http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/state/DE.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20120201/DCP02/202010366 http://tobacco.org/news/333006.html As unpleasant as a ban on smoking outside state office buildings will be for some Delawareans, the twofold benefit is irresistible. The rise in residents' quitting a dangerous health habit directly linked to their tobacco addiction will continue. And the residual benefits of slowing the growth of a $1 billion health care tab -- almost 40 percent of the state's budget -- created by smoking workers, retirees and Medicaid recipients can be aggressively attacked. Making government campuses smoke-free removes the state's dubious role as an enabler of a habit that is both unhealthy and "will heavily burden future generations of taxpayers." DelmarvaNow.com Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120126/OPINION11/201260318/1112/opinion11 http://tobacco.org/news/332717.html As unpleasant as a ban on smoking outside state office buildings will be for some Delawareans, the twofold benefit is irresistible. The rise in residents' quitting a dangerous health habit directly linked to their tobacco addiction will continue. And the residual benefits of slowing the growth of a $1 billion health care tab -- almost 40 percent of the state's budget -- created by smoking workers, retirees and Medicaid recipients can be aggressively attacked. Making government campuses smoke-free removes the state's dubious role as an enabler of a habit that is both unhealthy and "will heavily burden future generations of taxpayers." . . . The grumblings from workers and others addicted to smoking are expected. But who says that compassionate, fiscally responsible government leadership is painless? To its credit the state has pledged to promote a suite of programs and alliances for helping Delaware smokers to join so many other residents in gaining the courage to quit. Wilmington News Journal Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120125/HEALTH/201250349 http://tobacco.org/news/332638.html Charles Young, a 37-year smoker who quit seven months ago, doubts Gov. Jack Markell's planned ban on smoking outside state office buildings will have the desired effect of getting employees to kick the habit. As with any form of prohibition, Young said, "they're going to do it anyway." Still, the Division of Revenue employee recognizes the potential savings to taxpayers. "I know since I quit, I'm more productive because I'm not out here smoking," said Young, who works in the Carvel State Building in downtown Wilmington, where dozens of workers huddle outside the entrances throughout the day to light up on their 15-minute breaks. Markell is targeting their habit in his quest to slow the growing $1 billion annual health care bill for state workers, retirees and Medicaid recipients. Combined, they make up 40 percent of the state's population. But the planned smoking ban, which can be implemented without a change in law, is already generating grumblings among state employees who smoke. Wilmington News Journal clivengood@delawareonline.com ( Written by CHAD LIVENGOOD The News Journal) Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.wdel.com/story.php?id=39658 http://tobacco.org/news/331095.html Smoke free parks are now the law in the City of New Castle. A dozen local school children came out to highlight one purpose of the ban...keeping kids healthy. WDEL Mon, 26 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://sacurrent.com/news/winners-losers-and-unanswered-questions-in-smoke-free-sa-1.1243893 http://tobacco.org/news/330549.html When the city rolled out its sweeping smoking ban this summer, eager to make the Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights list of smoke-free cities, the winners and losers were obvious. The winners: bars that already had sizable patios, cigar bars, and, many would argue, anyone with a set of lungs looking to imbibe clear of a carcinogenic cloud. Unaffected Alamo Heights' bar and restaurant district sits ready to catch cigarette-puffing refugees aching for a drag while they sip their cocktails. And despite inclusion in early drafts of the ordinance, VFW posts, the River Walk, and the Shrine of Texas Liberty itself all escaped the ban. But if you're an everyday pub, sports bar, or dive without a patio or enough space to build one: tough luck. Judy Simpson, general manager at Finnegan's on US 281 near Thousand Oaks, wagered her neighborhood pub has taken a 25-30 percent hit in sales. The future's "looking a little better but not much," Simpson said, as she and the landlord hash out plans for a patio. . . . Meanwhile, for Alibis on Commerce east of US 281 and two of the Blue Star bars, business has marched forward with nary a hiccup since each had patios before