As students, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama flunked the no-smoking cigarettes class.
The three states racked up a row of F's from the American Lung Association's annual report card that grades states on their efforts to curb cigarette usage. The State of Control report looks at four categories: cigarettes prevention, control and spending; state smoking cigarettes restrictions; cigarette tax rate; and state cessation coverage.
Out of the three states, Tennessee has the highest number of smokers -- 20 percent of adults and high school students -- and the highest number of deaths from smoking cigarettes per 100,000 population.
However, Alabama and Georgia are not far behind in both percentage of smokers or deaths caused by smoking cigarettes, with all three states ranking high in national percentages.
"If you can't breath, nothing else matters," said Shirley Cudabac, development director for the American Lung Association in Chattanooga. "There are so many statistics out there, but that is really what matters."
In its annual report, the Lung Association found many states regressed in 2011. No state passed a strong smoke-free air law, and Nevada weakened its existing law. No state increased its buy cigarettes tax significantly and more than a dozen states cut or eliminated funding of cigarettes online control and prevention programs.
Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama all spend only a fraction of the recommended funding for tobacco prevention and control spending.
In addition, three states have some of the lowest cigarette taxes in the nation, with Georgia's ranking fourth lowest, Alabama coming in at fifth and Tennessee adding a few more pennies at the 13th lowest tax in the nation.
It doesn't look as if 2012 will bring many improvements in the tri-state region, said Cudabac, a sentiment echoed by June Deen, state director for the American Lung Association in Georgia.
Although local advocates for the American Lung Association are pushing higher cigarette taxes and more funding for cessation programs, neither seems likely to happen with tight state budgets, they said. Lawmakers are looking to cut programs, not increase them, despite studies that show each dollar spent on cessation programs results in three dollars of savings to states, Deen said.
"We can help a lot of people and Georgia at same time," Deen said. "We know that people want help quitting smoking cigarettes and we know that it's very hard to quit, so we need to provide more options for people to quit."
Both Georgia and Tennessee received passing grades in the smoke-free air category, with state laws in place to restrict smoking cigarettes in government and private workplaces, restaurants and bars. Alabama, on the other hand, does not restrict smoking cigarettes in such places.
Signal Mountain mother Scottie Goodman Summerlin agreed that Tennessee needs to do more to help people stop smoking cigarettes, but she said laws to restrict smoking cigarettes in the state already have dramatically improved life for her and her two sons.
Summerlin calls herself a "regular mom" who volunteers with the American Lung Association to help raise awareness about secondhand smoke. She and her two sons have asthma and immediately notice when someone lights up at a ballpark or other public place.
"I feel like Tennessee has done a pretty good job so far; if you go to other places like Alabama or Nevada, you realize how much you take for granted," she said. "But I would like to see higher cigarette taxes. Studies show that the more you tax [cigarettes], the less people buy."
Showing posts with label cigarettes news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cigarettes news. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Campaign Promotes A Smoke-Free UC
UC President Mark G. Yudof announced that the UC system will launch an official campaign to make all 10 UC campuses smoke-free by 2014.
Yudof formally announced the decision to prohibit smoking cigarettes in a letter addressing all UC chancellors last month. In October, a subcommittee of the UC Occupational Wellness Forum proposed banning cheap cigarettes as well as all other tobacco-related goods such as smokeless e-cigarettes and other nicotine products. In addition, all advertising for cheap cigarette online will be prohibited on all university-owned and leased facilities.
Currently, five UC medical centers and 586 other college campuses nationwide are smoke-free.
In the letter announcing his decision, Yudof said smoke-free campuses would prevent nonsmoking cigarettes students from suffering the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, ultimately benefiting all students.
“As a national leader in health care and environmental practices, the University of California is ready to demonstrate leadership in reducing cigarettes online use and exposure to secondhand smoke cigarettes by creating a smoke-free environment on all of our campuses,” Yudof said in the letter.
According to UC Office of the President Spokesperson Dianne Klein, all campuses will be appointed committees to determine how the new protocol will be implemented and what charges to enforce for policy violations. Klein said chancellors will also be responsible for enacting such policies and ensuring violations result in fair penalties.
“Through the systemwide policy, each chancellor will have the freedom to enact a smoke-free policy on their campuses within the next two years,” Klein said. “However, as the letter stated, all UC smoke-free policies should emphasize an educational enforcement.”
UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang said he plans to meet with a number of campus staff members and administrators to determine local restrictions.
“Each chancellor has been asked to form a committee charged with the task of implementing a smoke-free policy on their campus,” Yang said in an email. “I will be consulting with our administrators, faculty, students and staff on the formation of this committee and our next steps as we move forward with this task.”
Within the past few years, UC health officials have recommended numerous smoke-free initiatives to UC administrators, according to UCSB Student Health Director Elizabeth Downing.
“All 10 student health directors had signed a document urging no smoking cigarettes on campus in 2007, and again in spring of 2010,” Downing said. “Some things we can use in moderation, like caffeine, but firsthand and secondhand smoke cigarettes is never good for anybody.”
Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Wellness at UC San Diego Karen Calfas, who submitted the smoke-free policy proposal made last October, said the university should implement the ban to improve health, reduce health care costs and create a cleaner environment. According to Calfas, the ban is an accurate reflection of healthy practices within the UC system.
“The University of California is a leader in health care and environmental practices,” Calfas said. “Reducing buy cigarette online use and exposure to secondhand smoke cigarettes is important to promote the health and well-being of students, staff, faculty, patients and visitors.”
Third-year chemical engineering major Felipe Mendoza said the ban should not be enacted because UC campuses are publicly funded and lack the authority to make and enforce such regulations.
“We’re old enough to make our own decisions and the UC is a public institution,” Mendoza said. “[The UC system] should not be discriminating against anyone.”
Since existing state laws ban smoking cigarettes in a number of public areas, UC campus grounds can and should abide by the same regulations, according to Klein.
Jennifer Lande, a third-year communication major, said while efforts to prevent secondhand smoke cigarettes and promote a more eco-friendly environment are admirable, the new policy implements restrictions beyond what is necessary.
“Secondhand smoke cigarettes is really disrespectful so it seems fine to ban cigarettes,” Lande said. “But UCSB should not ban smokeless products such as electronic discount cigarettes because that is more of a personal choice of the substance you use.”
Currently, UC San Francisco is the only UC already implementing a smoke-free policy.
Yudof formally announced the decision to prohibit smoking cigarettes in a letter addressing all UC chancellors last month. In October, a subcommittee of the UC Occupational Wellness Forum proposed banning cheap cigarettes as well as all other tobacco-related goods such as smokeless e-cigarettes and other nicotine products. In addition, all advertising for cheap cigarette online will be prohibited on all university-owned and leased facilities.
Currently, five UC medical centers and 586 other college campuses nationwide are smoke-free.
In the letter announcing his decision, Yudof said smoke-free campuses would prevent nonsmoking cigarettes students from suffering the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, ultimately benefiting all students.
“As a national leader in health care and environmental practices, the University of California is ready to demonstrate leadership in reducing cigarettes online use and exposure to secondhand smoke cigarettes by creating a smoke-free environment on all of our campuses,” Yudof said in the letter.
According to UC Office of the President Spokesperson Dianne Klein, all campuses will be appointed committees to determine how the new protocol will be implemented and what charges to enforce for policy violations. Klein said chancellors will also be responsible for enacting such policies and ensuring violations result in fair penalties.
“Through the systemwide policy, each chancellor will have the freedom to enact a smoke-free policy on their campuses within the next two years,” Klein said. “However, as the letter stated, all UC smoke-free policies should emphasize an educational enforcement.”
UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang said he plans to meet with a number of campus staff members and administrators to determine local restrictions.
“Each chancellor has been asked to form a committee charged with the task of implementing a smoke-free policy on their campus,” Yang said in an email. “I will be consulting with our administrators, faculty, students and staff on the formation of this committee and our next steps as we move forward with this task.”
Within the past few years, UC health officials have recommended numerous smoke-free initiatives to UC administrators, according to UCSB Student Health Director Elizabeth Downing.
“All 10 student health directors had signed a document urging no smoking cigarettes on campus in 2007, and again in spring of 2010,” Downing said. “Some things we can use in moderation, like caffeine, but firsthand and secondhand smoke cigarettes is never good for anybody.”
Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Wellness at UC San Diego Karen Calfas, who submitted the smoke-free policy proposal made last October, said the university should implement the ban to improve health, reduce health care costs and create a cleaner environment. According to Calfas, the ban is an accurate reflection of healthy practices within the UC system.
“The University of California is a leader in health care and environmental practices,” Calfas said. “Reducing buy cigarette online use and exposure to secondhand smoke cigarettes is important to promote the health and well-being of students, staff, faculty, patients and visitors.”
Third-year chemical engineering major Felipe Mendoza said the ban should not be enacted because UC campuses are publicly funded and lack the authority to make and enforce such regulations.
“We’re old enough to make our own decisions and the UC is a public institution,” Mendoza said. “[The UC system] should not be discriminating against anyone.”
Since existing state laws ban smoking cigarettes in a number of public areas, UC campus grounds can and should abide by the same regulations, according to Klein.
