http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/state/TX.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1485785 http://tobacco.org/news/333325.html I can remember 10 years ago today almost as if it were last week. It was Feb. 3, 2002, and my wife and I were at our friends' house to watch Super Bowl XXXVI. The most memorable thing about that night, other than the fantastic game won by the New England Patriots over the heavily favored St. Louis Rams, was that I must have smoked about two packs of cigarettes in preparation for what I had planned for the next day. The next day, 10 years ago tomorrow, my wife and I, as we had planned a month or more in advance, began our life without cigarettes, and I can honestly say it's the best decision we've ever made. . . . This concludes my own horn tooting. Tomorrow my wife and I are going to watch our son toot his horn, his trumpet, in the Ellis Middle School jazz band. We plan on being around to watch his kids do the same thing someday. Jeff Reinartz grew up in Austin and has lived here most of his life. His column appears weekly. Rochester Post-Bulletin Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/woman-strangled-over-cigarette-smoke http://tobacco.org/news/333309.html Virgil Zebulon, 28, is facing a second degree aggravated assault strangulation charge, after police say he strangled a female acquaintance who asked him not to smoke in their motel room. It happened Saturday morning at the Days Inn on East Anderson Lane. According to the alleged victim, Zebulon lit a cigarette in the motel room, which was a non-smoking room and was asked to smoke outside to avoid any penalties imposed by the motel staff. The alleged victim told police Zebulon was so upset by the request he started assaulting her. KXAN-TV36 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.khou.com/news/local/HFD-Smoking-in-bed-sparks-apartment-fire-in-NW-Harris-County-138635659.html http://tobacco.org/news/333213.html HOUSTON - A person smoking in bed caused a fire that damaged an apartment in northwest Harris County late Thursday, according to the Houston Fire Department. HFD responded to a fire at the Coppertree apartments, located on W. Gulf Bank at Veterans Memorial, around 11:55 p.m. KHOU CBS 11 assignments@khou.com ( KHOU.com staff) Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Judge-orders-mental-evaluation-for-combative-air-2963383.php http://tobacco.org/news/333192.html At the request of his own lawyer, a Miami man accused of disrupting a flight and forcing it to make an unscheduled stop in San Antonio has been ordered to be examined by a psychiatrist. U.S. Magistrate Judge Pamela Mathy this week approved the request from assistant federal public defender R. Clark Adams. His client, Manolin Jesus Villaverde, “may be suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent” to understand the proceedings against him “or to assist properly in his defense,” Adams said in a court motion. FBI agents said they arrested Villaverde, 37, last week after he became combative when told to put out cigarettes on a Continental Airlines flight San Antonio Express-News gcontreras@express-news.net ( Guillermo Contrera, Express-News ) Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.statesman.com/news/local/state-employees-not-fessing-up-to-tobacco-use-2144538.html http://tobacco.org/news/333189.html Last year, Texas lawmakers had a good idea (hey, one out of a bazillion isn't bad). The idea, converted into law, is a "tobacco cessation" program for state workers and retirees, including higher health insurance premiums for tobacco users and coverage for tobacco cessation drugs. It went into effect Jan. 1. State employees and retirees had from Nov. 7 to Dec. 9 to report if they or any family members covered by the plan are tobacco users (defined as using tobacco products more than five times in the previous three months). The additional monthly premium for tobacco users is $30 per person, with a maximum of $90 per family. (Best footnote on the Employees Retirement System Q-and-A about the program: "The charge for a child is the same regardless of how many children in the household use tobacco." Sure, junior, go ahead and light up. We're already paying for your sister.) So what we have is a self-reporting system. That always goes well, doesn't it? Please raise your hand if you want to pay more. Last year, the Legislative Budget Board -- working with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 18 percent of adult Texans use tobacco products -- guesstimated there are 74,150 tobacco users covered by the state health plan. ERS board members were told at an August meeting the agency "will depend on members to certify that they use tobacco. A special campaign will be conducted this fall to communicate the tobacco information." The special campaign was held, and the sign-ups began. But somehow, as of mid-January, only 20,460 state employees or retirees or their covered dependents were signed up. That's 53,690 short of the projection. . . . I like the A to Q12, which asks, "What if my doctor says