http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/state/MO.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/11/21/stcharles/news/1122stc-smoke0.txt http://tobacco.org/news/293094.html Most Lake Saint Louis aldermen said Monday they are on board with pursuing a smoking ban for the city. Alderman John Pellerito, Ward 3, said he plans to draft a new ordinance that would ban all indoor smoking in public areas. Five of the city's six aldermen informally expressed support for the measure at their meeting Monday. One council member voted against pursuing a smoking ban, and the mayor also opposed the proposal. "I got a 5-to-1 vote of confidence to continue on with the smoking ban," Pellerito said. Suburban Journals jscott@yourjournal.com (Joe Scott) Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/11/21/stcharles/news/1115stc-smoke0.txt http://tobacco.org/news/293091.html Lake Saint Louis aldermen may be the first to consider a smoking ban after St. Louis County voters supported a similar ballot measure. Alderman John Pellerito, Ward 3, plans to discuss a total, citywide smoking ban in public places during a work session Monday, less than two weeks after the St. Louis County election. "I jumped on it right away. I thought it would give me momentum," Pellerito said. "I just think it's the right thing for communities and municipalities to do." Suburban Journals jscott@yourjournal.com (Joe Scott) Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.therolladailynews.com/news/x1792904080/Outside-smoking-at-courthouse-doors-banned http://tobacco.org/news/293075.html Concerns by the director of the Health Department about patient health and compliance with provisions associated with federal funding spurred the Phelps County Commission to take action Thursday. The Commission approved banning smoking within 25 feet of any public entrance at the courthouse. Jodi Waltman, director of the Phelps/Maries County Health Department, told commissioners the smokers who congregate near the lower-level entrance to the department posed a health risk to pregnant women and children who enter the building. Rolla Daily News agerstenecker@therolladailynews.com (KC Kotyk Mid-Missouri Media) Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.stjoenews.net/news/2009/nov/19/city-wants-grant-battle-smoking/ http://tobacco.org/news/292971.html The American Cancer Society asks smokers to give up the habit for one day today as part of the Great American Smokeout. A $2 million federal grant could help St. Joseph fight an anti-smoking battle of its own with longer lasting results. The City Council gave the City of St. Joseph Health Department the green light Monday to apply for the Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant — part of the American Reinvestment & Recovery Act of 2009. If the funding is approved, the health department will work with Heartland Health, the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, Buchanan County, the St. Joseph School District, Missouri Western State University, the St. Joseph Youth Alliance and the University of Missouri to implement an anti-smoking marketing campaign, smoking cessation services and other programs. City Health Director Debra Bradley provided statistics showing the severity of St. Joseph’s smoking problem among young people. According to a study from the health department and Heartland Health, 56 percent of local youths age 18 to 24 smoke, while roughly one in four adults are smokers. Council member Mike Bozarth was the most vocal opponent of Monday’s resolution. As a smoker and opponent of expanded government regulations, Mr. Bozarth said he didn’t want the council to take part in a program that could restrict citizens’ personal choices. St. Joseph News-Press clintonthomas@npgco.com (Clinton Thomas) Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/chas-beat/politics/2009/11/st-charles-and-dardenne-prairie-mayors-want-countywide-vote-on-smoking-ban/ http://tobacco.org/news/292507.html Mayors Patti York of St. Charles and Pam Fogarty of Dardenne Prairie want St. Charles County voters to decide whether smoking should be banned in restaurants and other public places across the county. The two city leaders weighed in on the issue in separate interviews on their reaction to the successful push in last week’s election for a smoking ban in St. Louis County. “I think it was the right way to do it, take it to the public,” York said. ”In just a matter of time, we’ll all be smoke-free. It will be one by one, watching the pins drop.” Last year, when a St. Charles city panel on health issues made an unsuccessful proposal for a smoking ban limited to her city, York said she preferred that the issue instead be addressed on a statewide basis by the Legislature. Now that St. Louis County has acted, York said, it makes sense for St. Charles County to vote as well. To ensure that businesses in St. Charles County aren’t at a disadvantage, York said, any ballot proposal should contain the same exemptions that St. Louis County adopted. Among the exemptions to the smoking ban there are casino gambling floors and bars that derive 25 percent or less of their income from food or other non-liquor items. St. Louis Post-Dispatch Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.studlife.com/news/2009/11/11/wu-holding-its-breath-for-tobacco-ban%e2%80%99s-start/ http://tobacco.org/news/292498.html While St. Louis County has passed Proposition N, Washington University is continuing to prepare for the implementation of its smoking ban. Jill Carnaghi, associate vice chancellor for students and dean of campus life, and Student Union Senator Amy Heard, a junior, are co-chairing an undergraduate task force for a smoke-free campus. The task force is divided into four subcommittees—with one subcommittee working with athletes to implement the ban, another with international students, another with students in fraternities and sororities, and another with students living in Residential Life housing. Carnaghi said she is aware of the differing student viewpoints about the smoking ban, but notes that the task force is involved not in actual decision-making but rather the implementation. “We still don’t know how enforcement will work, but we think we’re getting closer with what we’d want to see in an ideal world,” Carnaghi said. “We’ll clearly be a tobacco-free campus by July 1, but we are working on how will we educate the community and really talk about raising the standards of individual responsibility.” Student Life Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.thecurrentonline.com/opinions/illegalizing-what-s-legal-1.2058451 http://tobacco.org/news/292462.html While it's no big secret that smoking can harm your health, the ban that St. Louis County voted on and approved Tuesday is misguided. . . . For a non-smoker, this means clearer, fresher air in their favorite public place. For a smoker, it means freezing outside in the wintertime, only to receive dirty looks and fake coughs from passersby. However, even non-smokers can agree that the way the ban, or Proposition N, is being executed is wrong. First, less than 20 percent of eligible voters voted last Tuesday . . . Second-hand smoke kills right? Actually, there are studies, not well publicized by the government or anti-smoking campaigns, which show the effects of secondhand smoke to be statistically irrelevant. However, there are studies that say precisely the opposite. . . . Stopping the spread of second-hand smoke may seem noble at first glance, but the way St. Louis is doing it is limiting both personal freedoms and harming small business owners who cannot afford lobbyists to get them onto the elite "exemptions" portion of Proposition N. The Current Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kbia/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1576833/KBIA.Local/Jefferson.City.Considers.Smoking.Ban http://tobacco.org/news/292455.html Saint Louis County recently passed an ordinance banning smoking in most bars and restaurants. The easily passed smoking ban has led many Jefferson City residents to question whether St. Louis's ban will influence their city to pass a similar ordinance.Felicia Poettgen is the chairperson of Smoke Free Jefferson City. She says a smoking ban should not economically hurt restaurants in Jefferson City. "We have seen the sales tax reports from Columbia. And from that we have seen from that we've seen that there is no affect. Even in this economic downturn, the sales tax reports from restaurants and bars have not gone down, in fact it has increased. I know a lot of times people say, O these places close down. It's to our knowledge the places that closed down where the places that were going to close down anyways." A smoking ban failed to pass in 2003, but Poettgen says times have changed. She says the St. Louis County's smoking ban approval will greatly influence Jefferson City. KBIA 91.3 FM Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.kfvs12.com/global/story.asp?s=11473462 http://tobacco.org/news/292384.html Voters in St. Louis County recently passed a ban on smoking in most public places, and that has folks pushing for a similar ban in Cape Girardeau excited. The folks Heartland News talked to believe they can work with city leaders to pass a similar ordinance down the road to ban smoking in most public places. It's a proposal that's so controversial it gets people fired up no matter how they feel. You may soon have to put out your cigarettes in restaurants, bars and workplaces if two local groups have their way. Cape Breathe Easy and SEMO PASS (Peers Advocating Smoke Free Solutions) want you to sign a petition calling for restrictions on smoking. KFVS Channel 12 ccassidy@kfvs12.com (CJ Cassidy ) Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.nbcactionnews.com/content/cfa/story/E-Cigarettes-Under-Fire/HdjNw0EFfUibG7ZzLFFx6A.cspx http://tobacco.org/news/292379.html As more cities ban smoking in restaurants and bars, there is a newer product to the United States that makers claim you can still smoke indoors. It's under fire from cities across the country, the Food and Drug Administration and a metro parent. If you've been to the mall lately, you may have seen a kiosk selling electronic cigarettes. We've found the kiosks at Independence Center and Oak Park mall. If you walk past the kiosk at Oak Park, a salesperson will ask if you smoke. At Smoke51 we were shown a product that closely resembled a real cigarette. It comes with a battery and filter and even comes in flavors. "There's a heating element that steams water, nicotine, and flavor so you're going to see me blow out smoke but it's actually steam or water vapor," the salesman said. There are many questions about how this product is marketed. KSHB-TV NBC 41 /mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=546274@kshb.dayport.com ( Reported by: Jenn Strathman ) Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2009/11/west-st-louis-county-led-in-smoking-ban-votes/ http://tobacco.org/news/292377.html West St. Louis County townships provided more votes last Tuesday in St. Louis County for banning smoking in indoor public places, but the strongest sentiment for the ban came from townships in the