Businesses Face Choice In Smoking Ban

The statewide Indiana smoking ban goes into effect in just a few days, but some local businesses are still struggling with how to comply. Although the ban will prohibit smoking in public facilities such as restaurants, nursing facilities and mental health facilities beginning Sunday, bars, casinos and other private clubs are exempt. Establishments such as Just-N-Time Bar & Grill, 132 S. Main St., Milford, and Huntington Street Bar & Grill, 704 N. Huntington St., Syracuse, that are already 21 and over and allow smoking will not make any changes in response to the ban. So, where does that leave restaurants that serve as a bar later in the evening? They have two options: ban smoking or ban children.

 While the decision was easy for some restaurants, others still aren’t sure what to do. Duffy’s Pub & Grub, 717 S. Huntington St., Syracuse, will remain a smoking establishment. A sign on the door reads, “Notice to all customers: Effective July 1, 2012, we will no longer have a family room. You must be 21 years or older to enter our facility.” Owner Greg Greed said the decision was a financial one, and an easy one at that. “Economically, adults that smoke bring in more money to my facility,” he said. “Banning it would hurt my business.” The four or five patrons sitting at the bar Tuesday afternoon were all smoking cigarettes, agreeing with what Greed said about the ban. He also said he believes it should be the owner’s decision on whether smoking should be allowed in a restaurant. “I already have enough government in my life,” Greed said, laughing.

 Pie Eyed Petey’s announced Tuesday it would try to give its customers the best of both worlds. The Lake Tippecanoe location will remain a smoking establishment and ban anyone under the age of 21, while the Syracuse location would ban smoking and remain a family restaurant. The announcement, made on Facebook, attracted more than 75 comments within a few hours. Smokers and non-smokers alike were upset with the decision to allow smoking at Lake Tippecanoe. Other restaurants believed they would profit more by banning smoking, including The Frog Tavern and Channel Marker in Syracuse and Ye Olde Pub in North Webster.

The Down Under Bar & Grill, 801 N. Huntington St., Syracuse, has been thinking about the ban for many weeks now. Although it currently offers a non-smoking family room, the bar is not enclosed and smoke can drift throughout the basement. In May, employees distributed a survey to regular customers to get a feel for what the clientele wanted to see as a result of the ban. “The general outcome was some customers wouldn’t visit as often if they couldn’t bring their kids,” kitchen manager Carlos Hall said. However, the owners still aren’t sure what they will do.

“We won’t know until this weekend,” Hall said. “There will be an employee meeting on Thursday.” At that meeting, the restaurant will decide which they value more: the bar atmosphere or the family room. An employee at Jimmy’s Restaurant and Lounge, 407 W. Himes St., North Webster, said they, too, are unsure of what they will do. Restaurants have until Sunday to decide if they will remain a smoking facility or not, and there is no grace period. Violating the smoking ban is grounds for fines of up to $1,000 and the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission will be checking for compliance.

Actors to give voice to anti-smoking ads

Bollywood stars will now be roped in to thwart smoking. The government has finalised a plan to run messages from protagonists of films in which they themselves indulge in the act of smoking. As per the plan, finalised by the I&B and health ministries, an audio message from the lead actor/ actress will be played at the start of the film and during the film’s interval to create awareness regarding the ill effects of smoking on health. The rule has finally seen action in Gangs of Wasseypur which has the anti-smoking warning being delivered by Manoj Bajpayee.

The decision to run voice-overs of the leading actors of the film, that aim at discouraging smoking, was taken after it was found that inserting a video clip inside a running movie was not feasible and could raise copyright issues. It is understood that the Union information and broadcasting ministry has also decided to allow a representative of the health ministry, as a special invitee, on the regional boards of the Central Board of Film Certification so as to oversee implementation of smoking rules. The CBFC grants certification to the films before they can be released for public viewing. Speaking to this newspaper, I&B secretary Uday Kumar Varma stated that the I&B ministry was playing the role of a facilitator in ensuring that smoking is discouraged in all forms.