I can't quit?" Lucky you. You can keep enjoying tobacco without paying the additional premium if you can find a doc to declare you have "an uncontrolled health factor, such as nicotine addiction." . . . So please, dear state employees, fess up if you use tobacco. Don't make us have to come around and take photos outside the front door during smoke breaks. Austin American-Statesman kherman@statesman.com (Ken Herman, Commentary) Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://jacksonvilleprogress.com/local/x431309993/Bullard-officials-set-date-to-discuss-smoking-ban-in-park http://tobacco.org/news/332757.html City officials said they expect to see an agenda item relating to a ban on smoking in the city's O.L. Ferrell Park at their Feb. 9 meeting. The ban would only apply to the park and not to the entire city. Currently, business owners set their own smoking rules in the city, but residents are banned from smoking in city-owned buildings. "Our city attorney is putting some information together on that as far as an ordinance that we would be able to use," said City Manager Larry Morgan. City attorney, Charles Morton, said the city is looking to change an existing ordinance to extend the smoking ban to the park. Jacksonville Progress Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.ktsm.com/news/man-suffers-burns-on-hands-and-stomach-after-smoking-while-attached-to-oxygen-tank http://tobacco.org/news/332740.html EL PASO - A man is recovering after he suffered burns to his hands and stomach for smoking while connected to an oxygen tank. Someone called 911 after they saw the man's clothes on fire. KTSM TV News Channel 9 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.thebatt.com/opinion/opinion-a-breath-of-fresh-air-1.2750056 http://tobacco.org/news/332617.html This is not a novel idea. In fact, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed into law an outdoor citywide smoking ban in May. It's time to stop protecting the rights of cigarette smokers and start protecting those who want to breathe clean air. We have a right to be protected from the toxic effects of tobacco use. I urge the administration to designate the entire University as smoke-free and bring us one step closer to a healthier and cleaner campus. Smoking is not a fundamental right. Breathing clean air is. The Battalion Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/23/3681625/smaller-texas-towns-lag-on-smoking.html http://tobacco.org/news/332566.html "If these major cities [Fort Worth and Arlington] can have no smoking, then why can't these small towns? I can't go into businesses because of the fact that I'm so allergic to cigarette smoke, and I'm not the only one," she said. So, for the past year, Smith has been pushing the White Settlement City Council to consider a comprehensive ordinance that would protect the public from secondhand smoke. For now, the city is proposing a ban on smoking in parks except in parking areas and requiring restaurants to take steps to protect their customers from secondhand smoke. The council is scheduled to vote on that ordinance tonight. While many major cities in Texas have already adopted ordinances or restrictions on smoking in public places, White Settlement is among the smaller communities in the state that still have not taken similar steps to help clear the air in restaurants, parks and other places, according to a database compiled by the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Laura Hermer, an assistant professor of health policy and bioethics at UTMB who oversees the database, said she is encouraged that more cities are adopting smoking ordinances, although 25 percent of Texans who live in rural areas are not covered by any regulations, she said. Fort Worth Star-Telegram online@star-telegram.com ( Elizabeth Campbell Fort Worth Star-Telegram ) Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://thedailycougar.com/2012/01/23/sga-sends-smokers-to-campus-sidewalks/ http://tobacco.org/news/332449.html A bill designed to make UH a smoke-free environment was passed by SGA on Jan. 18. The bill requires smokers to stand a minimum of 25 feet away from campus buildings while smoking — the current minimum distance is 15 feet. It also requires ash receptacles to be placed at least 35 feet away from buildings instead of the current 15-foot distance regulation. It is noble of SGA to try to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke, but the bill will likely do exactly the opposite. This is because SGA doesn’t seem to understand the layout of our campus. . . . If SGA truly wanted to protect students from second-hand smoke, they would pass a bill that created designated smoking areas on the sides of buildings. Smokers would be able to smoke out of the way of other students and non-smokers would be able to walk on smoke-free sidewalks. SGA should have waited to introduce this bill later until later in the semester. By doing this, they could have gotten feedback from smokers and non-smokers alike. Then again, it would have been more difficult for them to pass such a bill if students