Health Minister congratulates New Brunswick and Manitoba on smoke-free status, Canada

02 Oct 2004

OTTAWA - Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh today welcomed the new province-wide smoking bans in Manitoba and New Brunswick. Both provinces have banned smoking in all public places, including bars and restaurants. The legislation creates the strictest province-wide bans in the country.
"I would like to congratulate New Brunswick and Manitoba, who go smoke-free today, said Minister Dosanjh . "This is a significant milestone that highlights the impressive momentum that has been building across Canada towards establishing smoke-free work places. It is also a timely and eloquent response to the launch this week of mychoice.ca a website funded by the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers Council that seeks to turn back the clock on tobacco control."
Every year, more than 45,000 Canadians die from disease or illness caused by using tobacco, and at least 1,000 of those are non-smokers. Cigarette smoke is the number one cause of visible indoor air pollution and second-hand smoke exposes people to cancer-causing pollutants. The financial costs associated with employee smoking are also significant. The most recent conservative estimates from 1995 show annual costs per smoking employee can be up to $2,565 per year due to increased absenteeism, decreased productivity, increased life insurance premiums, and smoking area costs. The most recent figures from 1991 estimate that smoking costs the Canadian health care system approximately $3.5 billion every year.
The primary mission of the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy (FTCS) is to reduce disease and death due to tobacco among Canadians. It recognizes that the key to success is comprehensive, integrated and sustained action, carried out in collaboration with all partners and directed at Canadians of all ages. Federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Health are committed to working together to reduce tobacco consumption in Canada.
 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=14338  OR

http://www.news.gc.ca/cfmx/CCP/view/en/index.cfm?articleid=100959

 

Even One Puff Of Smoke Damages DNA, Study Finds – Junk science (where’s toxicology in this?)

WASHINGTON OCT 01, 2004 (Reuters) - Just one puff of a cigarette could damage a smoker's DNA, the first step to cancer and heart disease, researchers said on Friday.

It obviously takes more than that to cause disease, but the team at the University of Pittsburgh were surprised at how little smoke it took to do the initial damage.

http://www.cancerpage.com/news/article.asp?id=7561

 

 

Security clamp on final crowd –AU  NRL(National Rugby League)
October 01, 2004

POLICE and sniffer dogs will ensure spectator safety at Sunday night's Grand Final.

Representatives from the NRL , Bulldogs, Sydney Roosters, police and Telstra Stadium met this week to discuss strategies for the big night.

A full house of 82,000 is expected at the match.

Drunk spectators would be refused entry or thrown out and a zero-tolerance policy would be adopted for abusive language and smoking.

"We are working with the stadium to ensure that everyone has a great night," NRL CEO David Gallop said.

"However, at an event such as the grand final, which has a wide cross section of fans and a capacity crowd, it is important that we consider the comfort and enjoyment of everyone who attends."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10935119%255E23214,00.html

 

Charges fly over tobacco buyout proposals
 By Cecil H. Yancy Jr. Oct 1, 2004 9:35 AM
With about a month to go before election day, the tobacco buyout is in danger of going up in smoke because of political maneuvering, say House Democrats.

Keeping Food and Drug Administration regulation out of the conference committee report on the corporate tax bill H.R. 4520 is an “orchestrated” plan to scuttle the tobacco buyout, they claim.

In a conference call with reporters that at times resembled the diagramming of a football play in the locker room, three House Democrats from North Carolina and one from South Carolina, John Spratt, described “what to look for.”

The Democrats say the Republican leadership is setting up a scenario where the bill heads out of conference without FDA regulation and is defeated in the Senate. Republicans in the Senate, such as North Carolina’s Elizabeth Dole, have said that FDA regulation of tobacco is essential to get a buyout passed.

e-mail: cyancy@primediabusiness.com

http://southeastfarmpress.com/news/100104-tobacco-buyout/

 

An end to marijuana prohibition

The drive to legalize picks up

By Ethan A Nadelmann

Never before have so many Americans supported decriminalizing and even legalizing marijuana. Seventy-two percent say that for simple marijuana possession, people should not be incarcerated but fined: the generally accepted definition of “decriminalization.” Even more Americans support making marijuana legal for medical purposes. Support for broader legalization ranges between 25 and 42 percent, depending on how one asks the question. Two of every five Americans - according to a 2003 Zogby poll - say “the government should treat marijuana more or less the same way it treats alcohol: It should regulate it, control it, tax it, and only make it illegal for children.”

Close to 100 million Americans - including more than half of those between the ages of 18 and 50 - have tried marijuana at least once. http://www.anchoragepress.com/archives-2004/featurevol13ed39.shtml

 

Adopts Institute of Medicine Report as Blueprint for Action

    WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten years after declaring that obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death and launching Shape Up America!, the first privately funded nonprofit educational campaign to promote healthy weight for life, former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop is lending his clout to a new crusade: preventing the epidemic of childhood obesity in this country.

    Responding to the conclusions of the new report, Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Dr. Koop pledged the resources of Shape Up America! to promote the report's findings and to advocate for swift implementation of the IOM's

recommendations. Dr. Koop also called on all federal agencies that fund research and prevention programs, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau to address the many gaps in knowledge about childhood obesity identified in the report on an expedited basis. 

    "As a nation, we cannot ignore the pressing problem of childhood obesity, which threatens the health of children as they grow and mature, and

significantly increases the risk of disabling diseases of adulthood which now afflict our children," said Dr. Koop. "The IOM report represents a clarion call for all Americans to take responsibility for stopping the epidemic of childhood obesity."

    Shape Up America! also applauded the IOM recommendations calling for pediatricians, family practitioners and other health professionals to assess and actively discuss a child's weight status (as measured by BMI) with parents. "Physicians can no longer sit on the sidelines as the childhood

obesity epidemic escalates," said Dr. Koop. "Doctors need to be on the front lines in screening for childhood obesity and must intervene early to address the problem head on."

    In addition to health care professionals, the IOM report calls upon schools to conduct at least annual assessments of the weight status of all

schoolchildren. To assist schools in responding to this call, Shape Up America! is unveiling an online tool to automate the process of calculating

and correctly plotting the BMI of children two years and older, which has been a difficult process up to now.  This new tool instantly calculates and plots the gender- and age-specific BMI percentile of a child, and provides a printout of the result.

    According to Barbara J. Moore, Ph.D., president and CEO of Shape Up America!, who served on the 19 member IOM Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth, which researched and wrote the report, "Childhood obesity has now become a serious health issue. Changing how our entire society responds to childhood obesity is essential to reducing the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, which is soon to become the most prevalent form of pediatric diabetes."

    Recognizing the causal linkages between obesity and the onset of type 2 diabetes in both children and adults, Shape Up America! created a new term --"diabesity"(R) -- which specifically focuses on this link. Furthermore, Shape Up America! is conducting an educational initiative and has been working with the medical community to develop specific strategies for addressing this public health threat.

    Shape Up America! will also focus its resources on another critical issue addressed in the IOM report: the regulation of food intake during pregnancy and infancy. Because the prevention of childhood obesity begins at conception and continues through pregnancy and infancy, Shape Up America! hosted an international conference on this issue and developed symposium proceedings, which summarized the latest science on the factors that promote self- regulation of food intake and energy balance in infants and very young children.  The proceedings, which will be published in a special supplement of the journal Pediatrics on October 4, will be widely distributed to the medical community.

