http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/state/about.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=717043 http://tobacco.org/news/333637.html Monday night, North Myrtle Beach passed a smoking ban, Tuesday night, the Town of Timmonsville passed one. Town council members unanimously passed the smoke-free ordinance. It bans smoking in enclosed spaces that are open to the public. WPDE 15 tbrown@wpde.com (Tonya Brown) Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/smokers-light-up-on-gulfport-beach-to-protest-local-smoking-ban/1214407 http://tobacco.org/news/333636.html A small group of cigar aficionados met recently on Gulfport Beach and lit up their favorite smokes. Enjoying cigars was not the point. They were trying to get cited. Under a recently passed Gulfport ordinance, smoking on Gulfport Beach is banned. They were there to test the right of local government to enact smoking bans in public places, citing a state law they say takes precedence. Because of legal technicalities, no one was ticketed that day, Jan. 14. . . . The controversy stems from the mid 1980s, when Florida became the first state to eliminate local control of smoking regulation. It happened with the passage of the Florida Indoor Clean Air Act, which contained a clause saying state laws superseded local laws. Since then, other states have passed pre-emption statutes and some have subsequently dropped them. But the Florida law remains intact and is one of the broadest. It survived a 2003 constitutional amendment that made all enclosed workplaces smoke free. St. Petersburg Times Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120206/NEWS05/702069918/0/FRONTPAGE http://tobacco.org/news/333635.html Massena Housing Authority officials will hold a public hearing later this month to receive comments about a proposed change to smoking regulations that would require residents who live in Victory Apartments or high-rise apartments at Laurel and Grasmere terraces to close their doors if they light up. Executive Director Patrick J. Regan said the authority wants to ensure that others in the apartment complexes with hallways aren't exposed to secondhand smoke. The policy would not apply to residents of family housing, where there are doors that open to the outside. Watertown Daily Times Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.sj-r.com/opinions/x392614169/Letter-Smoke-free-law-under-attack http://tobacco.org/news/333633.html Once again, the health of Illinois citizens is under attack by an effort to weaken the Smoke-Free Illinois Act. Rep. Anthony DeLuca of Chicago Heights recently introduced a bill to allow businesses to buy smoking licenses from local liquor control commissioners. Another bill would allow bars, strip clubs and other establishments, for a fee, to apply for smoking licenses, provided they installed filtration systems for the air. According to the American Cancer Society, "This bill is a potential setback for the health and well-being of the people of Illinois. If adopted, residents throughout the state will be denied the life-saving, public health protections of the Smoke-Free Illinois Act."? The ACS firmly believes that everyone deserves the right to breathe clean air, free of the cancer-causing poisons known to exist in secondhand smoke. . . . Illinois workers' desire to work in a smoke-free environment and to shop, eat out and breathe clean air doesn't matter to DeLuca. We must put a stop to this and not allow Illinois lawmakers to put their special interests above our health. State Journal-Register Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-09/pepsico-unions-seek-nlrb-help-to-fight-50-tax-on-fat-smoking.html http://tobacco.org/news/333631.html Teamster union members at PepsiCo (PEP) Inc. in upstate New York are seeking National Labor Relations Board help to fight the company’s health-care policy that charges employees $50 a month when they smoke or have medical issues that may trigger weight gain. Three International Brotherhood of Teamsters locals, representing about 300 drivers, sales agents and warehouse workers in Binghamton, Latham and Syracuse, complained to the labor board in October. PepsiCo is hindering the union’s effort to shop for a health plan without a “sin tax,” said Ozzie Martucci, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 669. “We’re against that type of tax, frankly,” Martucci said yesterday in a phone interview. “It feels wrong to tax workers if they are overweight or happen to have diabetes or smoke, and we wanted to look elsewhere for different insurance.” PepsiCo (PEP) workers can avoid the fee if they join programs to stop smoking or lose weight, said Dave DeCecco, a company spokesman. “These programs enable our associates and their families to live a healthier lifestyle,” he said. The fee is applied to smokers, as well as to workers who have diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure or asthma, conditions that often lead to being overweight, he said. Bloomberg