Jennifer Lande, a third-year communication major, said while efforts to prevent secondhand smoke cigarettes and promote a more eco-friendly environment are admirable, the new policy implements restrictions beyond what is necessary.
“Secondhand smoke cigarettes is really disrespectful so it seems fine to ban cigarettes,” Lande said. “But UCSB should not ban smokeless products such as electronic discount cigarettes because that is more of a personal choice of the substance you use.”
Currently, UC San Francisco is the only UC already implementing a smoke-free policy.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Stamp Out Smoking Announces Big Pitch Film Festival
Stamp Out Smoking has announced its ninth annual drama contest, which has been officially renamed as, "The Big Pitch Film Festival."
The contest invites students to film, star in and produce their own TV commercials. All middle, junior and high school students in Arkansas are eligible to create a 27-second commercial that expresses their creativity and showcases their talent while promoting a tobacco-free lifestyle.
Students will compete for the opportunity to win exciting prizes for themselves, and money to buy new video equipment for their schools. This contest is an essential tool to educate Arkansas youth about the dangers of cigarettes online use.
Again this year, SOS will host a private event to screen qualifying commercials and present awards to contest winners. There will be a first-, second-, and third- place winner in the competition, and the "People's Choice" award returns for a fifth year, after nearly 5,500 votes were cast to select last year's winner.
In 2011, SOS introduced four new placement categories, which will be included again this year -- Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Editing and Rookie of the Year, awarded to a first-time participant school. New to the 2012 contest is the "Best Representation of Topic" award. The video entry from the first-place winner is considered for professional production and airing in the SOS statewide media campaign.
"The Big Pitch Film Festival" challenges students to work with their peers by recruiting team members, researching the health hazards of tobacco, determining the best messaging strategy, and putting it all together in a 27-second commercial. An out-of-state panel of judges will determine the winners, and all eligible participants will be invited to the private screening event to see their finished products. Details for the event will be distributed to qualified participants after submissions are received.
Contest guidelines and details can be found on stampoutsmoking cigarettes.com. In order to be considered, entries for the contest must be postmarked by Feb. 29. Voting for the "People's Choice" award will be available beginning March 14 and ending April 11, and all winners will be announced on stampoutsmoking cigarettes.com by 5 p.m. on April 16.
Prizes for the contest will be awarded as follows:
* Winning school will receive a $2,000 in-store credit for media equipment or supplies and a $50 iTunes gift card for each student on the team, up to six team members.
* Second place will receive a $1,000 in-store credit for media equipment or supplies and a $25 iTunes gift card for each student on the team, up to six team members.
* Third place will receive a $500 in-store credit for media equipment or supplies and a $15 iTunes gift card for each student on the team, up to six team members.
* People's Choice winning team will receive a $25 iTunes gift certificate for each student on the team, up to six team members.
* Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Editing, Rookie of the Year and Best Representation of Topic will be awarded trophies and recognized along with other winners at the screening event.
The contest invites students to film, star in and produce their own TV commercials. All middle, junior and high school students in Arkansas are eligible to create a 27-second commercial that expresses their creativity and showcases their talent while promoting a tobacco-free lifestyle.
Students will compete for the opportunity to win exciting prizes for themselves, and money to buy new video equipment for their schools. This contest is an essential tool to educate Arkansas youth about the dangers of cigarettes online use.
Again this year, SOS will host a private event to screen qualifying commercials and present awards to contest winners. There will be a first-, second-, and third- place winner in the competition, and the "People's Choice" award returns for a fifth year, after nearly 5,500 votes were cast to select last year's winner.
In 2011, SOS introduced four new placement categories, which will be included again this year -- Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Editing and Rookie of the Year, awarded to a first-time participant school. New to the 2012 contest is the "Best Representation of Topic" award. The video entry from the first-place winner is considered for professional production and airing in the SOS statewide media campaign.
"The Big Pitch Film Festival" challenges students to work with their peers by recruiting team members, researching the health hazards of tobacco, determining the best messaging strategy, and putting it all together in a 27-second commercial. An out-of-state panel of judges will determine the winners, and all eligible participants will be invited to the private screening event to see their finished products. Details for the event will be distributed to qualified participants after submissions are received.
Contest guidelines and details can be found on stampoutsmoking cigarettes.com. In order to be considered, entries for the contest must be postmarked by Feb. 29. Voting for the "People's Choice" award will be available beginning March 14 and ending April 11, and all winners will be announced on stampoutsmoking cigarettes.com by 5 p.m. on April 16.
Prizes for the contest will be awarded as follows:
* Winning school will receive a $2,000 in-store credit for media equipment or supplies and a $50 iTunes gift card for each student on the team, up to six team members.
* Second place will receive a $1,000 in-store credit for media equipment or supplies and a $25 iTunes gift card for each student on the team, up to six team members.
* Third place will receive a $500 in-store credit for media equipment or supplies and a $15 iTunes gift card for each student on the team, up to six team members.
* People's Choice winning team will receive a $25 iTunes gift certificate for each student on the team, up to six team members.
* Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Editing, Rookie of the Year and Best Representation of Topic will be awarded trophies and recognized along with other winners at the screening event.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
CASC Stamps Out Smoking On Campus
Carl Albert State College regents unanimously voted Tuesday to make the campus 100 percent buy cigarette online free.
The policy will take effect Aug. 1.
CASC Vice President of Student Affairs Leah McLaughlin originally presented the regents with a policy that would ban only smoking cigarettes and leave other forms of buy cigarettes unrestricted.
However, the regents decided to amend the policy to include all forms of tobacco.
“It would be very easy to change it to tobacco-free,” McLaughlin said, adding that the student government, which originally pushed for the policy change, would support the change.
The faculty and staff at CASC were also supportive of the original smoke-free policy, McLaughlin said. She said 79 percent of the faculty and staff supported that measure, 18 percent weren’t supportive, and 3 percent were undecided. Students were 70 percent in favor of the original smoke-free policy, according to McLaughlin.
The tobacco-free policy was quickly amended following Tuesday’s meeting to include all forms of cigarettes and is still subject to change, said Judi White, CASC’s public relations director. It includes all forms of tobacco, including electronic cigarettes, and states that visitors are subject to the ban. Tobacco-use cessation programs will be available to those who desire to quit using tobacco.
The initial policy includes three parts regarding enforcement.
Faculty and staff who violate the policy will be handled by the Office for Human Resources, and supervisors will be made aware of the violations and help with the discipline process.
The Office of Student Conduct will handle student violators.
The Office of Campus Police will handle visitors who violate the policy. “Visitors will be informed that CASC is a tobacco-free campus. Visitors who continue to violate the policy following a warning will be escorted off-campus,” the policy states.
McLaughlin also said if larger universities in the state like Oklahoma State University are tobacco-free, then CASC can implement the policy as well.
According to the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, 639 colleges and universities in the country — including all public colleges and universities in Arkansas and 17 in Oklahoma — are 100 percent smoke-free as of Jan. 2.
According to the American Lung Association, 258 colleges and universities in the country — including seven in Arkansas and 12 in Oklahoma — prohibit smoking cigarettes and all forms of tobacco everywhere on campus as of January 2012.
The next step is advertising the change as well as training and preparing the campus for the change, McLaughlin said.
Also Tuesday, James Yates, vice president of academic affairs, presented the regents with preliminary enrollment figures for the spring 2012 semester.
According to Yates, 2,542 students are enrolled at CASC this spring. On the Poteau campus were 1,708 students, 767 students are enrolled at the Sallisaw campus, and 67 are enrolled online, Yates said.
The numbers are preliminary and could change because today is the last day of enrollment, and there is a period where students can add or drop classes.
The numbers are a “slight increase,” which is “very positive,” Yates said.
“We won’t know until the final numbers are in,” he said.
The regents also unanimously approved the removal of a $15 fee students pay to graduate. CASC President Brandon Webb said he wanted to remove any barrier students might have to graduate.
“We shouldn’t ask them to pay for this milestone,” he said.
The policy will take effect Aug. 1.
CASC Vice President of Student Affairs Leah McLaughlin originally presented the regents with a policy that would ban only smoking cigarettes and leave other forms of buy cigarettes unrestricted.
However, the regents decided to amend the policy to include all forms of tobacco.
“It would be very easy to change it to tobacco-free,” McLaughlin said, adding that the student government, which originally pushed for the policy change, would support the change.
The faculty and staff at CASC were also supportive of the original smoke-free policy, McLaughlin said. She said 79 percent of the faculty and staff supported that measure, 18 percent weren’t supportive, and 3 percent were undecided. Students were 70 percent in favor of the original smoke-free policy, according to McLaughlin.
The tobacco-free policy was quickly amended following Tuesday’s meeting to include all forms of cigarettes and is still subject to change, said Judi White, CASC’s public relations director. It includes all forms of tobacco, including electronic cigarettes, and states that visitors are subject to the ban. Tobacco-use cessation programs will be available to those who desire to quit using tobacco.
The initial policy includes three parts regarding enforcement.
Faculty and staff who violate the policy will be handled by the Office for Human Resources, and supervisors will be made aware of the violations and help with the discipline process.
The Office of Student Conduct will handle student violators.
