It’s been 50 years since the U.S. Surgeon General issued a groundbreaking report
on the dangers of smoking. The report opened the way for decades of
measures to curb tobacco use —measures that helped save an estimated 8
million lives over that time span, according to a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.Davidoff iD Ivory
About half (53%) of Americans still see cigarette smoking as an extremely or very serious public health problem, according to a Pew Research Center survey
conducted last November. But the public now sees it as less of a
problem than a number of other public health issues like cancer and
obesity, and less of a problem than it did in 2004 when 72% rated it as
serious in an ABC News/Time poll.
Asked whether the U.S. is making progress in dealing with cigarette
smoking in 2013, 45% said it was, while 39% said things were about the
same. Just 13% saw the efforts to deal with smoking as losing ground. By
comparison, 35% saw the country losing ground in dealing with mental
illness and 34% said the same about the issue of obesity
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Monday, December 16, 2013
University passes smoking ban
As students come back to campus, they may see information about a
new policy posted on sidewalks, doors and banners across campus.
The Clean Air Policy will go into effect Jan. 1 and states that students, faculty, staff and University visitors can only smoke in designated areas in parking lots or in their car.
“It’s asking people to really respect the rights of others,” said University President Mary Ellen Mazey.
Campus discussion of the policy began in July 2012, when the Ohio Board of Regents, a coordinating body for Ohio higher education, suggested all Ohio university campuses go tobacco free.
This summer, the University Board of Trustees approved the Clean Air Policy, after about a year of gathering opinions from five different representative groups, said Jill Carr, dean of students and senior associate vice president of Student Affairs.
Undergraduate Student Government President Alex Solis thinks the policy is a compromise of sorts.
“Students come from all walks of life,” he said. “If they choose to smoke, that’s why there’s designated areas.”
This policy won’t come without it’s problems, he said. Karelia cigarettes.
“There’s going to be problems with this policy— bring it to someone’s attention,” Solis said. “What I don’t want people to think is this is the end all, be all policy. We want this to be realistic.”
A potential “tricky” part of the policy may be enforcement, Solis said.
There won’t be specific people to enforce the designated areas, instead, it will be a community effort, Carr said.
“The whole community has to embrace this, we’re not going to have smoking police walking around,” Carr said.
The idea is that students, faculty and staff will go up to others and ask people to stop smoking.
Solis doesn’t think students will “go out of their way and confront someone.
“That’s an intimidating conversation, that’s uncomfortable,” he said.
If students don’t listen to their peers, an incident report may be filed and the student will be charged with a violation of the student code of conduct, which may lead to a hearing, said Michael Ginsburg, associate dean of students. There is also a process for faculty and staff through human resources, he said.
“I think some students will adapt and go to the nearest area,” Solis said. “I think other students will be frustrated that there is this newness. This transition is going to be challenging.”
So far, the University has spent $9,000 on materials to help educate students about the policy during the fall semester.
The campus is marked with signs, door clings, stress balls, banners and fliers about the policy and the designated areas— which are cigarette receptacles in parking lots— have information about programs to help them stop smoking and about the policy.
“Culture shift takes time and you need to educate people,” Ginsburg said.
The policy will be reviewed on an annual basis and could change as early as next year, Ginsburg said.
He said the goal of the policy “is not to encourage people to stop smoking, but to present them with choices.”
But Mazey said it has to be both.
“I think we want to help people,” she said, “because I think that tobacco is a health issue, it’s a health issue for them, it’s a health issue for their colleagues. You really don’t want to be around cigarette smoke.”
Solis said it’s not his place to tell students what to do, instead, he wants them to take away that the policy’s purpose is to strive to make BGSU a healthy campus.
The Clean Air Policy will go into effect Jan. 1 and states that students, faculty, staff and University visitors can only smoke in designated areas in parking lots or in their car.
Campus discussion of the policy began in July 2012, when the Ohio Board of Regents, a coordinating body for Ohio higher education, suggested all Ohio university campuses go tobacco free.
This summer, the University Board of Trustees approved the Clean Air Policy, after about a year of gathering opinions from five different representative groups, said Jill Carr, dean of students and senior associate vice president of Student Affairs.
Undergraduate Student Government President Alex Solis thinks the policy is a compromise of sorts.
“Students come from all walks of life,” he said. “If they choose to smoke, that’s why there’s designated areas.”
This policy won’t come without it’s problems, he said. Karelia cigarettes.
“There’s going to be problems with this policy— bring it to someone’s attention,” Solis said. “What I don’t want people to think is this is the end all, be all policy. We want this to be realistic.”
A potential “tricky” part of the policy may be enforcement, Solis said.
There won’t be specific people to enforce the designated areas, instead, it will be a community effort, Carr said.
“The whole community has to embrace this, we’re not going to have smoking police walking around,” Carr said.
The idea is that students, faculty and staff will go up to others and ask people to stop smoking.
Solis doesn’t think students will “go out of their way and confront someone.
“That’s an intimidating conversation, that’s uncomfortable,” he said.
If students don’t listen to their peers, an incident report may be filed and the student will be charged with a violation of the student code of conduct, which may lead to a hearing, said Michael Ginsburg, associate dean of students. There is also a process for faculty and staff through human resources, he said.
“I think some students will adapt and go to the nearest area,” Solis said. “I think other students will be frustrated that there is this newness. This transition is going to be challenging.”
So far, the University has spent $9,000 on materials to help educate students about the policy during the fall semester.
The campus is marked with signs, door clings, stress balls, banners and fliers about the policy and the designated areas— which are cigarette receptacles in parking lots— have information about programs to help them stop smoking and about the policy.
“Culture shift takes time and you need to educate people,” Ginsburg said.
The policy will be reviewed on an annual basis and could change as early as next year, Ginsburg said.
He said the goal of the policy “is not to encourage people to stop smoking, but to present them with choices.”
But Mazey said it has to be both.
“I think we want to help people,” she said, “because I think that tobacco is a health issue, it’s a health issue for them, it’s a health issue for their colleagues. You really don’t want to be around cigarette smoke.”
Solis said it’s not his place to tell students what to do, instead, he wants them to take away that the policy’s purpose is to strive to make BGSU a healthy campus.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Casino smoking lounge to be reconsidered
Sky City says it will work
to comply with smoke-free laws after a High Court judge ruled the
Ministry of Health can't use its calculator for deciding if a room can
be considered "open" for smoking.
The Cancer
Society, along with the Salvation Army and the Problem Gambling
Foundation, took health authorities and Sky City to court, arguing the
Auckland casino's Diamond Lounge broke the rules of the Smoke-free
Environments Act.
The lounge is a roofed area
ventilated by louvres and gamblers can smoke there because the
ministry's "open areas calculator" classes it as an open area.
Justice
Rodney Hansen said the Ministry of Health calculator, which takes into
account the room's area, openings and airflow to determine whether a
room is "substantially enclosed" or not, is contrary to the Act.
He
said the ministry cannot legally replace a simple factual question of
whether a space is substantially enclosed by an airflow calculation, and
asked it to reconsider the decision in this light.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Cigar aficionados get fired up for festival
One had only to follow the nose to find the 2013 Tampa Cigar Festival taking place beside the Hillsborough River this weekend. Stogie and cheroot aficionados from across the country gathered at Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park, south of the Forum in downtown Tampa, to sit back and enjoy their passion. “When you clip a cigar, you have to smoke it, so you’ve given yourself permission to relax for an hour,” said Bill Snyder of Sarasota as he perused one of many smoke shops set up at the festival The consensus among this crowd was that cigar smoking is a lot more about relaxation and camaraderie than the actual act of smoking. Tampa remains Cigar City, a hotbed for cigars short, slim, long and fat, with such names as La Bamba, Romeo and Juliet, Diamond Crown and Cuesta-Rey Centenario Aristocrat. “It’s a celebration of cigars, and cigars are a celebration,” said festival organizer Vienna Fuente, whose father-in-law, Arturo Fuente, started his famous cigar company in Tampa in 1912. Fuente said the festival is all about bringing together people of like minds who enjoy the fellowship that cigars tend to offer. It also brings in support for local cigar retailers and means money in the bank for hotels and restaurants, she said. Fuente said she expected this year’s festival attendance to hit 5,000. Proceeds from a silent auction at the festival and a portion of the profits will go to Friends of Tampa Recreation, a nonprofit group that seeds new ideas, rewards initiative and promotes recreational programs offered by Tampa. For Roy Santarella of Hudson, the festival was a great excuse to party with friends from across the country. At his table he had gathered friends from Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Rochester, N.Y., Stamford, Conn., and Cleveland. “I’ve been smoking cigars for 20 years, and I find it very relaxing,” Santarella said as the nationally syndicated Cigar Dave radio show aired live from the festival and blared from nearby microphones. “It’s a fraternal kind of recreation.” One couple came all the way from Wasilla, Alaska, for the festival. Irma and Marcel Bijak found the cigar fest a great excuse to get away from minus-5 degree temperatures and into the sunny mid-80s weather on Saturday. “I was at the Smoke on the Water festival in Buffalo last year, and when I heard about this one I told Irma, ‘We need to go.’ And I’ve seen some of the same faces here I saw in Buffalo. It’s just a great way to socialize and vacation.”
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Smoking restrictions a natural societal shift
Smokers kicked to the curb (News, Oct. 4)
About five years ago, I was in Port Angeles, Wash. While there, I observed many signs that said it is unlawful to smoke with 25 feet of a doorway.
My handy metric converter tells me that 25 feet is 7.62 metres.
So, it would seem that our neighbours just to the south of us have been living with much stricter restrictions then we have for quite some time. Although, I am an advocate for civil rights, I am surprised that the B.C. Civil Liberties Association has chosen to weigh in on this issue, as there are no “rights” involved here (human, natural, legal, or otherwise). Lucky Strike cigarettes.
One’s rights end at the end of their nose, i.e. one can not impinge on the rights of others without a very good reason such as traffic laws that prevent mass chaos on the roads, convicted criminals losing their right to freedom, etc.
Smoking is something that very much impinges on the rights of others, yet there is no good reason for smoking.
It is very much detrimental both to the smoker and to society at large, and has no redeeming qualities. Thus there can be no “right” to smoke. Thus restrictions on smoking can not be said to violate civil liberties.
You quote Dani Kong who asks why it is legal to smoke when it is such a problem. I suspect that it is legal because people have been smoking for hundreds of years, and it’s only in the last 50 years or so that we have known how detrimental it is.
It takes time to change society; however, I fully expect that smoking will be outlawed within my lifetime, and increasing restrictions are just a step along the way.
Also, I will point out that there are other things that are legal but which are restricted. You can’t walk down the street with an open bottle of alcohol, for instance.
One last thing, I must ask: why aren’t smokers fined for littering when they throw those dirty disgusting cigarette butts down on the ground?
About five years ago, I was in Port Angeles, Wash. While there, I observed many signs that said it is unlawful to smoke with 25 feet of a doorway.
My handy metric converter tells me that 25 feet is 7.62 metres.
So, it would seem that our neighbours just to the south of us have been living with much stricter restrictions then we have for quite some time. Although, I am an advocate for civil rights, I am surprised that the B.C. Civil Liberties Association has chosen to weigh in on this issue, as there are no “rights” involved here (human, natural, legal, or otherwise). Lucky Strike cigarettes.
One’s rights end at the end of their nose, i.e. one can not impinge on the rights of others without a very good reason such as traffic laws that prevent mass chaos on the roads, convicted criminals losing their right to freedom, etc.
Smoking is something that very much impinges on the rights of others, yet there is no good reason for smoking.
It is very much detrimental both to the smoker and to society at large, and has no redeeming qualities. Thus there can be no “right” to smoke. Thus restrictions on smoking can not be said to violate civil liberties.
You quote Dani Kong who asks why it is legal to smoke when it is such a problem. I suspect that it is legal because people have been smoking for hundreds of years, and it’s only in the last 50 years or so that we have known how detrimental it is.
It takes time to change society; however, I fully expect that smoking will be outlawed within my lifetime, and increasing restrictions are just a step along the way.
Also, I will point out that there are other things that are legal but which are restricted. You can’t walk down the street with an open bottle of alcohol, for instance.
One last thing, I must ask: why aren’t smokers fined for littering when they throw those dirty disgusting cigarette butts down on the ground?
Hospital works to stub out smoking
Maury Regional Medical Center is renewing efforts to educate the
public about smoking hazards as cigarette use continues to be a problem
on the hospital’s campus.
Hospital Chief Executive Officer Alan Watson said all properties owned by the hospital have been smoke-free since 2008 — but not all visitors have been obeying the smoking ban. He told county commissioners during the health and environment committee meeting Monday it has been “very difficult” to enforce the ban during the past five years.
“We are seeing some sign blindness among our visitors,” Watson said. “We actually have some visitors leaning up against ‘no smoking’ signs as they are smoking.”
As a result, Watson said the hospital intends to renew efforts to educate the public, volunteers, physicians, nurses, patients and employees about smoking hazards. He said additional signage will be put up on Maury Regional properties and extra efforts will be made to communicate the smoking ban to patients and visitors.
Additionally, Watson said the hospital will be asking security to help enforce the ban in a “non-confrontational manner” and educating the public through more signage and information about smoking. He said the hospital will also be doing more to pick up cigarettes left on the ground.
“It’s not a pretty picture when you come onto our campus and see cigarettes all over the grounds,” he said.
Rita Williams, a spokesperson for the hospital, said the ban will also include the use of e-cigarettes on the hospital’s campus.
“There are some unknowns with the e-cigs,” she said. “They do create a vapor, and it still isn’t certain what is in that vapor.”
Williams said the hospital has done several studies in the local community about the effects of smoking and lung cancer on residents.
“We found lung cancer is a huge problem in this area,” she said. “We see it in our cancer center every day. We are trying to be a leader in the community and to protect people from second-hand smoke.”
Watson said Maury County places “in the worst quartile among more than 2,800 U.S. counties” for lung cancer-related deaths. He said smoking is the largest contributing factor to diagnoses of lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and other cancers.
Watson said it is the hospital’s responsibility to keep all of its patients and visitors protected.
“Our goal is to ensure that everyone who visits one of our facilities is protected from the dangerous effects of tobacco products,” Watson said. “As the regional leader in health care, it is our responsibility to prohibit smoking on the grounds of our facilities in an effort to protect everyone from the dangerous effects of smoking.”
Tennessee’s “Non-Smoker’s Protection Act” went into effect on Oct. 1, 2007, which makes it illegal to smoke in most workplaces including health care facilities and “common-use areas” of buildings.
Hospital Chief Executive Officer Alan Watson said all properties owned by the hospital have been smoke-free since 2008 — but not all visitors have been obeying the smoking ban. He told county commissioners during the health and environment committee meeting Monday it has been “very difficult” to enforce the ban during the past five years.
“We are seeing some sign blindness among our visitors,” Watson said. “We actually have some visitors leaning up against ‘no smoking’ signs as they are smoking.”
As a result, Watson said the hospital intends to renew efforts to educate the public, volunteers, physicians, nurses, patients and employees about smoking hazards. He said additional signage will be put up on Maury Regional properties and extra efforts will be made to communicate the smoking ban to patients and visitors.
Additionally, Watson said the hospital will be asking security to help enforce the ban in a “non-confrontational manner” and educating the public through more signage and information about smoking. He said the hospital will also be doing more to pick up cigarettes left on the ground.
“It’s not a pretty picture when you come onto our campus and see cigarettes all over the grounds,” he said.
Rita Williams, a spokesperson for the hospital, said the ban will also include the use of e-cigarettes on the hospital’s campus.
“There are some unknowns with the e-cigs,” she said. “They do create a vapor, and it still isn’t certain what is in that vapor.”
Williams said the hospital has done several studies in the local community about the effects of smoking and lung cancer on residents.
“We found lung cancer is a huge problem in this area,” she said. “We see it in our cancer center every day. We are trying to be a leader in the community and to protect people from second-hand smoke.”
Watson said Maury County places “in the worst quartile among more than 2,800 U.S. counties” for lung cancer-related deaths. He said smoking is the largest contributing factor to diagnoses of lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and other cancers.
Watson said it is the hospital’s responsibility to keep all of its patients and visitors protected.
“Our goal is to ensure that everyone who visits one of our facilities is protected from the dangerous effects of tobacco products,” Watson said. “As the regional leader in health care, it is our responsibility to prohibit smoking on the grounds of our facilities in an effort to protect everyone from the dangerous effects of smoking.”
Tennessee’s “Non-Smoker’s Protection Act” went into effect on Oct. 1, 2007, which makes it illegal to smoke in most workplaces including health care facilities and “common-use areas” of buildings.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Cheaper brands keep smokers puffing, data show
Cigarette consumption in the country fell—but only marginally—in the
second quarter from a year ago, with an increase in the production of
cheap P1 per stick brands helping demand stay afloat despite a hike in
sin taxes.
Industry data showed average cigarette consumption at 14.13 sticks a day in the second quarter compared to 14.84 sticks in the same period last year.
Daily consumption was an average 13.53 sticks in the first quarter of the year, but rose back to over 14 percent between April and June as some cigarette firms increased production of the cheaper brands.
Data showed the market share of brands costing P1 per stick rising from 5 percent last year to 30 percent in June this year.
Industry players said the market share of the cheap brands could rise further as the tax on cigarettes increases annually.
Brands selling for P1 a stick include those produced by Mighty Corp. and Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp.
The sin tax reform law, which took effect in January, mandates an annual increase in the excise taxes on cigarette and alcohol products. The rates of increase are specified for this year up to 2017. Afterwards, cigarette tax rates shall rise 4 percent annually to cover inflation.
The new cigarette tax rates effective this year are: P12 per pack for brands with a net retail price of P11.50 and below, and P25 per pack for brands with a net retail price of more than P11.50 per pack.
The objectives of the law are to boost government revenues and to discourage smoking.
Some cigarette firms, however, are trying to prevent a substantial drop in demand by producing cheaper brands.
For 2013, the government projects a collection of P51.6 billion in excise taxes on cigarettes. This is on top of the P6.2 billion in value-added taxes and P6.7 billion in corporate income taxes that it aims to collect from cigarette firms this year.
The excise tax collection target for this year includes P33.9 billion in incremental revenues estimated to come from the tax rate hike.
The incremental revenues targeted for the succeeding years are P42.86 billion for next year, P50.63 billion in 2015, P56.86 billion in 2016, and P64.18 billion in 2017.
Some industry players have expressed concern the higher tax rates could result in a rise in smuggling of cheap foreign-made cigarettes into the country. They said the government would not achieve its revenue goals if smuggling became a problem.
Industry data showed average cigarette consumption at 14.13 sticks a day in the second quarter compared to 14.84 sticks in the same period last year.
Daily consumption was an average 13.53 sticks in the first quarter of the year, but rose back to over 14 percent between April and June as some cigarette firms increased production of the cheaper brands.
Data showed the market share of brands costing P1 per stick rising from 5 percent last year to 30 percent in June this year.
Industry players said the market share of the cheap brands could rise further as the tax on cigarettes increases annually.
Brands selling for P1 a stick include those produced by Mighty Corp. and Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp.
The sin tax reform law, which took effect in January, mandates an annual increase in the excise taxes on cigarette and alcohol products. The rates of increase are specified for this year up to 2017. Afterwards, cigarette tax rates shall rise 4 percent annually to cover inflation.
The new cigarette tax rates effective this year are: P12 per pack for brands with a net retail price of P11.50 and below, and P25 per pack for brands with a net retail price of more than P11.50 per pack.
The objectives of the law are to boost government revenues and to discourage smoking.
Some cigarette firms, however, are trying to prevent a substantial drop in demand by producing cheaper brands.
For 2013, the government projects a collection of P51.6 billion in excise taxes on cigarettes. This is on top of the P6.2 billion in value-added taxes and P6.7 billion in corporate income taxes that it aims to collect from cigarette firms this year.
The excise tax collection target for this year includes P33.9 billion in incremental revenues estimated to come from the tax rate hike.
The incremental revenues targeted for the succeeding years are P42.86 billion for next year, P50.63 billion in 2015, P56.86 billion in 2016, and P64.18 billion in 2017.
Some industry players have expressed concern the higher tax rates could result in a rise in smuggling of cheap foreign-made cigarettes into the country. They said the government would not achieve its revenue goals if smuggling became a problem.
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