http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/smoking/ en-us Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:05:43 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414942/posts Restrictive smoking law takes effect Jan. 2December 19, 2009 10:00 PM Sue Book Sun Journal Staff Tar Heels and tobacco are typical tag words for North Carolina, but 2010 won’t be a smokin’ New Year in this state. After New Year’s Eve parties and a day to deal with hangovers, no legal smoke will be hanging in North Carolina restaurants and bars. A state smoking ban begins at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 2. Restaurants, bars and other establishments that fail to enforce it will be warned twice, and then fined $200 for each subsequent violation. Private, non-profit clubs that serve only... New Bern SJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414942/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:05:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414581/posts West Hollywood is moving toward banning outdoor smoking and has directed city staff members to draft an ordinance that would prohibit such activity in outdoor areas of dining establishments. But business owners and those from West Hollywood's bustling nightclub industry say the regulation would hurt the local economy. Read more in the WeHo News: Following in the region’s wake, Mayor Abbe Land, the co-executive director of the Saban Free Clinic and a long-time health advocate, joined with constitutional law professor Mayor Pro Tem John Heilman in a resolution to direct the city attorney to draft a ban on smoking in... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414581/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:21:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2411575/posts nd anti-nausea medicines, steroids and chemotherapy pills, choked down some rank iodine and drove to the hospital for CT scans checking the progression of his terminal lung cancer. It's been that way every morning for the 47-year-old Northbrook resident since his diagnosis in the spring of 2007. "The only kind of care they can give me now is palliative care. It's not curable," said Zisook, a lifelong smoker. "If they can't cure it, they have to make you comfortable and keep it from taking over your body for as long as possible." Jessica Neal typically begins her day darting off... Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2411575/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:26:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2408902/posts Just Say No Smoking Malcolm A. Kline, December 16, 2009 On Monday the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) gave us some good and bad news. “The report says cigarette smoking was at the lowest point in the survey’s history on all measures for eighth, 10th and 12th graders,” NIDA reported on December 14, 2009. ‘For example, only 2.7 percent of eighth graders describe themselves as daily smokers, down from a peak rate of 10.4 percent in 1996.” “Similarly, 11.2 percent of high school seniors say they smoke daily, less than half of the 24.6 percent rate in 1997.” The... Accuracy in Academia http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2408902/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:47:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2407303/posts Just sit back and let big daddy government show you the way. The Democrat Party is assuring us that they know better because they have science, educated people, doctors, all that "expertise" in their control and further more they "care" about us all and they want us to know that they'd never do anything to lead us astray. If you feel like the con is about to begin, you are right. Of course, we don't need mere suspicion to divine that the Democrats are liars. We can look at what government and Democrats have already done in several related areas... Publius Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2407303/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:26:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404171/posts HUNTINGTON -- Bar owners are worried about what a smoking ban would mean for business. We stopped by some establishments in downtown Huntington this evening to ask bar owners about a recent USA Today article that showed bar owners all over the country ignoring smoking bans because paying customers outweigh local fines. Although many like the idea, they're not willing to lose their business for the sake of smoking. Cabell County is on a dwindling list of West Virginia counties that allow smoking in bars. Rivals Sportsbar and Grill bartender Kristan Johnson said she hopes nothing changes. "I think it's... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404171/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:39:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404159/posts State Sen. Dan Foster says he'll propose an increase in the West Virginia cigarette tax again this year. CHARLESTON W Va-- State Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha, said he always pushes for a cigarette tax increase. Foster calls a dollar-a-pack hike a good idea for two reasons. "It raises revenue for the state, in the sort-term, greater than $100 million a year," he said. "And, it decreases the number of smokers which has the potential to decreases our long-term health care costs." And, if you believe two-pack-a-day smoker, Dylan Pugh, it might work. Pugh said a dollar increase might be enough... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404159/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:27:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2402206/posts A just finished audit has shown that massive fraud and multiple violations of Ohio’s voting law has been uncovered in a recent ballot initiative effort. Among other violations, 47 felons were hired illegally by the advocacy group SmokeFree America to collect signatures for issue five, a ballot initiative to ban smoking in Ohio’s small businesses. Kidnappers, thieves and rapists were hired to collect signatures and addresses despite the fact that Ohio election law prohibits felons from working as petition workers. Additionally, the smoking ban was approved for being included on the Ohio ballot by state officials despite the fact that... Publius Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2402206/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 19:03:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2396107/posts Heads up, schmokers: Lighting up near your computer is heresy enough that Apple says it voids your warranty should you need to bring a smoke-exposed computer in for repair. Specifically, in at least two instances in different parts of the country, Apple has voided the warranty and refused to provide repair service on Macintosh computers exposed to environments where cigarette smoke has been present. Calling cigarette smoke residue (tar and whatnot) inside a computer a health risk and a "biohazard," in both cases Apple customers have been denied service despite having time left on a valid warranty. Apple is standing... Yahoo Tech http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2396107/posts#comment Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:00:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383723/posts A new pill that could cure one of the most lethal forms of cancer is being developed by scientists. British researchers have found that a drug destroys tumours in a form of inoperable lung cancer that kills more than nine out of 10 sufferers. The treatment works by blocking the growth of the cancer cells and eventually causing them to self destruct. In more than 50 per cent of the trials, the treatment, which appears to have no side affects, killed all traces of the disease. "We are very excited about it," said Professor Michael Seckl, the molecular oncologist who... Telegraph (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383723/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:51:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392548/posts Apple is apparently telling at least some customers that the amount of cigarette smoke residue inside their computers makes it unsafe for the company to perform warranty service on them, despite the lack of such a clause in the company's warranty agreement. The Consumerist says the complaint as been raised as far as Steve Jobs' office, with no relief for the customers involved. The story was reported on Friday, though the Consumerist said it had sought, but failed to receive, any explanation from Apple HQ over a period of months. (The site is part of the Consumers Union/Consumer Reports organization,... PC World Business Center http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392548/posts#comment Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:26:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391675/posts Mr2001 writes "Consumerist reports that Apple is refusing to work on computers that have been used in smoking households. 'The Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, [the warranty has been voided] and they refuse to work on the machine "due to health risks of second hand smoke,"' wrote one customer. Another said, 'When I asked for an explanation, she said [the owner of the iMac is] a smoker and it's contaminated with cigarette smoke, which they consider a bio-hazard! I checked my Applecare warranty and... Slashdot http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391675/posts#comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:59:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390043/posts A cloud is hanging over the Oval Office today as Americans wonder whether or not Smoker-in-Chief Barack Obama is giving up cigarettes during today’s Great American Smokeout. Bob McCarty Writes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390043/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:11:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385836/posts More than £1 million worth of counterfeit cigarettes filled with rabbit droppings instead of tobacco have been confiscated by customs officials in Spain. The fake cigarettes - due to be sold on the black market as famous brands - were discovered after British holidaymakers in the Canary Islands smelled a rat whenever they lit up. "They stunk. They smell just as you'd imagine burning poo to smell," said one customs official in Tenerife. Police and customs staff arrested 12 smugglers in an undercover operation to intercept the cigarettes as they landed on a boat from China. "They not only smell... www.ananova.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385836/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:10:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385031/posts ATLANTA – Cigarette smoking rose slightly for the first time in almost 15 years, dashing health officials' hopes that the U.S. smoking rate had moved permanently below 20 percent. A little under 21 percent of U.S. adults said they smoked, according to a 2008 national survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's up slightly from the year before, when just 19.8 percent said they were smokers. It also is the first increase in adult smoking since 1994, experts noted. ~snip Between 1997 and 2004, the average retail price of a pack of cigarettes — adjusted for... AP/Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385031/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:58:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376261/posts ....They say residents and visitors at Solone's home smoke in the backyard at all hours of the day and night. Several people puffing away at once has resulted in smoke settling in their backyard like a low fog, Richard Ganguet said.... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376261/posts#comment Mon, 2 Nov 2009 03:45:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2369668/posts MONTREAL — Inmates who came under a complete smoking ban on federal prison properties in May 2008 will now be able to medicate their frayed nerves with nicotine — at least outdoors. A Federal Court judge ruled Friday that the sweeping ban on smoking "simply goes too far." ~snip~ The judge gave the government 90 days to revise the smoking directive. The Ottawa Citizen http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2369668/posts#comment Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:52:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368450/posts Is anyone frightened by the prospect of millions of little Barry Obamas running around the country “organizing” their “communities” around petty causes instead of holding real jobs that do something other than increase government control over every aspect of our lives? I am. And so is Kimberly Legendre, a junior at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). This semester, Kimberly is taking an absurd course called “Foundations of Civic Engagement.” Remarkably, it is a required course at FGCU. After reading the course syllabus and learning more about Kimberly’s experience from my friends at Campus Reform (see www.CampusReform.org) I know two things... TownHall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368450/posts#comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:53:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2363472/posts Smoking bans in places like restaurants, offices and public buildings reduce cases of heart attacks and heart disease, according to a report released Thursday by a federally commissioned panel of scientists. The report, issued by the Institute of Medicine, concluded that exposure to secondhand smoke significantly increased the risk of having a heart attack among both smokers and nonsmokers. The panel also said it found that a reduction in heart problems began to take effect fairly quickly after a smoking ban was instituted and that exposure to low or fleeting levels of secondhand smoke could cause cardiovascular problems. “Even a... NYSlimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2363472/posts#comment Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:45:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360970/posts LONDON, England (CNN) -- A leading UK hospital has defended its practice of using organs donated by smokers after the death of a soldier who received the cancerous lungs of a heavy smoker. Corporal Matthew Millington, 31, died at his home in 2008, less than a year after receiving a transplant that was supposed to save his life at Papworth Hospital -- the UK's largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital, in Cambridgeshire, east England. Papworth Hospital released a statement saying using donor lungs from smokers was not "unusual." The statement added that the hospital had no option but to use lungs from... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360970/posts#comment Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:06:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360686/posts ORONTO (Reuters) – A Canadian truck driver has been fined for smoking in his vehicle because it is considered his workplace, a police spokeswoman said on Friday. A police officer saw the 48-year-old trucker driving on a highway in southwestern Ontario with a cigarette in his mouth on Wednesday, and gave him a C$305 ($290) ticket. The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, adopted in 2006, prohibits smoking in an enclosed workplace or enclosed public area, and that extends to work vehicles, said Constable Shawna Coulter of the Ontario Provincial Police in Essex County. Reuters via Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360686/posts#comment Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:16:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2352876/posts In an age when smoking has been outlawed in most public places – government buildings, bars and pool halls – a person's home is one of the few places you can puff in peace. Until now. A Dallas woman has filed a lawsuit seeking six figures from a former neighbor and landlord for damage she says was caused by cigarette smoke wafting through adjoining walls of her high-end townhome. The Dallas Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2352876/posts#comment Thu, 1 Oct 2009 22:49:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2352673/posts The Senate Finance Committee approved an amendment to the healthcare bill Wednesday that would allow employers to charge workers with unhealthy lifestyles more for their insurance coverage. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., and Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., permits employers to adjust premiums as much as 50 percent according to the level of workers’ health habits, up from 20 percent currently. “Weight gain and unhealthy lifestyles that focus on smoking and lack of exercise have sky-rocketed our healthcare costs," Ensign said in a statement cited by Politico news service. "These costs could be lowered by focusing on what... newsmax.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2352673/posts#comment Thu, 1 Oct 2009 18:10:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2345892/posts NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Could it be good news for smokers? Current and past-smokers with coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, or peripheral artery disease have less than half the cardiovascular mortality than never-smokers, the initial findings from a new study suggest. But don't be so quick to tell your patients to light up: After accounting for potential confounders, the association was not statistically significant. "The relationship between smoking habit and outcome in patients with established arterial disease remains controversial," Dr. M. Monreal, of Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues write in the September issue of... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2345892/posts#comment Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:38:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2341668/posts New York City to smokers: Butt out of our parks. Health Commissioner Thomas Farley announced yesterday he wants to ban smoking in public parks and city beaches as part of a plan to make New Yorkers healthier. "We don't think children, parents, when they're standing at soccer games, should have to be breathing in smoke from the person next to them," Farley said after unveiling the city's 10-point plan alongside Mayor Bloomberg. "We don't think our children should have to be watching someone smoke." The city could outlaw puffing in parks through legislation passed by the City Council or an... New York Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2341668/posts#comment Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:02:53 GMT