The Office of Campus Police will handle visitors who violate the policy. “Visitors will be informed that CASC is a tobacco-free campus. Visitors who continue to violate the policy following a warning will be escorted off-campus,” the policy states.
McLaughlin also said if larger universities in the state like Oklahoma State University are tobacco-free, then CASC can implement the policy as well.
According to the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, 639 colleges and universities in the country — including all public colleges and universities in Arkansas and 17 in Oklahoma — are 100 percent smoke-free as of Jan. 2.
According to the American Lung Association, 258 colleges and universities in the country — including seven in Arkansas and 12 in Oklahoma — prohibit smoking cigarettes and all forms of tobacco everywhere on campus as of January 2012.
The next step is advertising the change as well as training and preparing the campus for the change, McLaughlin said.
Also Tuesday, James Yates, vice president of academic affairs, presented the regents with preliminary enrollment figures for the spring 2012 semester.
According to Yates, 2,542 students are enrolled at CASC this spring. On the Poteau campus were 1,708 students, 767 students are enrolled at the Sallisaw campus, and 67 are enrolled online, Yates said.
The numbers are preliminary and could change because today is the last day of enrollment, and there is a period where students can add or drop classes.
The numbers are a “slight increase,” which is “very positive,” Yates said.
“We won’t know until the final numbers are in,” he said.
The regents also unanimously approved the removal of a $15 fee students pay to graduate. CASC President Brandon Webb said he wanted to remove any barrier students might have to graduate.
“We shouldn’t ask them to pay for this milestone,” he said.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
New Mexico Bill Would More Than Double Tobacco Products Taxes
A bill has been introduced in the New Mexico legislature that would more than double the tax rate on OTP — cheap cigarettes products other than cigarettes, such as smokeless and cigars — from 25% of the product’s value to 57% of the product’s value.
Perhaps more significant is the bill’s expanded definition of “tobacco products,” which would be redefined to include “any product containing buy cigarette online that is intended or expected to be consumed without being combusted, unless it has been approved by the United States food and drug administration as a online cigarettes use cessation product and is being marketed and sold for that approved purpose.” This could arguably cover electronic cigarettes, which generally contain a tobacco solution that is consumed without being combusted.
Will the bill be construed to cover electronic cigarettes, which thus far have escaped states’ efforts to generate revenue from tobacco? Stay tuned.
Perhaps more significant is the bill’s expanded definition of “tobacco products,” which would be redefined to include “any product containing buy cigarette online that is intended or expected to be consumed without being combusted, unless it has been approved by the United States food and drug administration as a online cigarettes use cessation product and is being marketed and sold for that approved purpose.” This could arguably cover electronic cigarettes, which generally contain a tobacco solution that is consumed without being combusted.
Will the bill be construed to cover electronic cigarettes, which thus far have escaped states’ efforts to generate revenue from tobacco? Stay tuned.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Sandoval County Considering Eliminating Jailhouse Smoking
County commissioners are set to vote on whether to ban buy cigarette online products from the grounds of the county jail. The measure is on the agenda for the commission meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday in the county administration building in Bernalillo.
If approved, the ban would prevent inmates from using or having cheap cigarette online products. Staff members would be allowed to use and have them only in the employee parking lot. As it stands, inmates and staff can smoke cigarettes in outdoor areas.
Detention Center Director Al Casamento said the ban is aimed at creating a healthier environment for employees and inmates.
Commis-sioner Don Leonard said he supports the ban because the county must pay for health care for inmates, including state prisoners housed in Sandoval County. Removing cigarettes for sale use could curb health problems in both smokers and inmates exposed to second-hand smoke, he said.
"I'm sure it's going to be tough," Leonard said.
Some inmates are addicted to tobacco, so the ban will be a struggle, he continued. However, Leonard said taxpayers should get relief because they would pay for fewer inmate medical problems.
The ban would forbid staff, inmates, visitors and contractors from having or using tobacco inside or on the outdoor grounds of the jail or in jail vehicles, according to county documents. Inmates would never be able to use or have tobacco products, including when they were off-site under supervision of jail personnel.
According to county documents, inmates caught with tobacco could receive administrative discipline and criminal charges under the ban. Visitors and contractors are subject to revocation of their security clearance and immediate removal, as well as possible criminal charges.
Staff found with tobacco on jail grounds, except in the employee parking lot, could receive discipline up to and including termination, and might face criminal charges as well, according to the information.
If the commission approves the ban, it's scheduled to take effect June 4.
Commissioner Don Chapman said detention center staff must think the new rule is a good idea if they're coming forward with it, and he agrees.
"Smoking is hazardous to your health," he said.
If approved, the ban would prevent inmates from using or having cheap cigarette online products. Staff members would be allowed to use and have them only in the employee parking lot. As it stands, inmates and staff can smoke cigarettes in outdoor areas.
Detention Center Director Al Casamento said the ban is aimed at creating a healthier environment for employees and inmates.
Commis-sioner Don Leonard said he supports the ban because the county must pay for health care for inmates, including state prisoners housed in Sandoval County. Removing cigarettes for sale use could curb health problems in both smokers and inmates exposed to second-hand smoke, he said.
"I'm sure it's going to be tough," Leonard said.
Some inmates are addicted to tobacco, so the ban will be a struggle, he continued. However, Leonard said taxpayers should get relief because they would pay for fewer inmate medical problems.
The ban would forbid staff, inmates, visitors and contractors from having or using tobacco inside or on the outdoor grounds of the jail or in jail vehicles, according to county documents. Inmates would never be able to use or have tobacco products, including when they were off-site under supervision of jail personnel.
According to county documents, inmates caught with tobacco could receive administrative discipline and criminal charges under the ban. Visitors and contractors are subject to revocation of their security clearance and immediate removal, as well as possible criminal charges.
Staff found with tobacco on jail grounds, except in the employee parking lot, could receive discipline up to and including termination, and might face criminal charges as well, according to the information.
If the commission approves the ban, it's scheduled to take effect June 4.
Commissioner Don Chapman said detention center staff must think the new rule is a good idea if they're coming forward with it, and he agrees.
"Smoking is hazardous to your health," he said.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Tobacco Ban OK At Jail
Beginning June 4, online cigarettes will become a contraband item at the Sandoval County Detention Center.
Sandoval County commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a policy change proposed by Detention Center director Al Casamento to prohibit the possession and consumption of all cigarettes products at the jail. The ban covers staff, visitors and contractors as well as inmates.
At present, inmates and staff are allowed to smoke cigarettes in outdoor areas at the jail.
Casamento said staff faced with the prospect of having to give up discount cigarette online or chew during their work shift can take advantage of smoking cigarettes cessation classes. Inmates, who can spend up to 364 days in the county lock-up, will have to go cold turkey.
They will be able to call a state phone number that offers counseling for people who want to quit, but they won’t be able to use a patch or Nicorette, Casamento said.
He plans to give out hard candy to help folks kick the habit.
“I think this is a great idea,” Commissioner Don Leonard said, citing the health risks associated with discount cigarettes use.
Leonard pointed out that the county has to cover health-care costs for inmates and is under pressure from the state to reduce those costs.
The ban is modeled on a policy in effect at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County, Casamento said, adding that his own staff was the driving force in introducing it at the Sandoval County Detention Center.
Once in effect, any tobacco products discovered inside the detention center structure will be confiscated and violators could face felony criminal charges. Staff also could face termination.
Commissioner Don Chapman said he, too, liked the policy.
“I like that it’s got some teeth to it,” Chapman said.
Sandoval County commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a policy change proposed by Detention Center director Al Casamento to prohibit the possession and consumption of all cigarettes products at the jail. The ban covers staff, visitors and contractors as well as inmates.
At present, inmates and staff are allowed to smoke cigarettes in outdoor areas at the jail.
Casamento said staff faced with the prospect of having to give up discount cigarette online or chew during their work shift can take advantage of smoking cigarettes cessation classes. Inmates, who can spend up to 364 days in the county lock-up, will have to go cold turkey.
They will be able to call a state phone number that offers counseling for people who want to quit, but they won’t be able to use a patch or Nicorette, Casamento said.
He plans to give out hard candy to help folks kick the habit.
“I think this is a great idea,” Commissioner Don Leonard said, citing the health risks associated with discount cigarettes use.
Leonard pointed out that the county has to cover health-care costs for inmates and is under pressure from the state to reduce those costs.
The ban is modeled on a policy in effect at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County, Casamento said, adding that his own staff was the driving force in introducing it at the Sandoval County Detention Center.
Once in effect, any tobacco products discovered inside the detention center structure will be confiscated and violators could face felony criminal charges. Staff also could face termination.
Commissioner Don Chapman said he, too, liked the policy.
“I like that it’s got some teeth to it,” Chapman said.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
St. Francis Wins State Grant For Anti-tobacco Efforts
Monroe’s St. Francis Medical Center will use a grant awarded by the state’s health department for cheap cigarettes cessation and control programs.
The grant award, announced Tuesday by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, provides funds to health care facilities committed to using research-based strategies for cigarettes online prevention, control and awareness, empowering citizens to make healthy lifestyle choices and reduce buy cigarettes use.