    "Thanks to the IOM, we now have a report that ranks in importance with the 1964 Surgeon General's report on smoking.  It represents a national blueprint for action for parents, schools, communities and all levels of society," said Dr. Koop. "But because this is a complex, multifaceted problem, reversing the tide of childhood obesity will require the same national commitment that we now give to preventing cancer, heart disease and other major diseases."

    Launched in 1994, Shape Up America! is a national education and public policy campaign working to combat obesity by promoting healthy eating and increased physical activity. Shape Up America! also serves as a change agent for promoting the assessment and medical treatment of obesity by holding conferences, issuing treatment guidance, and conducting programs at medical schools and institutions.

    More information about Shape Up America! is available at http://www.shapeup.org.

shape up America launched

 

Report Responds to Urgent Need for Comprehensive National Strategy to Combat Childhood Obesity

9/30/2004 9:30:00 AM

To: National Desk, Health Reporter

Contact: Christine Stencel of the National Academies News Office, 202-334-2138 or news@nas.edu

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Reversing the rapid rise in obesity among American children will require a multipronged approach by schools, families, communities, industry, and government that would be as comprehensive and ambitious as national anti-smoking efforts, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

"Several of our recommendations challenge entrenched aspects of American life, but if we are not willing to make some fundamental shifts in our attitudes and actions, obesity's toll on the nation will only worsen," said Jeffrey Koplan, vice president for academic health affairs, Emory University, and former director of the CDC. Koplan chaired the committee that developed the report in response to a request from Congress for an obesity prevention plan based on sound science and the most promising approaches.

The report calls for all schools to apply nutritional standards developed at the national level to all foods and beverages served on school grounds, including vending machine products. The standards should include limits on fat and sugar content. To counter downward trends in activity levels, schools should ensure that all students engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day and should expand activity opportunities beyond gym classes.

Although research suggests that exposure to food, beverage, and entertainment advertisements may adversely affect kids' eating habits and activity levels, there is not enough direct causal evidence to support banning all such advertising to children. Instead, the industries should develop and implement guidelines for advertising directed at kids. Congress should give the Federal Trade Commission the authority to monitor compliance and take action against ads that fail to comply. Restaurants should continue to expand their offerings of nutritious foods and beverages, and should provide calorie content and other nutrition information.

The report outlines several specific steps that parents should take, including providing healthy foods in the home, actively discussing their children's weight with health care providers, and limiting their children's TV, videogame, and recreational computer time to less than two hours daily.

Communities should support zoning ordinances and plans to enhance sidewalks, bike paths, playgrounds, and other recreational facilities.

------

The Institute of Medicine is a private, nonprofit institution that provides health policy advice under a congressional charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

Smoking Ban Controversy -Columbus, OH

A recent report states that the "Coalition for a Smoke-Free Columbus" was not accurate in stating their reasons to pass a smoking ban.

A statement on the coalition's web-site claims that Big Tobacco was behind the push to collect signatures to put the Columbus smoking ban on the November ballot.

On Thursday, The Ohio Election Commission said that statement is false. The Commission also said the statement pushed people to vote against the measure.

Meanwhile, Central Ohio's second suburban smoking ban is in effect. Worthington is officially smoke-free in bars and restaurants.

http://www.10tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2372947

 

Jury Sides With Cigarette Maker in Suit   -Ms,USA

06:48 PM EST - October 01, 2004

The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS

A jury ruled that a tobacco company was not responsible for the death of a 53-year-old woman who developed lung cancer after four decades of smoking.

The jury rejected claims by the woman's daughters Thursday that Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. did not provide their mother, Stella Hale, with adequate warnings of the risks of smoking.

Hale, who died in August 2001, smoked Brown & Williamson's Kool cigarettes for about 40 years, according to the suit.

The company, which merged with R.J. Reynolds in July to form the nation's second-largest tobacco company, said that Hale knew the potential health risks of smoking and chose to smoke anyway.

Jeff Raborn, lawyer for the newly named Reynolds Tobacco Co., said the ruling "underscores the strength of our defenses in these individual cases."

Douglas Dowd, who represented Hale's daughters, said the case was tough to prove because Hale was not alive to testify.

http://www.xposed.com/headline_news/55_ds_1051324.aspx

 

US tobacco trial witness quizzed on 2nd-hand smoke

29 Sep 2004 21:41:38 GMT

Source: Reuters By Peter Kaplan

WASHINGTON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - A lawyer for cigarette makers fighting the U.S. government's $280 billion racketeering suit sparred with a medical expert on Wednesday over whether the public was misled on the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Pulmonary specialist Jonathan Samet told U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler researchers concluded beginning in the 1980s that exposure to secondhand smoke increased the risk of lung cancer in non-smokers.

"The association between secondhand smoke and lung cancer in adults has been examined in investigations conducted in the United States and many other countries," Samet said in pre-written testimony submitted to the judge.

Until the mid-1990s, cigarette makers made the case publicly that the connection between secondhand smoke and health hazards had not been proven.

All of them now either acknowledge or defer to the warnings of public health officials, who have concluded that secondhand smoke is linked to increased cancer and heart disease risk.

During cross-examination on Wednesday, R.J. Reynolds lawyer Robert McDermott showed the judge a number of earlier studies that had turned up no significant connection between secondhand smoke and cancer, including five studies from 1986 alone.

"Not a single one (of the 1986 studies) showed statistically significant elevated risk, correct?" McDermott asked.

Samet, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said the results were statistically significant when researchers examined all the studies together.

Collectively, Samet told the judge, the results indicated exposure to secondhand smoke was associated with a 34-percent increase in lung cancer risk.

Samet said the link between secondhand smoke and disease was made in studies, starting in the 1980s, which found non-smokers who were married to smokers were more likely to develop lung cancer and heart disease than those married to other non-smokers.

Samet also cited a finding in the early 1990s by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that classified secondhand smoke as a human carcinogen.

McDermott, for R.J. Reynolds, quoted from a 1979 report from the Surgeon General that said healthy non-smokers had "little or no physiological response" to secondhand smoke.

He also cited research papers and reports that concluded more precise methods of measuring secondhand smoke exposure were needed, and that other factors, such as diet, should be studied further.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29714403.htm

 

'Butt' Display Draws Attention At UC Santa Cruz

POSTED: 6:37 pm PDT September 29, 2004
UPDATED: 7:01 pm PDT September 29, 2004

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- A display at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is trying to make some people feel uneasy over one of their habits.

Thousands of cigarette butts were placed in a display on campus. The men and women of the UC Santa Cruz grounds department picked them up during the month of April.

Crew members wanted to show students how gross their jobs are when they have to pick up the butts on the campus.

The display is at Quarry Plaza near the bookstore.

http://www.theksbwchannel.com/news/3771742/detail.html

 

Cigarette smoke combined with healthy saliva hastens cancer

29 Sep 2004

The Journal of the American Dental Association reported in its August edition that cigarette smoke combined with healthy saliva creates a mixture that can accelerate oropharyngeal cancer, according to researchers in the July 5 issue of British Journal of Cancer.