“We have held wide consultations with all stakeholders and all issues have been discussed to ensure that new rules do not impede the creativity of film makers while at the same time ensuring that smoking is discouraged,” the I&B secretary added. It is also understood that old and foreign films are likely to be kept outside the ambit of new smoking rules. It was felt that while old films had already secured certification, for foreign films this proposal could raise copyright issues. As part of the new rules a disclaimer regarding the ill-effects of the use of tobacco products will be run in the beginning and during the interval of the film. The packets of cigarettes and other tobacco products will also need to be blurred.

Passaic smoking-ban vote to be postponed

A final vote on an ordinance to ban smoking in all municipal buildings, parks, and recreation areas in the city of Passaic has been delayed after the City Council tweaked some of the language. There have been some changes to the language of the ordinance since it was introduced on June 12, Passaic spokesman Keith Furlong said. As a result, the ordinance is being pulled from Tuesday nigh’s agenda and a new version will be introduced on July 3, Furlong said. Furlong said because of the proposed changes, the city clerk didn’t have time to advertise the revised version, so the whole process will start over on July 3.

No word was available Monday on what changes have been made to the bill. “The lawyers just wanted to make sure that everything was done right in terms of the procedure,” Furlong said. The smoking ban appears to have widespread support on the City Council and is expected to be adopted. The original version created a 35-foot radius around all municipal buildings where smoking would be prohibited. It also bans smoking at all municipal parks, playgrounds and recreation areas. Passaic’s proposed ordinance grew out of a statewide campaign by Global Advisors for a Smokefree Policy (GASP), a Summit-based non-profit that has pushed through smoking bans on public property in 122 municipalities in New Jersey.

 Karen Blumenfeld, the executive director of GASP, said the campaign’s goal is to get all 566 municipalities in the state to sign onto the smoking ban. She said the goal of the campaign isn’t to create another way for local police to write summonses to violators, but to send the message that smoking is dangerous to everyone and should not be accommodated in public spaces. “The U.S. Surgeon General has repeatedly said that there is no safe level of second-hand smoke,” she said. “This is really about sending the right message to children in the community that smoke-free environments are healthful environments.”

 Blumenfeld said smokers generally obey the bans and light up only where it is legal. She compared the smoking bans to the use of alcohol, which is generally prohibited in public parks and playgrounds. The original version of Passaic’s ordinance bans smoke from cigarettes, pipes, cigars, or “electronic smoking devices.” Violators would be subject to fines ranging from $250 for the first offense, $500 for a second offense, and $1,000 for each subsequent offense.

Millions of dollars spent in Jordan on tobacco by women smokers

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Jordanians spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year on smoking and women’s consumption of tobacco is actually more than that of men, according to a report. Diana is an example of a woman whose smoking habits support the figures. Diana has been a smoker for seven years and consumes at least 40 cigarettes a day and spends around 150 dollars on tobacco every month. “I love smoking and enjoy it,” she said. “Right now, I am not thinking of quitting.”


 Curiosity and love of adventure is how Diana, like many other girls, began to despite many people frowning down on women smokers. The social factor did not prevent the number of women smokers from increasing until it even exceeded that of men, according to the Expenses Survey report for the year 2010. Some women prefer the water pipe, or the narghile, to cigarettes because they find it more entertaining regardless of the cost. While one narghile smoker says she spends 400-600 dinars every month, another argues that the narghile is cheaper than cigarettes.

 According to Malek al-Habashna, head of the Awareness Department at the Jordanian Ministry of Health, Jordanians spent around 352 million dinars on smoking and this figure jumped to 481 million in 2010. “This means a 36 percent increase in what we call direct expenditure.” Indirect expenditure, Habashna added, is the money the state spends annually on the treatment of the side effects of smoking. “This amounts to 700 million dollars per year.” Several factors drive women to smoke, the most important of which is financial independence and then the desire to follow a “modernized” lifestyle, the remarkable drop in marriage rates, and lack of monitoring on the part of parents.

Poodie’s Hilltop Roadhouse in Spicewood initiates smoking ban

Poodie’s Hilltop Roadhouse, located in Spicewood, has decided to initiate a smoking ban for restaurant and bar patrons beginning July 5. The venue, which was opened in 2002 by Willie Nelson’s stage manager of 34 years, Randall “Poodie” Locke, had allowed smoking inside the roadhouse for the past 10 years. Poodie’s is known as one of the last great roadhouses in Texas and is reported to be a frequent of Willie Nelson and other notable country music figures.