St. Francis was one of nine hospitals that applied, and one of four that was awarded funding, according to a DHH news release.
The other recipients were CHRISTUS Schumpert Health System of Shreveport, Women & Children’s Hospital of Lake Charles and Ochsner Clinic Foundation of New Orleans, the release stated.
“We’re very pleased that we’ve been chosen as one of the four recipients,” said Louis Bremer, president and chief executive officer of St. Francis Medical Center. “It will enable us to further our efforts on trying to make a positive impact on the health status of our community as a whole and, more specifically, having a positive impact relative to reducing the number of people who smoke, reducing secondhand
smoke, getting people who smoke cigarettes to quit (or) using smoke-free tobacco products to quit, and hopefully creating enough education (for) others who may be thinking about smoking cigarettes to never start.”
Each hospital is expected to use the funds within 2 1/2 years to eliminate nonsmokers’ exposure to secondhand smoke cigarettes by establishing tobacco-free policies; promoting tobacco cessation; increasing education for at-risk populations; or preventing the initiation of tobacco use among young people, according to DHH.
Recipients were selected based on their existing infrastructure and abilities to implement an effective tobacco control program, said Rene Stansbury, tobacco control coordinator for Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center, which partnered with DHH’s Tobacco Control Program.
For instance, Bremer said St. Francis already has a history of adopting policies relative to having a smoke-free environment, both inside the building and outside on the hospital’s property. So far, efforts have centered on smoking cigarettes cessation classes, offering patches, medications and incentives to encourage the hospital’s staff to quit smoking cigarettes. Now, with additional resources, the hospital will try to take these efforts beyond its walls to have a greater impact on the community.
“It encourages us to work with local governments throughout the region, municipalities, such that they can, for example, implement regulations for smoke-free parks and things of that nature,” he said.
He added that the program initiatives are important as 22 percent of adults in Louisiana smoke, compared to the national average of about 17 percent.
“It’s clear that people in Louisiana are utlizing tobacco at a heavier rate,” he said.
The state health department estimate 6,500 adults in Louisiana die each year from smoking cigarettes or from diseases caused by secondhand smoke.
Bremer noted smoking cigarettes is linked to several diseases that negatively impact the health Louisiana residents. That adds to the state’s reputation of landing at the bottom of national health rankings, he said.
The grant award, announced Tuesday by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, provides funds to health care facilities committed to using research-based strategies for cigarettes online prevention, control and awareness, empowering citizens to make healthy lifestyle choices and reduce buy cigarettes use.
St. Francis was one of nine hospitals that applied, and one of four that was awarded funding, according to a DHH news release.
The other recipients were CHRISTUS Schumpert Health System of Shreveport, Women & Children’s Hospital of Lake Charles and Ochsner Clinic Foundation of New Orleans, the release stated.
“We’re very pleased that we’ve been chosen as one of the four recipients,” said Louis Bremer, president and chief executive officer of St. Francis Medical Center. “It will enable us to further our efforts on trying to make a positive impact on the health status of our community as a whole and, more specifically, having a positive impact relative to reducing the number of people who smoke, reducing secondhand
smoke, getting people who smoke cigarettes to quit (or) using smoke-free tobacco products to quit, and hopefully creating enough education (for) others who may be thinking about smoking cigarettes to never start.”
Each hospital is expected to use the funds within 2 1/2 years to eliminate nonsmokers’ exposure to secondhand smoke cigarettes by establishing tobacco-free policies; promoting tobacco cessation; increasing education for at-risk populations; or preventing the initiation of tobacco use among young people, according to DHH.
Recipients were selected based on their existing infrastructure and abilities to implement an effective tobacco control program, said Rene Stansbury, tobacco control coordinator for Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center, which partnered with DHH’s Tobacco Control Program.
For instance, Bremer said St. Francis already has a history of adopting policies relative to having a smoke-free environment, both inside the building and outside on the hospital’s property. So far, efforts have centered on smoking cigarettes cessation classes, offering patches, medications and incentives to encourage the hospital’s staff to quit smoking cigarettes. Now, with additional resources, the hospital will try to take these efforts beyond its walls to have a greater impact on the community.
“It encourages us to work with local governments throughout the region, municipalities, such that they can, for example, implement regulations for smoke-free parks and things of that nature,” he said.
He added that the program initiatives are important as 22 percent of adults in Louisiana smoke, compared to the national average of about 17 percent.
“It’s clear that people in Louisiana are utlizing tobacco at a heavier rate,” he said.
The state health department estimate 6,500 adults in Louisiana die each year from smoking cigarettes or from diseases caused by secondhand smoke.
Bremer noted smoking cigarettes is linked to several diseases that negatively impact the health Louisiana residents. That adds to the state’s reputation of landing at the bottom of national health rankings, he said.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Alexandrians Are Breathing Easier
The ban on smoking cigarettes in bars and gaming establishments in Alexandria has made an immediate impact on air quality in those venues, a study released on Wednesday shows.
The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco Free Living released the results of a study of air quality levels at 12 city bars on Jan. 6. The Alexandria City Council voted last year to ban smoking cigarettes in all city bars and gaming establishments effective Jan. 1.
The data collected in the study was analyzed by the LSU Health Sciences Center's School of Public Health in New Orleans. The study showed that air inside the facilities is now 36 times cleaner and has seen a reduction of 97 percent of the particulate matters in the air.
Dr. Daniel Harrington, an occupational health and air quality professor at LSU Health Sciences Center's School of Public Health in New Orleans, said a study of smoking cigarettes bars in Alexandria before the ban showed that air quality levels were nearly double what the Environmental Protection Agency considers "hazardous" levels.
"We've all known for a very long time about the hazards of cheap cigarettes smoke," Harrington said.
Last month's study, however, showed the air quality in the bars not only falls within the range of "good" air quality, but it's also near the same quality as the "fresh air" located outside the bars.
"I think that's a tremendous accomplishment," Harrington said.
Dr. David Holcombe, medical director for Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Region 6 in Alexandria, said the statistics pretty much speak for themselves.
"I don't have a lot to say," Holcombe said. "From a public health standpoint, this" -- pointing at the air quality study from the smoking cigarettes bars -- "causes cancer, and this" -- pointing at the new study released Wednesday -- "doesn't."
Joe Rosier, CEO of The Rapides Foundation, which hosted Wednesday's announcement, said the study is proof that the "efforts to reduce the use of cigarettes and its effect on people" in Central Louisiana are working.
"We say congratulations on this early success, and we look forward to working together to better health in Central Louisiana," Rosier said.
Carlette Christmas, a local radio host who was the emcee of Wednesday's announcement, said the results of the study show the ordinance already is making a "tremendous, positive impact" on the lives of Cenla's residents.
"Breathing clean air is something that all employees deserve," Christmas said.
Not everyone has been happy with the smoking cigarettes ban, though. Many bar owners have been outspoken critics, saying they feel their businesses have been unfairly targeted and discriminated against.
Alexandria Police Chief Loren Lampert said he hasn't received any complaints or been told about any problems surrounding the ordinance, and so far only one citation has been issued for violating the smoking cigarettes ban.
"We provided officers with a copy of the ordinance and have afforded them the discretion to act with professionalism and common sense -- as with any other such ordinance," Lampert said. "If an officer sees a violation or a violation is reported -- the officer should investigate and assure compliance and cite if appropriate."
City Council Vice President Mitzi Gibson said she welcomes all voices on the issue. She wants to hear from business owners and residents who are both happy about the ordinance and upset that it's been put into place.
That feedback is valuable for any lawmaker, she said. However, after just one month of the smoking cigarettes ban being in place, Gibson said, it's far too early to consider any changes, no matter how many people might be upset.
"We are going to give it some time," Gibson said.
Not only does Councilman Roosevelt Johnson want to give the Alexandria ordinance some time to take hold, but he also wants the ordinance to expand to other cities across the state.
Johnson, an at-large councilman, was one of the officials who spearheaded the smoking cigarettes ban while he was president of the council in 2010 and 2011. He said he looks forward to working with officials in other cities, including his hometown of Natchitoches, which Johnson hopes will be the next city to enact a tough anti-smoking cigarettes ordinance.
"I want other cities to follow Alexandria and lead Louisiana to be smoke-free," Johnson said.
The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco Free Living released the results of a study of air quality levels at 12 city bars on Jan. 6. The Alexandria City Council voted last year to ban smoking cigarettes in all city bars and gaming establishments effective Jan. 1.
The data collected in the study was analyzed by the LSU Health Sciences Center's School of Public Health in New Orleans. The study showed that air inside the facilities is now 36 times cleaner and has seen a reduction of 97 percent of the particulate matters in the air.
Dr. Daniel Harrington, an occupational health and air quality professor at LSU Health Sciences Center's School of Public Health in New Orleans, said a study of smoking cigarettes bars in Alexandria before the ban showed that air quality levels were nearly double what the Environmental Protection Agency considers "hazardous" levels.
"We've all known for a very long time about the hazards of cheap cigarettes smoke," Harrington said.
Last month's study, however, showed the air quality in the bars not only falls within the range of "good" air quality, but it's also near the same quality as the "fresh air" located outside the bars.
"I think that's a tremendous accomplishment," Harrington said.
