Due to a slip in Montana's statewide smoking ban, people who want to have a smoke with their beer are still able to do so, even though smoking indoors has been in place since the beginning of October.
The State of Montana indoor smoking ban has no effect on those living on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Smokers at the KwaTaqNuk Casino are still happily puffing away, and this chain of casinos has both smoking and non-smoking locations.
A treaty was signed in 1855 to establish this reservation, and this event took place before the State of Montana had been formed. This treaty acts as an exemption from legislation, basically the law has no effect on the reserve.
Though no official discussion has been put forth on the subject, Flathead Reservation officials say that in the future council could possibly decide to ban smoking but for now things are to remain this way.
This might be one of the rare occasions of natives truly enjoying the freedom they deserve.
[Via: kpax.com]
As bans on smoking grow stronger in the United States, laws prohibiting marijuana are easing up. Cannabis-related prosecution has been ordered to stop by federal prosecutors in the 13 states where the medical use of the drug is not illegal.
It is wrong to prosecute those people who comply to state existing state laws, according to Attorney General Eric Holder.
However, the air is not completely clear he warns, those using medical marijuana laws as an alibi to traffic the drug are still going to be subject to prosecution.
This is a very sharp shift in policy in relation to that of the Bush administration, and is all a bit ironic because smokers are now seeing the same tyranny that medical marijuana user once had to face, and the question has to be asked - will smoking bans be dropped in a few decades? Will all the money that has been spent on implementing these laws proven to be a waste?
[Via: BBC]
More restrictions are being added to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, with Peel Public Health pushing for a ban on smoking in apartments and condos. Legislation protecting residents in multi-unit dwellings from exposure to second-hand smoke, is the ultimate goal of the health unit.
Smoking in enclosed spaces like public places and workplaces, are already prohibited under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. But, Queen's Park is being pushed by Peel to change act so it includes condos and apartment buildings, as well.
To keep landlords and residents informed, the health unit is looking to create educational resources, like a web page. This would also suggest to landlords that they have the right to declare their buildings smoke-free.
There are soon to be a lot of unhappy smokers in Canada, especially with the temperatures being as low as they are, they will be left with very few options as to where to have a smoke.
[Via: ctv.ca]
Teens are more likely to quit smoking if they receive telephone counseling, according to new research.
A telephone-counseling program was created by researchers, 2,000 smokers from 50 Washington state high schools were recruited to test the program. Once they had received parent permission, researchers began testing at 25 of the high schools.
The students took part in a follow-up survey about a year later. In comparison to 18% of smokers who did not participate in the program, 22% of students said they did not smoke for six months. The program also seemed to extend the period of time a student was able to go without a cigarette. The authors say that this research project is the first of its kind, reporting a statistically significant difference in quit rates over a one-year period.
More research projects ought to be done like this as teenage smoking is the root of the problem, and the earlier someone is prevented from being a smoker, the less likely it is to become an ongoing problem…
[Via: health.usnews.com]
At the maximum security Hakea Prison in Perth, Australia, as of Monday smoking will be banned in cells. This has prison officers fairly worried as they are afraid tensions will rise once the ban is imposed in the already overcrowded jails.
As of next week inmates at Hakea will no longer be permitted to smoke in their cells during the day, as a part of the Department of Corrective Services' smoking reduction policy, according to John Welch, secretary of the WA Prison Officers Union.
Though an agreement was reached by the union that passive smoking could pose potential harm to its members, Welch said that the more pressing concern was that the already tense inmates would be further aggravated if they were not allowed to smoke. Due to these fears, it has been decided that the ban would be introduced gradually - first by banning smoking during daylight hours. The inmates will still be able to smoke outside of the units, but this could also be banned in the future.
Any comments? Is this great news or simply stupid. I vote for the latter…
[Via: watoday.com.au]