The report outlined that saliva contains antioxidants molecules that fight and neutralize harmful substances and help protect the body against cancer. Researchers examined its role in the development of oral cancer by recreating the effects of cigarette smoke on cancerous cells of the mouth. They exposed one-half of cancerous cell samples to cigarette smoke alone and the other one-half to a saliva and cigarette smoke mixture.
They used cancerous cells in their study to assess quickly whether the saliva and smoke mixture would speed the cancer development.
Researchers found that cigarette smoke destroyed the antioxidants in the saliva and turned the saliva into a chemical mixture that could accelerate the development of mouth cancer. The longer the cancerous cells were exposed to the contaminated saliva, the more the cells were damaged.
Most people will find it very shocking that the mixture of saliva and smoke is actually more lethal to cells in the mouth than cigarette smoke alone, Esaid study co-author Dr. Rafi Nagler. Our study shows that once exposed to cigarette smoke, our normally healthy saliva not only loses its beneficial qualities but it turns traitor and actually aids in destroying the cells of the mouth and oral cavity. Cigarette smoke is not only damaging on its own, it can turn the body against itself.

http://www.ada.org.au

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=14184

 

Friday, September 24, 2004 · Last updated 10:10 a.m. PT

Five charged in Washington and Idaho in contraband cigarette case

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Five people have been charged with multiple offenses following an 18-month investigation into sales of untaxed cigarettes and raids on a number of Indian smoke shops.

Authorities said it apparently was the first time the Justice Department has brought criminal charges, at least in the Pacific Northwest, over contraband cigarettes intended for sale to non-Indians.

In a 238-count indictment issued by a federal grand jury, the three north Idaho residents and two Tacoma-area men were charged Thursday with money laundering, conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to traffic in contraband cigarettes.

Money laundering, the most serious charge, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The indictment also seeks forfeiture of The Warpath, a landmark Indian smoke shop and convenience store on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation in Plummer, Idaho, as well as $2.2 million in cash that was seized at Indian smoke shops and from bank accounts in Fairfield and Fife and about $1 million worth of cigarettes taken in raids last year.

Investigators said the cigarettes involved in the case cost Washington state about $7 million in tax revenue.

"I've heard it estimated that, across the board and not just from this case, the state of Washington is losing as much as $1 million a month from the sale of untaxed cigarettes," said James A. McDevitt, U.S. attorney in Spokane.

Indians may legally buy untaxed cigarettes, but illegal sales of untaxed cigarettes to non-Indians at reservation smoke shops has been a long-smoldering problem for state and federal law enforcement and revenue officials.

"We're not at odds with the tribes, but individuals who allegedly have broken the law," McDevitt said.

Smuggled smokes

---

*if smokers were such a small group why are they worried about it?

"There's a new kind of smoking jacket in MB -- a parka"

Thursday, September 30, 2004

WINNIPEG - Some Manitoba bar owners are resorting to humour to tell their customers about the province-wide smoking ban that takes effect tomorrow.

They tell customers that there is a new type of smoking jacket in Manitoba -- a parka.

It's a gentle reminder to patrons that they will now have to step outside to enjoy a puff.

Other posters feature a frowning face and the words "Where there's smoke, there's fire ... and a fine."

The Association is also hoping to keep customers in bars through a new contest that includes a chance to win a vacation getaway.

Association president Jim Baker says his members are worried about losing customers because of the smoking law.

The two casinos in Winnipeg have already seen their revenues drop because of a municipal smoking ban that took effect last year

http://www.canada.com/fortstjohn/story.html?id=41685b1e-47be-4872-a707-ee630d99b5ca

Public meetings focus on smoking and zoning

Wednesday, September 29, 2004 Dunchurch (around Perry Sound, Ontario)

by Shelley Heffernan

There will be a public meeting at the Dunchurch Community Centre on October 23 at 9 a.m. for the proposed by-law to regulate smoking in public places and workplaces in the Municipality of Whitestone.

Whitestone council will also hold a public meeting on Saturday at 10 a.m., same location, to consider a new zoning by-law. The proposed zoning by-law will regulate the use of land, character, location and use of buildings or structures in the whole of the municipality. Any person may attend.

Copies of both the proposed zoning by-law and smoke-free by-law are available at the municipal office or on the municipality's web site: www.whitestone.ca

http://www.parrysoundnorthstar.com/story--1096481171/

 

*Heather Crowe wasn’t exposed to chlorine, mushrooms, hepatitis b (cold sores), plastics, and the over 35 other risk factors in 40 years????

An emotional message delivered to students about smoking -AB, CA

by Kevin Gill

Jasper Booster — Crowe was in Jasper, speaking to local students on Sept. 21, educating them on the dangers of second-hand smoke and driving home the importance of bylaws in towns like Jasper that will protect workers like her in the future.
Crowe was diagnosed with stage 3B non small cell lung cancer (adenocarcinoma) in the summer of 2002. The only risk factor for lung cancer Crowe was ever exposed to was the smoke from cigarettes, as she went about her work as a waitress.* During her 40-year career in that job, she often worked 60 hours per week to help support her family.
Crowe’s cancer is apparently in remission and at the moment she is battling to beat the bleak odds given to her by the doctors - a 15 per cent chance of living past five years.
With the knowledge she has gained through her ordeal, her mission is to spread the message about the dangers of second-hand smoke to as many people as possible. Her dream is to see a day when 100 per cent of Canadian workers are protected from exposure to second-hand smoke at work.
“This is not fair - people shouldn’t get sick like this,” she told the Jasper students. “There must be something I can do...so the next generation of workers are protected.”
Crowe’s presentation to the students was followed by another emotional message, this one from a film on Barb Tarbox. She is the Alberta woman who smoked cigarettes for years and years and was eventually diagnosed with cancer. She used the remaining months of her life to visit schools and warn kids about the dangers of smoking.
Throughout portions of the presentation to students some were moved to tears by the stories of Crowe and Tarbox.
 “I literally wanted to cry,” said Thomas. “Knowing that almost all my family members smoke and I don’t want to see them not get to see me graduate.”
Lackey called the presentation extremely inspirational.
“Everyone should listen to her... this woman is dying. How do you not feel moved by that?” he asked. “I know someone in my family smokes and I want them to be there when I graduate, when I get married, when I have kids. I don’t think that will happen if they keep smoking. I’m kind of scared for them now so I have to try and take some action on that.”
Crowe said it’s also important for some teens to do more than just think about what they heard from her.
“They basically have to follow up (with AADAC programs for youth) and get involved and maybe do a study of tobacco to get them involved that way,” she said. “At least they can know the product and what it’s going to do to them. If it can burn the lungs right out of me and I didn’t smoke it, what’s tobacco doing to them.”
Organizations like AADAC get a real boost from presentations like Crowe’s because it allows someone else who is dealing first hand with consequences of tobacco to get a message out that they work on all the time.
“I thought it was extremely powerful,” said local AADAC Tobacco Reduction Consultant John Heffernan, adding that AADAC has a number of programs to aid teens in quitting smoking

http://www.jasperbooster.com/story.php?id=119268

 

Tobacco regulation back on Congress' front burner

29 Sep 2004 23:21:41 GMT

Source: Reuters (Recasts, adds Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids quote)

By Joanne Kenen

WASHINGTON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The long push to grant federal health authorities power to regulate tobacco re-emerged on Wednesday as a top issue in Congress as lawmakers pushed to include it in a massive corporate tax bill they hope to wrap up within the next week.