“I’ve been thinking about this over the whole last year,” Poodie’s owner Sharon Burke said. “Everyone’s pretty supportive of the change. Most of my patrons are so happy to see this bar alive and honoring the tradition Poodie left.” The smoking ban was initiated because of health concerns for Poodie’s employees and musicians. “My staff just became so sick after the weekends,” Burke said. “Musicians wouldn’t come in because of the smoke, so patrons won’t come in.”

While smoking will no longer be allowed in the restaurant, there is a two-tiered deck outside to accommodate smokers. Poodie’s will celebrate “The Last Smokeout,” an event to commemorate the last day of smoking, with bands performing throughout the day July 4. The following day, Poodie’s will introduce the policy with headlining acts Larry Joe Taylor and William Clark Green. Poodie’s is located on 22308 W. Hwy 71.

Three caught smoking pot in OCPD parking lot

Spokeswoman Jessica Waters took to the Ocean City Police Department's Twitter feed Thursday to issue a public service announcement to its followers: "Word to the wise ... Smoking pot in the parking lot of the Public Safety Building may land you in jail!" The warning issued is one most would consider self-explanatory, but it came on the heels of OCPD officers catching three men doing just that at about 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

 Ocean City Police house their headquarters at the building. An officer was getting off a midnight shift and, while walking back to the 65th Street building after putting some things in her personal vehicle, smelled marijuana coming from a black Hyundai with its windows down and three men inside. Officers approached Cranberry, Pa. residents Vance Austin Embry, 19, Wayne Michael Jelinek and Julian Dominick Jordano, 19, and ordered them to exit the vehicle.

 While searching the vehicle, officers located several bags of marijuana, paraphernalia and dextroamphetamine -- a drug commonly used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. Having someone arrested for smoking pot in the police headquarters parking lot is a first for as long as Waters can recall, she said. "Every now and then you have a 'wow moment,' and that was definitely a 'wow moment,' as Oprah would say," Waters said.

 Embry was charged with possession of marijuana and three counts of possession of paraphernalia, while Jelinek and Jordano were charged with possession of a dextroamphetamine. Jelinek had been charged the same day with second-degree assault and affray. Those charges spurred from a different incident.

Nomura excluded from $6 billion Japan Tobacco share sale

Japan has excluded Nomura Holdings from working on the government's sale of roughly $6 billion worth of Japan Tobacco shares, in a blow to Japan's largest broker as it grapples with an insider trading scandal. The Ministry of Finance said in a statement on Monday it had chosen JPMorgan Chase & Co , Daiwa Securities , Goldman Sachs and Mizuho Securities as underwriters for the share sale by the world's third-largest cigarette company.

 But it was the absence of Nomura, which dominates Japan's underwriting market with an unrivaled network of retail clients across the country, that caught the market's attention. "This is the sort of deal that one would have expected Nomura to be a shoe-in for," said Makarim Salman, head of Japan financials research at Jefferies in Tokyo. "Investors will start to worry whether there will be other such announcements on the horizon, particularly with Japan Airlines' IPO coming up."

 The decision came after Nomura earlier this month acknowledged for the first time that its employees had leaked confidential information on three separate public share offerings in 2010, confirming the findings of regulators, which have been probing the matter for months. The finance ministry is planning to cut the government's stake in Japan Tobacco to one-third from half to raise money to help fund reconstruction efforts in areas devastated by last year's earthquake and tsunami.

 The deal will easily rank as one of the largest equity offerings in Japan this year and was actively sought by banks eager to gain a track record with the government, even though the fees are expected to be relatively small.

Man pleads guilty in contraband cigarette case

A North Carolina man has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the sale of contraband cigarettes. Calvin Phelps entered the plea to three counts in U. S. District Court. He was indicted for fraud, money laundering, and trafficking in countraband cigarettes. Court documents accuse Phelps falsifying documents showing the cigarettes were exported overseas to avoid paying fees related to the Master Settlement Agreement.

