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.

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.

About The Proposed Smoking Ban

new smoking cigarettes ban proposal being introduced Jan. 9 in the City-County Council is largely similar to a measure that failed to get out of committee this month. It would expand Marion County's smoking cigarettes ban to bars; restaurants that allow only patrons who are 18 or older; hotel rooms; and bowling alleys. Exemptions covering 60 or fewer establishments fall into three categories:

» Retail discount cigarette online shops, based on at least 85 percent of sales from tobacco-related products.

» Existing nonprofit private or fraternal organizations, including veterans halls, if a majority of members vote before July 1 to retain smoking cigarettes. Private clubs could not allow children if they allow adults to smoke, even in separate nonsmoking cigarettes areas.

» Existing hookah and cigar bars, defined as deriving at least 20 percent of annual sales from specialty cigarettes store products. They could not allow cigarette smoking cigarettes.

Who's covered?

The expanded ban would affect Indianapolis but not Beech Grove and Southport, which lack bans, or Speedway and Lawrence, which have bans similar to Marion County's current one. However, the Southport City Council is considering a similar new measure, and a Lawrence councilman said he'd propose matching Indianapolis' new standards.

Smoking bans elsewhere

According to the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation, 479 U.S. municipalities have 100 percent smoke-free workplaces, restaurants and bars. Hundreds more have less-restrictive smoking cigarettes bans.

New Castle County To Ban Smoking Outdoors

New Castle County government has announced that starting Jan. 3, 2012, smoking cigarettes will be prohibited throughout the campuses of the three office complexes where most of the county’s 1,400 employees work.

The policy will apply to employees and visitors at the Government Center/James H. Gilliam Building complex on Reads Way in Corporate Commons, the William J. Conner Building on Old Churchmans Road, and the Paul J. Sweeney Public Safety Building on U.S. 13, all in New Castle.

Smoking inside county facilities has been prohibited since 1994. Since then the county has permitted employees to smoke cigarettes in designated outdoor areas. The new policy will extend the ban on smoking cigarettes to all outdoor areas on the grounds of the three affected office complexes. The County announced the new policy to employees Thursday, the 34th anniversary of the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, which spotlights the dangers of cigarettes use and the challenges of quitting.

The county will offer stop-smoking cigarettes programs for employees in conjunction with the new smoke-free policy, said County Executive Paul Clark. “While I understand that this policy may be difficult for some to adjust to, we are putting it into effect for the overall health and well-being of our employees and our visitors. We will be ready to help those who seek assistance in adapting to the policy.”

Since November 2002, Delaware has banned smoking cigarettes statewide in all enclosed workplaces, both public and private, with a handful of exemptions including private homes, rented social halls, designated smoking cigarettes rooms in hotels/motels and at fundraising activities held by certain organizations on their property. Additionally, local governments and private industry have the authority to further regulate smoking cigarettes, including banning smoking cigarettes in outdoor areas under their control. Local examples include the hospital campuses operated by Christiana Care and Delaware Health and Social Services and the Bethany Beach boardwalk and beach, all of which are smoke-free.

A July 2011 Gallup poll showed that about 22 percent of Americans 18 and older are regular smokers. This is down from 23 percent in 1999 and 28 percent in 1988. The same poll identified 24 percent of Americans as former smokers. About 23 percent of American men and 19 percent of women smoke. Despite steady reductions, more than 45 million Americans still smoke. In the July survey, 30 percent of smokers said they smoke cigarettes a pack or more each day. As recently as 1997, over half smoked a pack or more a day.

Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Life expectancy for regular smokers is estimated to be from 10 to 18 years shorter than for non-smokers. Smoking and exposure to cigarettes store smoke cigarettes is blamed for 443,000 premature deaths annually in the United States. That’s more than 1,200 deaths a day.

Underage Tobacco Sales Below National Average

The Hawaii State Department of Health Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division released survey results Wednesday for illegal cigarettes sales to minors.

