Free Republic

All too many denizens of the city instinctively rail against corporate America as an article of their political faith but inevitably undermine the entrepreneurial spirit of the mom-and-pop tavern operators in their neighborhoods. This disconnect is played out in various areas of the city, initiated by civic association groups and the elected officials of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission. Their hubris is surpassed only by their thorough misunderstanding of the marketplace.

-- Smokers will soon have to take it outside more often in Summit County. The Summit County Council narrowly passed an ordinance Monday night restricting indoor smoking, making it illegal to smoke in bars, restaurants and workplaces in the county. There is a $150 fine for a first offense. The proposal, which passed 6-5, pitted bar owners and smokers against those who decry the ill effects of secondhand cigarette smoke. "This will save lives," said Gene Nixon, Summit County health commissioner. "This is a courageous thing to do." Scott Brewer, who said he owns six taverns in Summit County, said...

In a move opponents are labeling an invasion by the nanny state, the state Senate's Health Committee expects to take up, and probably approve, legislation this week that would raise New York's smoking age to 19. The bill, sponsored by Charles Fuschillo Jr., a Republican of Long Island, was introduced April 18. The chairman of the Senate committee, Kemp Hannon, another Long Island Republican, confirmed that the legislation is on tomorrow's agenda and said he thought the bill would be approved by the committee, at which point it could be brought to the Senate floor. Mr. Fuschillo's legislation would...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women whose mothers smoked while they were pregnant have a reduced likelihood of developing breast cancer, according to a new study. However, "This observation certainly does not suggest that smoking is beneficial," Dr. William C. Strohsnitter told Reuters Health. "The very small reduction in breast cancer would be offset by the large number of other diseases caused by cigarette smoking."The reason for the finding may be connected to estrogen, which is linked to breast cancer risk. "Clinical studies show that maternal cigarette smoking reduces pregnancy estrogen levels," Strohsnitter, of Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, and...

Michigan resident Julia Sidebottom inhaled sharply when she opened her mailbox earlier this year and was greeted with an unexpected and unwelcome bill from the state for $4,753.89 in unpaid cigarette and sales taxes.For several years, Sidebottom's boyfriend purchased cigarettes online at www.esmokes.com, one of 13 online cigarette retailers from which Michigan recently subpoenaed customer lists. She said the bill caught her completely off guard."It never even crossed our minds," said Sidebottom, whose 57-year-old boyfriend suffers from Alzheimer's and has granted her power of attorney. "I search the Web all the time for the best deals on everything. Never in...

 Silk's not just blowing smokeDennis Duggan  May 3, 2005 Retired cop Audrey Silk puffed on a Parliament in her Cape Cod-style home in Marine Park and said she is running for mayor because Michael Bloomberg is a "Puritan who has taken the gusto out of New York City." "How many of those do you smoke every day?" I ask.  "I hate that question," she said in a mind-your-own-business voice. Silk knows she's the longest of long shots as the candidate of the Libertarian Party, which was burned in 1994 when it chose radio talk show host Howard Stern to run...

PORTLAND - Overnight visits by tourists to and within Maine were down last year, but revenues were up - and that spells trouble, Maine's top tourism official told a statewide meeting Friday. Dann Lewis, director of the state tourism office, warned the Governor's Conference on Tourism that the broad perception of Maine as a good buy for the travel dollar has collapsed. "The perception that Maine is a travel bargain has disappeared over the last five years," he said.What the tourism industry calls the price-value ratio has been "out of balance" in recent years as innkeepers have raised rates, Lewis...

Rep. Sean Faircloth, D-Bangor, suggests hiking taxes on beer, wine, bar drinks and cigarettes, boosting the meals and lodging tax during the months of May through October, establishing a soft drinks tax and raising the income level at which the highest marginal rate would apply.

DENVER - A statewide smoking ban got preliminary approval in the state Senate Wednesday but the measure still faces some stiff opposition before it becomes law. It is also less restrictive than its proponents might like. The proposal would ban smoking in most restaurants. But when it was originally proposed it would have banned smoking in bars and office buildings as well.Supporters like Sen. Dan Grossman, D-Denver, say the measure that passed is a step in the right direction. He said he wants all restaurants in the state to compete under the same rules, pointing out that smoking is already...

Italy's new health minister said he wants more public smoking areas, sharply reduced under a new ban, and slammed what he called a trend towards obsessive health policies, in published comments."There is a real threat that we are heading towards a therapeutic society ... a medical tyranny of doctors and a minister who are the only ones allowed to say what constitues 'good living'," said Francesco Storace in an interview with Corriere della Sera.A smoker himself who is "trying to quit", Storace said he would examine whether it was possible to boost the number of smoking areas, which were slashed...

SPRINGFIELD -- Health groups won a key battle in the state Senate Monday as lawmakers voted to allow all Illinois towns, rather than a select few, to decide where to allow smoking. Since 1989, when the state approved the Clean Indoor Air Act that permitted smoking only in designated areas, 20 municipalities were allowed to keep their stricter no-smoking laws that were enacted previously. The rest of the state functioned under the milder state law written partly by the tobacco industry. Though opposed by retailers, restaurants and gas station operators, the measure backed on Monday in the Senate vote would...

This Bad Bargain Must Go Up in SmokeRecently a federal appeals court finally brought some sanity to the issue of the U.S. government's being able to sue tobacco companies for allegedly burying the truth about cigarettes being harmful. Forgotten in all of this, of course, is the fact that cigarette packs have carried health-warning labels on them for 40 years. The judges ruled that the federal government cannot force the tobacco companies to hand over $280 billion of profits they earned while allegedly misleading us about their products' impact on people's health. The suit was born of Washington's envy over...

State health officials and several lawmakers are pushing to close loopholes that allow smoking in clubs and workplaces. The proposed legislation pleases many bar owners, who say they've lost customers to private clubs since Maine took the smoke out of taverns in 2004. It also suits groups such as the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society, who claim many Mainers are exposed to secondhand smoke at work despite groundbreaking legislation passed by the Legislature 20 years ago. "Even here in Maine, workplace smoking remains an issue," said Dr. Dora Mills, director of the Maine Bureau of Health. "Our...

NEWPORT, R.I. -- Bar and restaurant owners upset over the newly enacted smoking ban sued the state Wednesday, saying exemptions to the law make it unconstitutional.The law temporarily exempts small bars with fewer than 10 employees and nonprofit groups that meet certain requirements. The state's two gambling facilities are permanently exempted, meaning smokers will be able to light up there, but not in most bars and restaurants.The suit was filed in Newport Superior Court by five businesses who said they have been hurt by the ban, according to the Web site of the Providence Journal. The suit claims the exemptions...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The federal trial begins today in the lawsuit brought by members of the Narragansett Indian tribe, who say their civil rights were violated when state troopers closed the tribe's tax-free smoke shop in 2003.Narragansett Tribal Council member Paulla Dove Jennings, her son, Adam Jennings and Keith Huertas, manager of the shop, are suing.They say several state troopers did not identify themselves or show a warrant when they raided the smoke shop on July 14th, 2003 -- two days after it was opened. They also say the troopers assaulted and injured them.A federal judge has since ruled...

Republicans in the Colorado Senate have stalled - at least temporarily - the effort to ban smoking in public places statewide.Senate Minority Leader Mark Hillman of Burlington said all 17 Republican senators are opposing the bill because it infringes on personal freedom and property rights."I don't smoke, and I think it's disgusting," Hillman said. "But I'm sick and tired of all these nannies running around telling people what to do."The bill's sponsor, Sen. Dan Grossman, D-Denver, said he has delayed his plan to introduce the bill."I don't want to paint myself into a corner by introducing it in the...

AUGUSTA, Maine -- A bill to ban tobacco ads in stores where children could see them does not appear to be making progress in Augusta. State Rep. Stephen Bowen’s bill would have banned any tobacco ad a child could see.Testimony before the Health and Human Services Committee Thursday showed the law was unlikely to pass constitutional muster. Bowen said people should be able to take their children into a store and not have to pass the ads. He said he’ll find another way to get the ads out of view.

  March 18, 2005 Preemption Watch Weekly Summary of New U.S. State Bills (3-18-05)In the continued fight to prevent preemptive legislation before it can be passed and to overturn preemption in states where it is already in place, ANR is tracking pending legislation relating to states' smokefree air policies. Not all state bills relating to smokefree air are preemptive, however a bill can become preemptive at any point in the legislative process. It is therefore important to track even the best bills throughout the entire legislative session. Below is a listing of state bills that have been introduced in...

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Anti-smoking advocates came to the State House on Wednesday to ask lawmakers to increase Maine's cigarette tax by $1.50 cents a pack, which they said would give Maine the highest cigarette tax in the nation.

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration could regulate tobacco products under legislation revived by a bipartisan group of lawmakers Thursday. The proposal renews a push for tobacco oversight that was blocked last year in the House. Under the bill, the FDA could regulate the sale, marketing and advertising of tobacco products, and could require companies to list all ingredients added to cigarettes and other forms of consumer tobacco. The legislation was brought back in the Senate by last year's sponsors, Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who reintroduced the bill on Thursday. The Senate approved it last year,...

WASHINGTON, March 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service will meet with representatives of various state attorneys general on Thursday to discuss how the Service can avoid legal liability for its role in delivering cigarettes sold illegally on the Internet. The result could be an agreement to curtail delivery of such cigarettes, or requirements that the sellers take steps such as verifying the age of purchasers, insuring that state cigarette taxes are paid, etc.The meeting was sparked by a letter threatening the postal service with civil -- and possibly even criminal -- liability if it continues to deliver cigarettes...

March 13, 2005"FORGET THE NEO-CONS, BEWARE THE EX-CONS"So I'm listening to talk radio recently during the hellish commute to our nation's capital, and I hear caller after caller start out by saying, "I'm a conservative, except..."  The issue was over a proposed new government-mandated smoking ban in bars and restaurants.  And the callers - so-called "conservatives" - were all for it. Now don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying smoking is good.  And I'm not saying smoking isn't offensive to a lot of people, especially while dining.  What I AM saying is that the proper, consistent conservative position is that the...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 9, 2005Contact: Melvin Thompson 410-290-6800 Cell 443-463-7349 MARYLAND LAWMAKERS REJECT STATEWIDE SMOKING BAN FOR RESTAURANTS AND BARS(Columbia, MD) – In an evenly-split vote, Maryland lawmakers have killed a statewide smoking ban initiative for the third consecutive year. Members of the Senate Finance Committee rejected the measure on March 4, 2005 by a 5 to 5 vote, effectively killing the bill for the year. Legislation must win more “yea” than “nay” votes in order to pass.With many predicting the vote was too close to call, this year’s smoking ban debate was without question the most heated in recent...

Plaintiffs Bloomington VFW, Bloomington Legion, Bloomington Eagles, Bloomington Knights of Columbus, Lyon's Pub and Stub and Herb's today Filed a Complaint suing the City of Minneapolis, City of Bloomington, and County of Hennepin.Plaintiffs request the Hennepin County District Court issue a temporary restraining order enjoining the Defendants from enforcing their local smoking bans, which are scheduled to take effect March 31. A Judge will hear arguments regarding the temporary injunction on Friday, March 11, at noon. The Plaintiffs and their attorney will address the press this evening at the following address:Press Conference Tonight March 10, 2005 7:00 PMVFW POST #1296 311 West...

HELENA -- A dispute over this city's tough smoking ban is back before a district judge after a lengthy delay brought on by a separate lawsuit before the state Supreme Court.  An attorney for a casino asked Judge Thomas Honzel on Wednesday to rule the city's smoking ban unenforceable because those cited for violating it cannot seek a jury trial.  Tom Budwitz, who represents the Montana Nugget Casino and its manager, Greg Shaw, argued that his clients had a right to a jury of their peers.  But Helena City Attorney David Nielson countered that nothing explicitly allows for a jury...

OAK PARK -- A proposed ban on smoking in public places was defeated 5-2 Monday night by the Oak Park Village Board.

Many studies have been published purporting to prove smoking bans in bars and restaurants are either good or neutral  for business, and conflicting studies have also been published purporting to prove bans are bad for business. Scollo, Lal, Hyland and Glantz recently summarized many of these studies, concluding those which find no economic impact are published in the peer-reviewed scientific literature and funded by “objective” antitobacco interests, while those that do find bans hurt business are funded almost universally by Big Tobacco or its allies. Tobacco Control, 2003;12:13-20. However, the objectivity of those who publish studies finding smoking bans don’t...

In reference to the story "Smoking ban for bars on Legislative agenda" on Feb. 14 by John Zicconi, all I can say is "Hogwash." I own a successful bar in Greenwich Village. In 2004, we were voted the Best Lounge in New York by CitySearch. My business is down 30 percent since 2002. Since nothing has changed but the smoking ban, I can attribute this precipitous drop to nothing else. It's remarkable to read that "A New York City official on Thursday will travel to Vermont to testify that Big Apple pub receipts have increased 12 percent since the city's...

The failure of a last-chance cancer drug to significantly improve survival rates in a clinical trial was a surprise and the manufacturer says it is trying to figure out why the product didn't do better.

Please note that several cities and towns in Ohio are about to make a mistake and put smoking bans on their books. Could you please put together a State law now that smoking bans are not allowed?This would save a lot of wasted court money in the future.You see, smoking bans are not legal. NY and FL judges have already agreed that bans are not enforceable.  (Links at http://www.smokersclubinc.com )  This makes all smoking bans illegal unless your State or town wants to train you, supply liability insurance, sign you on as police AND make it a law that anyone they...

PHILADELPHIA, March 3  -- Mark Schweiker, President & CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, today voiced the Chamber's support of a City Council bill to ban smoking in virtually all public places in Philadelphia. Schweiker said that the success of smoking bans in cities worldwide and the dangers of second-hand smoke influenced the Chamber's decision.  "The facts prove that banning smoking in public places will not adversely affect business," said Schweiker. "In fact, one year after New York City enacted its smoking ban, business activity actually increased in restaurants and bars and 10,000 jobs were added. We understand...

Dozens turn out as resident presents plan to City Council GREENWOOD VILLAGE - If Stephanie Steinberg has her way, this city - where thousands of businesspeople spend their work weeks - will be 100 percent smoke-free.  The stay-at-home mother presented her ideas for banning smoking in public spaces to City Council members Monday night.  Dozens of local residents, restaurant owners and health officials packed a room to show their support or to voice concern about how a ban would decrease local business revenues.  It all started when Steinberg and her family went to California last year and ate at a...

 (Updates with judge's order) WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Government efforts to penalize cigarette makers are severely constrained by a recent appeals court ruling that rejected any disgorgement of past industry profits, the trial judge in the tobacco racketeering suit said on Monday.U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler said government efforts to pursue other remedies, like funding smoking cessation programs, were also undercut by the Feb. 4 appeals court opinion that ruled out a $280 billion disgorgement.The trial has been underway since September, with the government calling dozens of witnesses to argue that cigarette makers violated U.S. racketeering laws by conspiring...

MIAMI, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Southern tobacco-producing U.S. states, backed into a corner by financial woes, are breaking a taboo against raising their minuscule taxes on cigarettes. North Carolina, Kentucky and other southern states with some of America's lowest excise rates on cigarettes are defying a powerful tobacco lobby and debating hefty tax increases meant to add hundreds of millions of dollars of much-needed revenue. "States are just coming out of their worst times in years and years, and this has been a very popular strategy for raising revenue," said Sujit CanagaRetna, a senior fiscal analyst in Atlanta with the...

Ask any nanny about the perils of tobacco, and they’ll tell you that it is addictive, it kills smokers, and it poisons the air that non-smokers breathe.  They’ll tell you that it is a drain on our healthcare system, it raises insurance rates for all of us, and smoke breaks cut into productive time.          They’ll tell you that movies, music, and books that portray smoking lead our children to nicotine addiction.  Sports stars, singers, actors, and other public figures who smoke are bad influences on our kids.  They’ll tell you that people like me who fight for the freedom to...

 They had me until the Nazis marched in. Even before a Michigan company called Weyco fired four employees on Feb. 9 because they wouldn’t quit smoking -- the company hoped to save a little money on health insurance -- Smokers Club was sounding the alarm about cigarette bans. “The World Is In A Smoking War,” ran the headline on the notice e-mailed Jan. 10 from Smokers Club national honcho Samantha Phillipe. “Smoking Bans Kill People.” “This failed experiment in modifying human behavior is killing people and it has to stop now,” she wrote. “Death certificates from secondary smoke exposure are zero,...

Despite intense lobbying from anti-smoking fanatics, Elsmere’s city council kept residents’ property rights from going up in smoke by voting against a smoking ban in public places, including privately owned businesses.Proponents of a ban seized on a limited proposal by Elsmere Mayor Bill Bradford that would have banned smoking only in city buildings. However, Bradford showed courageous leadership by casting the tie-breaking vote against the plan when the ordinance presented to the council went far beyond his original objective.Opponents said such a ban would overtax Elsmere’s police department and harm businesses. Dottie Baxter, owner of JB’s Roadhouse in Elsmere...

American soldiers traumatised by fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are to be offered the drug ecstasy to help free them of flashbacks and recurring nightmares. The US food and drug administration has given the go-ahead for the soldiers to be included in an experiment to see if MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, can treat post-traumatic stress disorder.  Scientists behind the trial in South Carolina think the feelings of emotional closeness reported by those taking the drug could help the soldiers talk about their experiences to therapists. Several victims of rape and sexual abuse with post-traumatic stress disorder, for whom...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) _ State lawmakers say Illinois smokers may not have to worry about shelling out a lot more money for their habit right away.Lawmakers from both parties are sharply criticizing Governor Blagojevich's plan to increase cigarette taxes by 75 cents per pack and use the money to pay for school and road construction projects.They say the tax increase would simply prompt smokers to travel to neighboring states such as Kentucky, Missouri and Indiana to buy cigarettes cheaper.They say that would hurt the economy and ensure the state doesn't take in enough money to fund the projects.Instead, they're looking...

Do people who enjoy smoking have any rights? Increasingly, the answer is no. It is essential to keep in mind that smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes is an entirely personal choice. No one is required to smoke. Millions voluntarily stop smoking every year. People have been smoking, and enjoying tobacco products for a very long time, but now they have been demonized and ostracized. Using the power of government, to tax, smokers are being ripped off at every level. Recently, New York City sent letters to 2,300 residents giving them thirty days to pay the taxes on the cartons of...

HALLOCK, Minn. - On Dec. 18, I attended a panel discussion sponsored by the Grand Forks Tobacco Free Coalition at the Alerus Center. After listening to the panel members and researching both sides of the issues, and having lived in California when the smoking ban was instituted there, I strongly urge the Grand Forks City Council and other agencies to take no action on the issue at this time, except to research the facts on both sides.Why? First, the health issue is seriously questionable. As the American Council on Science and Health has put it, "the role of environmental tobacco...

Concerned about the booming trade in online cigarette sales, New York state officials have begun using a variety of techniques to clamp down on the trade, saying New York City alone is losing more than $75 million a year in uncollected tax revenues because of the sales.In recent weeks, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has been pushing local postal officials and private carriers to stop delivering cigarettes bought online. His office has also recently begun negotiations with credit card companies to block transactions of online cigarettes.These efforts were given added push recently as local officials from the federal Bureau of Alcohol,...

Mayor Tom George sounds weary. He presides over a congested suburb where nearly every structure, street, and sewer is 100 years old. Its few factories are either dead or walking with a limp. Its retail is slim and struggling. Aside from thrift stores, it has but one thriving industry: bars. And now the Lakewood City Council is considering killing them. This month, a commission will recommend whether or not to enact a smoking ban. In a daintier locale, this might not be cause for uproar. Everyone could rally around, knowing they were saving heathens from their carcinogens. Unfortunately, this is...

A tiny upstart in the cigarette business threatens to topple a comfortable cartel engineered by big tobacco companies and their strange bedfellows, the state attorneys general.Big tobacco was supposed to come under harsh punishment for decades of deception when it acceded to a tort settlement seven years ago. Philip Morris, R.J.Reynolds, Lorillard and Brown & Williamson agreed to pay 46 states $206 billion over 25 years. This was their punishment for burying evidence of cigarettes' health risks. But the much-maligned tobacco giants have subtly and shrewdly turned their penance into a windfall. Using that tort settlement, the big brands have...

Tobacco control coordinator John Archard said the state investigated the post after getting complaints from area businesses that the VFW was stealing customers away by allowing in the public and letting them smoke.

A state lawmaker from Lansing wants to change employment rules in Michigan that allowed an Okemos company to fire employees for smoking off the job.Sen. Virg Bernero, a Democrat, said he will introduce legislation today that makes it illegal to fire an employee for engaging in legal activity outside the workplace.Meanwhile, four fired employees of Weyco Inc. are taking their story public this morning with appearances on national news shows."When this happened, I said, 'You can't do this to me,' " Anita Epolito told the State Journal on Sunday, speaking publicly for the first time about her firing.Epolito, of Haslett,...

A long time ago people either smoked or they didn't.  It was no big deal because it wasn't an issue.  The people of earth got along fine knowing they had freedom of choice without even knowing they had it.Then some really smart guys in white coats that work for Big Pharmaceutical got together and said, "Hey, we are always getting slammed when one of our drugs takes a dirt nap." "Wouldn't it be great if everyone in the world had to buy their nicotine from us?!"  "Think of the money we could make...  wow!"Unfortunately there wasn't anyone around with two working brain cells...

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 31: Observing rules does not always pay and a youth from Orissa recently learnt it the hard way. Samaresh Panda, 24, an unemployed youth, was allegedly pushed out of the 2802 New Delhi-Puri Purushottam Express on January 26 evening by three men near Bokaro railway station for his protests against smoking inside the compartment. The youth was left with a broken hip and scarred back. The injuries were so severe that pieces of flesh fell off his hip when he landed next to the railway track. Panda, a resident of Chakeisiani in Bhubaneswar, had recently gone to New...

Three passengers threw a 24-year-old man out of a running train on December 26, 2004, after he protested against their smoking in the compartment.Amaresh Panda, who was traveling from Delhi in the Purushottam Express, had asked the three to stop smoking as it inconvenienced the other passengers. When the train left Bokaro railway station in Jharkhand at night, the men pushed Amaresh out of the train, his family said.Amaresh, who suffered serious injuries, was spotted near the tracks the next morning by two men. They got him admitted to the Bokaro Steel General Hospital.His family later shifted him to a...

Just how harmful is environmental tobacco smoke? Not as harmful as the Environmental Protection Agency or those anti-secondhand smoke commercials would have one believe, according to Roger A. Jenkins, Ph.D., consultant to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Chemical Sciences division.Jenkins presented "Human Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Is What You See What You Get?" at ORNL this week. "Some people wish I didn't have the findings I have," Jenkins said. "Others say, 'Gee, if this is true, why does the EPA continue to talk about this?' [The research] steps on people's toes, and that's exactly what I want it to...