Free Republic

BANGOR - A majority of Maine residents - 79 percent - are nonsmokers, a statistic provided by the Smoke-Free Coalition of Maine on Thursday to local policy-makers, tenants and landlords to get them involved in making their public and private housing facilities smoke-free. The coalition's conference, attended by nearly 50 people, was designed to reduce the involuntary exposure of tenants to secondhand smoke, which can seep through ventilation systems, walls and electrical outlets. The coalition hosted a similar conference on Wednesday in Portland. Twenty-eight percent of Maine's housing is renter occupied, Jim Bergman, keynote speaker and co-director of Smoke-Free...

As a physician who has devoted 21 years to advocacy in tobacco control, conducting research and publishing a number of studies on the hazards of secondhand smoke, it is not surprising that I favor a wide range of anti-smoking measures. But anti-smoking tactics adopted by some municipalities, companies and organizations do not serve smokers or the public. The methods are mean-spirited, unsupported by science and attempt to stamp out smoking by punishing and marginalizing smokers. They go too far. The City Council in Calabasas, Calif., recently enacted an ordinance - supported by several anti-smoking groups - that bans smoking in...

That big cloud of smoke you see leading out of Champaign-Urbana could be the trail of smokers driving to restaurants, bars and bowling alleys in neighboring communities.City and village leaders in Gibson City, Gifford, Mahomet, Monticello, Paxton, Philo, Rantoul, Savoy, St. Joseph, Tolono and Villa Grove all say they have no plans to follow Champaign's lead in passing a comprehensive smoking ban, which will be effective Aug. 1 if Urbana approves a similar ordinance in the next several weeks.Meanwhile, business owners in the surrounding communities say Champaign-Urbana smokers will be welcome there. They anticipate increased sales from C-U smokers looking...

This comes after we showed you video on Thursday night of elderly and disabled residents, risking their lives, shuffling across a busy street. On the other side was the new designated smoking area. Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne discovers our video has revved-up interest in scaling back the state's tough smoking ban. Our new law clearly says you can smoke inside your residence, but there is not an exemption for people residing at assisted living centers. As our cameras found out, that means smokers, already in poor health, may have to brave dangerous conditions to light up. Some legislators say that...

A group of elderly and disabled cigarette lovers say Washington's smoking ban has become extremely hazardous to their health. Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne found them dodging traffic in wheelchairs and walkers. Folks are starting to get used to seeing "no-smoking" signs at bars, restaurants and public buildings. But, what happens when a nursing home bans smoking without making any accommodations for residents? Crossing the street in front of the Bremerton Health and Rehabilitation Center is not for the faint of heart, but that's exactly where we found the faint of heart traveling. No matter their disability, if residents like...

HONOLULU -- Hawaii lawmakers have approved one of the strictest smoking bans in the country. The bill prohibits smoking in almost every public space. The governor is expected to approve the bill. She is a former smoker herself and has always been openly in favor of legislation to encourage smokers to give it up and to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke. The bill prohibits smoking in all public places including: bars, restaurants -- even open air restaurants -- office buildings and any place workers would be affected by smoke. "I think this is a huge step forward for public health...

Milwaukee's proposed smoking ban is smoldering in a Common Council committee and not likely to go anywhere.Last month Alderman Terry Witkowski, who represents the 13th Aldermanic District, suggested any action on the proposed ban be held at the Common Council's Public Safety March 2 committee hearing. No action will be taken until the committee's chair, Alderman Bob Donovan of the Eighth Aldermanic District, schedules it for a meeting.Donovan said he does not plan on bringing the issue up again because he is opposed to the ordinance. "I think it's an individual choice issue, a business choice issue and I don't...

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana restaurant patrons who want an after-dinner smoke should be forced to leave the dining room before lighting up, the full Senate decided today. Senators approved Sen. Rob Marionneaux’s plan to prohibit smoking in all restaurants’ dining areas but allow smoking in bars and casinos, cigar shops, and hotel and motel rooms. Marionneaux cited several polls conducted by anti-smoking groups showing that a majority of residents in Louisiana’s cities support such a ban. “Let’s afford our citizens the right to have dinner with their families without the bother of second-hand smoke,” said Marionneaux, D-Livonia. The...

FRANKFORT, Ky. City leaders in Frankfort are asking restaurants to ban smoking. The Frankfort city commission adopted a resolution 4-to-one this week that would request restaurants and other businesses that serve food to voluntarily ban smoking. The resolution is a request and is not enforceable. The city is studying the need for a smoking ban ordinance. Commissioner Rodney Williams voted against the measure on Monday, saying he could not vote to ban something that is legal.Several other Kentucky cities and counties -- including Lexington and Louisville -- have enacted or are considering some form of smoking ban. 

While a growing majority of Americans favor smoking restrictions in public places, many adults still expose their children to significant health risks by puffing tobacco at home, a Mississippi State University researcher reports. In a scientific paper presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in San Francisco, Robert McMillen, MD cites changes in adult attitudes and behaviors over the past six years regarding secondhand smoke. McMillen’s report, “Changes from 2000 to 2005 in U.S. Adult Attitudes and Practices Regarding Children’s Exposure to Secondhand Smoke,” stems from his comprehensive 2000 National Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control....