It shows this year’s 6.1 percent rate in Hawaii falls below the 9.3 percent federal fiscal year 2010 national weighted average.

The annual survey is a joint effort between the State Department of Health and the University of Hawaii to determine the extent of illegal sales of cheap cigarettes products to minors.

In 1996, the state’s first survey results showed a noncompliance rate of 44.5 percent.

After the implementation of law enforcement operations, this rate steadily dropped and was maintained below 10 percent with the exception of 2008.

Over the past three years Hawai‘i has been able to reduce and maintain a lower rate.

With stronger enforcement of buy cigarettes laws being implemented, the aim is to eliminate teenage tobacco use.

New Castle County To Ban Smoking Outdoors

New Castle County government has announced that starting Jan. 3, 2012, smoking cigarettes will be prohibited throughout the campuses of the three office complexes where most of the county’s 1,400 employees work.

The policy will apply to employees and visitors at the Government Center/James H. Gilliam Building complex on Reads Way in Corporate Commons, the William J. Conner Building on Old Churchmans Road, and the Paul J. Sweeney Public Safety Building on U.S. 13, all in New Castle.


Smoking inside county facilities has been prohibited since 1994. Since then the county has permitted employees to smoke cigarettes in designated outdoor areas. The new policy will extend the ban on smoking cigarettes to all outdoor areas on the grounds of the three affected office complexes. The County announced the new policy to employees Thursday, the 34th anniversary of the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, which spotlights the dangers of cigarettes use and the challenges of quitting.

The county will offer stop-smoking cigarettes programs for employees in conjunction with the new smoke-free policy, said County Executive Paul Clark. “While I understand that this policy may be difficult for some to adjust to, we are putting it into effect for the overall health and well-being of our employees and our visitors. We will be ready to help those who seek assistance in adapting to the policy.”


Since November 2002, Delaware has banned smoking cigarettes statewide in all enclosed workplaces, both public and private, with a handful of exemptions including private homes, rented social halls, designated smoking cigarettes rooms in hotels/motels and at fundraising activities held by certain organizations on their property. Additionally, local governments and private industry have the authority to further regulate smoking cigarettes, including banning smoking cigarettes in outdoor areas under their control. Local examples include the hospital campuses operated by Christiana Care and Delaware Health and Social Services and the Bethany Beach boardwalk and beach, all of which are smoke-free.


A July 2011 Gallup poll showed that about 22 percent of Americans 18 and older are regular smokers. This is down from 23 percent in 1999 and 28 percent in 1988. The same poll identified 24 percent of Americans as former smokers. About 23 percent of American men and 19 percent of women smoke. Despite steady reductions, more than 45 million Americans still smoke. In the July survey, 30 percent of smokers said they smoke cigarettes a pack or more each day. As recently as 1997, over half smoked a pack or more a day.


Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Life expectancy for regular smokers is estimated to be from 10 to 18 years shorter than for non-smokers. Smoking and exposure to buy cigarettes smoke cigarettes is blamed for 443,000 premature deaths annually in the United States. That’s more than 1,200 deaths a day.

Maryland Starts Campaign To Curb Cigar Smoking Among Kids

The number of Maryland teenagers who smoke cigarettes discount cigarette online dropped significantly in the past decade, but state health officials say new statistics show that more young people are now getting hooked on candy-flavored cigars instead.

In response, the state announced Thursday that it is launching a marketing campaign aimed at curbing the problem and trying to prevent the unraveling of years of work to stop teens from smoking cigarettes.

"It jeopardizes all of the gains in Maryland we have made in terms of online cigarettes use, and we cannot let that happen," said Dr. Donald Shell, interim director of the state Center for Health Promotion & Education.

Cigarette smoking cigarettes among middle and high school students dropped 38.9 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to results of a survey by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Cigar use increased by more than 11 percent during the same time period.

A decade ago, 12.5 percent of Marylanders under age 18 said they had smoked a cigar in the last 30 days, while 23 percent had smoked a cigarette. That gap narrowed significantly last year when 13.9 percent of young people had smoked a cigar in the last 30 days and 14.1 percent had smoked a cigarette.

