Another marijuana grow busted Wednesday in Berry Creek

In the wake of Monday's 1,000-plant pot bust nearby, sheriff's deputies made a second marijuana seizure from a Berry Creek residence Wednesday. Police arrested Jin Yik Tan, 45, of San Francisco, for the cultivation and sale of marijuana after executing a search warrant at a residence on Little Ridge Road, according to a press release distributed by the Butte County Sheriff's Office. Police seized 724 marijuana plants with a combined weight of 920 pounds from the residence, according to the press release.

The plants were intended for sale but grown under the guise of California's Compassionate Use Act. The Compassionate Use Act regulates the use and cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes. Tan was arrested on suspicion of cultivating and selling marijuana, and his bail was set at $100,000, according to the press release. On Monday, more than 1,000 marijuana plants were seized by the Butte County Sheriff's Office from a Brush Creek residence, as reported in this newspaper.

In that bust, two San Francisco residents were arrested for the cultivation and sale of marijuana and being armed with handguns and shotguns in the commission of a felony. About 1,212 plants weighing more than three tons were seized from two indoor grow rooms and three outdoor plots. Police estimated their worth to be about $4.8 million. Bail for Rui Hu and Harry Liao, the suspects in that grow, was set at $115,000 each.

Cigarette smoking attitudes represent a cultural upheaval

It was not so long ago that smoking was glamorous. Tobacco companies paid millions of dollars for "product placements" to have the most popular movie stars suck on their brands, although they shifted from Lucky Strikes to Marlboros in recent years. In my younger days, newspaper and magazine advertisements and television commercials had medical doctors saying Camels (my brand, unfiltered, at the time) are good for you. In the 1950s, some participants in the Tour de France, which is full swing right now, were urged to smoke as a way of improving their performance.

You don't see medical doctors or professional bicycle racers pitching cigarettes these days, and paid cigarette placements in movies have subsided, although a few paid placements for Marlboros, along with the sneaky paid plugs forCoca-Cola, McDonalds, etc., still contaminate some movies and television programs. Meanwhile, the innocent victims of cigarette smoke, who used to just suffer in silence as carcinogens and other gunk coated the interiors of their lungs along with the lungs of nearby cigarette addicts, are not as tolerant as they used to be. In past years, if I wrote anything negative about smoking, I'd get blizzards of complaints saying I was against the "freedom" of nicotine junkies. Indeed, I do oppose any restriction on behaviors that do not harm the unwilling — be they smoking or other vices and habits.

If you want to rot your brain with drugs or take other risks, I shall make no objection whatsoever. Smoking, however, often affects others in various ways and, when it comes to the acceptance of smoking, it is amazing how the tide has turned. The reaction to Sunday's column about smoking by parasites on public assistance was pretty much 100 percent in favor of my opposition to such coddling. Even more gratifying was the news a few days later that the state is going to try a trial smoking ban in some state parks because of the cigarette filter litter problem, an issue I raised less than seven weeks ago. "It enrages me to constantly see our government rewarding these people for mistakes," wrote Brad Sauerzopf.

That was in reference to last week's story in The Morning Call about a ban on smoking by the Allentown Housing Authority, which regulates public housing in the city, and my column on Sunday, which raised questions about taxpayers being forced to subsidize people who can afford smoking and other pernicious luxuries. "I wonder how much we could save as a country if all the help we gave was closely monitored and how much was spent on cigarettes, booze and tattoos," Sauerzopf said. (Last week's stories in the paper and online were accompanied by photographs of tattooed young men protesting the ban.) "I was trying to understand how a guy adorned with hundreds of [dollars] worth of tattoos and smoking $6-a-pack butts felt he had the right to complain about no-smoking regulations in the housing that I (and you) pay for," said Carl Poehler.

Another win for non-smokers

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Pamela and Gord Weitzel are breathing a smoke-free sigh of relief after a long, stressful battle against a chain-smoking neighbour. The Langley couple are claiming victory against second hand smoke wafting into their home for the past three years. The Weitzels dropped their BC Human Rights complaint against their chain-smoking neighbour after he agreed to install an expensive exhaust fan in his suite and now their strata complex has voted for a “no smoking allowed” bylaw last month. “Non-smokers rights count in this millennium,” said Gord.

He is ecstatic that he and his wife can stay in their ground level condo. Also, his chain-smoking neighbour passed away in April. He was only 68, said Weitzel. Gord and Pam both suffer from health disorders and when they moved into Willow Park Estates, outfitted the doorways with ramps and expensive grab bars. They like their condo’s nearness to Willowbrook Mall and didn’t want to move. They provided their strata with doctors’ notes indicating that the smoking was impacting their breathing.

The strata council said at the time it didn’t have the power to do anything. The Weitzels decided to file a complaint with the BC Human Rights Tribunal in fall 2010. The Tribunal accepted the complaint and served the strata notice. It was only a couple of months ago that the Tribunal awarded a Langley couple $8,000 in compensation for having to live with second-hand smoke at their 53 Avenue condo complex. The tribunal ruled that the strata pay the couple for “injury to their dignity and self respect” and for costs for an air conditioner and naturopathic treatments after having smoke waft into their condo from smokers living below them.