Dr. David Holcombe, medical director for Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Region 6 in Alexandria, said the statistics pretty much speak for themselves.
"I don't have a lot to say," Holcombe said. "From a public health standpoint, this" -- pointing at the air quality study from the smoking cigarettes bars -- "causes cancer, and this" -- pointing at the new study released Wednesday -- "doesn't."
Joe Rosier, CEO of The Rapides Foundation, which hosted Wednesday's announcement, said the study is proof that the "efforts to reduce the use of cigarettes and its effect on people" in Central Louisiana are working.
"We say congratulations on this early success, and we look forward to working together to better health in Central Louisiana," Rosier said.
Carlette Christmas, a local radio host who was the emcee of Wednesday's announcement, said the results of the study show the ordinance already is making a "tremendous, positive impact" on the lives of Cenla's residents.
"Breathing clean air is something that all employees deserve," Christmas said.
Not everyone has been happy with the smoking cigarettes ban, though. Many bar owners have been outspoken critics, saying they feel their businesses have been unfairly targeted and discriminated against.
Alexandria Police Chief Loren Lampert said he hasn't received any complaints or been told about any problems surrounding the ordinance, and so far only one citation has been issued for violating the smoking cigarettes ban.
"We provided officers with a copy of the ordinance and have afforded them the discretion to act with professionalism and common sense -- as with any other such ordinance," Lampert said. "If an officer sees a violation or a violation is reported -- the officer should investigate and assure compliance and cite if appropriate."
City Council Vice President Mitzi Gibson said she welcomes all voices on the issue. She wants to hear from business owners and residents who are both happy about the ordinance and upset that it's been put into place.
That feedback is valuable for any lawmaker, she said. However, after just one month of the smoking cigarettes ban being in place, Gibson said, it's far too early to consider any changes, no matter how many people might be upset.
"We are going to give it some time," Gibson said.
Not only does Councilman Roosevelt Johnson want to give the Alexandria ordinance some time to take hold, but he also wants the ordinance to expand to other cities across the state.
Johnson, an at-large councilman, was one of the officials who spearheaded the smoking cigarettes ban while he was president of the council in 2010 and 2011. He said he looks forward to working with officials in other cities, including his hometown of Natchitoches, which Johnson hopes will be the next city to enact a tough anti-smoking cigarettes ordinance.
"I want other cities to follow Alexandria and lead Louisiana to be smoke-free," Johnson said.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Casino Smoking Ban Exemption A Target
Health advocates and gambling executives vented Thursday about a bill repealing an exemption held by casinos from the statewide indoor smoking cigarettes ban.
Kansas lawmakers two years ago adopted a sweeping prohibition on smoking cigarettes inside buildings accessible to the public that specifically exempted state-operated casinos opened in Dodge City, Mulvane and Kansas City, Kan.
Favoritism shown these new gambling venues has been ridiculed as unfair by owners of other businesses, but also touted as a necessity if the casinos are to be economically competitive. The statute allows smoking cigarettes on casino floors, but prohibits consumption of cheap cigarette online products in restaurants and other casino areas.
Apprehension exists that the Statehouse review of this exception could open up messy debate on a wide range of gambling and buy cigarette online policies.
James Gardner, a Manhattan physician and chairman of the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition, told the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee the casino properties provided revenue for the state, recreation for customers and jobs for workers.
"How ironic that the secondhand smoke cigarettes in these facilities starts an illness process leading to illness, increased medical costs and death," Gardner said.
Richard Klemp, spokesman for the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, said Peninsula Gaming entered into a binding agreement with the state of Kansas to develop a casino in Sumner County. The company plans to invest $314 million, based on established state law and rules adopted by Kansas regulators.
"To change the access to smoking cigarettes at this time would be simply unfair," he said.
He said the air-handling system in Peninsula's temporary casino swaps air eight times each hour. The permanent casino's capacity to deliver fresh air will be superior, he said.
"Allowing smoking cigarettes on the casino floor is a material factor in revenue performance to the Kansas Lottery, who owns and operates all of the gambling games at the Kansas Star," Klemp said.
Twenty-seven percent of gaming revenue from these casinos is distributed to the state government or local units of government. A smoking cigarettes ban, he said, could reduce overall revenue as much as 30 percent.
Christopher Masoner, representing the American Cancer Society, said the statewide smoking cigarettes ban was enthusiastically supported by a majority of Kansans.
The ban hasn't damaged commerce in the state as predicted by opponents of the smoking cigarettes ban, Masoner said.
Masoner also said some advocates for House Bill 2340, which strips out the casino exemption, might use the debate as a platform to undermine the statewide smoking cigarettes ban.
"While we unequivocally support expanding smoke-free policies to protect employees and patrons at casinos and other venues," Masoner said, "we do so with the knowledge and understanding that some proponents have been staunch opponents of smoke-free policies and might seek to exploit any opportunity to weaken the act."
The Senate committee took no action on the legislation.
Kansas lawmakers two years ago adopted a sweeping prohibition on smoking cigarettes inside buildings accessible to the public that specifically exempted state-operated casinos opened in Dodge City, Mulvane and Kansas City, Kan.
Favoritism shown these new gambling venues has been ridiculed as unfair by owners of other businesses, but also touted as a necessity if the casinos are to be economically competitive. The statute allows smoking cigarettes on casino floors, but prohibits consumption of cheap cigarette online products in restaurants and other casino areas.
Apprehension exists that the Statehouse review of this exception could open up messy debate on a wide range of gambling and buy cigarette online policies.
James Gardner, a Manhattan physician and chairman of the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition, told the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee the casino properties provided revenue for the state, recreation for customers and jobs for workers.
"How ironic that the secondhand smoke cigarettes in these facilities starts an illness process leading to illness, increased medical costs and death," Gardner said.
Richard Klemp, spokesman for the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, said Peninsula Gaming entered into a binding agreement with the state of Kansas to develop a casino in Sumner County. The company plans to invest $314 million, based on established state law and rules adopted by Kansas regulators.
"To change the access to smoking cigarettes at this time would be simply unfair," he said.
He said the air-handling system in Peninsula's temporary casino swaps air eight times each hour. The permanent casino's capacity to deliver fresh air will be superior, he said.
"Allowing smoking cigarettes on the casino floor is a material factor in revenue performance to the Kansas Lottery, who owns and operates all of the gambling games at the Kansas Star," Klemp said.
Twenty-seven percent of gaming revenue from these casinos is distributed to the state government or local units of government. A smoking cigarettes ban, he said, could reduce overall revenue as much as 30 percent.
Christopher Masoner, representing the American Cancer Society, said the statewide smoking cigarettes ban was enthusiastically supported by a majority of Kansans.
The ban hasn't damaged commerce in the state as predicted by opponents of the smoking cigarettes ban, Masoner said.
Masoner also said some advocates for House Bill 2340, which strips out the casino exemption, might use the debate as a platform to undermine the statewide smoking cigarettes ban.
"While we unequivocally support expanding smoke-free policies to protect employees and patrons at casinos and other venues," Masoner said, "we do so with the knowledge and understanding that some proponents have been staunch opponents of smoke-free policies and might seek to exploit any opportunity to weaken the act."
The Senate committee took no action on the legislation.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
TMH Facilities On Track To Becoming Tobacco Free By July 1
Starting this summer, The Memorial Hospital, along with its satellite facilities, will be completely discount cigarette online free.
At its regular meeting Thursday, the hospital board unanimously approved the final draft of a plan to prohibit smoking cigarettes and any other kind of cigarettes use on TMH grounds.
Hospital officials are planning to put the new policy in place July 1.
Smoking is already prohibited within a short distance outside a hospital, said Jennifer Riley, TMH chief of organizational excellence.
However, hospital officials are looking to extend the ban, which means smokers — whether they are visitors, patients, staff or physicians — will have to leave TMH property to smoke.
The same rule would apply to the TMH Medical Clinic at 785 Russell St., and TMH Rehabilitation Center inside Centennial Mall.
TMH is by no means the first hospital to adopt this kind of policy.
“To be very honest, we’re way behind” other hospitals that have already become cigarettes store free, Chief Nursing Officer Lorraine Reinhardt said.
Tinneal Gerber, newly elected board secretary/treasurer, asked how TMH staff has reacted to the upcoming policy change.
“The staff is OK,” Reinhardt said. “They know that it’s been coming.”
Gerber expressed support for the new policy before casting her vote.
“You can’t smoke cigarettes in the bar anymore,” she said. “Why should we allow you to in the hospital?”
However, Chief Executive Officer George Rohrich cautioned board members to be prepared for “that encounter in the grocery store” with residents who may be upset with the change.
Ultimately, he said, the decision to go tobacco free goes back to the hospital’s mission as a health care facility.
“This is in the best interest of people’s health,” Rohrich said. “It’s as simple as that.”
At its regular meeting Thursday, the hospital board unanimously approved the final draft of a plan to prohibit smoking cigarettes and any other kind of cigarettes use on TMH grounds.
Hospital officials are planning to put the new policy in place July 1.
Smoking is already prohibited within a short distance outside a hospital, said Jennifer Riley, TMH chief of organizational excellence.
