Smoking Ban and Tobacco Use, Montgomery County

Montgomery County leaders are considering tightening restrictions on tobacco use again, this time with a smoking ban on any property owned or leased by county government. The ban—proposed by Councilwoman Nancy Floreen—would apply to the land around recreation centers and county buildings, for example, but not bus shelters and sidewalks, The Examiner reported. Floreen, a breast cancer survivor, will announce more details at a news conference Thursday timed to coincide with the Great American Smokeout, which the American Cancer Society holds to try to cut into the nation’s 44 million smokers.

Smoking Ban in Restaurant Positive Results

In countries in Europe where there is a restaurant smoking ban, young people were 35 percent less likely to smoke regularly, U.S. researchers say. Mike Vuolo, an assistant professor of sociology at Purdue University who conducted the research when he was at the University of Minnesota, used data of self-reported cigarette use of people ages 15-24 in the original 15 EU countries.

Proposed Smoking Ban, Madison County

The Madison County Board of Supervisors amended its proposed smoking ban this morning to exclude county parks and forest land. A public hearing on the proposed law — which will apply to cigarettes, cigars and pipes as well as chewing tobacco — will be held at 10:45 .am. Sept. 11 in the Board of Supervisors chambers in Wampsville.

Tobacco Stores Banned to Sell Cigs

Four London variety stores and a Strathroy retailer are barred from selling tobacco for six months after they were convicted for the second time of selling tobacco products to minors. The London stores under prohibition are OK Variety on Hale St., Beckworth Mini Mart on Beckworth Ave., Hasty Market on Belmont Dr. and Dundas Convenience on Dundas St. McRobert Fuels Ltd. on Egremont Dr. in Strathroy also is prohibited from selling any form of tobacco for six months.

Smoke-Free Places - Post Offices and Banks

After public places, government offices, the post offices and banks too have been declared tobacco free in the Kashmir Valley, where several hundred persons, including employees and doctors, were fined for violating the ban during the past few months. Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Amir Ali in the office of Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, said Chief Post Master General (CPMG) Jammu and Kashmir, John Samuel has declared all the Post Offices and Administrative Offices in the state as 'Tobacco-free'.

New Plan to Ban Smoking in Public

Smoking could be banned in children’s playparks in Cumbria after the county council called on all districts to consider it. The health and wellbeing scrutiny committee made the call after hearing market research showed 70 per cent of people supported a ban on smoking in playgrounds. The research also indicated three quarters of those asked agreed children had the right not to be exposed to second-hand smoke outdoors. Councillor Bill Wearing, chairman of the committee, has raised the issue in the past and said he was in favour of a voluntary ban. “I’ve already come out in favour of a ban on smoking in children’s play areas – it’s clear that people find it socially unacceptable,” he said.

Smoking Ban Could Affects Business

A local smoke shop owner worries the state-wide smoking ban could eventually kill his business. Pipes, cigars, and ashtrays line the walls of Riegel's Pipe and Tobacco in Fort Wayne. Riegel's started as a saloon and cigar store back in 1874. Owner Al Riegel jumped from one location to another downtown, but in 1969 landed at today's infamous South Calhoun Street location. Now Riegel's has three locations across Fort Wayne: one in Covington Plaza, one in Georgetown Square and one at 624 S. Calhoun. Despite the success, the future of this family-owned business is a bit hazy.

Smokers Need Not Apply

The push to squeeze smokers out of public places is getting stronger, with restaurants and malls moving them out of their buildings. Now some businesses are taking it a step further. For years, Virginia's Bon Secours hospitals have banned smoking on hospital grounds. Now they are banning smokers entirely, even people who only smoke discount Red White cigarettes in the privacy of their own home. The company is no longer hiring anyone whose urine sample tests positive for nicotine. "As a healthcare institution, we believe in supporting good health and being good healthcare models to each other, the patients, and the community," she explained.

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.