Melanie and Matthew McDaniel had filed a complaint to their strata about cigarette smoke coming into their unit from smoker’s below. Melanie said she is severely allergic and was six months pregnant at the time. She pointed out she had more rights at work than in her own home. It does seem the tables are turning on smokers’ rights. There are fewer and fewer places smokers can light up. Also a recent study released said fewer and fewer teens are taking up the cancerous habit. This year, Metro Vancouver Parks banned smoking in all 33 of its regional parks and greenways, including Derby Reach and Brae Island in Langley. B.C. bans smoking in all indoor public spaces, near any doorways or windows and at bus stops. In Vancouver, there is no smoking on restaurant patios as well.

Waverers urged to keep smoking ban

A CANCER Council official has joined Lord Mayor Lorraine Wearne in urging all councillors to stand firm on the ban on smoking in outdoor dining areas. They are concerned that some councillors have changed their stance on the ban following pressure from restaurateurs and a Land and Environment Court ruling that criticised council officers' application of the ban. Cancer Council western Sydney region manager Rory Alcock congratulated the council in sticking to the ban by passing the revised policy six votes to five last week.

But he was concerned that the matter would go before councillors again next Monday after wavering councillors put in a rescission motion to reverse the decision. Mr Alcock said it had been two years since the policy was first voted in and the community was ready to move forward and accept these changes. "We are pleased to see that the public's health has been put first by the council with this result and we applaud them for showing determination on this issue, but we are urging Parramatta Council to continue to show consistency and vote against this rescission motion and put this matter to rest once and for all," Mr Alcock said.

Councillors Tony Issa, Paul Garrard, Scott Lloyd, John Chedid and Andrew Wilson want the revised policy to be deferred so they can better understand the court ruling. Cr Wearne, who blasted the wavering councillors last week, told The Parramatta Advertiser that she "did not know what those councillors think they can achieve" by the rescission motion, given that anti-smoking councillors Michael McDermott, Prabir Maitra and Paul Barber were away last week.

Tobacco deliveries surpass target

Tobacco deliveries for the 2012 auction season have surpassed the revised target of 133 million kgs two weeks before the close of the marketing period on July 27. The initial output target of 180 million kgs was revised downwards early this year following a decline in the planted hectarage caused by lack of funding. Latest statistics from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) indicate that as of Thursday last week, deliveries had reached 134 million kgs generating $496,3 million in the process.

The crop was sold at an average price of $3,70 per kg. The $496,3 million earned so far indicated a 45% increase from $343 million during the same period last year. Close to 1,7 million bales had so far been sold compared to 1,6 million sold during the same period last year. To date, 77 218 bales have been rejected compared to 111 219 bales discarded at the same time last year. TIMB chief executive officer Andrew Matibiri said given this year’s performance, the board was set to revise next year’s target upwards.

“This shows that tobacco is still coming through. We have an idea on how much we are to revise upwards as the tobacco season ends on July 27 2012,” Matibiri said. In a circular to farmers, TIMB said the flue-cured auction tobacco clean-up sale would be held on Wednesday July 22. “Depending on the volume of deliveries, the clean-up sale may be continued for more than one day until all delivered tobacco has been sold,” reads part of the circular.

“Because of the volumes that are still being received, contract sales will continue until further notice. “Nonetheless, contracted growers are advised to finalise the grading and marketing of their tobacco.”

Eliminating onscreen smoking could help cut teen tobacco use by 18 pc

Killing the "cool" factor of cigarettes and increasing the classification rating for films depicting smoking would have a dramatic impact on youth tobacco usage, suggest researchers. Stubbing out smoking in films aimed at teenagers could help slash the rate of tobacco use by up to 18 per cent, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics. Cinematic smoking is a potent risk factor for teenagers, with every 500 smoking shots increasing the likelihood of trying a cigarette by up to 49 per cent.

Top grossing films such as 'Iron Man', 'Mission Impossible 2', 'Men In Black' and '101 Dalmatians' were among the hits watched by the 6500 children in the study. "Hollywood plays a role by making smoking look really good," the Daily Telegraph quoted lead researcher James Sargent, of the Norris Cotton Cancer Centre, as saying. "By eliminating smoking in movies marketed to youth (it would) lower adolescent smoking by as much as one-fifth," he noted.

Though researchers urged smoke-heavy flicks be given a higher classification rating, they say parents also needed to help steer teens away from danger. "Authoritative parents" who are "effective in monitoring their children" have a strong track record in lowering tobacco use, the study found. "It is also important to motivate and assist parents in restricting access to these movies, which would further reduce adolescent exposure to onscreen smoking," the researchers wrote.

AP too wants hookah parlours banned

Hookah news and tobacco articles: www.tobacco-news.net/category/smoking-hookah
Taking a cue from the Chandigarh police, Andhra Pradesh is planning to ban hookah parlours which have sprung up in large numbers across Hyderabad. The city police had recently launched a major crackdown against pubs and hookah bars and unearthed several violations by their owners including allowing underage drinking and use of narcotics.

 “Some of these businesses were found to be crossing their limits by allowing schoolchildren in uniforms inside their premises. There is a demand from the general public to impose restrictions on such bars,” the city police commissioner Anurag Sharma said. A team of Hyderabad police would visit different cities, including Chandigarh, to study the ban on Hookah parlours, the top cop said.

“I am sending a team to Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Bangalore to study the ban on hookah bars there. I would like to know the rules under which the ban was enforce,” he said. There is a growing trend among the youngsters in the city, particularly minors, to chill out at the swanky hookah parlours.