Anti-tobacco lawmakers want to grant the Food and Drug Administration power to regulate tobacco, including adding bolder health warnings on cigarette packs, regulating advertising, more aggressively combating underage sales and regulating ingredients to make cigarettes less harmful. It could not ban cigarettes or completely eliminate nicotine.

To make the proposal more politically palatable, they twinned the FDA plan with a $12 billion industry-financed buyout to U.S. tobacco farmers struggling with an antiquated price support system.

Both proposals were added to a corporate tax bill being finalized by House and Senate negotiators.

The goal is to finish next week -- but the outcome remains uncertain. Several lawmakers and aides said tobacco remained among the most vexing aspects of the tax talks.

CANDY-FLAVORED CIGARETTES

Matt Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said the flavored cigarettes were a prime example of why the FDA needed added powers. "Congressional action is the only way to gain government oversight of products like candy-flavored cigarettes," he said.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said he favored the FDA language but that his overarching task was to figure out how to get the votes to pass a tax bill originally written to address World Trade Organization sanctions, taxes and the outsourcing of jobs.

"I can't let five pages (seal the fate) of a 600-page bill," he said."

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29628711.htm

*Good, now all the deaths that were associated with tobacco can now be linked with the Real reason, VIOXX

Merck to Withdraw Vioxx Because of Heart Risks (Update3)

Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Merck & Co. withdrew its Vioxx painkiller, which generated $2.5 billion in sales last year, because of a link to heart attacks and strokes.

Vioxx, Merck's No. 4 product last quarter, and Pfizer Inc.'s Celebrex were the first in a new class of painkillers designed to be gentler on the stomach. Chief Executive Raymond Gilmartin already was under pressure after a study released last month showed that Merck's top-selling cholesterol treatment Zocor failed to help patients who had just had a heart attack.

FDA Issues Advisory

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an advisory urging patients taking Vioxx to consult with a doctor about alternative medications. Vioxx is used to treat conditions ranging from arthritis to migraines.

``Although the risk that an individual patient would have a heart attack or stroke related to Vioxx is very small,'' the study suggests that patients taking the drug face twice the risk of a heart attack compared with patients on a placebo, Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Lester M. Crawford said in a statement.

Next-Generation Painkiller

Merck is seeking U.S. approval of its next-generation painkiller, known as Arcoxia, which like Vioxx and Celebrex is designed to narrowly target an enzyme that is linked to pain and swelling. The withdrawal of Vioxx won't affect that application, Merck's Plohoros said. The FDA's decision on Arcoxia is due in late October.

``This raises issues about Arcoxia,'' said Wendell Perkins, who oversees $800 million at the Johnson Family of Funds in Racine, Wisconsin. ``Will it have the same issues, and will the FDA take more time to review the product?''

Arcoxia has been sold in the U.K. since 2002.

In August 2001, German drugmaker Bayer AG withdrew its cholesterol medicine Baycol after it was linked to 52 deaths worldwide, including 31 in the U.S. The drug was Bayer's No. 3 medicine and the fastest growing of its top sellers at the time, and the withdrawal cost the company 900 million euros that year.

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000006&sid=azH1LI6DDYs0&refer=home

 

Health secretary John Reid has signalled an all-out ban on smoking in pubs could be averted. -UK

Speaking at the Labour Party conference Mr Reid said: “With New Labour it’s going to be a bit more difficult to do deals in smoke-filled rooms.”

But he stopped short of declaring an all-out ban was on the cards. The government’s policy will be set out in the White Paper on public health, which is now not expected to appear before December.

One insider said he had received indications that legislation was likely to ban smoking in workplaces, including pubs, but make exceptions for wet-led pubs and clubs. Discussions were going on about how food pubs would be defined, he said.

The source added that Mr Reid, a former smoker, had made the difference in the government’s approach on smoking and “there is still plenty to play for”.

There are signs that the government has been encouraged by the five-year plan to restrict smoking to 20 per cent of trading space by 2010, launched by five pubcos last month.

http://www.thepublican.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=14980&d=32&h=24&f=23&dateformat=%25o%20%25B%20%25Y

 

Make your views clear on smoking -UK
Tom McCabe

SMOKING in public places is something of a hot topic at the moment - both politically and socially - and rightly so. Smoking, as we all know, is an extremely dangerous habit, and is the cause of an estimated 13,000 Scottish deaths each year and is responsible for thousands more hospital admissions.
Cancer and coronary heart disease are usually seen as being the conditions most closely linked to smoking. However, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) recently held its annual congress in Glasgow, where it announced that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - also known as chronic bronchitis - would become the fourth-biggest killer worldwide. There is no cure for COPD and the vast majority of cases are caused by smoking. * I have included many studies stating that COPD caused by GENES!
http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=1142552004

 

History of smoking significantly reduces survival in head and neck cancer patients

30 Sep 2004

A new study shows that a history of smoking affects survival in patients with cancer of the head and neck. Patients who had smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime were three times more likely to have better overall survival, disease-specific survival, and recurrence-free survival compared with patients who had a current or previous history of regular smoking.
 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=14215

 

No Smoking... Parkville considers ban on smoking; Liberty watches

 By: Theresa Bembnister  September 30, 2004, Staff Writer

Area residents gathered in Parkville last week to discuss enacting a citywide public smoking ban. Dr. Rex Archer of the Kansas City Department of Health attested to the dangers of smoky environments. Teri Harr of Maryville shared her community's experiences after adopting a smoke-free ordinance.

Gary Worden, co-owner of the voluntarily smoke-free restaurant, Piropos, said that the decision should be left to business owners.

The Sept. 21 meeting resulted in a 4-3 vote by the Board of Alderman to table the citywide issue in favor of reviewing a possible regional smoking ban

If adopted, the model ordinance would outlaw smoking in all workplaces and in 75 percent of hotel/motel rooms.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1452&dept_id=155076&newsid=13023619&PAG=461&rfi=9

 

Association To Discuss Statewide Smoking Ban -MN
Sep 30, 2004 6:29 am US/Central
Duluth, Minn. (AP) The Minnesota Medical Association is considering whether to support a statewide ban on smoking in workplaces.
More than nine-thousand physicians are represented by the group.
State Senator Scott Dibble says the MMA's support would bolster efforts to enact a statewide workplace smoking ban.
The Minneapolis DFL'er sponsored a proposed statewide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants last session. The bill cleared an important Senate committee but never received a hearing in the corresponding House committee.

http://wcco.com/localnews/local_story_274073119.html

 

Eighteen More Pub Chains Join Smoking Clampdown-UK
By Graham Hiscott, Consumer Affairs Correspondent, PA News

Eighteen pub companies have signed-up to an industry initiative severely restricting smoking in their premises, it was announced today.
They join five companies which were the first to agree the no-smoking policy earlier this month.
The latest wave will mean around 40% of pubs and bars in the UK will be covered by the new rules.
The policy commits companies to ban smoking at the bar by the end of next year and to expand the amount of no-smoking floor-space in premises to 80% by December 2009.
 http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3567028

 

Government plans controls on smoking -UK

Wed 29 September, 2004 20:46

BRIGHTON (Reuters) - Health Secretary John Reid says the government is poised to introduce controls on smoking in public places.

But he suggested Britain would adopt its own model rather than copying Ireland, where legislation has banned smoking outright in pubs.

"With New Labour it's going to be a bit more difficult to do deals in smoke-filled rooms," Reid told the ruling Labour Party's annual conference on Thursday.

He said he would make it easier for people to make healthier choices, including those "who want to give up the fags."

Government ministers are working on draft plans on smoking restrictions and Reid is expected to make an announcement to parliament shortly.

The government is keen to strike a balance on smoking between being accused of engineering a "nanny state" and of failing to do enough to protect the public from passive smoking.

Labour would adopt "the British way" in relation to policies on healthcare, Reid said -- a clear hint it would not adopt Ireland's outright ban, according to aides.

The government is expected to seek a compromise solution, with different restrictions for different types of public places, from bars to pubs to restaurants.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=593460&section=news

 

By Michael John McCrae
Sept. 30, 2004

No more cheerleading from me. It causes too much pain and anguish for the members of the other team. The other team is full of “rage”. They have done so much quality research and found so many quality “forgeries” to make their point that George W. Bush is the most evil and untrustworthy Hitler and Taliban like person on the face of the earth. How can we conservatives continue in the face of such “proof”? I know I can’t bear to watch one more tear fall from one more liberal cheek. So I quit!
Yes, it is true. Global Warming is all the fault of evil Republicans. Evil Republicans revel in the destruction of the planet. All Republicans pray that the world becomes so polluted that billions of people will just die and leave their family fortunes to death taxation at the front door of the Congress; so they can be scooped up and spent on military programs and buildings and Aircraft Carriers named after Ronald Reagan! How crass of those Republican taxaholics!
http://www.useless-knowledge.com/articles/apr/sept397.html

 

Butting in -CA,USA

I TOTALLY AGREE with Gary Cicotte's Sept. 27 letter on the proposed ban on outdoor smoking in San Francisco. Supervisor Alioto-Pier had better look at the declining state of her district instead of creating new policies. She should take care of the existing problems and do her job. The streets have never been dirtier, the homeless/bum population has tripled, and urine and feces could be seen everywhere if she ever took a moment to check on the Van Ness/Polk neighborhood. I have to step over bums to get home every day.

I really wish that our supervisors were elected only based on their qualifications.

If she is so worried about the cigarette butts, perhaps it would be a good idea to have more trash cans in the main streets so there is not so much litter on the streets.

Anita Daniel

http://www.sfexaminer.com/article/index.cfm/i/093004op_letters

 

Vaccinating against Vice

The technology and political interest are there, but inoculating kids against bad habits might do more harm than good

By Shannon Klie 9/30/2004 11:23 AM

The bell rings and Bobby rushes outside to meet his friends in the field behind the school. When he gets there some older boys are smoking. One of them smiles at Bobby and hands him a cigarette. "Wanna drag?" he asks. At 13, Bobby has never smoked before. Not wanting to look like a geek, he takes the cigarette. He inhales, sputters and coughs. The smoke burns his throat and makes his eyes water. He tries again. He doesn't cough, but the cigarette tastes horrible.

Over time, other children become addicted but not Bobby. When he was younger, his parents vaccinated him against nicotine as part of a government-sanctioned program. He can't feel nicotine's pleasurable effects, so doesn't get addicted to cigarettes.

Far-fetched? Not at all. Successful trials with nicotine and cocaine-specific vaccines could make Bobby's story a reality soon. And it was widely reported this summer that the British government could soon be considering a program to vaccinate children against addiction to nicotine, cocaine and other drugs. So the technology and political interest are there.

But while the allure of using neuropharmacological treatments, such as drug-specific vaccines, as weapons in the ongoing war on drugs might be hard to resist, many scientists and ethicists believe that such government-mandated inoculation could cause more harm than good.

http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Reports/report.aspx?articleID=2004-09-30-1

 

Battery Creek students arrested
Carolina Morning News
Two Battery Creek High School students were arrested Wednesday afternoon after a bus driver suspected someone was smoking pot on the bus.
"The bus driver smelled what she thought was marijuana smoke and pulled over," said Beaufort County School District spokesman John Williams.
The bus driver then flagged down a passing sheriff's deputy.
All the students were taken off the bus, which was then searched. "Nothing was found," Williams said.
Students' backpacks were not searched, he said.
Two teenagers - a boy and a girl - were arrested, said Debbie Szpanka, Beaufort County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman.
"They weren't arrested for pot, but for being mouthy," she said.
Battery Creek Principal Rodney Jenkins was notified of the incident and consequences are sure to follow, Williams said.
http://www.lowcountrynow.com/stories/093004/LOCpotbrief.shtml

 

TETRA: A Popular Revolt -Wales

 Costing Ł2.9 billion, the UK's new police communication system Tetra has been described by one independent scientist as likely to cause 'more civilian deaths than all the world's terrorist organisations put together'.

Before the Tetra mast was erected in Llanidloes, the nearest thing to a health scare there was the fact that the local Kwik Save was no longer selling prunes in apple juice.
And then, stealthily, on a bank holiday weekend in May, the mobile phone company O2 (through its subsidiary MMO2) erected a Tetra mast in the heart of the town. O2's idea of 'consultation' was legal but risible: it did little more than inform the mayor and town council that it was putting the mast up, whether Llanidloes liked it or not.
And Llanidloes did not.
 Tetra stands for 'Terrestrial Trunked Radio'. It is the new police communication system using microwave radiation and low-frequency electromagnetic pulsing, and is operated by O2 under the brand name Airwave

Not everyone, however, is so enthusiastic about Tetra. Dr Gerard Hyland, an expert in low-level radiation, member of the International Institute of Biophysics and prominent Tetra critic, states: 'With the Tetra roll-out we could be seeing a pandemic of brain tumours in 10 years.' Low-frequency radiation, says Hyland, affects brain function and the blood-brain barrier and degrades the immune system. Children are known to absorb far more radiation than adults. Writing in the medical journal The Lancet in November 2000, Hyland stated: 'Radiation is known to affect the brain rhythms, and children are particularly vulnerable... The main effects are neurological, causing headaches, memory loss and sleeping disorders.'

When a Tetra mast was switched on in Dursley in Gloucestershire people there complained of migraines, sleeplessness, nosebleeds and being 'shocked awake' up to 15 times a night. At a school in Littlehampton, Sussex, 11 children had to be sent home on the day that a nearby Tetra mast went live. The children suffered dizziness and, like the residents of Dursley, severe headaches and nosebleeds. (Interestingly, the local ommunity did not know the mast had been switched on, so the children's reactions could not have been psychosomatic.) At Drumcarrow Hill in Fife a Tetra transmitter has been in operation since the late 1990s. Only about 200 people live around the mast, but there have been at least seven recent cases of cancer and five cases of motor neurone disease (MND) diagnosed in the area over the past five years. (Normally, no more than two people to every 100,000 is diagnosed with MND per year.)
MND is a particularly nasty and fatal degenerative disease. Last year Dr Neil Cherry, former associate professor of environmental health at Lincoln University, died from it, convinced he had contracted MND as a consequence of his long exposure to low-frequency radiation, the potential health hazards of which he researched. Cherry's work suggests that low-level radiation, and Tetra, could also cause heart and blood problems, interference with bone marrow and tumours.
The industry seeks the endorsement of the British police, which are seen as conservative, safety-conscious and well-equipped; it would be a kind of celebrity endorsement: 'as seen on The Bill. 'That,' says Grahame Blackwell, '[would be] a strong selling point. It's a very cynical use of our emergency services.'
 http://www.theecologist.org/article.html?article=475

 

Genetic mutations linked to the practice of burning coal in homes in China

Genetic mutations linked to the practice of burning coal in homes

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 30 – According to a study directed by a University of Pittsburgh researcher, individuals in Xuan Wei County, China who are exposed to smoky coal emissions from cooking and heating their homes may carry genetic mutations that greatly increase their risk of developing lung cancer. The study is being presented Sunday, Oct. 3, at the 35th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society being held Oct. 2 to 6 at the Pittsburgh Hilton and Towers.

"Lung cancer mortality rates in Xuan Wei are among the highest in China in both nonsmoking women and men who smoke, and are associated with exposure to indoor emissions from the burning of smoky coal," said Phouthone Keohavong, Ph.D., study author and associate professor, department of environmental and occupational health, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH). "In order to account for the high rates of disease within this region, we tested for mutations generally associated with lung cancer in people who had no evidence of disease. We found that a good number of these individuals had mutations that indicated they were at higher risk for developing lung cancer in the future."

The study analyzed sputum samples from the bronchial tract of 92 individuals who had no evidence of lung cancer and screened them for p53 and K-ras mutations. Damage to both p53, a tumor suppressor gene that prevents normal cells from turning into tumor cells, and K-ras, an oncogene, is fundamental to the development of a vast majority of cancers. Mutations to both p53 and K-ras are thought to be primarily caused by chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are emitted during the burning of smoky coal. The study found that 15 individuals, or 16.3 percent, tested positive for genetic mutations – 13 individuals tested positive for p53 mutations, one tested positive for K-ras mutation and one tested positive for both p53 and K-ras mutations.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-09/uopm-gml093004.php

---

First Nations hopes to cash in on Manitoba smoke ban exemption – MB, CA

Last Updated Wed, 29 Sep 2004 14:27:02 EDT

WINNIPEG - A First Nations community is planning to take advantage of its exemption from Manitoba's looming ban on smoking in public places by promoting their reserve as a safe haven for people who want to light up.

New provincial regulations, set to come into effect on Friday, ban smoking in enclosed places accessible to the public and indoor workplaces. It includes, among others, bars, restaurants, stores, bowling alleys and bingo halls.

People can still smoke on public patios, as long as the patio meets certain size requirements.

Breaking the law could result in a fine of $100-$1,000 for people, and a fine of $500-$15,000 for businesses.

However, the new law won't apply to First Nations communities.

"I asked if they would consider replicating our law as a BCR – band council resolution," said Jim Rondeau, the province's minister of Healthy Living.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/09/29/man_smoking040929.html

Cigarette makers launch smokers' rights group

CTV.ca News Staff

Hoping to counterbalance the growing non-smoking lobby, tobacco makers have established an association that aims to protect the rights of Canadian smokers.

The Canadian Tobacco Manufacturer's Council announced $2.5 million in funding for the new initiative on Tuesday.

"Our research shows that adult smokers want to get involved in discussions about existing tobacco controls as well as new regulations that are on the table,'' council president Pierre Fortier told reporters in Toronto.

Fortier, who is also vice-president of corporate affairs for Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd., said this is smokers' chance to be heard.

"Positions will only emerge if adults who smoke use this platform to voice their issues."

Based around the website MyChoice.ca, the non-profit organization is funded by cigarette-makers Imperial; Rothmans, Benson and Hedges Inc. and JTI-Macdonald Corp.

It's not intended to promote smoking, however, as manufacturers say, aside from the initial funding, they plan to take a hands-off approach to the group.

According to MyChoice.ca president Nancy Daigneault, the idea is actually to provide smokers with "the resources and tools to ensure they are no longer ignored by decision makers.''

As taxpayers exercising their legal right to smoke, Daigneault says there's no reason they should be treated as second-class citizens.

"Smokers have the same rights as everyone else to be consulted and to have their concerns taken into account -- but you wouldn't know it from the way they are treated.''

Health Canada estimates five million Canadians still use tobacco.

Manitoba and New Brunswick have instituted the first provincewide bans prohibiting smoking in practically all enclosed public places and workplaces. Those come into effect on October 1.

Saskatchewan follows suit in January, while several other provinces already have partial bans that only allow smoking in specially ventilated rooms.

According to Rob Cunningham of the Canadian Cancer Society, it's that tide of bans taking hold across the country that has the cigarette gasping desperately.

"It's no coincidence that the tobacco industry is losing this battle," Cunningham told CTV News. "And now they're ratcheting up their efforts."

Anti-smoking activist Gar Mahood agrees, deriding the online initiative as a smoke screen.

"This is not an industry which has compassion for smokers and it's trying to do the old spin."

mychoice.ca is group for smokers

Smoking ban advocate pays visit to Airdrie -AB, CA

Karen Lazaruk Senior Reporter Airdrie Echo
To a small, but attentive audience at Bert Church Theatre, Heather Crowe told her story.
Her story is that she is a non-smoker dying of lung cancer and the 57-year-old told it last Thursday on behalf of the Smoke-Free Airdrie Coalition.
"I’ve never smoked a day in my life," Crowe said, adding that her doctors told her that her disease is a direct result of smoking, meaning it must have been caused by more than 40 years of exposure to second-hand smoke on the job as a waitress.
One day, Crowe said, she noticed some lumps on her neck, consulted her doctor and got the bad news the next day.
"Sure enough, the X-ray came back ... and it was a smoker’s tumour," she said, adding that due to the location of the lumps, she did not suffer from the other tell-tale symptoms, such as coughing and shortness of breath.
Crowe – who was profiled in several advertisements by Health Canada – said that she has undergone chemotherapy and must take several expensive medications to keep going, but she does because she made a promise to another stop-smoking advocate, Edmonton’s Barb Tarbox.
Tarbox – who passed away in May 2003 at the age of 41 – was a lifelong smoker who, once diagnosed with cancer, worked tirelessly during her last months of life travelling around the country and encouraging smokers of all ages to quit.
Crowe said that it’s important for communities to pass smoking bylaws to protect the health of everyone.
"This is what I get because I went to work," Crowe said. "I went to buy my ashes box ... I don’t get a golden handshake or a retirement package."
Added Crowe: "You’re looking at the face of a dying woman and I ask you to please vote for a smoke-free Airdrie. You have to protect the next generation of workers."

http://www.airdrieecho.com/story.php?id=119456

 

By the way, Wheezy, smoking still kills

By Laurie Mustard Wed, September 29, 2004

Just for the sake of conversation, and what the heck, something to enjoy a smoke and a coffee over, let's do something absolutely insane and review a few of the reasons for these public smoking bans. The following are just a few facts about the harmful effects of smoking -- first hand, second hand, whatever.

Let's begin with a warning shot to the forehead from the American Cancer Society.

And, yes,Wheezy, I know this is "all a bunch of crap," but so is your attitude. So what?

In a quick look at the U.S., each year a staggering 440,000 people die (in the U.S.) from tobacco use. Nearly one of every five deaths is related to smoking.

Complementary to the one of every five fact, this from Health Canada: "Unless they quit, up to half of all smokers will die from their smoking, most of them before their 70th birthday and only after years of suffering a reduced quality of life."

"Horsedung," says Wheezy.

I know, I know, this is all fiction. Medical science can repair and replace hearts, restore vision, cure horrific diseases but just can't get this smoking research right. Go figure.

Here are some of the other "facts" those fools at the American Cancer Society think are true:

"Cigarettes kill more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined.

IGNORANCE IS BLISS

"Cigarette smoking accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths. It is a major cause of cancers for the lung, larynx (voice box), oral cavity, pharynx (throat), and esophagus, and is a contributing cause in the development of cancers for the bladder, pancreas, liver, uterine cervix, kidney, stomach, colon and rectum, and some leukemias."

Still with us, Wheezy? Didn't think so. Ignorance is such bliss.

"About 87% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women."

And check this, pal: "Cancers account for only about half the deaths related to smoking.

"Smoking is also a major cause of heart disease, bronchitis, emphysema and stroke, and contributes to the severity of pneumonia. Tobacco has a damaging effect on women's reproductive health and is associated with increased risk of miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth, infant death, and is a cause of low birth weight in infants."

"Yeah, yeah, tell somebody who cares," says Wheezy.

Let's bring this home to Manitoba. This from Kathi Neal of CancerCare: "Approximately 780 Manitobans die each year because they smoked or were exposed to second-hand smoke.

"In fact, it is estimated that 80% of all lung cancer occurring in women and 90% of lung cancer in men is caused by exposure to cigarette smoke.

"There are about 830 cases of lung cancer diagnosed in Manitobans each year, so we could possibly lower the number of lung cancer cases diagnosed each year in Manitoba to less than 100 if no one was ever exposed to cigarette smoke."

Think that's worth shooting for, Wheezy? "My (hack) uncle smoked all his life and he lived to 72!," says Wheezy. "If I want to kill myself it's my business. I thought this was a free country! Buncha' freaking whiners."

Right. Nice talking to ya, pal.

Outside.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/Editorial/home.html

 

Ok Auntie Audrey Lets get the facts for Wheezy

Oh smoking Kills 440,000 Americans every year.  Well let’s see that would mean that Gee Golly the whole country must soon be dead.  They have been stating this fact since 1992.  It is based on a computer program called SEMMAC.  There are no actual names.  You can tell this by the use in the sentence of “ABOUT, ESTIMATE”, then just to make you think she is talking about the “real facts” she throws in a word like “diagnosis”, in the same paragraph. 

Makes you think she is talking about real 440,oo people, not a statistic based on 1992 EPA standards, does it?  Wheezy, don’t worry, cause there hasn’t been a case where people have died from second hand smoke.  Oh sure you Mention Heather Crowe, but guess what shes’ not in that statistic.  You want to know why?  Cause I saw her just the other week talking to the Alberta Union for Public Employees.  You do know they want a ban out there.  Lets make sure there's a ban by bringing in the top gun.  Did you meet her?  My bet is,you have, she is a bright lady.  She could talk to you, and get those tears flowing.   We have no proof except what aunti says that she got compensation for second hand smoke.  I don’t see any reports,, or evidence available.   Just ask your local Cancer Society for a name; never mind 3, who have died from second hand smoke. 

I do not doubt you aunti, but you see I listen to the whole sentence watching for those magic words “estimate, about, and in the future”.  That tells me that you are talking statistics, with no people’s names behind it.  Oh you ask about the Uncle who lived till 72.  Oh it does happen, when you avoid all the other 42 known risks for cancer.  It includes chlorine, mushrooms, Hepatitis B, (Yes the cause of Cold sores), and you can’t forget genes.  You also can’t forget that only 30% of smokers get cancer.  Doesn’t that seem strange?  You would have thought that if something that is a cause would be 100% or even close.  Maybe it could be something else?  Scientists still aren’t 100% sure for the reason.  If they were sure, there wouldn’t be any funding now would they?  Then we wouldn't need the Cancer Society, would we?

 If you want to see the damage caused by a ban then go to http://www.davehitt.com/facts/badforbiz.html

He has news articles and direct contact with business owners (facts).  Talk the facts not the propaganda, Auntie Audrey.  Then I will read the rest of the paper. 

Thanks for listening,

 

Smoking ban: blessing or curse?

Few 'Tobans neutral over butt prohibition

By FRANK LANDRY Tue, September 28, 2004

Today, Landry examines the provincewide smoking ban and talks to those who will be most affected by it. Tomorrow, he asks teens why they started smoking and takes inventory of what's being done to get them to stop.

---

Fran Johnson is a regular at G'News Family Restaurant and Lounge in Oakbank -- but those days are about over.

A smoker, Johnson says if she can't have a few cigarettes with her cup of coffee, there's not much point in going out.

"It's government interference," Johnson, 62, said of Manitoba's provincewide smoking ban. "There are other issues they could be dealing with, but they're not."

Johnson's husband, Dave, is on the same page.

"If the government can stay out of the bedroom, they can stay out of coffee shops," said the 66-year-old non-smoker.

The province's tobacco crackdown kicks in Friday. Under the provincial legislation, puffing will be banned in most indoor public and work places stretching from Emerson to Churchill.

APPLAUD BAN

Anti-smoking advocates applaud the ban, saying it will protect the health of all Manitobans and encourage smokers to butt out. Opponents are outraged and say it will be bad for business.

"It's not going to do any damn good," said Johnson.

About 70% of the province's population is already subject to butt bans. Smoking in indoor public places is prohibited in Winnipeg, Brandon and Thompson.

"It will be tough to make a transition, but the transition has already been made with municipal bylaws," said Premier Gary Doer.

Thomas Parry, general manager of G'News, said he's worried he's going to lose some smoking customers -- especially in his lounge.

"Alcohol and cigarettes go hand in hand, it's like a marriage," said Parry, who's considering building a heated patio for smokers. "In the morning it's coffee and cigarettes... In the evening it's alcohol and cigarettes."

Parry said he banned smoking in the dining portion of the restaurant last October and learned how fickle puffers can be. Many regulars just stopped coming, he said.

"I was making too many changes too quick," Parry said. "And now that's what the province is doing."

Doer acknowledged rural business owners will face "economic declines," at least in the beginning. But he said Manitobans were aware this was coming.

Healthy Living Minister Jim Rondeau said the need for such a provincewide smoking crackdown was demonstrated by the case of Heather Crowe.

The Ottawa waitress was awarded workers' compensation benefits three years ago in a precedent-setting decision that recognized she contracted lung cancer from second-hand smoke.

It's only a matter of time before similar cases come forward in Manitoba, pushing workers compensation rates through the roof, Rondeau said.

David Truthwaite, owner of Gaffers Restaurant and Lounge in Lockport, said he's still trying to figure out what the ban will mean for his rural business.

On a recent night, staff did an informal survey of customers and found about half were smokers, he said.

"It seems more and more people will drink at home or go to other people's houses to socialize," Truthwaite said.

Rondeau acknowledged there is some opposition but said a series of public hearings held last year showed most Manitobans are in favour of the ban.

"If I owned a business, would I cater to the 20% that smoke or the 80% that don't?" Rondeau said.

"To me, I'd want to look at the growing clientele, but that's me."

Truthwaite said if businesses like his are going to take a hit, the province should offer concessions, such as a larger percentage of VLT profits.

"This industry alone is paying the price for this change in policy," he said. "If we save millions in health care, that's fantastic. But should hospitality pick up the tab for that?"

Dr. Dhali Dhaliwal, CEO of CancerCare Manitoba, said experiences in other jurisdictions such as California have shown butt bans take a bite out of smoking rates.

"It is not an end in itself, but it is a means to an end," Dhaliwal said of the crackdown.

"By making smoking unacceptable in public places it's giving the right message, that smoking is a toxic habit."

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2004/09/28/646341.html

 

No puffs, fewer profits -MB, CA

Hospitality biz feels pinch ... Smoking ban: blessing or curse?

By Frank Landry

Restaurant and bar owners in Winnipeg and Brandon are still licking their wounds after the province's two largest cities banned smoking in enclosed public places. "The supposed groundswell of non-smokers that were going to come out of the woodwork to fill that gap haven't," said Doug Stephen, president of WOW Hospitality, which operates several restaurants in Winnipeg, including The Old Spaghetti Factory and Pasta la Vista.

"From a health perspective, everybody's on the same page. We want a healthier society.

"It's unfortunate there's going to be a causal effect."

Winnipeg went smoke-free last September. Brandon butted out in 2002.

Diana Soroka, spokeswoman for the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission, said the Crown corporation cannot be certain how much that hurt liquor sales. Industry experts suggest the loss is probably in the single digits.

The province estimates its gambling profits will plunge more than $27 million this year and continue to tumble the following year, thanks to smoking bans. That's a loss of about 10%.

VLT revenues have been down about 20% in Winnipeg and Brandon.

"That's been fairly consistent," said Susan Olynik, spokeswoman for Manitoba Lotteries, the Crown corporation which operates the province's VLTs as well as the Casinos of Winnipeg.

Stephen said rural bar and restaurant owners will likely face similar losses.

"A lot of places that have beverage rooms are going to be impacted dramatically," Stephen said.

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2004/09/28/646342.html

 

Two restaurants will plead guilty to violating smoking ban –KY,USA

Associated Press Posted on Tue, Sep. 28, 2004
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Two restaurant chains in Lexington have decided not to fight the city's smoking ban in court, an attorney said.

In exchange, county prosecutors would agree to drop 14 pending citations.

The restaurants plan to enter the plea, which allows the companies to maintain their innocence, on Oct. 6.

Mike Logan, operations director for both companies, said one Maxwell's will close Sept. 30 because of the smoking ban. The restaurant has been open for 14 years.

Logan declined to comment on why the two organizations decided to accept the agreement rather than fight the ban in court.

Jackpot Bingo, an east Lexington bingo hall, also decided earlier this month to plead guilty. It was slated to be the first establishment to fight the ban in court.

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/local/9780825.htm

 

Judge Requests More Information In Smoking Ban Lawsuit – CT, USA          

POSTED: 7:34 am EDT September 29, 2004

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Bar and restaurant owners went to court Tuesday claiming they are unfairly denied equal protection under a state law that bans smoking in their establishments, but allows it in private clubs and casinos.

"If the private clubs can smoke, then we should. If we can't, they can't," said Diane Batte-Holmgren, one of four plaintiffs.

She has owned the Nowhere Café, in New London, Conn., for 16 years and said that she's losing approximately $1,000 a week because of the ban. Batte-Holmgren said if the smoking ban continues through the winter, she will likely have to shut down her business.

Jan Trendowski, an attorney for the bar owners, argued that lawmakers gave liquor holders with political clout and more financial resources the ability to allow smoking.

"They've passed a law that affects only half the people in the hospitality business at the expense of the politically powerless," said Trendowski, as he slammed his fist on the table.

http://www.nbc30.com/health/3769011/detail.html

 

Fairfield studies citywide smoke ban –CT,USA

Joins Cincinnati in considering citywide measure Wednesday, September 29, 2004

By Matt Leingang
Enquirer staff writer
Fairfield City Council will study the need to ban smoking in all businesses, making it the second municipality in Greater Cincinnati to tackle the issue.

"There's been a push around the country to create smoke-free working environments, and we're going to take a look at it," said Council member Mark Scharringhausen.

Cincinnati has a 30-member advisory panel studying a workplace smoking ban.

Fairfield may approach the issue in the same way, involving testimony from the local chamber of commerce and the Butler County Health Department, Scharringhause said.

"I don't expect this to be a long, drawn-out process, but it's something we could deal with between now and the end of year," said Scharringhausen, who favors a smoking ban for most businesses, including family restaurants, but not for bars or restaurants that have liquor licenses.

Scharringhausen said a Fairfield resident approached City Council about a smoking ban in April, but other issues kept it from consideration until now.

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/09/29/loc_fairfieldsmoke29.html

 

Residents back smoking ban, poll finds -CT,USA

By Tobin A. Coleman September 28, 2004
Staff Writer HARTFORD

Days before the one-year anniversary of Connecticut's workplace smoking ban, a new poll shows residents are overwhelmingly behind it.
In spite of the support, a group of bar and tavern owners is moving forward today with a lawsuit to have the ban declared unconstitutional.
According to a survey released by Mobilize Against Tobacco for Children's Health, or MATCH Coalition, yesterday at a Capitol news conference, 74 percent of state residents said they strongly support the ban and 10 percent said they somewhat support it, for a rounded total of 85 percent in support.
There were 8 percent who strongly oppose the ban and 6 percent who oppose it somewhat, for a total of 14 percent.
In Fairfield County, 86 percent support the ban.
 Statewide, 58 percent of residents said they would be much more likely or somewhat more likely to vote for a candidate who supports the ban. But in Fairfield County, just 48 percent said they would be much more or somewhat more likely to vote for a candidate supporting the ban.
Global Strategies Group of Hartford conducted the survey among 400 state residents between Aug. 28 and 30. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percent.
At the news conference, Vincent Spanilo of Enfield, a volunteer for the American Lung Association of Connecticut and a lung transplant recipient, said the ban has lifted a serious burden for people with lung disease.
Poll results

 

Legal arguments to be made Tuesday over smoking ban - CT, USA
 (Hartford-AP, Sept. 27, 2004 9:45 PM)

A challenge to the state's smoking ban is going to court.

   Bar owners say they're losing business because their patrons are going to private clubs and casinos, which are exempted from the ban.

   Busloads of bar owners and patrons are driving to Hartford tomorrow morning for the court hearing. A group of bar owners has sued, claiming the law is unconstitutional.

   Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says he plans to tell the judge that the legislature is legally allowed to make exemptions when writing laws.

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Challenge to smoking ban  -CT, USA

(Hartford-WTNH/AP, Sept. 28, 2004 Updated 12:20 PM)

Some bar and restaurant owners say taking smoking out of their businesses is taking a big chunk out of their profits. They're fighting the constitutionality of the state's smoking ban in court.

It's been about a year since smokers have been banned from lighting up in Connecticut restaurants. Anti-smoking groups celebrated the anniversary yesterday. Today, both sides were in Superior Court.

Lawyers for bar owners claim they're losing business because their customers are going to private clubs and casinos, which are exempted from the ban.

The judge in the case wants both parties back in two weeks and wants to know more about the state's claim that the smoking ban would not be enforceable at the state's two Indian-run casinos.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has told the judge that the legislature is legally allowed to make exemptions when writing laws.

Lawyers for bar owners argue they can't wait for the legislature to perhaps change the law because so many of them are losing money and are on the verge of going belly up.

A decision on the lawsuit is not expected for three to four months.

Blumenthal expects the case to eventually go to the state Supreme Court.

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