However, hospital officials are looking to extend the ban, which means smokers — whether they are visitors, patients, staff or physicians — will have to leave TMH property to smoke.
The same rule would apply to the TMH Medical Clinic at 785 Russell St., and TMH Rehabilitation Center inside Centennial Mall.
TMH is by no means the first hospital to adopt this kind of policy.
“To be very honest, we’re way behind” other hospitals that have already become cigarettes store free, Chief Nursing Officer Lorraine Reinhardt said.
Tinneal Gerber, newly elected board secretary/treasurer, asked how TMH staff has reacted to the upcoming policy change.
“The staff is OK,” Reinhardt said. “They know that it’s been coming.”
Gerber expressed support for the new policy before casting her vote.
“You can’t smoke cigarettes in the bar anymore,” she said. “Why should we allow you to in the hospital?”
However, Chief Executive Officer George Rohrich cautioned board members to be prepared for “that encounter in the grocery store” with residents who may be upset with the change.
Ultimately, he said, the decision to go tobacco free goes back to the hospital’s mission as a health care facility.
“This is in the best interest of people’s health,” Rohrich said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Friday, January 20, 2012
Underage Smoking Wants To License Some Tobacco Sales
A group determined to prevent minors from using cigarettes online is asking the city to issue licenses to sell cigarettes products other than cigarettes.
Tobacco-Free Aurora has in recent weeks urged City Council members to adopt a licensing policy.
State statutes place financial penalties on communities that license cigarette sales, allowing the state to withhold funds collected from cigarettes store taxes. But other tobacco products are free to be licensed without penalty.
By licensing the noncigarette products, including chewing tobacco and cigars, cities may better track who is selling those items and can enforce laws, similar to the way communities regulate alcohol sales to minors.
For example, cities could have the power to suspend or revoke a license if a retailer sells tobacco to minors.
Steamboat Springs, Fountain and Manitou Springs have adopted licensing policies in recent months for many tobacco products. Aurora would be the first in the Denver area should it decide to adopt such a policy.
About 90 percent of adult tobacco users consumed tobacco before age 18, according to Tad Spencer, director of the Colorado Tobacco Prevention Initiatives for The BACCHUS Network. Spencer is spearheading the Tobacco-Free Aurora effort.
Aurora is the first area city that the group is reaching out to because the city has numerous youth-focused initiatives and is home to the Anschutz Medical Campus, Spencer said.
"Our push of this is definitely the illegal sales to minors," Spencer said. "Certainly, that's not the whole problem. We are trying to close the gaps, and we do have a long-term view."
That long-term view involves changing state law to allow cities to license the sale of cigarettes.
A proposal in the legislature two years ago would have done just that, but it never made it out of committee, said Bob Doyle, executive director of the Colorado Tobacco Education and Prevention Alliance.
"Why are we protecting cigarettes?" Doyle said. "It's the deadliest consumer product."
Aurora City Councilman Bob FitzGerald, who wanted to make it illegal in Aurora a few years ago for an adult to smoke cigarettes in a vehicle containing a child, commended the group for its efforts but said such a licensing policy would do little to prevent minors from obtaining tobacco.
Such a license would place an added requirement on retailers that may do little to curb tobacco use, he said.
"I admire their tenacity and their thoughtfulness," FitzGerald said of Tobacco-Free Aurora, "but I don't think it is a necessary thing to do in burdening businesses right now."
Tobacco retailers such as J2 Tobacco & Gift on South Havana Street agree that another regulation would be a burden.
"I don't like it," J2 owner Jim Albermani said. "We would have to pay more fees."
Tobacco-Free Aurora has in recent weeks urged City Council members to adopt a licensing policy.
State statutes place financial penalties on communities that license cigarette sales, allowing the state to withhold funds collected from cigarettes store taxes. But other tobacco products are free to be licensed without penalty.
By licensing the noncigarette products, including chewing tobacco and cigars, cities may better track who is selling those items and can enforce laws, similar to the way communities regulate alcohol sales to minors.
For example, cities could have the power to suspend or revoke a license if a retailer sells tobacco to minors.
Steamboat Springs, Fountain and Manitou Springs have adopted licensing policies in recent months for many tobacco products. Aurora would be the first in the Denver area should it decide to adopt such a policy.
About 90 percent of adult tobacco users consumed tobacco before age 18, according to Tad Spencer, director of the Colorado Tobacco Prevention Initiatives for The BACCHUS Network. Spencer is spearheading the Tobacco-Free Aurora effort.
Aurora is the first area city that the group is reaching out to because the city has numerous youth-focused initiatives and is home to the Anschutz Medical Campus, Spencer said.
"Our push of this is definitely the illegal sales to minors," Spencer said. "Certainly, that's not the whole problem. We are trying to close the gaps, and we do have a long-term view."
That long-term view involves changing state law to allow cities to license the sale of cigarettes.
A proposal in the legislature two years ago would have done just that, but it never made it out of committee, said Bob Doyle, executive director of the Colorado Tobacco Education and Prevention Alliance.
"Why are we protecting cigarettes?" Doyle said. "It's the deadliest consumer product."
Aurora City Councilman Bob FitzGerald, who wanted to make it illegal in Aurora a few years ago for an adult to smoke cigarettes in a vehicle containing a child, commended the group for its efforts but said such a licensing policy would do little to prevent minors from obtaining tobacco.
Such a license would place an added requirement on retailers that may do little to curb tobacco use, he said.
"I admire their tenacity and their thoughtfulness," FitzGerald said of Tobacco-Free Aurora, "but I don't think it is a necessary thing to do in burdening businesses right now."
Tobacco retailers such as J2 Tobacco & Gift on South Havana Street agree that another regulation would be a burden.
"I don't like it," J2 owner Jim Albermani said. "We would have to pay more fees."
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
E-Cigarette Controversy Lights Up In Wichita
They've become the latest craze, E-cigarettes. After a smoking cigarettes ban in Kansas, a controversy is firing up in Wichita.
"They really ruined my concert," says Angela Prock.
Prock was using her E-cigarette at Intrust Arena recently at a concert when security asked her to stop using it.
"Smoking ban they said," explains Prock. "They told me to put it out, but it's not a cigarette."
Or is it?
Intrust Arena says it is banning the E-cigarette along with so-called "real" cheap cigarette online that contain tobacco.
Prock says security at Intrust Bank Arena kept coming back to her seat to see if she was using the E-cigarette.
"They told me it may not be a cigarette but that I couldn't use it in the arena," says Prock. "They said it would promote smoking cigarettes in the arena."
KSN checked locals laws on E-cigarettes. Turns out E-cigarettes are not included in the Kansas smoking cigarettes ban in public spaces.
"The electronic cigarette is actually not defined as a smoking cigarettes product," says Dave Dorsey with EVO Vapor, a maker of E-cigarettes. "It does not contain tobacco, and it's not included in the smoking cigarettes ban. Perfectly legal to use inside, and there's not a smell to these like a real cigarette."
As a seller of E-cigarettes Dorsey has been following the laws carefully.
The Kansas Attorney General agreed with Dorsey and his interpretation of the law. Back in October of 2011, the Kansas Attorney General wrote an opinion on electronic vaporizers, also known as E-Cigarettes.
The opinion says, “In our opinion, the Kansas Indoor Clean Air Act does not apply to E-cigarettes.”
So, is Intrust or other any other business in the clear to ban E-cigarettes?
"My first reaction is no," says Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Skelton. "Make no mistake, I understand the smoking cigarettes ban, and I think it's the right thing to do. But E-cigarettes? This is not a harmful product. The way I understand is it's just water vapor."
"I plan on bringing up this issue with the county commission to better define the use of E-cigarettes. Because right now I'm not happy to hear that SMG is not letting people use the e-cigarette device during events."
SMG is the managing company that runs the arena. A.J. Boleski with SMG tells KSN the company is, indeed, banning E-Cigs from the arena.
Skelton says he will get the county commission to take a closer look.
"They really ruined my concert," says Angela Prock.
Prock was using her E-cigarette at Intrust Arena recently at a concert when security asked her to stop using it.
"Smoking ban they said," explains Prock. "They told me to put it out, but it's not a cigarette."
Or is it?
Intrust Arena says it is banning the E-cigarette along with so-called "real" cheap cigarette online that contain tobacco.
Prock says security at Intrust Bank Arena kept coming back to her seat to see if she was using the E-cigarette.
"They told me it may not be a cigarette but that I couldn't use it in the arena," says Prock. "They said it would promote smoking cigarettes in the arena."
KSN checked locals laws on E-cigarettes. Turns out E-cigarettes are not included in the Kansas smoking cigarettes ban in public spaces.
"The electronic cigarette is actually not defined as a smoking cigarettes product," says Dave Dorsey with EVO Vapor, a maker of E-cigarettes. "It does not contain tobacco, and it's not included in the smoking cigarettes ban. Perfectly legal to use inside, and there's not a smell to these like a real cigarette."
As a seller of E-cigarettes Dorsey has been following the laws carefully.
The Kansas Attorney General agreed with Dorsey and his interpretation of the law. Back in October of 2011, the Kansas Attorney General wrote an opinion on electronic vaporizers, also known as E-Cigarettes.
The opinion says, “In our opinion, the Kansas Indoor Clean Air Act does not apply to E-cigarettes.”
So, is Intrust or other any other business in the clear to ban E-cigarettes?
"My first reaction is no," says Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Skelton. "Make no mistake, I understand the smoking cigarettes ban, and I think it's the right thing to do. But E-cigarettes? This is not a harmful product. The way I understand is it's just water vapor."
"I plan on bringing up this issue with the county commission to better define the use of E-cigarettes. Because right now I'm not happy to hear that SMG is not letting people use the e-cigarette device during events."
SMG is the managing company that runs the arena. A.J. Boleski with SMG tells KSN the company is, indeed, banning E-Cigs from the arena.
Skelton says he will get the county commission to take a closer look.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Linn Supervisors Consider Nicotine Regulation
The Ariva tablet is “the future of tobacco,” according to its maker. A proposal in Linn County to regulate the sale of the dissolvable product may be the future of public-health efforts to restrict access to nicotine.
“These products are popping up more and more,” said Jill Roeder, Linn County Public Health healthy behaviors branch manager. “This is just to set the stage so when they come our kids can’t buy them.”
At least one retailer doesn’t care to be caught up by the new rules.
“I’m just confused on why I need a permit to sell discount cigarette online when I never have and never will sell tobacco,” said Jake Barnes, Marion, owner of the Electracigz kiosk at Lindale Mall. “It just concerns me.”
The agenda for this morning’s county board work session includes the second reading of a proposed ordinance to require a cigarettes store sales permit for “the sale of nicotine delivery systems and unregulated products containing nicotine.”
Last August, supervisors voted down an outright ban on dissolvable buy cigarette online products. The new measure, which received supervisors’ unanimous support in its first reading last week, would be the county’s first under a 2009 federal law that extended local regulation to new products that contain nicotine but not tobacco.
“A lot of the product you’re seeing come onto the market is nicotine derived in laboratories, so they don’t fall under the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) definition of tobacco,” said Roeder.
If the proposal passes, retailers will be required to take out a tobacco license to sell any product containing nicotine. The state sets the annual license fee based on population: they’re $100 in cities of more than 15,000 population, $75 in smaller cities. Counties set the fee for businesses in unincorporated rural areas – in Linn County it’s $50.
The measure would also ban the sale of nicotine products, including the “ecigarette” devices sold by Barnes, to minors under 18. Barnes says he hasn’t, and wouldn’t, sell to minors.
Availability of traditional tobacco products wouldn’t change, and the the measure doesn’t affect smoking cigarettes-cessation products – gum and patches – now regulated by the FDA.
The 2009 law, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, came after a campaign by public health officials and activists to extend tobacco restrictions to cover the new smokeless products.
“The marketplace has unfortunately advanced beyond the laws,” said Peggy Huppert, Iowa director of government relations for the American Cancer Society. “Smokeless tobacco is the next frontier for the tobacco companies.”
In 2002 the attorneys general of 40 states, including Iowa, petitioned the FDA seeking regulations on the new products. The petition specifically targeted Ariva, which appeared in test markets the previous year.
The law, which also mandated new warnings on cigarette packs and other tobacco products, didn’t federally regulate the new products but gives local governments the authority to regulate their sale.
Aaron Swanson, interim director of the state Department of Public Health’s Division of Tobacco Use, Prevention, and Control, said he’s not aware of any other Iowa counties that have used their new authority.
The new products are sometimes sold as ways to quit smoking cigarettes, but haven’t been clinically proven for that purpose.
“There’s yet to be a lot of research done as to the long term health effects of these products,” said Swanson. “They’re not FDA-approved for the purpose of quitting tobacco.”
“They promote them as ways to stop smoking cigarettes, but if you look at their marketing it’s ‘here’s something you can use when you can’t smoke,’” said Huppert.
That’s case with Star Scientific, the small Virgina company that makes Ariva. Actors in an Ariva promotional video tout the dissolvable taplets, which resemble TicTacs gum, as “for when you can’t smoke…a new way to enjoy real tobacco satisfaction and pleasure anytime, anywhere.”
But Barnes, 25, who started his business last September, said most of his customers use their Electracigz to quit smoking cigarettes.
“Our goal is to have people quit smoking cigarettes altogether,” he said.
An Electracig includes a simulated cigarette tube with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and a detachable atomizer in the “filter” that may contain nicotine. A sensor detects the rush of air when a user inhales and activates a tiny coil that heats a vapor that carries the flavor and nicotine, and a red LED in the tip simulates a cigarette’s ash.
Electracigz retail for $10 for a disposable version to $109 for the regular model. Atomizers are five for $20 – heavier smokers use them up more quickly.
The user can select a range of nicotine levels, or no nicotine at all. That allows a smoker to taper off their nicotine dependency, said Barnes, who works with his customers to develop their smoking cigarettes-cessation plan.
“It’s not a magic pill, it’s not going to make you quit the next day,” he said, but he’s had customers who have used Electracigz to quit smoking cigarettes. “At the end of the day, people are using this to quit smoking cigarettes cigarettes.”
“These products are popping up more and more,” said Jill Roeder, Linn County Public Health healthy behaviors branch manager. “This is just to set the stage so when they come our kids can’t buy them.”
At least one retailer doesn’t care to be caught up by the new rules.
“I’m just confused on why I need a permit to sell discount cigarette online when I never have and never will sell tobacco,” said Jake Barnes, Marion, owner of the Electracigz kiosk at Lindale Mall. “It just concerns me.”
The agenda for this morning’s county board work session includes the second reading of a proposed ordinance to require a cigarettes store sales permit for “the sale of nicotine delivery systems and unregulated products containing nicotine.”
Last August, supervisors voted down an outright ban on dissolvable buy cigarette online products. The new measure, which received supervisors’ unanimous support in its first reading last week, would be the county’s first under a 2009 federal law that extended local regulation to new products that contain nicotine but not tobacco.
“A lot of the product you’re seeing come onto the market is nicotine derived in laboratories, so they don’t fall under the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) definition of tobacco,” said Roeder.
If the proposal passes, retailers will be required to take out a tobacco license to sell any product containing nicotine. The state sets the annual license fee based on population: they’re $100 in cities of more than 15,000 population, $75 in smaller cities. Counties set the fee for businesses in unincorporated rural areas – in Linn County it’s $50.
The measure would also ban the sale of nicotine products, including the “ecigarette” devices sold by Barnes, to minors under 18. Barnes says he hasn’t, and wouldn’t, sell to minors.
Availability of traditional tobacco products wouldn’t change, and the the measure doesn’t affect smoking cigarettes-cessation products – gum and patches – now regulated by the FDA.
The 2009 law, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, came after a campaign by public health officials and activists to extend tobacco restrictions to cover the new smokeless products.
“The marketplace has unfortunately advanced beyond the laws,” said Peggy Huppert, Iowa director of government relations for the American Cancer Society. “Smokeless tobacco is the next frontier for the tobacco companies.”
In 2002 the attorneys general of 40 states, including Iowa, petitioned the FDA seeking regulations on the new products. The petition specifically targeted Ariva, which appeared in test markets the previous year.
The law, which also mandated new warnings on cigarette packs and other tobacco products, didn’t federally regulate the new products but gives local governments the authority to regulate their sale.
Aaron Swanson, interim director of the state Department of Public Health’s Division of Tobacco Use, Prevention, and Control, said he’s not aware of any other Iowa counties that have used their new authority.
The new products are sometimes sold as ways to quit smoking cigarettes, but haven’t been clinically proven for that purpose.
“There’s yet to be a lot of research done as to the long term health effects of these products,” said Swanson. “They’re not FDA-approved for the purpose of quitting tobacco.”
“They promote them as ways to stop smoking cigarettes, but if you look at their marketing it’s ‘here’s something you can use when you can’t smoke,’” said Huppert.
That’s case with Star Scientific, the small Virgina company that makes Ariva. Actors in an Ariva promotional video tout the dissolvable taplets, which resemble TicTacs gum, as “for when you can’t smoke…a new way to enjoy real tobacco satisfaction and pleasure anytime, anywhere.”
But Barnes, 25, who started his business last September, said most of his customers use their Electracigz to quit smoking cigarettes.
“Our goal is to have people quit smoking cigarettes altogether,” he said.
An Electracig includes a simulated cigarette tube with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and a detachable atomizer in the “filter” that may contain nicotine. A sensor detects the rush of air when a user inhales and activates a tiny coil that heats a vapor that carries the flavor and nicotine, and a red LED in the tip simulates a cigarette’s ash.
Electracigz retail for $10 for a disposable version to $109 for the regular model. Atomizers are five for $20 – heavier smokers use them up more quickly.
The user can select a range of nicotine levels, or no nicotine at all. That allows a smoker to taper off their nicotine dependency, said Barnes, who works with his customers to develop their smoking cigarettes-cessation plan.
“It’s not a magic pill, it’s not going to make you quit the next day,” he said, but he’s had customers who have used Electracigz to quit smoking cigarettes. “At the end of the day, people are using this to quit smoking cigarettes cigarettes.”
Monday, January 16, 2012
High School Smoking Ban - Iowa
Iowa's House Education Committee has unanimously approved a bill banning the use of all nicotine products on school property.
State law already allows school boards to suspend or expel a student for the use or possession of tobacco, alcohol or controlled substances on school grounds.
The bill, approved Thursday, expands those rules to include all nicotine products except those to help people quit smoking cigarettes. Under the bill, school boards may also remove other people that violate the law and ban them from school grounds.
The bill now goes before the full house.
State law already allows school boards to suspend or expel a student for the use or possession of tobacco, alcohol or controlled substances on school grounds.
The bill, approved Thursday, expands those rules to include all nicotine products except those to help people quit smoking cigarettes. Under the bill, school boards may also remove other people that violate the law and ban them from school grounds.
The bill now goes before the full house.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Businesses Fail Tobacco Check
The Iowa City Police Department conducted buy cigarettes sales law compliance checks on Jan. 18-21 at 61 businesses licensed to sell discount cigarettes products.
Working with plainclothes officers, underage patrons entered the businesses and attempted to illegally purchase buy cigarette online products. Police said 54 businesses refused to sell to the underage buyers. Seven businesses failed the compliance checks.
The businesses that failed the compliance checks are:
• The Den
• Fareway
• Liquor Downtown
• Red Poppy
• Russ' Northside Service
• Walgreens
• Zombies Tobacco
Selling tobacco products to a person under the age of eighteen is a simple misdemeanor, punishable with a $100 fine for a first offense. Additionally, all violations will be forwarded to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division for civil penalties against the tobacco licenses.
Working with plainclothes officers, underage patrons entered the businesses and attempted to illegally purchase buy cigarette online products. Police said 54 businesses refused to sell to the underage buyers. Seven businesses failed the compliance checks.
The businesses that failed the compliance checks are:
• The Den
• Fareway
• Liquor Downtown
• Red Poppy
• Russ' Northside Service
• Walgreens
• Zombies Tobacco
Selling tobacco products to a person under the age of eighteen is a simple misdemeanor, punishable with a $100 fine for a first offense. Additionally, all violations will be forwarded to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division for civil penalties against the tobacco licenses.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Smoking Ban At State Buildings Is Long Overdue
As unpleasant as a ban on smoking cigarettes outside state office buildings will be for some Delawareans, the twofold benefit is irresistible.
The rise in residents' quitting a dangerous health habit directly linked to their cheap cigarette online addiction will continue.
And the residual benefits of slowing the growth of a $1 billion health care tab -- almost 40 percent of the state's budget -- created by smoking cigarettes workers, retirees and Medicaid recipients can be aggressively attacked.
Making government campuses smoke-free removes the state's dubious role as an enabler of a habit that is both unhealthy and "will heavily burden future generations of taxpayers."
As is the case with the pace of government innovation, this change precedes private industry moves to discourage smoking cigarettes on or near the job, after Gov. Ruth Ann Minner pushed for Delaware's Clean Indoor Air Act of 2002. Since then the state's largest employers have slowly made their outdoor campuses smoke-free.
But access to secondhand smoke, an equally deadly factor in lung cancers and other costly illnesses, has not been eliminated.
Corridors and perimeters outside state buildings remained smokers' zones, subjecting nonsmokers to cigarettes they arrive and exit state buildings.
The grumblings from workers and others addicted to smoking cigarettes are expected. But who says that compassionate, fiscally responsible government leadership is painless?
To its credit the state has pledged to promote a suite of programs and alliances for helping Delaware smokers to join so many other residents in gaining the courage to quit.
The rise in residents' quitting a dangerous health habit directly linked to their cheap cigarette online addiction will continue.
And the residual benefits of slowing the growth of a $1 billion health care tab -- almost 40 percent of the state's budget -- created by smoking cigarettes workers, retirees and Medicaid recipients can be aggressively attacked.
Making government campuses smoke-free removes the state's dubious role as an enabler of a habit that is both unhealthy and "will heavily burden future generations of taxpayers."
As is the case with the pace of government innovation, this change precedes private industry moves to discourage smoking cigarettes on or near the job, after Gov. Ruth Ann Minner pushed for Delaware's Clean Indoor Air Act of 2002. Since then the state's largest employers have slowly made their outdoor campuses smoke-free.
But access to secondhand smoke, an equally deadly factor in lung cancers and other costly illnesses, has not been eliminated.
Corridors and perimeters outside state buildings remained smokers' zones, subjecting nonsmokers to cigarettes they arrive and exit state buildings.
The grumblings from workers and others addicted to smoking cigarettes are expected. But who says that compassionate, fiscally responsible government leadership is painless?
To its credit the state has pledged to promote a suite of programs and alliances for helping Delaware smokers to join so many other residents in gaining the courage to quit.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Rihanna Smoking Cigarette
It's probably not the wisest thing to do after working up a sweat.
But pop star Rihanna seemed extremely relaxed after puffing on a suspicious hand-rolled cigarette following a rigorous exercise session this weekend.
The brown papered roll-up looked remarkably similar to a 'blunt', which is slang for a marijuana filled cigar. The type favoured and popularised in hip-hop music.
While some people undoubtedly just smoke cigarettes, Rihanna did look rather laidback as she lolled on her sunlounger.
Rihanna looked blissful and deep in thought while taking a private moment for herself.
The singer has been quite vocal on her Twitter page recently, telling fans how she has been enjoying her time off.
On Sunday she tweeted a message saying: 'Kush rolled, glass full...I prefer the better things.'
The line refers to a lyric taken from Drake's song, Up All Night, where the rapper talks about smoking cigarettes marijuana.
Earlier on in the week the Rihanna tweeted: '4:20...Hi.' The figure 4.20 is another slang term for marijuana.
The 23-year-old Umbrella singer was enjoying the Hawaiian sunshine on Sunday.
Her face free of make-up, she looked totally at ease wearing black leggings and a hot pink vest top.
The barefoot singer sat on a sun lounger and puffed away before lying back and taking in the scenery.
It's been a relaxing few weeks for the singer from Barbados.
She jetted into Hawaii at the weekend after spending a few days in Los Angeles, where she was seen sitting court side at a couple of basketball games.
Two weeks ago the Good Girl Gone Bad welcomed the New Year in Miami with P Diddy.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
NH Stores Sold Fewer Tobacco To Children In 2011
Store owners around the state are getting better about not selling cigarettes and other cheap cigarettes products to kids, according to a new compliance report issued by the state.
More stores are complying with state and federal laws barring the sale of discount cigarette online products to kids, according to the latest Synar Report, a federally mandated compliance check administered by the state Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2011, 7.8 percent of stores sold cigarettes store or other products to kids conducting supervised buys during compliance checks. That’s down from 8.6 percent in 2010 and a significant improvement from 14 percent in 2009, according to DHHS.
“This is very good news for New Hampshire children and their parents,” said Joseph Harding, director of the DHHS Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services. “The results show what can be accomplished by building partnerships that address issues affecting the health and safety of our youth and communities.”
DHHS and cooperating youths spot-checked 292 stores selling online cigarettes products. The Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services partners with the New Hampshire Liquor Commission Division of Enforcement to conduct the checks.
More stores are complying with state and federal laws barring the sale of discount cigarette online products to kids, according to the latest Synar Report, a federally mandated compliance check administered by the state Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2011, 7.8 percent of stores sold cigarettes store or other products to kids conducting supervised buys during compliance checks. That’s down from 8.6 percent in 2010 and a significant improvement from 14 percent in 2009, according to DHHS.
“This is very good news for New Hampshire children and their parents,” said Joseph Harding, director of the DHHS Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services. “The results show what can be accomplished by building partnerships that address issues affecting the health and safety of our youth and communities.”
DHHS and cooperating youths spot-checked 292 stores selling online cigarettes products. The Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services partners with the New Hampshire Liquor Commission Division of Enforcement to conduct the checks.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Providence Bans Sale Of Flavored Tobacco
The city of Providence has banned the sale of flavored cigarettes and made illegal promotional strategies that cut the cost of cigarettes.
Mayor Angel Taveras (tuh-VEHR’-us) signed ordinances recently passed by the City Council that ban the sale of cheap cigarette online in flavors such as strawberry, chocolate and blueberry. The orders also prohibit pricing strategies like “buy one, get one free.’’
City officials say young people in Providence smoke cigarettes at a significantly higher rate than youth in Rhode Island as a whole. The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids says some 23,000 children under 18 in the Ocean State could die prematurely from a smoking cigarettes-related illness.
State Department of Health Director Michael Fine said the new ordinances are important steps in helping reduce smoking cigarettes among city youth.
Mayor Angel Taveras (tuh-VEHR’-us) signed ordinances recently passed by the City Council that ban the sale of cheap cigarette online in flavors such as strawberry, chocolate and blueberry. The orders also prohibit pricing strategies like “buy one, get one free.’’
City officials say young people in Providence smoke cigarettes at a significantly higher rate than youth in Rhode Island as a whole. The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids says some 23,000 children under 18 in the Ocean State could die prematurely from a smoking cigarettes-related illness.
State Department of Health Director Michael Fine said the new ordinances are important steps in helping reduce smoking cigarettes among city youth.
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