Orland Moves Toward New Smoking Law

Orland got a few steps closer to tightening rules on smoking in town, further refining ideas presented last month by Orland students working with health organizations. The plan now is to bring back the topic for a first reading of a new policy, then a second reading before possible adoption. As it stood after the Nov. 21 meeting of the City Council, the rules would ban smoking in local parks, outdoor cafes and 20 feet from business entries. The Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) group worked many months talking to business owners, gathering citizen signatures and picking up best Kiss cigarette butts before making their presentation to the council in October. Students also have spoken at several council meetings.

Marijuana Smoking Fine Proposed

A measure that would impose a fine on anyone who gets caught smoking marijuana in public in Newburyport is going before the City Council tonight. Councilor Brian Derrivan, chairman of the council's Public Safety Committee, is expected to introduce a new ordinance imposing a $300 local fine on anyone smoking, ingesting or otherwise using or consuming marijuana while in a public place. According to a letter from Andrea Egmont, the city's director of youth and recreational services, more than 60 communities throughout Massachusetts have already adopted similar ordinances. Egmont said that since Massachusetts lessened the use laws in 2009, decriminalizing the possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana, "the (new) policy has changed the perception of risk by both teens and adults."

Severe Tobacco Control Law Soon

The government plans to amend the tobacco control law to ban smoking in public places, the health and family planning minister has told parliament. Responding to a supplementary query from Nazma Akther MP during the question-answer session on Thursday, A F M Ruhul Haque said the law would be amended to impose fines for smoking at restricted places. The minister said printing of health warning messages with 50 percent photo coverage on cigarette and tobacco packets would also be made compulsory in the amended law. The other plans include making workplaces, including all government institutions, hotels, restaurants and salons, smoking-free zones, taking legal action against tobacco growers, and putting a strong market policy in place against publicity by companies, logos and brand colours through exhibition of films and advertisement.

Cigarettes Seized from First Nation Smoke Shop

Manitoba government officials have confiscated more than 89,000 cheap Robinson cigarettes from a First Nation-run shop that was intentionally selling the smokes without a licence. Manitoba Finance says its special investigations unit, along with RCMP, seized about 89,550 contraband cigarettes from the Dakota Chundee Smoke Shop near Pipestone, Man., at about 12:20 p.m. CT on Tuesday. "The cigarettes seized are federally stamped under the Excise Act 2001 but are not marked or stamped for sale in Manitoba," the province said in a release. Provincial officials are expected to show off the seized cigarettes to reporters on Wednesday in Winnipeg. They say the investigation continues and charges are pending. Located on off-reserve land about 80 kilometres southwest of Brandon, the Dakota Chundee Smoke Shop was run by leaders from the Dakota Plains and Canupawakpa First Nations.

Tobacco Sector Wants Freeze on Cigarette Duty

Academics found the number of smokers in Eastern Europe did not fall when 10 states joined the EU in 2004 – even though the price of cigarettes soared by as much as 100pc ahead of wages when they became subject to Brussels rules on minimum tax levels. On average, the afford ability of cheap cigarettes, measured by minutes of work needed to buy a pack of 20, fell by 40pc. But there was no fall in smoking prevalance – and in several countries, the number of smokers actually rose, to the bafflement of researchers. Cigarette makers say the research shows successive tobacco duty hikes are unjustified.

Hookah Smoking Illegal and Bad for Teens

The popularity of Al Fakher hookah smoking has recently developed into a spreading inclination among today’s young adults. It has also grown into a large problem with high school students, who smoke hookah and tobacco illegally. A hookah is a metal cylindrical device with a water pipe and smoke chamber. It has a bowl for flavored tobacco called shisha, and a hose leading to the mouth piece that one uses to draw in smoke. Shisha is heated in the chamber, and its smoke travels through water and then through a rubber tube to a mouth piece by which the user inhales the smoke. Many people believe that smoking hookah is less detrimental to one’s health than smoking cigarettes. However, this is greatly contradicted by health experts. According to psychiatrist Dr. David Burns, a graduate from Stanford University of Medicine, hookah smoking is both a mystery and common knowledge among doctors.

Anti-Smoking Petition

A local trader has denied swearing at or harassing two Peninsula Health workers while they were gathering signatures for an anti-smoking petition. At a Frankston Council meeting last month, Cr Colin Hampton introduced a rescission motion to overturn the ruling that smoking be allowed in Frankston's alfresco dining areas. The council had already banned smoking in many central Frankston streets. Before the meeting, Peninsula Health workers had asked people to sign postcards that said 'I love a smoke free Frankston'. These signed postcards were brought to the chamber by Cr Hampton in support of his motion. Cr Hampton was the only councillor to vote in favour of the motion. After its failure, he referred to Glenn Cooper of Cooper's Patisserie in the Shannon Street Mall. Mr Cooper had strongly pushed for smoking cheap cigarettes to be allowed due to a loss of income while the ban was in place.