There has been a push to ban smoking in bars and restaurants in Detroit, but all the edges have not yet been smoothed out so it is still possible to smoke at most establishments in the city.
Non-smokers are up in arms about this fact, especially since smoking is not against the law in most restaurants. It is felt by many that smoking can really ruin a person's meal, which is something even for smokers.
However, there is really no reason for the non-smoking population to be worried about this, as the legislation will be passed - it's just a matter of time.
The problem is that the addresses of non-smoking bars are being published on the internet, and this could really cause problems for some businesses. It is also an unfair trade, because when the law is passed smokers will not have this kind of choice, a fact that is often overlooked…
[Via: examiner.com]
The Anti-Smoking movement (craze) is making its way to new countries at a fast rate, and Spain is the next country to take on non-smoking laws. Health minister Trinidad Jimenez announced plans for implementing a total smoking ban recently.
He said in an interview, "Right now, with the information we have and the study we are doing of the current smoking law, I think the society is mature enough… and we want to prohibit smoking in all public places."
To this date smoking has been banned in public places that are larger than 100 square meters, but many bars and restaurants failed to follow this law.
Spain is one of the key elements of the tobacco market so this could be a huge blow for tobacco companies, though large companies like Philip Morris have not commented on how the change will affect them.
It seems that Spain is soon to become less a relaxed place than it has been known to be. Sad…
[Via: WSJ]
The number of colleges banning smoking has increased drastically over the past few years, with New York state leading the pack.
Within the United States alone, nearly 300 campuses do not allow smoking. There are 50 campuses that are smoke-free with minimal exceptions.
Bronson Frick, associate director of Nonsmoker's Rights said, "Ozarks Technical Community College really was the leader in the movement for a tobacco free campus policy, and then it sort of spread school by school and became a trend. Community colleges really led the way in this movement, and it's probably because those colleges tend to be slightly smaller. Also, community colleges don't have the issue of residential housing, for the most part."
So if you are in college and a smoker, expect to see a ban like this coming your way. Sure, that will help… NOT!
[Via: StarGazette.com]
It has only been a month or so since information about the possible hazards of "electronic cigarettes" has been released, and lawsuits are already being filed.
In Oregon Attorney General John Kroger filed a suit against Smoking Everywhere, an "electronic cigarette" company based in Florida. The suit claims that the company made false claims about the safety of the gadget, and it was felt that the bubblegum, chocolate and cookies n' cream flavors were targeted at children.
The Food and Drug Administration has not approved this product as no carcinogens have been found.
The company possesses no scientific evidence of the fact that these cigarettes are safer than regular cigarettes, according to the lawsuit.
Legal action has not been taken by any other state, as of yet. But this is sure to turn into a trend. However, the point of these cigarettes has been forgotten, they were not created to be safe for the smoker, but for those in the vicinity of the smoker, the actual vapor released by the product ought to be tested and not what the smoker consumes.
[Via: bizjournals.com]
Many countries have seen a huge drop in smoking rates, but Canada does not seem to be among them.
The Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey showed that overall, about 18% of Canadians reported that they smoked every day or occasionally. This percentage has remained roughly the same since 2005.
The senior policy analyst for the Canadian Cancer Society, Rob Cunningham, feels concern for this slow decline in smoking. He feels the fact that contraband cigarettes are too widely available and extremely cheap.
In an interview he said, "These cheap cigarettes, which may be 80 to 90 percent off, are having an adverse impact on how fast smoking rates are declining."
Cunningham is urging parliament to take action to control this issue. However, all in all the smoking rate is comparably, and locking down on contraband cigarettes is not an easy task and could be a waste of tax dollars.
[Via: The Chronicle Journal]