 The MSA charges $5 per carton and is used for Medicaid programs in states who are part of the plan over settlements related to tobacco related illnesses. The indictment says agents set up an undercover business in Guntown called G-Corp. The indictment accuses Phelps of working with the company to act like they were shipping the cigarettes when in fact they remained in the U. S. Court papers say over 997,000 cartons of cigarettes valued at over $3.1 million were sold to G-Corp.

Quinn signs $2.7 billion Medicaid cut, cigarette tax

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Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn achieved one of his top legislative priorities Thursday, signing a $2.7 billion package of cuts and taxes designed to repair a long-term deficit in the state's Medicaid program. The Chicago Democrat signed five bills, including a tax increase on cigarettes of $1 per pack and $1.6 billion in Medicaid spending reductions. "One of our most important missions in Springfield this year was to save Medicaid from the brink of collapse," Gov. Quinn said in a statement.

"I applaud the members of our working group and of the General Assembly, who worked together in a bipartisan manner to tackle a grave crisis." The cuts will mean leaner services for the state's 2.7 million Medicaid patients. More than 25,000 working parents will lose state-funded insurance coverage. Opponents of the legislation have said the cuts will decrease access to health services and hurt the poor, elderly and disabled. Illinois is eliminating extras such as regular dental care for adults.

Medicaid will no longer cover visits to chiropractors and only people with diabetes can see podiatrists. Eyeglasses will be limited to one pair every two years. Prior state approval will be required for wheelchair repairs, heart bypass surgery and obesity surgery. Patients will be limited to four prescription drugs per month without prior approval. The cuts end a program called Illinois Cares Rx that helped nearly 200,000 senior citizens with prescription drug costs.

 Investor-owned hospitals got a new tax break in the legislation, and nonprofit hospitals, which were in jeopardy of losing valuable property tax exemptions because of an Illinois Supreme Court ruling, won a broad definition of charity care that will allow them to avoid paying property taxes. Cook County's health system gained a clear path to federal matching money in an early Medicaid expansion tied to President Barack Obama's federal health care overhaul.

Graphic Warnings on Cigarette Packs Effective, Study

New research has shown that graphic warning labels on cigarette packs improve recall of health warnings about smoking. Some 200 people participated in the study. More than 80 percent were able to remember a graphic warning rather than a text based warning. The researchers used eye-tracking technology to see how the participants see the graphic message. The longer the participant sees a message, the higher the impact of the message will be on information recall.

 Also, the participants had to re-write the warning label text to show how much of it they actually remembered. "An important first step in evaluating the true efficacy of the warning labels is to demonstrate if smokers can correctly recall its content or message. Based on this new research, we now have a better understanding of two important questions about how U.S. smokers view graphic warning labels: do smokers get the message and how do they get the message," said lead author of the new study Andrew A. Strasser, PhD, associate professor at Department of Psychiatry at Penn.

 "In addition to showing the value of adding a graphic warning label, this research also provides valuable insight into how the warning labels may be effective, which may serve to create more effective warning labels in the future. We're hopeful that once the graphic warning labels are implemented, we will be able to make great strides in helping people to be better informed about their risks, and to convince them to quit smoking," said Strasser.

 According to a related study, graphic warnings on cigarette packs may help lower smoking among teenagers. An Australian study also said that graphic warnings are more effective than text based warnings on cigarette packs. In the U.S., cigarette packs will be required to have a graphic based warning starting this September. The tobacco companies are challenging this rule in the court.

Secondhand smoke -- you have a voice

Have you ever been walking, jogging, or running and suddenly entered a cloud of smoke that may cause you to cough, wheeze or have trouble breathing? If so, you may have just been exposed to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is also called environmental tobacco smoke and is a combination of the smoke that is exhaled by smokers as well as smoke given off by the burning end of a cigar, pipe or cigarette. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that secondhand smoke is a mixture of gases and particles that includes more than 7,000 chemicals -- hundreds of which are toxic and about 70 that are known to cause cancer.

Some examples of these chemicals are hydrogen cyanide (used in chemical weapons), benzene (found in gasoline), and ammonia (found in household cleaners). Secondhand smoke is detrimental to everyone's health. Friends, family members, neighbors and even pets are all at a higher risk for illness and disease from secondhand smoke. The CDC reports that six people die in Pennsylvania every day because of secondhand smoke. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, secondhand smoke can increase the risk of heart disease in adults who have never smoked by 25 to 30 percent. Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work are 20 to 30 percent more likely to have lung cancer.

 Secondhand smoke also severely affects children. According to the CDC, secondhand smoke can increase a child's susceptibility to ear infections and may cause more frequent and severe asthma attacks. Children may also experience coughing, sneezing, and shortness of breath as well as an increased risk of bronchitis and pneumonia. There are many ways to avoid secondhand smoke exposure. If you choose to smoke, be considerate of those you smoke around. Please do not smoke in the car or in the house, especially if there are other people around. Also, if you decide to smoke in a public place, please find an area where you are not exposing anyone else to secondhand smoke.

If you are a nonsmoker, politely ask anyone who is smoking around you not to smoke, or to move to an area where others will not be exposed to their smoke. It would be respectful to provide reasoning to the smoker, such as, secondhand smoke causes your allergies or asthma to flare up, there is a "no smoking" policy where you may currently be, or even you are simply very concerned for your health. Providing your reasoning may also affect how receptive a smoker may be to your request. Finally, remember that secondhand smoke affects everyone. Whether or not you choose to smoke, it's important to be aware of your surroundings. Remember that you have a choice, and a voice, when it comes to secondhand smoke(more info: http://www.freetobacco.info/electronic-cigarettes-2/e-cigarette-free-trial-kits-help-quit-smoking/).

Vote upholding smoking ban might show Joplin’s future

Last week I wrote about things in Springfield that I’d love to see take root in Joplin. Add a smoking ban to that list( For more info visit: http://www.tobacco-news.net/smoking-speeds-up-male-cognitive-decline/). Even though I don’t live in Springfield anymore, I’m absolutely ecstatic about the results of a recent election, because the best of Springfield eventually makes it to Joplin. (Examples: Cashew chicken, downtown revitalization, monthly art walk, Target, Andy’s Frozen Custard.) Last week Springfield voters rebuffed an effort to pass a smoking ban that voters approved about a year ago. I’ve discussed the merits of bans and the illogical fears of opponents in past columns.

But Tuesday’s election results in Springfield featured some interesting details: The initiative petition that proposed overturning Springfield’s current ban failed by an almost two-thirds margin. Opponents of overturning the ban outraised and outspent supporters significantly, according to a report in the Springfield News-Leader (I’m guessing because the opponents weren’t wasting money on cigs). One Air Alliance and Springfield Doctors for Clean Air, two groups assembled to oppose the repeal, raised about $72,000 (including a $41,856 donation from the American Cancer Socitey’s Cancer Action Netowrk).

But Live Free Springfield, the group pushing to overturn the smoking ban, raised about $14,000. The ban that petitioners tried to overturn was put in place in April of last year by the same kind of initiative petition. But that ban passed barely -- with a 53-percent majority. Last week’s election drew a turnout as high as 30 percent in some precincts. Joplin and Springfield are similar in a lot of ways. I often compare Joplin to the way Springfield was 10 years ago. Part of the reason I love Third Thursday so much is that’s when Joplin feels alive with energy, creative spirit and a general great vibe -- the exact same vibe I felt when working at 417 Magazine and for a top 40 radio station downtown. Springfield businesses are doing just fine with a ban -- it isn’t killing the city’s economy.

Voters are fine with the ban, enough to give it firm support in a reaffirmation of a vote. However, city governments have been hesitant to act courageously in favor of public health: Webb City voters in an election told their city council that they wanted a ban, but council members didn’t have the fortitude to enact the will of the people. In Joplin, the council considered a proposal from Smoke-Free Joplin, but monkeyed with the language so much that the organization couldn’t support it anymore. One of the arguments against a smoking ban is that businesses should make the decision themselves.

Joplin’s nightlife scene suggests that would work: The non-smoking JB’s and smoking-permitted Blackthorn both do just fine each weekend. Blackthorn has also experimented with smoke-free nights, based on interaction with their customers. And ordinarily, I’d be in favor of letting markets decide issues like this. But the health dangers from second-hand smoke haven’t changed. And if Springfield voters can support a smoking ban so strongly, it makes me wonder how Joplin voters would react to such a vote.

Punjab govt bans shisha smoking

Jun 18 (PTI) The government of Pakistan's most populous province of Punjab has imposed a ban on smoking 'shisha' in all restaurants, clubs, hotels and cafes in this eastern city for a month. "It appears that shisha smoking in Lahore district is increasing gradually, which is not only injurious to public health but has become a source of unethical and immoral activities," said an official of the Lahore district administration. 


A notification issued by district administration chief officer Noorul Amin Mengal said shisha smoking "promotes unhealthy activities among the people and thus creates resentment among the general public, leading to disturb the public peace and tranquillity". The notification said the ban on shisha smoking(read more: http://www.cigarettesflavours.com/hookah-smoking/capital-residents-demand-legislation-to-ban-shisha-smoking/) will remain in force in all parts of Lahore district till July 18. 


"In my opinion, there are sufficient grounds to proceed under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code of 1898 as an immediate prevention and speedy remedy is desirable and the direction hereinafter appearing are necessary to prevent disturbance of public peace and tranquillity," the notification quoted Mengal as saying. Hardline and extremist elements, including religious parties, had been pressuring Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif's government to ban shisha smoking. The groups have alleged that activities like shisha smoking were leading the young generation to "immorality".

Commissioners should all oppose hookah lounge

First of all, thank you Chairman John Nyhan and the three other members of the Hampton Beach Area Commission voting with him; for your leadership in this important matter currently before the ZBA. Our nation was created by difference of opinion among elected representatives who were not reluctant to participate in enthusiastic debate or to stand-up for the concerns of those they represented. Voting present and political correctness was not considered to be options by these spirited patriots resolved on establishing a free nation.

 In many polls taken today I am constantly amazed at the, "I don't knows" and "no opinions." What are we doing with a Hampton Beach Commission with four people who consider their office, employment and/or business causes them to abstain from voting on a critical Hampton Beach issue? It kind of reminds me of Enochs in the ancient royal harems of the Middle East: They were the chamberlains of the facility. They observed the activities, they knew most of the people participating, they even knew how to participate, but never got to participate themselves. In my opinion, the petition for variance to operate a hookah lounge would be contrary to public interests, would diminish surrounding property values and would not improve Hampton Beach in any way.

Bad Tobacco Habits Fund Good Healthcare for Children Read more on Newsmax.com: Bad Tobacco Habits Fund Good Healthcare for Children Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

With California and other states moving to increase cigarette taxes faster than you can say ‘get me a pack of Marlboros,’ there’s a dirty little secret that everyone seems to be missing. Putting aside the fact that this is yet another example of government intrusion in our lives, the persistence of people’s bad tobacco habits keeps the nation’s State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) from folding — and it has since Congress made the taxation of cigarettes the real source for funding in 1997. It’s that stark. Still, proponents of tomorrow’s Proposition 29 in California defend the proposed $1-a-pack tax hike on cigarettes, pointing to the likely reduction in smoking that may occur as a principal benefit. In 2009 President Obama signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) as the new, improved version of the original 1997 law, enshrining retail tobacco taxation as the financing mechanism. So, statutorily, at least, the program depends on as many people smoking as possible. Uh . . . With this kind of logic, perhaps everyone should start smoking. Or are the sacrifices of regrettably tobacco-addicted souls in your community for children’s healthcare — even comfortably middle class children’s healthcare — something you’re actually comfortable with? In the interest of public health I am more than willing to do my part by contributing this special song as a public service announcement to promote the need for every citizen to do their small part to make America healthier. If the onus is on the government to provide healthcare for everyone, then why is it any less ridiculous to encourage everyone to start buying cigarettes? Or put another way, if you don’t buy cigarettes, what kind of citizen are you? According to government website www.InsureKidsNow.gov, the CHIPRA “signed by President Obama allows states to have more opportunities to improve access to these programs.” But look, the numbers are showing up — tobacco usage has been trending generally downward for years now. And the more state-sponsored tobacco cessation programs succeed, the more likely that CHIPRA is to fail since it is run by individual states. Unlike the federal government, the states have no mechanism for printing money! I remember first moving to L.A. as a young adult, doing the “ShaNaNa” TV series, in the late 1970s — feeling an elevated sense of having arrived into modernity and grace partly because Jerry Brown was California’s governor. Frequently admired in Rolling Stone, the rock intelligentsia’s “Bible” back then, Jerry Brown, son of Gov. Pat Brown, was a former Jesuit seminarian who decided against becoming a priest. He dabbled in Buddhism, and you just knew the Age of Aquarius was coming along nicely with his helmsmanship as the simply inevitable governor of the Golden State. He was a new breed for the new age. The Jerry Browns of the political world always seem to revert to type. Individually, they deny us our sovereign choices and take them unto government — with the best of intentions of course. They continue to find ever more creative ways to transfer our wealth back to them. Taxation of cigarettes — like other so-called “sin taxes,” is an easy way around government accountability. Typically, they disguise their intrusions into our lives with some noble purpose, like paying for California’s “early childhood education” with a 50-cent-per-pack tax increase in 1998. Last week Illinois passed a $1-per-pack cigarette tax increase in the name of Medicaid funding. In Alabama, a share of tobacco tax revenue has gone toward surveillance technology, while it was used to fund sewer improvements in South Carolina, and museum expansion in Alaska. Many states commonly put the money toward drug rehabilitation or smoking cessation. Such tax money might just as easily find its way into a state’s general fund, which raises another question: Where will the lost cigarette tax revenue come from as smokers kick the habit?

Tobacco criticised for undermining ministry’s efforts

Minister of Health Dr John Seakgosing has criticised the tobacco industry for undermining the work of his ministry, the Daily News reports. He was speaking during the recently held commemoration of World No Tobacco Day under the theme: Tobacco Industry Interference.

Seakgosing said the country’s vision of a healthy nation by 2016 will not be attained if the status quo remains as it is. He reportedly said the theme aimed at focusing on exposing the tobacco industry’s aggressive attempts to work against government’s efforts of empowering communities and enabling them to make right choices regarding their health.

 Seagkgosing added that the use of tobacco in developed countries had declined due to public awareness but now “The industry has shifted its attention to the less developed countries and is currently making millions of money because of people's ignorance and inadequate knowledge of the harm tobacco does to their health," he said.

Slashing anti-tobacco programs will cost money, lives

The North Carolina legislature is poised to dramatically reduce and probably eventually eliminate the state’s nationally recognized tobacco use prevention and cessation program. Over the last nine years, this program, currently funded with $17 million annually from the state tobacco settlement funds(more information), has achieved dramatic results. High school smoking rates have dropped to historic lows, from 27 percent to 15 percent, and adult smoking rates have decreased from 25 percent to 20 percent.

As a result of the program, approximately 60,000 youth are not smoking today, and 255,450 fewer youth alive today will grow up to be addicted adult smokers. The youth prevention efforts alone have saved billions of dollars. On the college level, the program has resulted in 49 campuses with some-free or tobacco-free policies, protecting 238,000 college students and 27,000 employees on campuses from secondhand smoke. The North Carolina smoking cessation quitline has resulted in more than 100,000 calls and thousands of new ex-smokers, many of whom are uninsured and low income, from every North Carolina county.

Investment in prevention has clearly saved lives and money. Behind all the programs has been the TRU, or Tobacco.Reality.Unfiltered media campaign. Using the true health stories of real North Carolinians, this campaign has received recognition across the U.S. for its effectiveness in telling stories that resonate with youth and adults. Recognized by more than 70 percent of all North Carolinians, the TRU campaign has now become part of the national anti-smoking campaign promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite this progress, the House decided to slash the tobacco prevention and cessation program by cutting funds from $17.3 million to $5.4 million, to prevent any of the funds from being spent on the TRU campaign, spent on the quitline or the college program, arguably the three most effective program components. Moreover, these are for non-recurring funds -- a one time allocation.

Right now, the effective infrastructure will be completely eliminated, with agencies laying people off June 30 because there is no funding. A new program will need to be started -- just for one year. The state must create a new process to apply for funding, which will take months, and such funding ends again on June 30, 2013. With so many restrictions, it is primed to not succeed. Such a decision will benefit only one group in the state: the tobacco industry. No one else has anything to gain from such an arrangement. Arguably it will harm youth, young adults and adults of all ages and in all counties in the state. This decision, if upheld in the Senate without changes, will result in stalling progress, and likely worse, increases in youth smoking rates and more than $185 million more in future health care costs compared to current progress.

As youth, community advocates, hospital administrators, business professionals, nurses, teachers, dentists, physicians, citizens and workers of all persuasions, we should encourage the Senate to make changes that increase the tobacco fund back to the current amount, to promote the effective programs, and to continue making North Carolina a national leader in the 21st century for saving money and saving lives. This was the intent of the tobacco settlement, and it is up to North Carolina citizens and the legislature to honor this intent. Read more: The Herald-Sun - Slashing anti tobacco programs will cost money lives

Philip Morris sues Norway over tobacco display ban

"The reason that we filed (the suit) is that if you can't show your products in stores, which is the case in Norway now, clearly it becomes pretty difficult to compete in the market ... with what in the end is a legal product," company spokeswoman Anne Edwards told AFP. The case opened in the Oslo district court Monday and was set to last through June 13. Following in the footsteps of several other countries such as Ireland and Iceland, Norway in 2010 banned the display of cigarettes in stores in an attempt to cut impulse buys of tobacco products here.

Cigarettes were banished to closed cases and cigarette dispensers do not show brand labels. Philip Morris filed its lawsuit in March 2010 claiming the display ban was a violation of European Economic Area (EEA) rules and the Oslo district court requested an advisory opinion from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) court before hearing the case. That court said last September that the display ban could to a certain extent be seen as blocking the free movement of goods, thus violating EEA rules. It also pointed out that Norway's aim to reduce tobacco consumption was in line with EEA regulations, thus leaving the final conclusion up to the Oslo court.

"The prevention of smoking is clearly the most important single initiative when it comes to preventing cancer and a number of other illnesses," said Anne Lise Ryel, who heads the Norwegian Cancer Society, which is representing Norwegian authorities in the case. "The ban on displaying tobacco in stores is an effective initiative to reduce tobacco use because it blocks a normalisation of tobacco products, protects children and young people from marketing of tobacco products, reduces the risk of relapses for former smokers and avoids impulse buys," she told public broadcaster NRK.

Philip Morris meanwhile disputes the fact that the display ban has had an impact on tobacco consumption. "What you have is a ban that is very restrictive on competition and at the same time there's been no impact on consumption," insisted Edwards, maintaining that Norway instead had seen a hike in "illegal and non-duty paid cigarettes.

Kansas puts age limit on e-cigarettes

Up until now, kids as young as 12 could light up using electronic cigarettes(read more), and it was perfectly legal, but that is about to change. The reason House Bill 2324 had wide bipartisan support is because many were unaware that these cigarettes were legal for minors to buy. However, that is no longer the case in Kansas. Shock and disbelief led to the crafting of the bill after Leavenworth County attorney Todd Thompson learned that minors, prohibited from buying traditional cigarettes, were easily obtaining electronic, low-tar versions.

 "We had heard that there was a trend in schools that they might be buying electronic cigarettes and they don't look like actual cigarettes. They look like ink pens and USB ports," Leavenworth County attorney Todd Thompson said. Thompson believes that likely added to the novelty of these electronic cigarettes. "We worried about the children being addicted and then turning around and becoming addicted to more serious substances," Thompson said. After writing the bill, Thompson presented it to Representative Melanie Meier; KS, (D), who pushed for a hearing which led to its passing.

Gov. Sam Brownback later signed it into law. "Everybody thought, 'Gee, who would've thought kids could buy these anyway?' It seemed like a no-brainier," Rep. Melanie Meier said. "It is basically a nicotine delivery device, and we don't think that nicotine is the right thing kids should be ingesting." Owners and managers of several convenience stores say minors have no business buying electronic cigarettes.