Selling cigarettes store products to minors is illegal, but not all stores check identification, and many teenagers find adults to buy them cheap cigarettes and cigars.

Health advocates have long argued that discount cigarettes companies lure teens into buying the cigars with colorful packaging and flavors like strawberry, peach, mango or chocolate that cover up the taste of the tobacco. The cigars are also sold individually, sometimes for less than a dollar, an amount that many children and teens can afford.

Many teenagers don't believe cigars have the same health risks as cigarettes. But state health officials said that cigars have more tobacco than cigarettes, burn longer and give off greater amounts of secondhand smoke. They put people at risk for ailments such cancer, emphysema and infertility, just as cigarettes online do.

In addition, officials say, the cigars are sometimes hollowed out and filled with marijuana.

Several attempts at the state and local level to ban the sale of the flavored cigars or to require that they be sold in larger packets to drive up the cost, have failed. Baltimore is fighting in court to end the individual sale of the cigars.

The Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of flavored cigarettes nationally in 2009, but not cigars. Pending legislation could soon give the agency more regulatory authority over cigars, although that doesn't necessarily mean an immediate ban.

A representative with the Cigar Association of America did not return calls Thursday, but the group has spoken out against cigar bans in the past.

State Secretary of Health Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein said the new marketing campaign is a good first step to help reduce cigar smoking cigarettes by teens until broader change is made.

"What this adds up to is a real threat," Sharfstein said. "It's not just about buy cigarettes and cigars. It's about health."

The $125,000 campaign funded by federal stimulus money will start in mid-December. It features a picture of children chasing after an ice cream truck with a giant cigar on the roof.

The message on the advertisement reads: "Warning: Cigars are sold in the same flavors & prices as ice cream. No matter how they sugarcoat it, cigars kill."

The marketing campaign was unveiled at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School in Baltimore, where students said cigars are easy for young people to get.

Taneisha Carter, a 17-year-old senior who lives in Cherry Hill, said that she thinks the tobacco companies shouldn't use such colorful packaging. She also doesn't like how prominently they are displayed in stores.

"You go in to get a chicken box or buy candy, and they are right there, tempting kids," Carter said.

Carter said she tried a cigarette once when she was 12 years old and didn't like the taste.

Health advocates applauded the campaign even as they said more can be done.

Kathleen Dachille, an associate professor and director of the Legal Resource Center for Tobacco, Regulation, Litigation and Advocacy at the University of Maryland School of Law, said hitting people in their pocketbook would help cut back on cigar use. She supports a tax on cigars and banning single sales.

"The campaign is fantastic, but of course more can be done," she said.

Hamilton County Teens Are Making Healthier Choices

The number of Hamilton County teens who have ever tried buy cigarettes has decreased from 72 percent in 1998 to 43 percent in 2011, according to data from the Hamilton County Regional Health Council’s 2011 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey (YRBS). The survey indicates improvement in almost every risk behavior category, when compared to results from the first YRBS survey conducted in 1998.

“We are very excited to see so many positive trends in the behaviors of youth in Hamilton County,” said Rae Young Bond, executive director, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society and Medical Foundation of Chattanooga. “These responses show that young people are making better choices that will lead to healthier emotional and physical outcomes. I was also pleased with the level of school participation for this year’s survey,” she added.

A total of 3,492 high school students representing 19 public and 6 private schools in Hamilton County took the voluntary survey. The response rate was 69.6 percent. This year marked the third YRBS; previous surveys were conducted in 1998 and 2001, and response rates were 2,990 and 2,752, respectively.

Survey data shows seat belt use has increased and alcohol use has decreased.

• Percentage of teens who have ever tried alcohol (more than a few sips) decreased from 31 percent in 1998 to 21 percent in 2011.
• Percentage who rode with a driver who had been drinking: decreased from 31 percent in 1998 to 21 percent in 2011

The percentage of students who engaged in two or more risky behaviors - smoking cigarettes, drinking, marijuana use, and sexual intercourse - decreased from 41 percent in 1998 to 28 percent in 2011. The percentage of students not engaging in any of the behaviors increased from 38 percent in 1998 to 50 percent in 2011.

“Young people are realizing that their actions have consequences and we hope to continue these healthy gains. Now we want to use this data to help guide the community so we can focus on areas that need improvement,” said Dr. Susan Pollock, information development committee chair.



Students were classified into four risk categories based on their current participation in four key risk behaviors: smoking cigarettes, drinking, marijuana use, and sexual intercourse.

• Extreme risk-takers (all 4 categories) – 5 percent
• Multiple risk-takers (2 or 3 risks) – 23 percent
• Minimal risk-takers (1 risk) – 22 percent
• Non risk-takers (no risks) – 50 percent

The percentage of non risk takers declined with grade level, from 66 percent of ninth graders to 36 percent of twelfth graders.

Other key findings indicate risky behaviors begin early for some young people, often before the age of 13. Students were asked how old they were when they first experimented with alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, sexual intercourse, and oral sex.

• Male students were more likely than female students to report early initiation in all five risk behaviors
• Black students were more likely than white or Latino students to report early initiation of alcohol use, marijuana use, and sexual behaviors.

Additional findings:

• 17 percent of students reported they currently smoke cigarettes cigarettes
• 36 percent of students reported ever trying marijuana
• 32 percent of students reported having been in a physical fight over the past 12 months
• 22 percent of students reported carrying a gun, knife, or club within the past 30 days
• 11 percent of both male and female students reported having been intentionally harmed by a boyfriend or girlfriend within the past 12 months

About the Youth Risk Behavior Survey
The Regional Health Council will host a series of briefings on different aspects of the Youth Behavior Risk Survey. We believe the community will be encouraged by some of the data to be released. Future briefings will focus on risky sexual behavior; alcohol, tobacco, and substance abuse; health and wellness; and youth violence bullying, and weapon carrying.

The YRBS is a self administered anonymous questionnaire designed by the Centers for Disease Control. The survey tracks youth risk behaviors in six categories: behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence, cheap cigarettes use, alcohol and drug use, sexual behaviors, dietary behaviors, and physical activity.

The Regional Health Council serves as the lead community-based organization designated by the Tennessee Department of Health, responsible for community health assessment, regional health planning, and the provision of input regarding funding decisions for health and health related initiatives.

Stores Stung By Tobacco Sales To Minors

Underage smokers are finding it relatively easy to obtain cheap cigarettes at many stores throughout Santa Barbara County, according to the results of recent undercover operations.

The operations by the Santa Barbara County Health Department, sometimes with the help of local law enforcement, revealed high rates of cigarette sales to minors in most local cities, although the rate fell to zero in Buellton and Solvang.

Of 275 stores surveyed in the county, 17 percent sold buy cigarettes to an underage decoy, nearly three times the statewide average of 6 percent, according to Dawn Dunn, Tobacco Prevention Program administrator for the Health Department.

Dunn called the results “disturbing” because they indicate that minors have such ready access to cigarettes. Under federal law, she said, store clerks are required to check the identification of every customer under 27 who purchases cigarettes products.

However, cigarettes online sales to minors varied significantly from last year’s rates in several cities — most notably in Buellton, where the rate dropped from a county-worst 40 percent last year to zero, and in Solvang, where it fell from 25 percent to zero.

The underage decoys attempted purchases at five stores in Solvang and 12 in Buellton, but no one sold tobacco to them.

In Lompoc, sales more than doubled from 14 percent in 2010 to 31 percent this year, the highest rate in the county, according to the heath department, and jumped in Goleta from 6 percent to 19 percent.

Lompoc’s 31 percent rate resulted from nine of 29 store clerks selling tobacco to minors.

Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, Guadalupe, and unincorporated parts of the county also exceeded the state average, with rates of 14 to 19 percent, and Santa Maria’s sales rate of 6 percent matched the state average.

Lompoc Police Chief Tim Dabney questioned the accuracy of the statistics based on the survey methods. He pointed out that nearly the same number of stores were tested in Lompoc as in Santa Maria, a much larger city, and added that the effectiveness of different stores’ control systems can vary.

“It’s really not a great comparison — and the decoys vary,” he said.

Still, Dabney said, he was not happy with the results in Lompoc.

“That’s very discouraging. I would like to see it back down to zero,” he said. “In light of the perception of this data — whether it’s statistically accurate or not — we’re stepping up these sting operations.”

Dunn said that store clerks caught in stings conducted by police can be subjected to a $200 fine for the first offense, $500 for the second and $1,000 for the third. While store owners do not pay the fine, they can be disciplined.

Store owners can be prohibited from selling tobacco for 30 days after the first offense in jurisdic-tions, such as the county, which enact such licensing provisions. That penalty can be cut in half if the store owner pays $1,000, Dunn said.

When the sting is conducted by the health department — which calls it a youth survey — no citation is involved even for a “consummated buy,” she added.

Late last year, the county Board of Supervisors revamped the ordinance that regulates retail tobacco sales in unincorporated parts of the county, strengthening penalties for sales to minors.

While sales in unincorporated areas increased slightly this year, health officials said they believe the tougher law will ultimately reduce sales to minors.

“It takes time for new regulations to have the desired impact,” said Dunn. “There is definitely a learning curve here.

We’ve seen this in other communities around the state. Several cities are now looking at adopting the new tobacco ordinance, so we’re optimistic that sales to minors will decline in future years.”

DE Only State To Meet Benchmarks In Cancer

According to a new report by the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, Delaware leads the nation in enacting cancer laws and policies that save lives and money.

The report titled, “How Do You Measure Up? A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality,” ranks Delaware the highest in state policies in five cancer priority areas: breast and cervical cancer early detection program funding; colorectal screening coverage laws; smoke-free laws; online cigarettes prevention program funding and cigarettes store taxes.

Delaware leads the nation in enacting cancer laws and policies that save lives and money, according to a report by the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). The report “How Do You Measure Up? A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality” ranks Delaware the highest in state policies in five cancer priority areas: breast and cervical cancer early detection program funding; colorectal screening coverage laws; smoke-free laws; tobacco prevention program funding; and tobacco taxes.

“We are moving forward in the fight against cancer,” said Governor Jack Markell. “In public policies and in personal lives, we must continually support prevention, early detection and healthy lifestyles. Many have confronted this disease with courage and we are committed to making progress in their name.”

Since its establishment in 2001, the Delaware Cancer Consortium, made up of volunteers from all walks of life, has worked with policymakers to establish innovative programs that increase access to services, improve affordability and quality of life, resulting in significant declines in cancer rates in Delaware.

“I’m pleased to learn that our policymakers’ efforts and the hard work of the Consortium continue to be recognized,” said Dr. Karyl Rattay, DPH director. “DPH will work tirelessly to maintain Delaware as a trend setter in the fight against cancer.”

Delaware’s accomplishments in the five legislative areas included in the Aug. 11 report are as follows:

1. State appropriations for breast and cervical cancer screening programs: More than half of the funding for Delaware’s breast and cervical cancer screening programs – $1,562,473 – is provided by the Delaware General Assembly. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide $1,063,668. Because of this significant support, Delaware has seen the percentage of breast cancers diagnosed in the late stage decrease from 52 percent for 1980-1984 to 34 percent for 2003-2007.

2. Insurance coverage for colorectal cancer screening: Delaware has strong screening laws that ensure comprehensive coverage for the full range of tests. These include colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, mammography and clinical breast exam, Pap test, HPV test, prostate specific antigen and others. The 2010 Behavior Risk Factor Survey indicated that colorectal cancer screening rates increased by 32 percent, from 56 percent in 1999 to 74 percent in 2010. The number of colorectal cancers diagnosed in the local stage also increased from 32 percent for 1980-1984 to 39 percent for 2003-2007.

3. Smoke-free legislation at state, county and city levels: Delaware is 100 percent smoke-free in non-hospitality workplaces, restaurants, and bars.

4. Funding for tobacco prevention: Delaware’s FY 2011 state funding of $8.3 million was 59.5 percent of the CDC’s recommended funding level of $13.9 million for Delaware. Only seven states were funded at levels 50 percent or higher for their respective states.

5. Tobacco taxes: Delaware’s cigarette tax rate of $1.60 per pack is above the current average state tax of $1.46 per pack.

For more information on cancer treatment services call the Delaware Helpline at 2-1-1. Call the Delaware QuitLine, 1-866-409-1858, for help to quit smoking cigarettes.

Medicaid Clients To Quit Smoking

Starting Jan. 1, the state will help Medicaid subscribers quit smoking cigarettes, with services funded by a lawsuit Connecticut settled with the cigarettes industry more than a decade ago.

Connecticut is currently one of only four states not paying for smoking cigarettes cessation treatment for Medicaid users, though pregnant clients gained the benefit last year as required by federal health care reform law.

“The governor came out in front and included this in his budget,” said Patricia Checko, chairwoman of the non-profit Mobilize Against Tobacco for Children’s Health.

From January to July of 2012, the state will draw $2.7 million from the cheap cigarettes settlement trust to fund cessation services. Another $3.5 million in settlement funds is committed for the next 12 months.

Counseling, nicotine replacement and, if those fail, prescription drugs will all be covered, said Dr. Robert W. Zavoski, medical director for the state Department of Social Services.

Zavoski termed the benefit “part of a bigger reform effort to change the way Medicaid is provided in Connecticut.”

The rollout of the cessation benefit will coincide with a move toward medical homes for Medicaid users, said Zavoski. Medical homes are a primary care model where a clinician coordinates all of a patient’s care. A provider with an ongoing relationship with a patient can seize on “a teachable moment” to counsel quitting, said Zavoski.

Only 15 percent of the state’s general population smokes, but 36 to 40 percent of Medicaid clients do, said Checko. People with serious mental illness make up 7 percent of the state’s population but account for 31 percent of all smokers, according to the 2008 Connecticut Tobacco & Health Trust Fund report.

A 2006 statewide study found that: 24.6 percent of Hispanics smoke, as do 22.2 percent African Americans and 15.9 percent of whites. Checko noted that mentholated cigarettes online , which the Food and Drug Administration may ban based on research showing they are more addictive, are smoked at higher rates by people of color.

Publicity around the new benefit will not target any specific demographic, said Zavoski. “We have to do a massive outreach to everybody,” he said.

Outcomes from other states have shown savings from covering smoking cigarettes cessation under Medicaid. For example, Massachusetts linked the benefit with reductions in heart attacks and emergency room visits for asthma attacks.

Youth Cigarettes Prevention Media Campaign Reaches Record Levels Of Awareness

“A wide reaching media campaign is an essential piece of inoculating our youth against cigarettes use,” said Dr. Adam Goldstein, Professor of Family Medicine and Director of the UNC Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program, which led the study. “Record levels of campaign awareness indicate that the campaign has reached North Carolina youth with a successful prevention message.”

Key preliminary findings of the 2011 evaluation include:

• Between 2004 and 2011, awareness of the TRU campaign ads significantly increased from 48 percent to 80 percent, and over 680,000 youths (11 to 17) in NC have now seen and are aware of the TRU campaign. This record level of awareness suggests that the campaign awareness is reaching levels observed in other state media campaigns that have successfully reduced youth smoking cigarettes.
• More than 94 percent of NC youths who had seen the TRU ads reported they were attention grabbing and convincing, and more than 98 percent said the ads gave good reasons not to smoke.
• Awareness of older ads from the campaign remains high, with nearly 70 percent of youth aware of campaign ads that aired between 2004 and 2010. Newer campaign ads appear to reinforce the campaign’s effective prevention message.
• Thirty-five percent of youth report awareness of a tobacco prevention group active in their school or community; among youth who did not report a group presence, 58 percent indicated interest in joining a group if one were available.

The campaign, called “Tobacco.Reality.Unfiltered.” or TRU, is sponsored by the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF), which faces elimination as of June 30th if the current budget proposal becomes law. Researchers point to the experience of other states where tobacco prevention programs have been defunded and youth smoking cigarettes rates have subsequently increased, suggesting that the gains achieved by the TRU campaign will be reversed if the campaign ads disappear from the air on July 1.

“Losing an effective media campaign like TRU campaign will be a major setback to the youth in North Carolina and our war to prevent cancer,” adds Dr. Leah Ranney, Associate Director of the UNC Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program.

North Carolina’s Teen Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Initiative, funded by the HWTF, has included a statewide media campaign since 2004. Previous evaluations of the TRU campaign have shown that it is an integral part of the overall initiative and has played a substantial role in achieving historically low levels of youth smoking cigarettes. TRU campaign ads feature real North Carolinians sharing their stories of the negative toll tobacco has taken on their lives. The current campaign ads feature Destini, a teenage girl from Winston Salem who lost her father to lung cancer, and Justin, a young father from Raleigh who died from lung cancer in November of 2010.

Goldstein has led several previous evaluations of the TRU campaign. The Survey Research Unit at UNC conducts telephone interviews with youth ages 11 – 17 across North Carolina. A baseline survey was conducted in March and April of 2004, with follow up surveys immediately after the fall 2004 ad campaign, immediately after the fall 2005 campaign, in 2007, four months after the major funding increase for the campaign and in January 2009, six months after the launch of a new series of ads. The latest evaluation survey began in January 2011, four months after the launch of the new campaign ads featuring Destini and Justin.

Group Trying To Ban Smoking In Horry County

Ninety-nine percent of people who responded to a survey sent out by the group Smoke Free Horry said they strongly support or somewhat support that everyone deserves to breathe smoke cigarettes free air.

In a news conference Tuesday, the organization joined with the citizens group, Healthy Horry, to try to influence lawmakers to pass ordinances that would ban smoking cigarettes in all business establishments.

"We want people to remember that the restaurant you go to is a business and the workers deserve smoke cigarettes free air," says Smoke Free Horry spokesperson George DuRant. "We've seen the results of our research, and being in an indoor smoking cigarettes environment has 22 times more pollutants than smoke-free locations."

Healthy Horry joined Smoke Free Horry in order to bring a louder voice to those for a ban on smoking cigarettes.

"It's time we take a stand and begin to demand that our leadership makes changes to prohibit smoking cigarettes in public places," says Healthy Horry spokesman Bill Crowther.

Healthy Horry is the second group to endorse Smoke Free Horry. Two months ago, after 68 percent of its members who responded to a survey said they were for a smoking cigarettes ban for businesses, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce backed Smoke Free Horry's cause.

But even with these groups uniting, Horry County Council Chair Tom Rice says a smoking cigarettes ban is not even on the council's radar.

"As of now, we have yet to hear anything from Smoke Free Horry," says Rice. "We don't plan to look at the issue anytime soon."

The Town of Surfside Beach is the only municipality in the county that passed such a smoking cigarettes ban, but passing a ban county-wide is not something Rice is in favor of.

"There's twelve other people here that could vote against me, but personally I'm not in favor of it."

What do you think about a smoking cigarettes ban in all of Horry County?

Shumlin Cuts Deal With Campbell On Cigarette Tax

Gov. Peter Shumlin has been spending more time at the Statehouse this week. He even paid a visit to the cafeteria on Wednesday to break bread with House Speaker Shap Smith and others. (The governor has graced the dining hall a handful of times over the course of the session.)

It’s not the governor’s usual breakfast haunt, and so when he walks into the room with his security entourage in tow, Shumlin draws a fair amount of attention.

