Public Smoking Laws, Secondhand Smoke

Drive by any downtown restaurant or bar on a busy night, and you'll see a group of customers near the entrance smoking. Stop into a pharmacy to pick up some cold medicine and you might see someone buying a pack of cigarettes. Go to an event in a private club and people sitting at the next table might be lighting up. Those scenarios would end if the city's Health Board adopts new public rules proposed for Haverhill. The board is considering regulations aimed at protecting the public from second-hand cigarette smoke by limiting where people can light up. Health Board member Peter Carbone said the new regulations are a work in progress and he expects changes once the board begins to gather public input and holds public hearings. He said the board announced its plans to stiffen smoking rules at its March meeting and will discuss a draft of the proposed new regulations May 8.

Counterfeit Cigarettes Packs

A bitter row is growing over Government moves to strip cigarette packets of branding. Health campaigners welcomed plans for plain packaging on tobacco products in a bid to cut smoking, but opponents claimed the proposals would lead to increased smuggling and job losses. As the Government prepared to launch a public consultation on Monday, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "Health ministers across the UK have a responsibility to look closely at initiatives that might encourage smokers to quit and stop young people from taking up smoking in the first place. "Through the forthcoming consultation we want to hear as many views as possible about whether tobacco packing should remain unchanged, plain packaging should be adopted or a different option should be considered."

Anti-Smoking Advertisements Have Positive Result

The Tips from Former Smokers ad campaign was launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health on March 19. The commercials profile former smokers and others who have been affected by second-hand smoking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says just two weeks after the ads started running, the Tips from Former Smokers campaign caused the quit line's numbers to spike from 14,000 per week to more than 34,000. The graphic ads depict real people living with the after-effects of tobacco-related diseases.

Tobacco-Free Outdoor Places, Lewisboro Smoking Legislation

Recently, the Lewisboro Town Board unanimously agreed to implement an ordinance that stands to benefit all of their residents and the environment. The ordinance will call for “tobacco-free zones” in parks, playgrounds and picnic areas. I applaud the board for passing an ordinance that serves to protect the health of its residents. Let’s be clear; this ordinance is not about “nannying,” it’s about health preservation. Throughout New York State, tobacco-free outdoor areas have become a growing trend over the past two years.