the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise, says legislation imposing a ban on commercial tobacco use has that potential. But Herman Shorty of Navajo Office of Environmental Health, a proponent of the tobacco ban, said Wednesday that Navajo laws and regulations are such "that even reasonable persons have to be protected from themselves because of vices, or safety issues that they may not be aware of the need for." Representatives from both sides of the issue have presented Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. with documentation supporting their stances. The Navajo Nation Council approved the tobacco ban July 25, and Shirley's decision on whether to sign or veto the legislation is expected today . . . During Council debate of the legislation, Bates proposed an amendment to exclude gaming facilities from the tobacco bill, however, the amendment failed and the bill passed 42-27. Gallup Independent gallpind@cia-g.com (Kathy Helms Diné Bureau) Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-30-2008/0004858534&EDATE= http://tobacco.org/news/269514.html The Navajo Nation Council has delivered a historic victory for health by approving legislation that prohibits the non-ceremonial use of tobacco products in all areas of the reservation except personal residential property. The Navajo Nation is a federally-recognized tribe encompassing portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. We urge Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr., to sign into law this important legislation, which the Tribal Council approved at the conclusion of its weeklong summer session in Window Rock, Ariz. The Council's 42-27 vote provides critical leadership in addressing the serious health hazards of tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke, which have a disproportionate impact among American Indians. American Indians have the highest prevalence of tobacco use in the United States, putting them at great risk of suffering from tobacco-related death and disease. According to the CDC's 2006 survey of adult smoking, 32.4 percent of American Indians/Alaska Natives were current smokers, compared to 20.8 percent for the nation as a whole. It also serves as an example for other tribes by encouraging them to take similar action to protect their members from tobacco use and secondhand smoke. PR Newswire Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/274662/17/ http://tobacco.org/news/269248.html The Navajo Nation Council has voted to ban smoking and chewing tobacco in public places on the vast reservation, including such outdoor venues as rodeos and fairs. The council approved the ban on a vote of 42-27 Friday evening at the end of its weeklong summer session in the Navajo capital of Window Rock, Ariz. Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. has 10 days to decide whether to sign or veto the law once it reaches his desk. The measure prohibits smoking and chewing tobacco in public buildings and shared public air space, but does not affect tobacco used in ceremonies for traditional or religious purposes on the reservation, an area about the size of West Virginia that encompasses parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. "I think the council made a wise decision that puts the health and well-being of the people first," the legislation's sponsor, Navajo Health and Social Services committee member Thomas Walker Jr., said Saturday. . . . Walker said the legislation stemmed from his interest in the anti-tobacco work of the Southwest Navajo Tobacco Education Prevention Project, organized by Henderson and her brother, Peter Nez. The education project, backed by the tribe's Division of Health and a group of medicine men, the Hataalii Association Inc., pushed for the ban. AP Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT