Free Republic

FRANKFORT, Ky. City leaders in Frankfort are asking restaurants to ban smoking. The Frankfort city commission adopted a resolution 4-to-one this week that would request restaurants and other businesses that serve food to voluntarily ban smoking. The resolution is a request and is not enforceable. The city is studying the need for a smoking ban ordinance. Commissioner Rodney Williams voted against the measure on Monday, saying he could not vote to ban something that is legal.Several other Kentucky cities and counties -- including Lexington and Louisville -- have enacted or are considering some form of smoking ban. 

While a growing majority of Americans favor smoking restrictions in public places, many adults still expose their children to significant health risks by puffing tobacco at home, a Mississippi State University researcher reports. In a scientific paper presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in San Francisco, Robert McMillen, MD cites changes in adult attitudes and behaviors over the past six years regarding secondhand smoke. McMillen’s report, “Changes from 2000 to 2005 in U.S. Adult Attitudes and Practices Regarding Children’s Exposure to Secondhand Smoke,” stems from his comprehensive 2000 National Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control....

Victoria residents continued to receive phone calls on Friday regarding the May 13 smoking ban election - this time from a mysterious group calling themselves "Texas Judicial Watch" - and even though there does not appear to be much Victorians can do about the calls, two Victoria men said mass-canvassing campaigns would not influence their votes. A message left on resident Marvin Williamson's answering machine Friday said that people should vote against the smoking ordinance, because the Texas Supreme Court would strike down any citywide ban, costing the city money. Williamson said he had received several calls this week...

435 cases of smokes, more than $1.3 million in cash, property seized in raids.Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property, cash and contraband cigarettes have been seized as a result of raids this week across Western Quebec and Eastern Ontario. At a press conference at the Quebec provincial police Gatineau detachment, investigators today provided more detail about Project Bleutte, which was first announced Thursday after raids were conducted throughout the region. Police said today the raids netted 435 cases of contraband cigarettes and they seized: 37 vehicles allegedly used for smuggling and distribution of the smokes, $600,000 in real...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - House members narrowly defeated a bill Wednesday that would ban smoking in restaurants.After nearly two hours of debate, the House voted 55-52 to send the proposal back to committee, killing it. The close vote on the floor was surprising for a bill that many thought would never make it out of subcommittee.The measure would have prohibited smoking in restaurants, bars, lounges and recreational facilities but had exceptions for cigar bars and private clubs, such as the American Legion."There's no such thing as safe cigarette smoke," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia. He said he...

You're awakened to the sound of furious pounding on your door. “This is the police, permission to enter!” The voice seems loud enough to wake the neighborhood. You look at your alarm clock - 6:15 A.M. - and you wonder what on earth is going on. You stumble towards the door and open it, only to be greeted by a dozen black-garbed men with submachine guns. They quickly set you aside and begin rummaging through everything you own. One of the officers spots several cigarette butts in an ashtray on your kitchen table, and places them in a plastic bag...

For the fourth time since November, a bill to ban smoking in all Howard County bars and restaurants - this one to take effect June 1, 2007 - has been submitted to the County Council. The move sets up another month of conflict between the health advocates and Democrats who want to eliminate what they consider a public health hazard, and the business owners who fear financial ruin joined by Republicans who oppose a loss of personal freedom. The sponsors, County Executive James N. Robey and Councilman Ken Ulman, both Democrats, said they submitted their bill yesterday because substantive changes...

AUGUSTA, Maine --Private clubs will have new procedures to follow when they vote on whether to allow smoking. Gov. John Baldacci on Thursday signed into law a bill that will allow club smoking policy to be decided by a majority of club members who return ballots, rather than a majority of all of a club's members. The new law will correct what critics saw as a flaw in the current procedure, in which smoking policy is decided by a majority of each club's members. Critics said that poses problems because many club members are inactive or can't be located when...

With less than two days remaining until New Jersey bans indoor smoking in public places, restaurant and bar owners discovered they are facing an unexpected restriction -- no smoking within 25 feet of a building. In releasing 77 pages of proposed restrictions yesterday, the state Department of Health and Senior Services unveiled the "25-feet rule" that might all but snuff out plans businesses had to create outdoor areas, such as decks, where customers could smoke. The ban, called the Smoke-Free Air Act, is scheduled to go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The proposed restrictions are effective immediately, although...

MONTPELIER -- Higher taxes on tobacco products, a tax on soda and an assessment on employers for workers who aren't offered health insurance will be on the table today as the Senate Finance Committee decides how to pay for a health care reform plan. The plan, which includes a new program called Catamount Health targeted at the state's 61,000 uninsured residents, would require $12.5 million in new money next year as reforms begin. The cumulative revenue requirement reaches $137.9 million over four years. The Senate's tax-writing committee reviewed several combinations of taxes and assessments Tuesday that would generate the money...

A House subcommittee passed two bills Thursday morning that would increase the state's cigarette tax. Kelly Davis is a spokeswoman for South Carolina Tobacco Collaborative. Davis says the increase would help stomp out youth smoking, "A cigarette tax increase will first and foremost prevent thousands of young people from smoking, and current smokers to kick the habit." One proposal would raise the tax by 32 cents with money earmarked for expanding Medicaid programs for low-income children. The second proposal raises the tax by 30 cents, creating a trust fund that lawmakers would decide how to spend. It also would...

LANSING, Mich. Legislation to ban smoking in Michigan's bars and restaurants is stalled in the state Legislature -- six years after it was first introduced.Health groups and other supporters of the ban say secondhand smoke is a health risk, especially for pregnant women, asthmatics and restaurant workers.But so far, Republicans who control the Legislature agree with restaurants and bars that argue they should be free to decide whether to allow smoking without intrusion from government.New York City, Chicago, Dallas and 15 states have approved smoking bans in restaurants; fewer have restricted it in bars.

If we were a basketball team, I'd say it's time to look for a new coach: someone who could take the program in another direction. Someone who could take a program that is in a mess and find a way to straighten things out. A Roy Williams kind of guy. Someone with character and integrity. Someone who cared about getting results, but also cared about the way that one gets results. Someone who understood the importance of credibility, character, and reputation. The anti-smoking movement, I believe, is in a real mess. The highlight of that mess of course is the...

The New Hampshire Senate narrowly defeated a bill yesterday that would have banned smoking in the state's bars and restaurants.  Lou D'Allesandro, right, the deputy Democratic leader in the New Hampshire Senate, argued in vain Thursday for a smoking ban. The measure, which easily passed the House this week, failed by a vote of 12 to 11. Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, said he would have signed the bill had it passed. Fourteen states and a number of municipalities have banned smoking in all workplaces in recent years, although a coalition in New Jersey is suing to keep that state's...

DENVER -- Opponents of the statewide smoking ban are considering a court challenge in an effort to prevent the law from taking effect July 1. Bar and tavern owners, racetrack proprietors and bingo hall operators believe the law is unconstitutional, according to Chuck Ford, a lobbyist for bars and taverns.Bar owners, casinos and other groups lobbied hard for exemptions from the ban when House Bill 1175 was being debated, claiming it was unfair for lawmakers to exempt casinos, tobacco shops, cigar bars, the smoking lounge at Denver International Airport and private workplaces with no more than three employees. Ford...

City voters reject proposal 987-789Voters in the City of Rhinelander have sent a message that they don't want a smoking ban.Voters were asked to respond to a referendum question asking if smoking should be prohibited in public places, including restaurants in the city. City voters opposed the referendum on a 987-789 vote. “This is a great day for City of Rhinelander voters who saw this as a rights issue, it's an expression of freedom of choice,” said Rob Swearingen of Be Fair.“We are pleased with the results,” said Rachelle Ibarra, president of Be Fair. “Our opponents said that the trend...

20 EU states warned to toe Brussels line By David Rennie in Brussels (Filed: 05/04/2006) The European Commission launched a barrage of legal proceedings against more than 20 member states yesterday, demanding that they obey EU laws on everything from energy monopolies to subsidies for airlines. Fearing for the health of the single market after an outbreak of protectionism in various countries, the Brussels commission challenged a French decree blocking foreign ownership of firms in 11 "sensitive sectors", from cryptology and arms to casinos. The decree, which came into force on Dec 31 last year, was part of the policy...

AUGUSTA, Maine --Maine state government could lose $8.8 million due to a ruling favoring the country's largest tobacco companies. An independent arbiter has agreed with tobacco companies that terms of the 1998 settlement between states and the tobacco companies caused them to lose market share in the United States. Under the terms of the deal, the tobacco companies can make their case that the $6.5 billion they owe states on April 17 should be reduced by about $1.2 billion. The March 28 finding by the arbiter puts at risk about $8.8 million in Maine. But before the tobacco companies...

BEFORE ANYONE trots out the disinformation to support a smoking ban in Philadelphia, let me tell you that New York City's sales-tax revenue for bars and restaurants did not rise "8.7 percent" as claimed (and repeated ad nauseam) by agencies Mayor Bloomberg dispatched on the first anniversary of the city's ban.Not only were the figures distorted by including places like McDonald's and Starbucks, but smoking was banned in 95 percent of restaurants since the 1995 smoking ban.What pre- to post-ban restaurant tax-revenue comparison was there to make? In all cases (notably bars), sales tax revenue was artificially low immediately following...

APPLETON — The group that brought the issue of secondhand smoke hazards to Appleton is being fined for distributing improperly identified campaign material. Outagamie County Dist. Atty. Carrie Schneider said today that officials of the Community Action for Tobacco Free Living Coalition have indicated they will likely pay a fine in connection with a forfeiture complaint charged on Tuesday. The complaint, alleging the coalition violated state election laws by failing to note on some campaign material who authorized and paid for the material, is not a misdemeanor or felony and does not carry a jail sentence. “It would be like...