central part of the county. The St. Louis County Election Board on Friday made public township-by-township results on the smoking ban and on a 0.1-cent sales tax for a countywide emergency communications system. The breakdown was from unofficial final results with slightly revised numbers from Tuesday night's figures. The board's staff is working on the official count and has until Nov. 17 to complete and certify it. The smoking ban received 27,147 favorable votes in west St. Louis County townships, 1,006 more votes than those cast for the ban in central St. Louis County townships. St. Louis Post-Dispatch Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/1EE02148214B854A8625766900146954?OpenDocument http://tobacco.org/news/292350.html Jason Robinson, a smoker from St. Peters, worries that St. Louis County voters' approval of a ban on smoking in most public places will trigger a push to do the same in St. Charles County. "I have a feeling that (as) the next county over, they'll probably try and do the same thing," said Robinson, 37, who was interviewed while puffing on a cigarette outside Mid Rivers Mall. St. Louis County's vote last week indeed has spurred new efforts to enact similar prohibitions. St. Charles County Councilwoman Cheryl Hibbeler, D-O'Fallon, plans to see whether there is council support to either pass a ban for unincorporated areas or schedule an election on a countywide ban. . . . In Lake Saint Louis, Alderman John Pellerito says he'll ask his board to reverse its rejection in 2007 of his proposal for a city ban. . . . officials in three of the county's largest cities -- O'Fallon, St. Charles and Wentzville -- said they saw no sign that the St. Louis County vote had improved the chances of passage on their governing boards. St. Louis Post-Dispatch mshlinkmann@post-dispatch.com (Mark Schlinkmann ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH ) Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://media.www.capahaarrow.com/media/storage/paper768/news/2009/11/05/CampusEvents/Southeast.Smoking.Ban.Little.Known.And.Largely.Ignored-3824216.shtml http://tobacco.org/news/292314.html As taxes on tobacco increase, smokers decrease. At least the colleges and the state of Missouri hope that's true. Smoking bans have become popular on college campuses, gaining the attention of the State Senate, who are debating whether it is even possible, but they are determined to try. It has also gained the attention of Southeast, staff and students alike. Southeast's solution: forbid smoking everywhere with some exceptions. The consensus - comprised of both smokers and non-smokers - was nearly universal on the topic of designated areas in Aug. 2008 when the ban was first implemented. Only a small minority desired a completely smoke-free campus. Southeast student Diana Carter said, "I didn't even know there was a smoking ban. But I'm glad. A smoke free Illinois was good. I'm glad Southeast is smoke free, too. I do wish it was a little stricter, but at least it is there. The smokers have their own place to smoke and I have my own place to breathe clean air." There are 24 places scattered outside the main campus that allows smoking. There is no smoking indoors or in university vehicles with two exceptions. . . . DPS is not the only one responsible for noting smoking in non-designated areas. Everyone needs to assist in smoking prevention. That means if someone, like Post, other students, or professors, witnesses someone continually smoking, remind the person of the law. If it persists, inform the Office of Student Conduct The Arrow Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.lsjournal.com/100/story/39122.html http://tobacco.org/news/292303.html Smokebusters, a smoking cessation group, made a stop in Lee’s Summit this week to talk to high school students about what they can do in their communities to stop teenagers from smoking. “This year is phase two in the Smokebusters campaign,” explained Aimee Devooght, program coordinator. “Last year we introduced the program. This year, the kids are learning about the media and how they can get their message to reach a mass audience.” Project Smokebusters is a Missouri-wide, three-year program to promote tobacco-free environments by decreasing exposure to second-hand smoke, reducing tobacco initiation and reducing use among young people. Students from Lee’s Summit, Oak Grove, Odessa and Lexington attended an all-day event and discussed how they could make their high school campuses smoke-free. Lees Summit Journal ejarrett@lsjournal.com ( Emily Jarrett, Journal Staff ) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.indystar.com/article/20091108/NEWS05/911080356/Smoking ban s expiration date sparks new dispute http://tobacco.org/news/292291.html Two weeks after a stricter smoking ban was tabled, the controversial fight already is resurfacing in the City-County Council. But this time, the debate centers on when the issue would have to come back for another council vote. The proposal to ban smoking in most workplaces, including bars and bowling alleys, was tabled 14-13 last month. This past week, council lawyer Bob Elrod sent an e-mail to two members of the council explaining that the measure would die if there is not enough support to bring it off the table at the council's next meeting Monday. His opinion is based on the interpretation of what constitutes a session according to Robert's Rules of Order. But the ban's sponsors, including Republican Ben Hunter, say that explanation defies precedent and is based on personal bias. Indianapolis Star Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT