So About That Tobacco-Free Policy

Last week, you may have read Regina Iannizzotto preach about how “great” the tobacco and smoke- free campus is. This is not one of those editorials.
For the college to make a decision to limit what its students can do that is in compliance with state and federal law is completely absurd. I understand why the school is doing it; to make the school a healthier place to live, but that does not justify limiting the consenting adult who knows all the health risks involved.
With smoking, I understand that some people do not want to smell the second-hand smoke which is fine and I understand that. But there is a solution to that without the complete ban of smoking on campus, and that would be creating designated smoking areas on the campus that people actually know about. Apparently the gazebos were for that, but that is something that I did not find out until the tobacco embargo was placed on the Saint Rose campus. The college assumed that students would know that. If the smokers know where to go other than the sidewalk to smoke their cigarettes, then hypothetically there should not be a problem.
Making students smoking on the sidewalks also raises another problem: the pollution from throwing their butts on the ground. Someone has to clean that up and if the City of Albany does, that is a complete waste of tax payer money, in my opinion. At a designated smoking area, there would be a place to dispose of butts appropriately.
Making people walk to the sidewalks could also be dangerous at night. I know for a fact that a girl was abducted on Morris, and if you know your campus geography, that is where one of our dorms is. There is no reason to have to walk to a sidewalk; policy should not outweigh an individual’s immediate safety.
Now you may think that this is a rule that is strictly for the smokers, but this also effects those that chose to chew or dip.
Coming from someone that does it, it is pretty nasty. But I do not understand why this is something that we cannot do. Using chew or dip only affects the person that is doing it and no one else. There is nothing second hand that comes with. You may feel a little grossed out when you see someone spit, but that really is the only side effect for other people.
Did the school make the right move? I personally do not think so. We are adults now; we should be able to make our own decisions for ourselves without being limited. With this new rule, it feels like I never really left high school.

Tobacco free campus 2012

Perhaps one of the biggest questions circulating campus right now is: What’s going on with the smoking policy?

Perhaps one of the biggest questions circulating campus right now is: What’s going on with the smoking policy?

Pat Sisneros, vice president of College Services, said the administration is moving forward for a smoke-free campus.

Sisneros said there is a draft of the policy that has to be voted on by the board of trustees, something that is planned to happen sometime in the spring. As far as a set date on when the policy would be implemented if it is approved, Sisneros said “July 1st is still the plan.”

If the policy is approved, EvCC will be the fourth community technical college in the state to become tobacco-free. Clark, Lower Columbia, and the most recent, South Puget Sound, are the three campuses to precede EvCC.



Sisneros said that when it comes to “weighing public health issues against the rights of an individual,” public health triumphs. The main issue is the second hand smoke, especially when it comes to the designated area in front of Shuksan hall, Sisneros said.

If the board of trustees votes against the proposed policy, Sisneros said the administration would take another look at the designated areas, and where the best places to have them would be; namely, moving the area in front of Shuksan hall.

Sisneros said that they have been working with the ASB on what the penalty process would be if the policy is approved. He also said that he’s been “talking to colleagues on other campuses to see what they do.”

According to Emily Harrington, ASB president, this idea was initially proposed around 15 years ago.

“The executive council doesn’t take an official stance. It’s our duty to represent all students.” Because students are divided on the issue, “it wouldn’t be true to pick one side or the other,” Harrington said. She said that her job is to make student voices heard, something she said the administration has been very interested in hearing in regards to the policy proposal. “The administration really sought out student voice, and what the impact would be.”



Harrington said it was very important that students understand that as of right now, “until the board votes on it, it remains a proposal.” Right now, she said, they’re just waiting for the board of trustees to vote.



“Any student that would like their voice heard is encouraged to talk to student government,” Harrington said. She said that based on all the conversation she’s had with students, the opposing sides to the issue seem about even, and a large group are indifferent.

Sisneros said: “Eventually, the state might mandate no smoking on any state property. We’re moving in the right direction.”

Man Sentenced For Cigarette Thefts

A Twin Falls man who pleaded guilty to stealing $1,300 in cigarettes could spend up to six years in prison.
Joshua Aaron Cossey, 30, was sentenced Monday in Twin Falls County 5th District Court to serve three to six years in prison on a charge of grand theft. He could be released sooner, though, by completing the state’s retained jurisdiction program.
Cossey was also ordered to pay court costs, a $1,000 fine, a $500 public defender fee and $1,772.50 in restitution.
Cossey was arrested in November after stealing a box of 30 cartons of cigarettes from the Oasis Stop ’N Go convenience store at 515 Washington St. N. and then trying to sell the cartons. Police say he was found with several drug-related items in his pockets including a scale, butane torch, clear glass pipe with 8.6 grams of methamphetamine, and a plastic bag with .7 grams of meth. He was also found with one 9-inch knife concealed under his shirt and another 9-inch knife in a pocket.

Legislature considers ban of hookah lounges, e-cigarettes

Hookah lounges and e-cigarette users could soon be going up in smoke following a proposed bill to the Utah legislature. The proposed bill has already become an early controversy for legislators on the first day of session.

House bill 245 would amend the Utah Indoor Clear Air Act to include tobacco products used in hookah pipes and electronic cigarettes, banning the use of these products in a public environment.

Since the debate over indoor hookah smoking has heated up, business is down for smoke shops and hookah lounges in the state. Opponents to the bill say hookah tobacco and e- cigarettes do not produce harmful second-hand smoke.

"If I burn a cigarette here, you can smell it from there," said Haydar Altalibi. "If I smoke (from a hookah), you behind me can't smell it."

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Bradley Last, said the science about the tobacco products has not determined whether the products are safe to use or not.

"I think the reality of that is that we don't have good data," said Rep. Last. "We don't have good information to show that e-cigarettes are not harmful — there's not good information to show that it is harmful or that they are harmful."
Although data cannot refute the alleged harmful affects, or lack thereof, the Utah Legislature is poised to determine if hookah tobacco and e-cigarettes should be amended into the state's Clean Air Act. The legislation was delayed last September after supporters of hookah lounges protested the product's inclusion.

However, legislators say, where there is smoke, there is probably fire.

"I think this is one of those things where we have to say, someone is inhaling nicotine and they are blowing it out in the air, even though you can't see it," Rep. Last said. "Is that a health risk we want to consider from a policy perspective?"

The ingredients of hookah tobacco are different from traditional cigarettes, with 0 percent tar and less than half of a percent of nicotine. However, the determining factor will not be what is inside the product, but what is coming out of a users' lungs and into public air.

All tobacco is not equally harmful

Your recent editorial endorsed a tax increase on tobacco products other than cigarettes, but it was based on some sweeping statements that are not scientifically accurate or credible ("The 'other' tobacco tax," Jan 20).

You stated: "Tobacco is linked to an estimated 6,861 deaths in Maryland each year … the American Lung Association reports." The Lung Association actually reported that smoking caused these deaths. The distinction is critical because your case for raising OTP taxes is based on the presumption that all tobacco products are equally risky: "Experts say all forms of tobacco are considered harmful to human health no matter whether they are smoked, puffed, chewed or otherwise ingested. Smokeless tobacco, for instance, is often linked to oral and esophageal cancer."

In fact, smokeless tobacco use is 98 percent safer than smoking. While smokeless may be "linked to oral and esophageal cancer," the specific risks are well established in the scientific literature, and they are minuscule. In 2009, a comprehensive review published calculations showing how smokeless tobacco use might have changed cancer deaths among American men in 2005, when 104,737 in the U.S. died from seven cancers directly attributable to smoking. If all smokers had instead used smokeless tobacco, the number would have been 1,102. The risks from smokeless tobacco are so low that, even if all American men had been users, there would have been 2,298 cancer deaths, only 2.2 percent of the number attributable to smoking.
Smokeless tobacco use is vastly safer than smoking, so it is not "foolish public policy" for smokeless taxes to be lower than those for cigarettes. The emerging awareness of smokeless as a cigarette substitute is not just an industry ploy, it has been endorsed by two prestigious medical organizations, the British Royal College of Physicians and the American Association of Public Health Physicians. The Royal College concluded "...that smokers smoke predominantly for nicotine, that nicotine itself is not especially hazardous, and that if nicotine could be provided in a form that is acceptable and effective as a cigarette substitute, millions of lives could be saved."

Auctions being held at historic tobacco warehouse for first time in nearly 10 years

A historic tobacco warehouse in central Kentucky is getting new life.

There have been eight auctions at Peoples Tobacco Warehouse in Danville since the facility was renovated, according to The Advocate-Messenger (http://bit.ly/stKKAa). It's the first time the warehouse has been used in almost 10 years.

Jerry Rankin, who is leasing the building, says growers have traveled from Virginia, Ohio and Indiana to participate in the auctions.

Independent auction houses have dwindled in Kentucky since the 2004 federal tobacco buyout and the loss of price supports. The auctions once attracted more than 20 million pounds of leaf to Danville. This year, Rankin says the total could reach about 3.5 million pounds.

The only other independent auctions in the state that he is aware of will happen in Lexington, Mount Sterling and Maysville.

Many tobacco growers got out of the business, opting to grow crops like corn and soybeans. Others now sell directly to tobacco companies.

Rankin said about 2 million pounds of tobacco has been sold at Peoples and another local tobacco warehouse.

Indonesia not to appeal WTO ruling on U.S. tobacco ban

Indonesia will not lodge an appeal against a WTO ruling on the import ban of flavored tobacco by the United States, citing satisfaction despite losing its argument on the efficacy of the ban in reducing the number of young smokers, the Jakarta Post reported here on Saturday, Xinhua informs.
Director General for International Trade Gusmardi Bustami told reporters on Friday that Indonesia had won the backing of the WTO on its stance regarding the discriminatory nature of the U.S. import ban.
Gusmardi said that his office was preparing a submission on Indonesia's legal position on the WTO ruling and in response to the arguments in the U.S. appeal. He said the submissions were scheduled for Jan. 23.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned cigarettes with fruit, confectionery or clove flavors in September 2009, saying such cigarettes were particularly attractive to children.
Indonesia launched a formal dispute at the WTO against the ban on April 7. The WTO's Dispute Settlement Body issued a ruling on Sept.2, 2011, saying the U.S. violated international trade rules by favoring domestically produced menthol-flavored cigarettes.
The ban affected Indonesia's clove cigarette industry as it immediately blocked nearly 200 million U.S. dollars in exports to the U.S. market.
The Indonesian government deems the ban discriminatory as the U. S. still allows the sales of menthol flavored cigarettes that are produced widely in the U.S. and smoked by about 19 million Americans.

Tobacco products may figure in crime report

If the Union health ministry has its way soon the violations under cigarettes and other tobacco products will also figure in the monthly crime report of the station house officer (SHO) as other crimes like theft, daicoty, murder, rape etc.
In a bid to discourage consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco products, the Union health ministry has written to the states to incorporate violations under the Cigarettes And Other Tobacco Products Act as part of the monthly crime review of the SHO’s at the district level.
The health ministry has asked the state home secretaries, chief secretaries and the DGPs to get the data collated and send it to them on monthly basis. After this, health ministry officials gains significance as it has helped many states in getting the act implemented in a better way.
“Our experience in implementation of the act is that the implementation is best done when the system/mechanism is institutionalised. A few states have been able to do it by putting the violations of the act as one of the agenda points in the monthly crime review of the SHO. This will not only ensure institutionalisation of the implementation of the implementation system but the state information could also be generated and reported back to us,” said the health ministry’s letter.
A person is said to be violating the act if he/she is found to be smoking in a public places. According to the provisions of the Act there is a prohibition in all forms of advertisement and sponsorship of tobacco products, prohibition on sale of tobacco products to minors and within the radius of 100 yards of educational institutions and mandatory depiction of specified health warnings on all tobacco products.
For ensuring implementation of the act any police officer not below the rank of sub-inspector has also been notified to take action against violations of these provisions.

Bringing tobacco to the Tea Party

Tobacco has been a powerful industry in Virginia since the days of the Jamestown colony. It is no less influential today as Henrico County-based Philip Morris USA and its parent firm, Altria, play shell games about the hazards of their products.

Just before Christmas, and right in time for the 2012 election year, Altria trotted out a new Web site called “Citizens for Tobacco Rights” that seems designed to tap some of the anti-government, anti-regulation fervor of the Tea Party movement to boost its top line.

The company says that it is offering the Web site so smokers know their rights. It has a smorgasbord of information about taxation, local and state laws limiting smoking, and other government efforts to restrict tobacco use, which is one of the largest health issues in the United States and kills a about 400,000 every year.

Yet what makes this Web site peculiar is that it goes against the low profile that Philip Morris has generally been keeping since it was one of four cigarette makers dunned for $206 billion by 46 states in 1998 because of health risks.

In 2008, the firm split itself into two parts. Philip Morris International, based on Lausanne, Switzerland, was free to make cigarettes with much higher levels of the addictive nicotine and tar content as ones made in the United States and market them vigorously in some Third World countries, where smokers are less likely to understand the link between smoking and cancer, lung disease and other ailments.

Philip Morris USA, on the other hand, took a far more benign approach, and from its new headquarters in Richmond, clung to a gradually diminishing base of smokers while telling them they really shouldn’t smoke. As the company states on its Web site: “PM USA agrees with the overwhelming medical and scientific consensus that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and other serious diseases in smokers. Smokers are far more likely to develop serious diseases, like lung cancer, than non-smokers. There is no safe cigarette.”

The statement is on one part of the corporate Web site. For an entirely different view, however, click on the new “Citizens for Tobacco Rights” page on another part. One gets the impression that ordinary cigarette users are having their God-given rights trampled upon by nefarious do-gooders and government regulators. Let’s wave the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag. Invite Sarah Palin to speak!

One can only speculate as to why Altria is trying this gambit at this particular moment. An obvious possibility is that the firm’s propagandists want to tap Tea Party sentiment to boost sales. In 2010, the firm reported net revenue of $24.3 billon, a 3.4 percent increase over the previous year.

The firm complains that it has been under heavy pressure since federal excise taxes were boosted in the late 1990s, and many states and localities have banned cigarette smoking in public places. One is New York City, from which Altria retreated its headquarters to Richmond. Another reason for the Web page could be that it’s been a long time since the 1998 health settlement. People tend to forget.

In Virginia, Altria is considered a sacred cow. It employs about 6,000 people and is one of the leading donors to universities, the arts and research. Its impact is especially strong in Richmond, where it operates its last large cigarette manufacturing plant in the country and funds everything from chairs at Virginia Commonwealth University to the Richmond Symphony.

Colorado effort to legalize marijuana turns in signatures

If a campaign to legalize limited possession of marijuana in Colorado is to succeed, it will have to make inroads into skepticism by women, according to a recent poll.
Perhaps that's why supporters of the campaign put more than a dozen women front and center at a news conference Wednesday as they turned in about 160,000 signatures to put the legalization initiative on the ballot. Wanda James — owner of the medical-marijuana-infused- food company Simply Pure — said the showing was intended to counter "a misconception that young men are driving the legalization of marijuana and the cannabis movement."
"It's time for this change," James said. ". . . And it's time for women to lead the fight."
The initiative needs about 86,000 signatures from valid Colorado voters to make the ballot. If the secretary of state's office determines the campaign collected enough signatures, the measure would be the first certified for the 2012 ballot.
The measure would amend the Colorado Constitution to legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for any purpose by people ages 21 and older. People would also be able to grow up to six plants in their homes.
The amendment would also allow for retail marijuana stores, regulated in a manner similar to medical-marijuana dispensaries. Communities, though, would be able to ban pot shops. Consumption of marijuana in public would not be allowed.
Colorado voters in 2006 rejected a similar legalization measure, 59 percent to 41 percent. But the current campaign's proponents say recent polls give them optimism that the landscape has shifted.
A poll put out in December by the firm Public Policy Polling reported that 49 percent of Coloradans say they favor marijuana legalization, compared with 40 percent who oppose it. Women, however, are less confident about legalization than men, with 47 percent in support and 42 percent opposed.
When California voters decided on a marijuana-legalization initiative in 2010, the last poll before the election showed women more against legalization than men. The initiative ultimately failed, despite having majority support in polls months before the election.
That result, said Denver pollster Floyd Ciruli, shows the Colorado campaign is starting from a weak position, as voters generally become more conservative on issues as the election approaches. But Ciruli said a well-funded campaign from proponents could change the pattern.
So far, the campaign has raised more than $100,000 — including about $75,000 from a national marijuana-legalization group.
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, who opposes legalization, said he expects the initiative's proponents to far outspend its opponents.
"Given the amount of money the marijuana industry is prepared to spend, I think there's a good chance marijuana legalization may be approved," Suthers said.

Resolved to Quit Smoking? Will County Wants to Help

Thousands of Illinois residents will resolve to quit smoking during 2012, and many will kick the habit for good.

Smokers wishing to quit should consider several options – stopping gradually or cold turkey, nicotine replacement therapies or other medications, attending classes or calling a Quitline. Once you determine how best to quit, commit to a solid plan and stick to it. There will be challenges, but help is available for those who want to quit for good.

Making a Plan: There are many good reasons for quitting: health, money, family, friends and dozens more. Write down all the reasons quitting is right for you and use the list for motivation when you need a helping hand. It works!

Pick your quitting date a few weeks ahead of time and mark it on your calendar. You may want to consider consulting a physician, especially if you plan to use the nicotine patch or other cessation aids.

As your quit date gets close, you may want to consider cutting back on the amount you smoke. It may also be helpful to start collecting and removing extra packs of cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays from your home and car.

Smokers urged to quit

Smokers across the borough are being urged to quit smoking this new year and make a change for the better.

A staggering 378 people in the Rochdale borough died from smoking related illnesses in 2009.

Research has shown that smokers who quit with NHS support are up to four times more likely to succeed.

Ann Howarth, Service Lead, from the Rochdale borough TASK Stop Smoking Service said: “Quitting is not easy, but it can be made less difficult with the right support and tools.

“We want to help as many people break the cycle of addiction and quit for good.”

Social Worker, Laura Miller from Castleton, Rochdale started smoking at 15 and quit after she became pregnant with her second child, she said: “I have a 14 month old son who follows me around the house and would catch me smoking, which made me feel guilty.

“Going out to the back garden for a cigarette became a struggle because he’d want to come outside and play which wasn’t practical in the rain.

“I smoked 20 a day throughout my first pregnancy which I think has something to do with my son catching coughs and colds all the time.

“When I found out I was pregnant with my second child I knew I had to stop.

“I spoke to my midwife and told her that I needed support because I didn’t think I could do it alone and she put me in touch with TASK stop smoking service.

“They were really helpful and put me on Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), and once a week I visit the local stop smoking service and speak to an advisor about my progress and how I’m feeling.

“It’s been 8 weeks since I last had a cigarette and I’m feeling much healthier these days.

“It hasn’t been easy but with the right support I know I can stay smoke free forever.

“It’s important that I do this not only for myself but so that I can be around to look after my children.”

As thousands of New Year’s resolutions are made new NHS Smokefree research reveals that many smokers are largely underestimating how damaging smoking is to their personal health and finances.