Victoria residents continued to receive phone calls on Friday regarding the May 13 smoking ban election - this time from a mysterious group calling themselves "Texas Judicial Watch" - and even though there does not appear to be much Victorians can do about the calls, two Victoria men said mass-canvassing campaigns would not influence their votes. A message left on resident Marvin Williamson's answering machine Friday said that people should vote against the smoking ordinance, because the Texas Supreme Court would strike down any citywide ban, costing the city money. Williamson said he had received several calls this week...

435 cases of smokes, more than $1.3 million in cash, property seized in raids.Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property, cash and contraband cigarettes have been seized as a result of raids this week across Western Quebec and Eastern Ontario. At a press conference at the Quebec provincial police Gatineau detachment, investigators today provided more detail about Project Bleutte, which was first announced Thursday after raids were conducted throughout the region. Police said today the raids netted 435 cases of contraband cigarettes and they seized: 37 vehicles allegedly used for smuggling and distribution of the smokes, $600,000 in real...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - House members narrowly defeated a bill Wednesday that would ban smoking in restaurants.After nearly two hours of debate, the House voted 55-52 to send the proposal back to committee, killing it. The close vote on the floor was surprising for a bill that many thought would never make it out of subcommittee.The measure would have prohibited smoking in restaurants, bars, lounges and recreational facilities but had exceptions for cigar bars and private clubs, such as the American Legion."There's no such thing as safe cigarette smoke," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia. He said he...

You're awakened to the sound of furious pounding on your door. “This is the police, permission to enter!” The voice seems loud enough to wake the neighborhood. You look at your alarm clock - 6:15 A.M. - and you wonder what on earth is going on. You stumble towards the door and open it, only to be greeted by a dozen black-garbed men with submachine guns. They quickly set you aside and begin rummaging through everything you own. One of the officers spots several cigarette butts in an ashtray on your kitchen table, and places them in a plastic bag...

For the fourth time since November, a bill to ban smoking in all Howard County bars and restaurants - this one to take effect June 1, 2007 - has been submitted to the County Council. The move sets up another month of conflict between the health advocates and Democrats who want to eliminate what they consider a public health hazard, and the business owners who fear financial ruin joined by Republicans who oppose a loss of personal freedom. The sponsors, County Executive James N. Robey and Councilman Ken Ulman, both Democrats, said they submitted their bill yesterday because substantive changes...

AUGUSTA, Maine --Private clubs will have new procedures to follow when they vote on whether to allow smoking. Gov. John Baldacci on Thursday signed into law a bill that will allow club smoking policy to be decided by a majority of club members who return ballots, rather than a majority of all of a club's members. The new law will correct what critics saw as a flaw in the current procedure, in which smoking policy is decided by a majority of each club's members. Critics said that poses problems because many club members are inactive or can't be located when...

With less than two days remaining until New Jersey bans indoor smoking in public places, restaurant and bar owners discovered they are facing an unexpected restriction -- no smoking within 25 feet of a building. In releasing 77 pages of proposed restrictions yesterday, the state Department of Health and Senior Services unveiled the "25-feet rule" that might all but snuff out plans businesses had to create outdoor areas, such as decks, where customers could smoke. The ban, called the Smoke-Free Air Act, is scheduled to go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The proposed restrictions are effective immediately, although...

MONTPELIER -- Higher taxes on tobacco products, a tax on soda and an assessment on employers for workers who aren't offered health insurance will be on the table today as the Senate Finance Committee decides how to pay for a health care reform plan. The plan, which includes a new program called Catamount Health targeted at the state's 61,000 uninsured residents, would require $12.5 million in new money next year as reforms begin. The cumulative revenue requirement reaches $137.9 million over four years. The Senate's tax-writing committee reviewed several combinations of taxes and assessments Tuesday that would generate the money...

A House subcommittee passed two bills Thursday morning that would increase the state's cigarette tax. Kelly Davis is a spokeswoman for South Carolina Tobacco Collaborative. Davis says the increase would help stomp out youth smoking, "A cigarette tax increase will first and foremost prevent thousands of young people from smoking, and current smokers to kick the habit." One proposal would raise the tax by 32 cents with money earmarked for expanding Medicaid programs for low-income children. The second proposal raises the tax by 30 cents, creating a trust fund that lawmakers would decide how to spend. It also would...

LANSING, Mich. Legislation to ban smoking in Michigan's bars and restaurants is stalled in the state Legislature -- six years after it was first introduced.Health groups and other supporters of the ban say secondhand smoke is a health risk, especially for pregnant women, asthmatics and restaurant workers.But so far, Republicans who control the Legislature agree with restaurants and bars that argue they should be free to decide whether to allow smoking without intrusion from government.New York City, Chicago, Dallas and 15 states have approved smoking bans in restaurants; fewer have restricted it in bars.