the smoke-ban rollout. San Antonio Current coronado.adam@gmail.com (Adam Villela Coronado and Michael Barajas) Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.newarkpostonline.com/articles/2011/11/22/news/doc4ec6d13ec1753726763112.txt http://tobacco.org/news/330351.html New Castle County government has announced that starting Jan. 3, 2012, smoking will be prohibited throughout the campuses of the three office complexes where most of the county's 1,400 employees work. The policy will apply to employees and visitors at the Government Center/James H. Gilliam Building complex on Reads Way in Corporate Commons, the William J. Conner Building on Old Churchmans Road, and the Paul J. Sweeney Public Safety Building on U.S. 13, all in New Castle. Newark Post Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20111209/NEWS01/112090319/Del-tops-quit-friendly-states-smokers http://tobacco.org/news/330335.html While Delaware is ranked as the third most quit-friendly state for smokers in the American Lung Association's "Helping Smokers Quit: Tobacco Cessation Coverage 2011" report, a couple of its neighbors rank toward the bottom. According to the ALA, there is an uneven patchwork of quit-smoking treatments and services made available nationwide. Among the states that are the least quit-friendly for smokers is Maryland, ranked tied for 42nd out of 45 states ranked. States were ranked based on cessation coverage in Medicaid plans and state employee health plan coverage, cost per smoker for state-run quit lines and standards for private insurance coverage. Delaware's Medicaid program recently expanded coverage for tobacco cessation counseling to all enrollees, making its tobacco cessation benefit completely comprehensive. The state also provides tobacco cessation treatments to its state employees and their family members. DelmarvaNow.com Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111209/NEWS/112090337/Smoking-cessation-efforts-hailed http://tobacco.org/news/330282.html The Quitline is one of several services offered to Delawareans that helped the state achieve recognition by the American Lung Association this week as the third-most quit-friendly state in the U.S. for helping its citizens give up smoking. The association publishes the "Helping Smokers Quit: Tobacco Cessation Coverage" report each year and ranks each state by the services it provides citizens to promote going tobacco-free. This is a key objective of public health officials because tobacco use is among the most preventable causes of disease and disability in the country. Wilmington News Journal ktyrrell@delawareonline.com ( Written by KELLY APRIL TYRRELL The News Journal) Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.newarkpostonline.com/articles/2011/11/20/news/doc4ec6d13ec1753726763112.txt http://tobacco.org/news/329503.html New Castle County government has announced that starting Jan. 3, 2012, smoking will be prohibited throughout the campuses of the three office complexes where most of the county's 1,400 employees work. The policy will apply to employees and visitors at the Government Center/James H. Gilliam Building complex on Reads Way in Corporate Commons, the William J. Conner Building on Old Churchmans Road, and the Paul J. Sweeney Public Safety Building on U.S. 13, all in New Castle. Newark Post Sun, 20 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111118/NEWS/111118013/NCCo-ban-outdoor-smoking-its-offices?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CHome http://tobacco.org/news/328934.html Employees and visitors to the three largest New Castle County buildings will no longer be allowed to smoke anywhere on campus grounds starting in January. The policy, which goes into effect Jan. 3, is for the Government Center/James H. Gilliam Building complex on Reads Way in Corporate Commons near New Castle, the William J. Conner Building on Old Churchmans Road near Stanton, and the Paul J. Sweeney Public Safety Building on U.S. 13 outside of Wilmington. The county says most of its 1,400 employees work at these buildings. Wilmington News Journal Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-17/delaware-says-tobacco-firms-drop-case-related-to-1998-pact.html http://tobacco.org/news/328890.html Tobacco companies that reached a health-care settlement with Delaware in 1998 dropped a lawsuit over the state's enforcement of the agreement, state Attorney General Beau Biden said. The companies had claimed Delaware didn't meet its obligation to regulate smaller tobacco firms that aren't part of the settlement, according to Biden. "I'm pleased that we have succeeded in protecting Delaware's payments, which are used to improve public health and fund anti-tobacco education," Biden said in a statement today. Biden didn't identify the companies that brought the dispute. Under the 1998 