It was a reminder that the governor has been a presence in the Statehouse this week.

Shumlin has been lobbying senators to drop the cigarette tax.

Shumlin has said from the beginning of the session that he would object to the levy on tobacco, but no one in the building knew just how aggressively he would protect that stance — until this week.

Shumlin has pressed senators to agree with his anti-cigarette position, despite Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell’s objections. The governor was determined to levy a $3.2 million tax on the dentists, which both the House and the Senate have refused to impose in the miscellaneous tax bill.

“The governor was adamantly opposed to a cigarette tax — especially a $1 a pack tax — so he (Shumlin) talked to several members in the Senate,” Campbell said.

That was yesterday. Today it appeared that support in the Senate for the tax, Campbell said, “wasn’t as strong as he wanted it to be,” and so he negotiated with Shumlin to drop the increase to 53 cents and instead bump up the assessment on health insurance claims from 0.65 percent to 0.9 percent.

Shumlin has insisted on a provider tax for dentists; Campbell refused to agree to the proposed assessment.

So, is the governor throwing his weight around more than usual? Campbell says Shumlin’s tactics are typical of any governor. Campbell characterized the meetings with individual senators as the governor’s prerogative, and he said both Gov. Howard Dean and Gov. Jim Douglas pulled lawmakers aside to change their votes on a given issue. “He’s well within his rights to bring members in,” Campbell said. “That happened all the time.”

As for the Statehouse scuttlebutt that Shumlin is attempting to run the Senate from the Fifth Floor, Campbell says: “People are going to say whatever they want…“Anyone who thinks I’m doing Peter Shumlin’s bidding is wrong. I think it’s been clear I’m my own person. My intention is to protect the Senate’s position.”

The resolution of the tax bill revenue sourcing paves the way for passage of the budget bill.

Budget bill cuts state spending by 3.7 percent over fiscal year 2011

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted out the Big Bill 5-0 on Wednesday, and it’s scheduled to hit the floor on Thursday.

The committee’s budget for fiscal year 2012 is largely based on the House bill. The total state budget for fiscal year 2012 is $4.68 billion, and that total represents 3.7 percent less than the previous year’s expenditures, according to the Joint Fiscal Office. Over a three year period, state spending has increased 2.3 percent.

The total General Fund budget spending increased by 7.3 percent in fiscal year 2012. That’s because the state had to replace $158 million in stimulus funding for core programs with General Fund dollars. The overall increase in the General Fund budget from 2009 to 2012, is 2.6 percent, according to the Joint Fiscal Office.

Sen. Jane Kitchel, D-Caledonia, described the budget process as a “daunting task.”

“The reductions are marbled throughout state government,” Kitchel said.

The Senate’s budget deviates from the House version by about $500,000. The governor had recommended more dramatic cuts to human services. Both the House and Senate agreed to soften the reductions in programs for the elderly, the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill. All three areas of the Agency of Human Services budget, however, took significant reductions.

The designated agencies will see a $5.5 million reduction (including Medicaid matching money) in funding for services to Vermonters who are developmentally disabled or mentally ill.

Funding for respite care and personal assistants for elderly Vermonters was not fully restored. The programs could see an $800,000 reduction unless, as expected, the Choices for Care program, which provides supports for seniors who want to stay in their own homes, saves money on nursing home care.

Shumlin eliminated the substance abuse counselor program for local high schools; lawmakers funded the positions at a 50 percent level.
The Vermont Employee Ownership Center is zeroed out.
The Area Agencies on Aging will see a $180,000 cut.
The budget includes $29 million in the human services caseload reserve. That money is a cushion in the event that demand for services increases again, as they did at the beginning of the recession.
Kitchel said they didn’t include $4.1 million in payments on interest for Unemployment Insurance from the federal government that were forgiven.
Any revenue above the forecast level would be set aside for the state’s Unemployment Insurance interest payment; another waterfall contingency plan would reserve money for unanticipated federal cuts to programs.