Cigar bars, tobacco shops want to bring back smoking

A group of unlikely political activists wants to bring smoking back to some Washington businesses and clubs, more than two years after voters here overwhelmingly approved the nation's most-stringent statewide smoking ban.
A handful of tobacco-dependant and tobacco-friendly businesses recently began gathering signatures for a statewide initiative proposal that would allow smoking in private clubs, cigar bars and tobacco shops. To make the November ballot, they need to collect about 225,000 signatures by the end of June.
"The original initiative went too far," said the sponsor of the latest measure, Joe Arundel, an owner of Rain City cigarettes in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood. "In other states, when they passed this type of legislation, they usually make exceptions for a few places."
"If this (exception) had been written into the original initiative ... it would have passed by literally the same margin," Arundel said. Voters "didn't want to be unintentionally exposed to secondhand smoke. And the initiative we've crafted here would not do that."
But some worry that it's the latest measure, Initiative 1016, that goes too far.
"It could really create a giant loophole in the law," said Carrie Nyssen, advocacy director for the American Lung Association of Washington. "The authors may have thought it was going to be narrow. But we're really afraid that the private club exemption could create some unintended consequences (that) bars could take advantage of."
Further, the exemptions would put employees of those establishments back at risk of breathing dangerous fumes, Nyssen said. "Our position is all workers deserve protection from secondhand smoke," she said.
Backers of the barely funded campaign behind Initiative 1016 acknowledged that qualifying for the ballot would be an uphill battle. Rarely do campaigns collect enough signatures to make the statewide ballot unless they can afford to hire signature gatherers -- and this one cannot.
"This is as grass roots as you get," Arundel said.
According to the initiative, in order to qualify as a cigar bar, the business' food sales must be incidental and it needs to generate at least $25,000 in annual sales of cigars. Backers have distributed petitions in smoke shops, clubs and former cigarettes bars such as Tini Bigs.
In 2005 state voters approved Initiative 901, which prohibits smoking in indoor public facilities and workplaces with no exceptions -- not even cigar lounges or private clubs. The measure also prohibits lighting up within 25 feet of doors, windows and vents of public places.

Smoking tortoise found in China

BEIJING — A tortoise that smokes and appears to be addicted to nicotine has been discovered in China's northeastern province of Jilin, state media reported on Thursday.
The animal is the pet of a man, identified by his surname Yun, who is himself a smoker, Xinhua news agency said, quoting a local newspaper.
One day, Yun teased the tortoise by putting cigarettes butt into its mouth, and to his surprise it started to smoke it, according to the news agency.
From then on, he shared his cigarettes with his pet, Xinhua said.
"It seems to have become addicted," Yun was quoted as saying.
"Whenever I smoke in front of it, it will stick its head out of the water and fidget about until I give it the stub."
Yun proved his claim by putting a cigarettes in the tortoise's mouth in front the paper's reporter and his neighbours, Xinhua quoted the newspaper as saying.
To everyone's surprise, the tortoise finished it in less than four minutes, the news agency said.
Monkeys have been know to smoke in imitation of human beings, the deputy secretary-general of Jilin's Wildlife Conservation Society told Xinhua.
But he said he had never heard of a tortoise lighting up.

Coffee and Cigarettes are Parts of a Balanced Diet

A Wake Forest University showed that drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes are good for you and should be encouraged. It further suggested that legislators should have mandated smoking sections so people can live productive lives.

Dr. Juan Valdez said that coffee should be considered a fruit. Coffee is grown and harvested much like berries and grapes and thus should be considered a fruit.

Dr. Randolph J. Reynolds added that cigarettes contained tobacco, which is grown and harvested like cabbage, lettuce, and other leafy vegetables.

The study also stated that the benefits of a healthy lifestyle can be achieved with as little as 6 cups of coffee and 20 cigarettes per day.

Move to make central jail tobacco-free

In what has come as a fresh initiative aimed at better health of inmates, the authorities at the Nagpur Central Jail have vigorously launched a campaign to ensure that the jail becomes a ‘tobacco-free’ zone.

However, the move has not gone down well with the prisoners. Sounding a note of protest, the inmates have challenged the jail authorities move, with the criterion mentioned in the prison manual that allows tobacco use. Despite a strong opposition and adverse reactions from the prisoners, Nagpur central jail officials have stood their ground so far. And as a step forward, the authorities have withdrawn cigarettes products from the prison canteen.

"Government is spending a big amount on the health of the prisoners. Tobacco is injurious to health," claimed Surinder Kumar, deputy inspector general of police, prisons (eastern region). Several young prisoners dying in the jail has recently raised concern that prompted him to take the decision, he added. "Though I agree that jail manual allows prisoners to use tobacco, we are trying to make an effort for the general well-being of the inmates," Kumar told TOI, over phone from Mumbai.

Kumar said that the tobacco use, particularly by prisoners suffering from ailments like tuberculosis and HIV, is dangerous. "Apart from ruining one’s health, passive smokers also become victims in jail due to restrictions on their free movement," he said.

Dr Rajesh Kochhar, chief medical officer, Central jail, claimed that about 26 prisoners were suffering from tuberculosis and AIDS and of these, eight are HIV positive. "Smoking in prison is certainly a cause for concern and the issue had to be addressed at some point or the other. Prisoners are complaining a lot and are uncomfortable.... we should be able to phase out cigarettes from the jail premises by inculcating better self-discipline and helping them to become strong-willed," Dr Kochhar said.

R U Gaikwad, deputy superintendent of police, Central Jail, claimed that jail authorities were trying to convince the prisoners to desist from cigarettes use. "We are trying hard to convince the prisoners, but we have faced stiff opposition. They have even threatened to take us to court and launch a stir. Unfortunately, they are not trying to realise that the move was taken for their betterment," Gaikwad said.

Ohio proposes 'fire safe' cigarettes

CLEVELAND -- House Bill 500 aims to cut down fire deaths caused by cigarettes .

New York was the first and in all 23 states have already passed legislation requiring cigarette manufacturers provide self extinguishing cigarettes.

The cigarettes are banded so they stop burning when the smoker stops puffing.

A year after New York's law was enacted, fire deaths blamed on cigarettes dropped by a third.

In 2005, 19 people died from cigarette related fires in Ohio. Fifty-nine people were injured.

Cigarette manufacturers support new legislation as long as it's similar to New York's law.

They're already making banded cigarettes for states that have enacted laws. To learn more about the bill and the campaign click on the links provided below.

Smokers Don't Like New Cigarette Tax

Smokers seem to be protesting a new state tax on cigarettes that went into effect on the first of the year.

The $1.00 tax hike on each pack of cigarettes has prompted a good number of smokers to put down their lighters.

"I've seen a decrease of my customers coming in the store because of the tax. they have to quit," said Debbie Martinez of the Cigarette Depot.

In some cases, smokers get their cigarettes from a cheaper source, such as on-line or in other states.

Some customers who haven't been able to kick the habit, have cut back.

"Before the tax, I may have bought four packs," said one smoker. "Now I buy three, (there's) no other way of dealing with it."

In January of this year, about 24,000,000 packs were sold. Last year, 29,000,000 were sold.

Governor Doyle says calls to the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line have more than doubled since the tax went into effect.

Thief takes cash, cigarettes

Cash and cigarettes were taken during a robbery at the Mac's Convenience Store at King and Bethune streets yesterday morning, city police said.

Police said a man approached the female clerk at 3:30 a.m., produced a black-handled knife with a five-inch blade and demanded money.

He was last seen heading east on King Street.

He's described as white, in his early to mid 30s, standing five-foot-five to six-feet tall.

He has a medium build with short, brown hair and was unshaven.

He was wearing a black coat over another coat, blue jeans and a black Toronto Raptors baseball cap.