agreement, major tobacco companies make annual payments to the states. If the tobacco companies had been successful in their claims, Biden said, the state might have lost as much as $24 million. Steve Callahan, a spokesman for cigarette maker Philip Morris USA, said his company and 20 other tobacco makers agreed to end the dispute over Delaware's enforcement of the settlement's provisions. Business Week/Bloomberg pmilford@bloomberg.net (Phil Milford) Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.scsuntimes.com/topstories/x26170364/Smyrna-officials-to-unveil-No-Smoking-signs-on-Friday http://tobacco.org/news/326738.html THE ISSUE Earlier this summer, Smyrna Town Council proposed a smoking ban for outdoor locations on town-owned properties. The town applied for and received a $10,000 grant from the American Lung Association through the Delaware Division of Public Health for the project. The ordinance would ban smoking within 25 feet of entrances of town-owned buildings and within 25 feet of playgrounds and recreational equipment at parks, playgrounds and Lake Como Park. After Council unanimously approved the third reading of the ordinance at their July 5 meeting, it was expected the signs would be up sometime in late July. However, it took longer than expected because of the wording on the signs, Town Manager Dave Hugg said. Smyrna-Clayton Sun Times jennifer.dailey@doverpost.com (Jennifer Dailey, reporter Smyrna/Clayton Sun-Times) Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.wgmd.com/?p=35575 http://tobacco.org/news/326459.html According to a new report by the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, Delaware leads the nation in enacting cancer laws and policies that save lives and money. The report titled, “How Do You Measure Up? A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality,” ranks Delaware the highest in state policies in five cancer priority areas: breast and cervical cancer early detection program funding; colorectal screening coverage laws; smoke-free laws; tobacco prevention program funding and tobacco taxes. ================================================ DELAWARE ONLY STATE TO MEET BENCHMARKS IN CANCER Delaware leads the nation in enacting cancer laws and policies that save lives and money, according to a report by the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). The report “How Do You Measure Up? A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality” ranks Delaware the highest in state policies in five cancer priority areas: breast and cervical cancer early detection program funding; colorectal screening coverage laws; smoke-free laws; tobacco prevention program funding; and tobacco taxes. WGMD Newsradio 92.7 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110817/NEWS/110817023/NY-man-gets-prison-term-trafficking-untaxed-cigarettes-Del-?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CHome http://tobacco.org/news/325035.html A 39-year-old New York man was sentenced Tuesday to 21 months in prison for purchasing cigarettes in Delaware bearing counterfeit state tax stamps and selling them for a profit in New York City. Eduard Ifraimov, who emigrated from Russia in 2002 and received his U.S. citizenship seven years later, was arrested April 23, 2010, on charges of trafficking in untaxed cigarettes, receipt of counterfeit cigarette tax stamps and money laundering following a two-year investigation. The investigation was conducted by the Delaware Division of Revenue, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other law enforcement agencies. At the time of his arrest, investigators said Ifraimov had avoided paying more than $975,000 in taxes on the cigarettes purchased. Ifraimov was sentenced by federal Judge Sue L. Robinson to serve 21 months in prison Wilmington News Journal tsanginiti@delawareonline.com (TERRI SANGINITI The News Journal) Wed, 17 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.cecilwhig.com/business/article_dc88c42e-c8de-11e0-83b8-001cc4c002e0.html http://tobacco.org/news/325034.html Charles M. Oberly, III, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that Eduard Ifraimov was sentenced to 21 months in prison for trafficking in untaxed cigarettes, receipt of counterfeit cigarette tax stamps, and money laundering. Ifraimov also was sentenced to three years of supervised release, which will commence following his prison term. Eduard Ifraimov is a 39 year old, New York City resident who emigrated to the United States from Russia in 2002 and became a naturalized citizen in 2009. In the summer of 2008, investigators learned that for two years Eduard Ifraimov had been purchasing large amounts of cigarettes, taxed and untaxed, in Delaware and transporting them back to New York City Cecil Whig Wed, 17 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT