http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/state/MT.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/05/30/letters/letters03.txt http://tobacco.org/news/266219.html In the primary election, voters in Missoula County have the opportunity support the Missoula County Prevention Programs Levy. This levy will provide funding to sustain and build effective programs aimed at preventing the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs by Missoula County's young people. Programs in Missoula County that reduce the risks of substance abuse and build protective factors in our youth will be eligible to apply for funds from this levy. Missoula has built a strong prevention system that works. The use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs by teens in our community is declining. The Missoulian webmaster@missoulian.com (electing Hillary Clinton as our president, we can continue) Thu, 29 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.kxmb.com/News/235614.asp http://tobacco.org/news/264736.html Tobacco industry whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand will keynote the statewide conference of the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program on Wednesday in Bozeman. Wigand is a former vice president for research and development at Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. The insider scientist disclosed systematic public deception by tobacco industry executives and their lies under oath to Congress. His experiences were the subject of the 1999 movie, "The Insider." AP Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/global/story.asp?s=8240746 http://tobacco.org/news/264257.html A group of Flathead High School students talked about the dangers of cigarette smoking to various elementary schools across Kalispell Monday. The students are part of Flathead CARE, a local non profit organization geared towards drug prevention. The high school students made presentations to 5th and 6th graders at eight different schools. Presenter Erin Gunderson got involved 7 years ago. Montana's News Station Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24173404/ http://tobacco.org/news/263827.html - On May 1st, cigarettes sold by Montana tobacco venders must be considered "fire-safe." Passed by the state legislature in 2007, the law is based on one that New York enacted in 2004. Following the enactment of the law, New York saw a significant decrease in the number of deaths from cigarette-caused fires. More than half of the 50 states have now passed legislation related to fire-safe cigarettes, and another quarter have had measures raised this year. KULR - Ch. 8 webmaster@kulr.com Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/global/story.asp?s=8192838 http://tobacco.org/news/263746.html A scientist silenced by a secrecy agreement for more than a decade while trying to develop a safer spent Thursday speaking up, explaining what e wants to expose about the Tobacco Industry. We met with Dr. Victor DeNoble. While he's not Russell Crowe, he is the man Crowe portrayed in the movie The Insider. He spoke with students and members of the community on Thursday at the Salish Kootenai College Joe McDonald Event Center. . . . Dr. DeNoble's the first whistle blower to speak out against the tobacco industry, nicotine addiction, the best treatments and the risks of secondhand smoke. He visits with about 350,000 middle sch Montana's News Station Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/04/18/news/mtregional/news09.txt http://tobacco.org/news/263628.html Twenty-eight years ago, scientist Victor DeNoble was sitting around with a bunch of drunk monkeys when the telephone rang. Executives with Philip Morris, the giant tobacco company, wanted him to come to work for them. DeNoble was studying alcohol addiction at the time - hence, the drunk monkeys, including his favorite, Sarah - but Philip Morris wanted him to apply his knowledge of addiction to nicotine. Specifically, they wanted him to create a man-made chemical to replace the nicotine in cigarettes. The reason? It takes nicotine just seven seconds to go from the lungs to the heart to the brain. . . . "They told me, 'We kill 130,000 people a year with heart attacks,' " DeNoble told a crowd at Salish Kootenai College on Thursday. "I said, 'You kill 130,000 people a year?' And they said, 'Well, we don't kill them, but the nicotine does.' " The problem for tobacco companies, DeNoble said, is that if you removed nicotine from cigarettes, no one would smoke. You wouldn't crave the high you get from it. What the company wanted was for DeNoble to create a drug that would still hook people and keep them addicted, without harming the heart. The Missoulian webmaster@missoulian.com (VINCE DEVLIN of the Missoulian) Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/04/16/news/local/18-fatalfire.txt http://tobacco.org/news/263491.html Cigarettes in a flower pot ignited dry potting soil and sparked a fatal fire at a Billings apartment complex, officials said Tuesday. After the Billings Fire Department concluded its investigation, Assistant Fire Marshal Mike Spini said the fire started on a deck outside apartment No. 6, on the south side of the complex. That is near the apartment where the victim lived, friends and family said. Although the victim has not been officially identified, Diana Taylor is mourning the death of her son, James, 22. . . . The Billings Fire Department responds to fires each year started by cigarettes left in planters. The fire ignites when the smoldering cigarette, insulated by the potting soil, builds enough heat to start a fire. Billings Gazette ccast@billingsgazette.com (BECKY SHAY Of The Gazette Staff) Wed, 16 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.clarkforkchronicle.com/article.php/20080410100542756 http://tobacco.org/news/263050.html The reACT “Tobacco Free” Rodeo All-Star campaign is proud to announce that the American Heart Association has agreed to underwrite $1,000 in scholarship money for the reACT “Tobacco Free” Rodeo All-Stars of the Year. The reACT “Tobacco Free” Rodeo All-Star campaign honors the best male and female rodeo competitors who have pledged not to use tobacco products. The male and female reACT “Tobacco Free” Rodeo All-Star of the Year will receive a $500 scholarship from the American Heart Association. “Eliminating tobacco use, especially among youth, lowers the risk of developing stroke and heart disease,” Montana’s Director of Government Affairs for the American Heart Association Cliff Christian said. “The AHA strongly supports efforts like those of reACT to fund youth educational programs, establish smoke-free public places, and to regulate the manufacture, sale, distribution, labeling, and promotion of all tobacco products.” Clark Fork Chronicle Thu, 10 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=8146336&nav=menu227_8 http://tobacco.org/news/263043.html The city of Missoula is continuing to phase in some new clean air rules which will make bars and public buildings less smoky. However, public health workers say that they've found an unexpected consequence of the change, the chewing tobacco use is on the rise. In addition, they say that more teenagers seem to be using it. Health workers say they think about 70% more local high school students are using chew than three years ago. Mary McCourt with the Missoula City-County Health Department says that are now trying to find ways to get the teens to stop. "It's amazing how little is known about it in Montana Montana's News Station Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/04/02/news/local/40-smoke.txt http://tobacco.org/news/262690.html Dave Goerlitz, the lead "Winston Man" cigarette model, talks to students at Riverside Middle School Tuesday afternoon, telling the students about the dangers of tobacco and how tobacco companies target kids in their ads. The Yellowstone City-County Health Department, in conjunction with the District 6 Human Resources Development Council sponsored Goerlitz's trip to Montana. Goerlitz spoke to students at Riverside Middle School, Laurel Middle School, and Castle Rock Boys and Girls Club on Tuesday. Billings Gazette ccast@billingsgazette.com Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/global/story.asp?s=8103172 http://tobacco.org/news/262429.html The former Winston Cigarette Man of the 70's brought a unique approach to teen tobacco awareness to Laurel students Tuesday. Dave Goerlitz uses humor to inform Montana kids about the risks of smoking and chewing. The former Winston Man's past as a tobacco icon may not seem ideal to teach Montana kids about tobacco risks but he says it works. Montana's News Station Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080316/BUSINESS/803160308 http://tobacco.org/news/261350.html Last fall's smoking ban in Minnesota taverns has caused a double-digit percentage drop in bar sales so far, according to a report last week on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. But suburban Minneapolis bars, including the Rock Nightclub in Maplewood, are trying to skirt the ban. . . . Still, their clever effort might draw notice from Montana tavern owners. The part of Montana's Clean Indoor Air Act that will make smoking illegal in this state's bars and casinos goes into effect in less than 19 months, on Oct. 1, 2009. Great Falls Tribune jblack@greatfallstribune.com Sun, 16 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/03/04/news/mtregional/news10.txt http://tobacco.org/news/260695.html They say a picture is worth a thousand words. When it comes to Gruen Von Behrens' message about the dangers of using spit tobacco, that might be understating it. A spit tobacco user since he was 13, Von Behrens - diagnosed with oral cancer about four years later - shows the obvious results of 34 surgeries that have resulted in the removal of his lower teeth and jawbone, the loss of half of his tongue and neck muscles, and the replacement five years ago of his entire lower jawbone. Following an appearance on a nationwide MTV broadcast, Von Behrens started getting phone calls asking him to make appearances. He says his "life's been a whirlwind ever since." . . . His Montana tour started last Monday in Plentywood and wrapped up Friday in Darby, Corvallis and Florence. In between were stops in Wolf Point, Malta, Havre, Shelby, Sunburst, Browning, Kalispell, Columbia Falls and Whitefish. His message to the students at Florence-Carlton High School was about the dangers of tobacco, but he also touched heavily on relationships - how people, especially young people, tend to treat people who act or look different. Now 30, Von Behrens told students how spit tobacco - a product often associated with professional baseball players and other athletes - wrenched the prospect of a promising baseball career away from him. The Missoulian webmaster@missoulian.com (BILL SCHWANKE of the Missoulian) Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.montanastandard.com/articles/2008/02/15/nationworld/hjjbjhifhgecig.txt http://tobacco.org/news/259832.html The Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program kicks off "Through with Chew Week" Feb. 17-23, an annual observance of activities designed to prevent and reduce spit tobacco addiction. As a special incentive, the program will offer through the free Montana Tobacco Quit Line six weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy, including lozenges, the patch and gum. The state's spit tobacco use rate is one of the nation's highest, largely because 12 percent of Montana men use spit tobacco, statistics show. Montana Standard Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=7525930&nav=menu227_7 http://tobacco.org/news/257021.html A state program that wants you to quit smoking is tapping the Internet in a new effort to help Montanans give up tobacco for good. If you've made a New Year's resolution to quit smoking, the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program invites you to participate in an online blog called "I Quit!'08." Found at http://www.IQuit08.com, the user-friendly blog encourages tobacco users to share their reasons for wanting to quit. AP Thu, 20 Dec 2007 05:00:00 GMT