News hrosenkrantz@bloomberg.net (Holly Rosenkrantz) Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.hawaiireporter.com/electronic-cigarettes-debated-at-legislature/123 http://tobacco.org/news/333629.html A bill that would ban the sale of smokeless electronic cigarettes to minors and impose the 70% tobacco tax on the devices was briskly debated at the state Legislature today. All of the testimony favored a ban on sale of the products to minors but more than 1,000 individuals and companies protested imposition of the tobacco tax on “e-cigarettes”. The devices deliver vaporized nicotine mist to users but contain no tobacco and generate none of the carcinogenic smoke generated by a burning cigarette, proponents said. State Health Department Director Loretta Fuddy told members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, “There is very little known about the long term health effects of the use of e-cigarettes or the vapors given off. Recent studies have shown that within one liquid nicotine cartridge there is enough nicotine to cause serious illness or even death.” . . . Cory Smith, president of local retailer Volcano Fine Electronic Cigarettes, said the product actually helps tobacco smokers quit their habits and produces none of the second-hand smoke issues associated with traditional tobacco cigarettes. "The tohacco tax is aimed at deterring tobacco use and generating revenue to pay for health care costs associated with tobacco-related harms,” Smith said. "Since the research thus far indicates that e-cigarettes show promise as a means to deter tobacco use and thereby reduce the cost of tobacco-related harms, it makes no sense to subject e-cigarettes to the tobacco tax,” Smith said. Taxing e-cigarettes at the 70% tobacco rate would shut down his business and drive customers to the internet Hawaii Reporter Jim@hawaiireporter.com (JIM DOOLEY) Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/02/07/norquist_asks_mass_lawmakers_to_reject_tax_hikes/ http://tobacco.org/news/333628.html Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist called on Massachusetts lawmakers to reject what he termed "lifestyle tax increases" proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick, saying hikes in taxes on tobacco products and soda would hurt the state's economy while doing little to encourage healthier habits. Norquist, a Massachusetts native who heads Americans for Tax Reform, recently sent a pair of letters to members of the state House of Representatives and Senate, who will be considering the proposed tax increases as part of a $32 billion state budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. "As you work through the budget process, I encourage you to focus on cutting the fat in government, rather than trying to control the personal choices of your constituents through misguided lifestyle taxes," he wrote. Patrick has proposed hiking the cigarette tax 50 cents from $2.51 to $3.01 per pack and doubling taxes on smokeless tobacco, cigars and other tobacco products. The increase is expected to generate $73 million in revenue that would be used to help offset the cost of a recent ruling by the state's high court that legal, non-citizen immigrants are eligible to enroll in Commonwealth Care, the state's subsidized health insurance plan. Associated Press Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://ntr.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/01/17/ntr.ntr303.abstract http://tobacco.org/news/333622.html Conclusions: GLBT self-identification was not associated with lower than average acceptance of evidence-based smoking cessation strategies, especially NRT, but a large minority of GLBT smokers were unlikely to seek cessation assistance through clinical encounters. Public health campaigns should focus on supporting motivation to quit and providing nonclinical access to evidence-based treatments. Nicotine and Tobacco Research journals.permissions@oup.com Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.independentmail.com/news/2012/feb/07/bans-rarely-answer/?partner=yahoo_feeds http://tobacco.org/news/333617.html Add more ammunition to the arsenal of anti-smoking efforts with the latest report on secondhand smoke from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to researchers, more than 1 in 5 high school and middle school student are passengers in cars while others are smoking. (One caveat: In the case of the high school students, the study did not determine if they were in cars with their parents or their peers.) . . . But turning smokers into criminals isn’t the answer. Raising cigarette prices has been somewhat effective, although that has created a black-market trade that will only get worse. Attempts at prohibition didn’t work with alcohol. And let’s be honest: It hasn’t worked with drugs. Why would we expect it to work with tobacco? Education would be a more worthy effort, if we spent as much time — and funding — on discussion as we spend trying to dictate individual behavior. Anderson Independent-Mail Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.gazettes.com/lifestyle/health/associaton-grades-tobacco-control-in-california-long-beach/article_52c59d7c-5126-11e1-9e06-001871e3ce6c.html http://tobacco.org/news/333616.html The American Lung Association releases an annual report grading the levels of tobacco control nationwide as well as the grades for cities and counties in California. The reports, State of Tobacco Control 2012 and State of Tobacco Control 2012 - California Local Grades, were released last month. The grades are based on local tobacco control policies, including smoke-free outdoor environments, smoke-free housing and the reduction in sales of tobacco products. Long Beach received a C grade overall. The city was given an A grade for its reduction in the sale of tobacco products, but received a D grade for smoke-free outdoor air and an F grade for smoke-free housing. Gazette Newspapers Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.bgdailynews.com/news/local/scottsville-legislator-goes-to-bat-for-burley/article_510ea84e-527e-11e1-9b48-0019bb2963f4.html http://tobacco.org/news/333612.html A southcentral Kentucky lawmaker hopes that Kentucky burley is given its due when future trade agreements are negotiated between the United States and foreign countries. "There is some discussion of excluding tobacco from the agreements," said state Rep. Wilson Stone, D-Scottsville. On Tuesday, Stone filed a nonbinding House resolution that says Kentucky farmers need to have the same access to trade as other agriculture commodities. The measure is expected to be voted on soon. Sen. Paul Hornback, R-Shelbyville, filed the same resolution in the state Senate, signaling bipartisan support for the issue. Stone said there have been rumors that President Barack Obama's administration wants to take tobacco out of the equation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, a regional trade agreement between the U.S., Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Those negotiations are expected to finish this summer. "It's not so much a price issue, because world markets determine that, but one of access," Stone said. "If you take tobacco out of those agreements, it will dearly hurt Kentucky and Kentucky's farmers," Bowling Green Daily News rminor@bgdailynews.com (ROBYN L. MINOR The Daily News) Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.pressherald.com/r?19=961&43=561087&44=138909839&32=10367&7=617322&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pressherald.com%2Fnews%2Fcity-kick-butts-problem_2012-02-08.html http://tobacco.org/news/333611.html In the spring, Portland's Downtown District, with help from the city, will launch a campaign touting the environmental and aesthetic reasons not to litter cigarette butts. The campaign, to be funded with a $1,000 grant from the national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful, will include signs on trash cans throughout the city and outreach through social media. The sight of cigarette butts, seemingly everywhere, is one of the most common complaints from tourists who visit Portland. City officials hope the threat of a $100 fine will get smokers to kick the habit of flicking their butts on the ground. Portland Press-Herald lbridgers@pressherald.com (Leslie Bridgers) Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2012/02/10/business.smoke-break.sto http://tobacco.org/news/333607.html The Briar and the Burley has been in four locations since Mike Fisher started the business back in 1972, but he swears h ... Please log in to read the rest of this story. Bloomington Herald-Times rspaw@heraldt.com (Rod Spaw) Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.pinedaleroundup.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=2354 http://tobacco.org/news/333606.html Stockman's Bar and Grill instituted a smoke-free policy in its bar area starting on Feb. 1. "It was time to create a healthier environment for our customers, both current and in the future," Stockman's representative Barbara Walker said. Walker also said there is a niche market in Pinedale for a smoke-free environment. Pinedale Roundup Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=601202 http://tobacco.org/news/333603.html Not even a year since Springfield voters approved the smoking ban, the process is in motion to let voters rethink that issue. People who disagree with that ban turned in more than 4,000 signatures to the city Thursday to try and change it. Live Free Springfield needs 2,100 certified signatures to get the issue before voters again, but the group brought in plenty extra -- and hopes the extra effort will let smokers light up again. "One by one, we will look at every signature," says Assistant City Clerk Anita Cotter. She makes sure names match addresses, that signers are registered voters, and that there are no repeats. "We will do everything we can to be as fair as possible." KOLR-TV Channel 10 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT