Allegheny County forced to cut no-smoking programs

PITTSBURGH - A lack of state funding is forcing a halt to most of Allegheny County's smoking cessation programs.
Tobacco Free Allegheny says it's facing a 50 percent cut in state funds, so it plans to dismantle nine of its 12 contracted programs after Wednesday.
Executive director Cindy Thomas said that tobacco prevention and cessation programs statewide will again see a reduction in the share of money they get as part of a settlement with the tobacco industry.
She says the programs reduce health care costs, because there are fewer tobacco-related diseases when people quit the habit.

CU-Boulder will lead drug-prevention program

School-violence-prevention experts at the University of Colorado netted a $12.1 million grant to implement a drug-prevention program in middle schools. 
CU's Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence will set up the program and monitor it at participating schools in 10 Southeastern states, expecting it to benefit 200,000 students over a three-year period, Director Delbert Elliott said. 
The Life Skills Training program has a track record of reducing students' use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs by 50 to 70 percent, CU said in a news release. 
The program identifies common misconceptions about substance abuse, and trains students how to deal with peer and media pressure. It also offers lessons on anger management and helps students build better relationships. 
The interactive training is delivered in 45-minute sessions that are held 15 times the first year, 10 times the second year and five the third year. Those subsequent "booster" programs help reinforce the messages, and lead to long-term prevention, Elliott said. 
Funding comes from cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris USA, through a program aimed at reducing young people's use of tobacco. 
"This is a question that we had to think about," Elliott said. "It's controversial. We had to weigh the fact that we are taking money from a tobacco company with the fact that, at the same time, we can have a major effect on the probability of kids smoking in those nine Southern states." 
Smoking rates among youth in those states -- Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland -- are higher than the national average. 
Nationally, 7 percent of eighth-graders reported smoking one or more cigarettes in the previous month and nearly a quarter of teenagers were smokers by the time they graduated from high school, according to 2007 National Institutes of Health statistics.

Cigarette linked to house fire

TOWN OF MAINE --Firefighters extinguished a fire in a Wausau-area home early Friday that investigators think was caused by a cigarette, according to the Marathon County Sheriff's Department.
Firefighters from the towns of Maine and Rib Mountain and the city of Wausau were called after the fire was reported at 12:57 a.m. at 3318 Elk Drive in the town of Maine. Roy Nowak, 61, who rents an upstairs bedroom at the two-story home, told investigators that he had been smoking in the room prior to discovering the fire, Sheriff's Lt. Dale Wisnewski said.
Nowak said he was watching television in the lower level of the home and when he returned to the upstairs room, he saw smoke and used a water hose to water down a mattress and box spring, Wisnewski said. Over the course of two hours, Nowak told deputies that he used the hose several times on the smoldering mattress before discovering a stairwell was on fire, Wisnewski said.
Nowak and the owner of the home, 54-year-old Beth Schwartz, fled from the home and reported the fire, police said. The blaze caused an estimated $50,000 worth of smoke, fire and water damage, Wisnewski said.
Both Nowak and Schwartz suffered from minor smoke inhalation, Wisnewski said.

More butts, not fewer, found after public service push to keep Knox beautiful

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — After a summertime public service campaign about cigarette butts in Knox County there are more of them, not fewer.

The group Keep Knoxville Beautiful launched the campaign after a canvass of 0.2 miles of Maynardville Highway on June 1 turned up 1,386 butts.

Volunteers collected the spent cigarettes again on Aug. 31 and found 1,493 of them.

Beautification group executive director Allison Teeters told The Knoxville News Sentinel she hopes the increase was because of the summer tourist season.

But Teeters said some people who would never think of throwing out other trash don't think twice about flipping a cigarette butt from a vehicle.

Teeters said the group plans to do another scan at the end of September.

Snuffing out a smart tax

As the legislature struggles to find enough revenue for the state's overdue budget, a tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco should be a no-brainer. But this is Harrisburg, where common sense usually faces an uphill battle.
Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that doesn't impose an excise tax on smokeless tobacco. It is one of only two states - the other is Florida - that doesn't tax cigars.
Gov. Rendell has proposed taxing the products to bring in $38 million per year. A proposal by Rep. Dan Frankel (D., Allegheny), who is on the House Appropriations Committee, would use the same tax rate as cigarettes, raising $70 million annually.
But Senate Republicans yanked the stogies out of their mouths long enough to voice their opposition to this tax. They said essentially it's too small a number with which to concern themselves. Democratic leaders have resisted the tax, too.
Meanwhile, legislators are picking up sofa cushions in search of loose change to fill the state's budget gap. For example, they found $25 million for general operations hiding in the state liquor-store system. That's how small a number legislators are scrounging for. Yet, they forgo the tobacco tax.
The need for that levy is greater because the legislature is intent on making dumb moves such as granting certain large corporations in Pennsylvania a tax break. A proposed change in the "single sales" tax policy would drain $165 million from state coffers over two years. It should be ditched in favor of a more comprehensive overhaul of corporate taxes.

One stumbling block to reaching a final budget deal with Rendell is that the governor claims the legislature's revenue projections don't add up. As the week began, the two sides were about $400 million apart in their revenue estimates. A tobacco tax that adds $38 million, or $70 million, to the pot would certainly help.

Even better, the proposed tax on smokeless tobacco and cigars is what's known to policy geeks as "recurring revenue." That means it raises a predictable amount of revenue from year to year.

The tentative budget deal relies on many one-shot revenue sources, such as emptying the state's Rainy Day fund of its entire $750 million. That's an easy call for legislators this year, but it leaves the cupboard bare for next year, which increases the likelihood of having to raise another tax.

Aside from the math, there is an important policy statement to make with this tax: Snuff and cigars are bad for your health. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said 16- to 25-year-olds in Pennsylvania use smokeless tobacco at twice the national average. Some smokeless tobacco brands are flavored to appeal more to youths. Raising the tax on cigarettes, but failing to tax cigars and snuff, could encourage more young people to use these products.

Pennsylvania's tobacco industry, based in Lancaster County, is not large. Imposing this sensible tax would hit a relatively small number of consumers, and would raise needed revenue in a budget year filled with unkind cuts.

Do You Have A Guilty Conscience Becasue You Smoke Cigarettes

If you are still a cigarette smoker and you feel guilty every time you light one, rest assured, you are not alone. Smokers can suffer a tremendous amount of anxiety because they use tobacco. They smoke it or chew it everyday, which means they probably feel guilty everyday. Smokers can also feel ashamed because they still smoke or chew because they know for a fact how deadly it is for them to continue to do it. They know they are cutting their life short. They know they will likely spend less time with their family and friends because they will likely die sooner than they should. They know their smoking related illnesses and diseases are likely to be a burden on their loved ones one day.

So, why is it that smokers just keep on smoking if they have to deal with all of these thoughts of guilt and shame when they light up a cigarette? That is something that even smokers themselves can not usually answer. All they know is that when they do not get a cigarette when they want one, it usually drives them crazy. It sounds simple enough, but actually what smoking does to the body is anything but simple. How the body reacts to when they smoke is not simple. It involves a lot of brain activity that is normal, but the components and chemicals in the in the tobacco smoke causes the brain to react differently than normal, more of certain brain chemicals are released than should be, and the structure of cells can be altered. It is indeed a lot more complicated than a simple craving.

All of these changes in the body, the emotional attachment to smoking, and the addiction to the nicotine and other things in the tobacco are all part of the reason that a smoker deals with the guilt and shame they might feel because they smoke. Without serious intervention, a determined willpower, or even medical treatment, many smokers could never overcome their tobacco use. It is so much more than just a matter of wanting a cigarette and giving in to that want.

Anytime you introduce foreign substances into the body, the body will have a reaction of some kind. It can be good and bad at the same time. Smoking tobacco, just like many other drugs, makes the user feel good in some ways while causing damage to their body at the same time. They can either stop the damage by stop using the drug, but they must give up the thing that makes them feel so good that they ae addicted to both physically and psychologically. Human being do things they might feel guilty about all of the rime and smoking cigarettes is no exception.

Smokers to be turfed outside, then walled in

PUBS will be forced to build a wall through the middle of their beer gardens to separate smokers from non-smokers. 
The Territory will be the last jurisdiction to ban smoking in pubs - forcing smokers outside on January 2, 2010. 
But Health Minister Kon Vatskalis yesterday said that ban would go further after 12 months - with mandatory non-smoking areas in beer gardens as well. 
Pubs will then be forced to designate half of the beer garden as "non-smoking" from January 2, 2011. 
Mr Vatskalis said pubs could install a wall dividing these areas or create a three metre buffer area. 
Staff will not be allowed to serve customers in the smoking area. 
"Let common sense prevail. We've got people who smoke - it's still a legal product - and these people want to go out the same way the people who don't smoke want to go out," he said. 
Mr Vatskalis said a Tobacco Action Taskforce would be formed to make the transition "as smooth as possible". 
Smoker Andrew Morrison said he was often treated like a social leper, but would not mind the changes - provided there would always be a smoking area. 
Australian Hotels Association NT chief executive Amy Williamson said she was looking forward to working with the Government on these changes, but said there was still not enough information about the indoor ban - which starts in three months. 
But Mr Vatskalis said there was no more to give.
"No smoking inside the pubs. It's as simple as that. There are no more details on that one," he said. 
Mr Vatskalis said the Territory was the "last bastion" of smoking - with 36 per cent of us lighting up regularly. 
He suggested the laws may restrict smokers further with public support. 
"Smoking is going out of fashion," he said. 
"Things have changed, so we have changed."

Rs. 35.9 million worth of foreign cigarettes confiscated by customs

A consignment of illicit foreign cigarettes worth about Rs.35.9 million, illegally brought in disguised as passenger luggage, had been seized by the Sri Lanka Customs Revenue Supervision Dept. yesterday.
The stock of foreign cigarettes, allegedly declared as passenger luggage, had been flown in fraudulently using names and addresses of returnees form the Middle East. The loss of tax revenue to the government by this was approximately Rs.109, 000,000. These cigarettes were destroyed yesterday by the National Narcotics and Tobacco Authority.
According to Customs 4,792,000 cigarettes (23960 cartons) valued at Rs.35, 940,000 had been destroyed. 
The search was carried out on the instructions of Assistant Director Customs Jayantha Ponnamperuma.

Oregon moves to block e-cigarette sales

The Oregon Attorney General's Office is suing an electronic cigarettes importer that sells plastic devices marketed as being safer than regular tobacco cigarettes. 
Attorney General John Kroger filed the lawsuit Tuesday, the same day a county in New York banned sales of what's called e-cigarettes to minors; both moves are the first of their kinds in the nation. 
Typically imported from China, e-cigarettes look like traditional cigarettes, down to their battery-powered glowing red tip. Instead of burning, e-cigarettes vaporize certain mixtures, which can include liquid nicotine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has not approved the sale of e-cigarettes, recently reported that a test of 19 brands found more than half contained a cancer-causing substance. 
Kroger has filed suit against Florida-based Smoking Everywhere Inc., which had refused state requests to restrict its sales, and its chief executive, Elico Taieb. 
Meanwhile, Smoking Everywhere and a major importer, Sottera Inc., are suing the FDA in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., claiming the agency doesn't have the authority to regulate their product. 
Smoking Everywhere has continued to operate in Oregon as the federal case proceeds, Tuesday's lawsuit contends. Kroger already has reached an agreement with Sottera, maker of the Njoy brand, to halt sales here. 
"It's my duty to protect the public from products that are falsely advertised as safe," said Kroger, who has said that e-cigarettes' flavored options are a further concern as they may appeal to young people.

The Emotional Withdrawal From Tobacco Cigarettes

Have you ever been around someone you like really well only to have these feelings change because this person might be trying to quit smoking? When some people try to quit their whole personality seems to change. The longer they succeed in staying away from those cigarettes the worse their personality seems to get. Sometimes it feels like you are the one that this person hates the most as you might receive all of their anger. It can become so bad that you might want to give them that cigarette or a punch in the face.

When a person tries to quit smoking their bodies will go through an emotional withdrawal as well as a personal withdrawal. Their mind is fighting their body by trying to trick themselves into smoking that cigarette. They might beat themselves this time, but maybe not the next. The really bad thing is that you might find yourself in the middle. This person will lash out at whoever is closest sometimes saying the most nasty things they can think of trying to get this person to either go away or give them a cigarette. If this is you or it happened to you, are you still friends with that person.

A lot of you might realize that you have lost some of your friends even if you lost the battle and went back to smoking. This could be one reason why every time you try to quit you fail. You have probably tried all of the items on the market only to find that they will not work for you. Most of you that have tried those patches and even the gum will find that you still get the nicotine, but get no satisfaction for the other part of this habit. This would be the holding of that cigarette itself. This part of smoking is just as important in the habit as all the rest.

If you go want to try something different that might will give you the satisfaction of nicotine without many of the other side effects, you might want to give the e-cigarette a try. You might find that you like this type of smoking device so well that you will be able to get away from the tobacco cigarettes for good. With one of these you are not really smoking, but you get your nicotine and still have this look-a-like cigarette in your fingers and mouth. You can quit these at your own pace if you wish too as you can lower the amount of nicotine you receive just by changing the filters you use.

Cigar shops fret over higher taxes, smoking laws

NEW ORLEANS — With the world becoming ever less welcoming for tobacco smoke of all kinds, the owners of specialty shops that sell premium cigars have converged on New Orleans with the same concerns as mass-market cigarette manufacturers — higher taxes and anti-smoking laws.
The cigars at the annual trade show of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association are not the packaged stogies found in an isolated corner of a convenience store. These are hand-rolled smokes — sometimes with Cuban seed tobacco grown in a non-embargoed country — that can go from a couple of bucks to $30 each.
"It's tough," said Chris McCalla, legislative director for Columbus, Ga.-based IPCRA, which represents about 1,500 tobacco stores. "People view us in the same category of cigarettes. With a cigar, it's different. It's a pleasurable experience. It's socialization of sorts."
Mark Twain once said he always tried not to smoke two cigars at once. Winston Churchill smoked cigars in peacetime and wartime. A cigar was more than just a prop for Groucho Marx. John F. Kennedy enjoyed puffing — although he barred the import of Cuban cigars during his showdowns with another cigar aficionado, Fidel Castro, who later claimed to have quit smoking. And, in modern times, Rush Limbaugh often associates himself with a premium cigar.
"The cigar continues to have a unique place in the hearts of a lot of men," said Norm Sharp, president of the Cigar Association of America, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group of distributors and manufacturers. "There are a lot of aficionados out there."
And many detractors, including the American Cancer Society, which has said that cigars — as well as pipes — are not a safe substitute for cigarettes and carry much of the same cancer risk.
IPCRA estimates there are 12 to 13 million cigar smokers in the United States, who puff an average of two a week, ranging from several a day to the special-event-only smoker, McCalla said.
When Congress hiked cigarette taxes earlier this year, cigars did not escape the attention of lawmakers, who imposed a tax increase between about 5 cents and 40 cents per cigar. The industry now fears that state legislatures, many of which are trying to close big budget gaps, will follow suit.
"Tobacco is considered low-hanging fruit for taxation," Sharp said.
And cigars are among the active targets for anti-smoking groups.
Although only Delaware, Washington state and Utah ban puffing in tobacco establishments, the city of Galveston, Texas, recently passed a clean air ordinance that forbids smoking in a planned cigar lounge — a store that provides a room for cigar-lovers to visit and enjoy their tobacco.
Owner Charlie Head, who plans to open Sept. 1 after his previous store was wiped out by Hurricane Ike, said it's ridiculous to think people who don't smoke would even come inside his business, which includes lockers for smokers to store their cigars and liquor they bring in.
"We're going ahead with it," Head said. "But a big part of our business is locker rental."
Head said he hoped to win an exemption for his shop before the ban takes effect on Jan. 1.
Even before the spread of cigarette smoking bans, cigars and pipes received a chilly reception in many places. Airliners that used to permit cigarettes wouldn't allow cigars and pipes. And many smoking bars today are actually cigarette-only bars — don't light up that cigar or pipe, a sign often says.
As a result, cigar smoking has become largely a private activity, McCalla said, with the cigar lounge or cigar bar a popular gathering place.
"Most cigar smokers would like to sit down comfortably and smoke with others," he said.
The recession has cut into business, said Doug Winston, manager of the New Orleans Cigar Co., a 700-square-foot store in the downtown district. To start with, go-outside-to-smoke rules are making shorter cigars more popular.
"With the tax and the economy, people also seem to be going to the lesser-expensive cigars," Winston said.
As for the convention itself, which is hosting about 4,000 people through Wednesday, smoking will be allowed in the exhibit hall between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. But members of the public aren't invited to the meeting — and no one under 18 will be let in, McCalla said.