were aware that it existed. SGA took the easy way out on this one. And, as a result they now have a bill that will do the opposite of what it was intended to do. Daily Cougar Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.planostar.com/articles/2012/01/20/news_update/7937.txt http://tobacco.org/news/332386.html A lingering stench, frequent treks outside, nagging friends -- smoking cigarettes is sometimes more embarrassing than relaxing. Unless you're smoking electronic cigarettes, through which the shame, smell and potential for cancer nearly vaporize into thin air. Testament to the growing trend is The Vapor Bar, an electronic cigarette shop that opened Jan. 9 in McKinney. Its wares include batteries, cheesecake-flavored nicotine and "units" that trump pack-a-day costs by hundreds of dollars. E-cigarettes don't cut the craving, just the stigma. Plano Star-Courier cbeattie@acnpapers.com (Chris Beattie) Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/editorials/article/Ban-on-Fiesta-smokes-is-good-for-city-2651093.php http://tobacco.org/news/332368.html On Thursday, council passed a much-improved amendment. It applies only to public rights-of-way along the parade routes and does not extend to private property. It also encompasses the Texas Cavaliers' River Parade — which the original amendment did not — in addition to the Battle of Flowers and Fiesta Flambeau parades. . . . The amendment of the smoking ordinance to cover parades is part of the worthy effort to make San Antonio healthier and cleaner — all those cigarette ashes and butts end up on streets and sidewalks and in the San Antonio River. The new measure makes Fiesta's signature events smoke-free, as they should be. San Antonio Express-News Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.americanindependent.com/209171/lobbyist-behind-rick-perry%e2%80%99s-super-pac-helped-usher-in-revolving-door-culture-at-texas-capitol http://tobacco.org/news/332336.html The Texas Legislature has become a wholly owned subsidiary of corporate interests led by Gov. Rick Perry’s political ally Mike Toomey, according to a report released this week by Texans for Public Justice. The report, Perry’s Roomie Mike Toomey Mobilizes The Corporate Lobby to ‘Make Us Great Again, details the rise of Toomey from a legislator in the Texas House of Representatives in the early 1980s to the most powerful lobbyist in Austin to the man behind the Super PAC supporting Perry’s failed presidential campaign. . . . The most powerful of these corporate interests was Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR), which was founded with seed money from the tobacco industry. TLR would become Toomey’s top client, and one of the most feared PACs in Texas. American Independent News Network Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Fiesta-parade-smoking-snuffed-2636456.php http://tobacco.org/news/332329.html If you want to light up on the routes of San Antonio's big Fiesta parades this year, forget about it. The City Council extended the city smoking ban Thursday to the three April parades — the Texas Cavaliers' River Parade, Battle of Flowers and Flambeau. Together, the parades draw hundreds of thousands of spectators. Smoking won't be allowed during the parades along the streets, sidewalks and San Antonio River that are in the public right of way. The ban won't reach into private property, which includes seating that's rented out on private lots. San Antonio Express-News jbaugh@express-news.net (Josh Baugh) Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://app1.kuhf.org/articles/1326839399-New-Hiring-Policy-Quit-Smoking.html http://tobacco.org/news/332218.html The State of Texas recently passed a law requiring state employees to give up smoking or face higher health insurance premiums. And some companies refuse to hire smokers altogether. But as Laurie Johnson reports, this strategy raises some interesting legal questions. . . . Professor Jessica Roberts at the University of Houston Law Center specializes in health law and anti-discrimination. She says so many companies have tried this tactic that many states -- about two-thirds -- have enacted legislation to outlaw the practice. But Texas isn't one of them. "If you're in a state like Texas, where there is not some kind of state legislation that specifically bans employers from engaging in that kind of conduct, really you're going to end up looking to federal statutes and probably the one that would be the most applicable in this context would be the Americans with Disabilities Act." Roberts says Title 1 of the ADA prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of disability, including during hiring. The question is whether or not a nicotene addiction could be classified as a disability. "So if you're an employer and you're outright choosing not to hire a smoker, you could be effectively regarding that person as having a disability. And because you're regarding that person as disabled, you're actually violating Title 1 of the statute." Houston Public Radio KUHF 88.7 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT