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 Issue #524
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A blog where I express my opinions on smoking issues, including smokers rights issues. ALL COMMENTS ARE MODERATED ON HERE.
Friday, May 8, 2009
The United Pro Choice Smokers Rights Newsletter
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
WI smoking ban would take effect in 2010
http://www.jsonline .com/news/ statepolitics/ 44464502. html
Smoking ban would take effect in July 2010
Madison - Wisconsin would be covered by a comprehensive statewide workplace smoking ban by July 5, 2010, if a deal brokered Wednesday is passed by the Legislature next week and signed into law.
All workplaces, including taverns, restaurants and hotels, would be smoke-free under the bill before the Legislature. Legislative leaders, smoking ban advocates and the Tavern League of Wisconsin agreed to the changes to the proposal, which is now on a fast track and is slated for a vote May 13 in both houses of the Legislature.
Under the proposal:
• Taverns, restaurants, hotels and other businesses would have more than a year to prepare for a ban. Existing cigar bars and tobacco shops would be exempt.
• Individuals caught smoking would face fines ranging between $100 and $250. Business owners would see $100 fines for willful violations, but wouldn't be penalized if they attempt to stop people from smoking.
• Local governments would not be allowed to pass ordinances that are stricter than the state law except on government-owned properties.
• Taverns would be allowed to create smoking areas within a reasonable distance from their doors.
Supporters have said a statewide ban is necessary to eliminate the "patchwork" of local ordinances; 37 Wisconsin communities have smoking bans. Those would remain until the statewide ban goes into effect.
Tavern League of Wisconsin President Rob Swearingen, owner of the Al-Gen Supper Club in Rhinelander, said the implementation delay was important because it would allow tavern owners time to prepare for the change, as well as give the economy time to improve.
"We're hoping they will make that adjustment, get their customers ready, get themselves ready," he said. "I hope there's not going to be any hardship on our people."
If the bill becomes law, Wisconsin would join its neighbors Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois in having statewide smoking bans.
Gov. Jim Doyle, who included the smoking ban proposal in his budget, said in a statement he was pleased with the agreement.
"I wish the ban would be implemented sooner, but today we are one step closer to a statewide smoking ban that is fair and equitable," Doyle's statement said.
What's next
• The Senate's Committee on Health, Health Insurance, Privacy, Property Tax Relief and Revenue and the Assembly's Committee on Health and Healthcare Reform will take separate votes at 10 a.m. Friday to advance the bill to the full Legislature.
• Both houses of the Legislature are expected to vote on the measure Wednesday.
• If it passes both houses, the bill would land on Gov. Jim Doyle's desk.
• The ban would go into effect 90 days after Doyle signs it, except for taverns, which would have until July 2010 to comply.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Smokers complained, and the Mets listened
Me heard dat when the Mets opened their new ballpark Citi Field, it was originally supposed to be nonsmoking all over the ballpark. But I guess several Met fans complained about the smoke free ballpark, and the Mets listened. The smoking area in the ballpark is around the right field area. And from what I heard, LOTS of people are smoking in the new designated smoking area at the Met games.
This is a rare case where smokers speak out, and the management listens to the smokers. If more smokers across the nation spoke out about smoke-free airplanes and smoke-free hospitality places, I guess they can dream on about anyone listening to complaints then.
But as antismoking as NY is, I'm surprised someone from the Mets organization actually listened to the fans and established a designated smoking area.
For the record, the new version of Yankee Stadium (the otha NY ballpark) is 100 percent smoke free with no exceptions. And I bet the Yankee fans who smoke are peed off dat Met fans have a place to smoke at within Citi Field.
If I lived in NY, I'd be a Met fan only based on the fact I'd have a place to smoke at if I went to their games.
This is a rare case where smokers speak out, and the management listens to the smokers. If more smokers across the nation spoke out about smoke-free airplanes and smoke-free hospitality places, I guess they can dream on about anyone listening to complaints then.
But as antismoking as NY is, I'm surprised someone from the Mets organization actually listened to the fans and established a designated smoking area.
For the record, the new version of Yankee Stadium (the otha NY ballpark) is 100 percent smoke free with no exceptions. And I bet the Yankee fans who smoke are peed off dat Met fans have a place to smoke at within Citi Field.
If I lived in NY, I'd be a Met fan only based on the fact I'd have a place to smoke at if I went to their games.
An article witth Gary K's comments
For the record, this smoking activist has given me permisssion to post copies of ANY messsages he leaves at the FORCES forum. The article posting itself came from Dee in Maine.
http://www.mywesttexas.com/articles/2009/05/02/news/top_stories/doc49fd157246239836939343.txt
Published: Saturday, May 2, 2009 10:57 PM CDT
Although calls to the American Cancer Society's Quitline went up more than 800 percent in Texas during the weeks surrounding the tax increase on cigarettes, local smokers and area business managers say the cost is causing more anger among smokers than it is creating a significant dent in Tall City tobacco use rates.
"As long as they've got the money they'll keep buying 'em," said Kevin Pool, owner of Basin Candy and Tobacco.
Pool, who is also on the board of the Texas Grocery and Convenience Association, said some have switched to generic brands of cigarettes, but overall the orders he's receiving from West Texas retailers have remained consistent despite the price increase.
Since the federal tax increase on cigarettes went into place about a month ago, the average price for a package of cigarettes in Texas is nearly $6, according to area retailers, with the price for a carton running around $50.
Lighting up Friday night, Geoffrey Richardson said while he's still upset about the increase he called absurd and unfair, he's not about to give up his habit.
"I've been smoking 43 years and, no, it's not going to make me quit," he said. "I do what I want to do. At the same time it's (price increase) extremely ridiculous."
Anti-smoking advocates, though, say the price hike combined with moves by area hospitals to go smoke free have been making a difference.
With the Permian Basin reporting higher smoking rates than Texas as a whole at about 23 percent compared with state averages of 18 percent, said Betty Bradley with the Permian Basin Regional Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, anything to curb tobacco use in West Texas is welcomed.
"We're seeing more and more," she said, of people looking to quit.
To help spur a drop in area smoking rates, state grants have been specified for Midland, Ector and other surrounding counties that entitle those who call the Quitline from the Permian Basin to free nicotine patches if they undergo counseling through the phone line and meet other qualifications.
"A lot of people have tried to quit in the past either cold turkey or with medications," said Sebita Singh, who works with the employee wellness program at Midland Memorial Hospital. "The counseling that they get is the most important element."
In March, 593 Texans called the American Cancer Society Quitline, up from 317 in March 2008, with the majority of calls coming in the last weeks of March right before the cigarette tax increase took effect, according to a recent report.
Ector County had 73 calls in March, more than Dallas or San Antonio where the highest call volume is typically recorded. Midland has just less than 20 calls, Bradley said, which is still an increase from previous years and months.
After realizing her smoking habit was quickly becoming as expensive as a car payment, Cathy Fowler, development and public relations coordinator at Palmer Drug Abuse Program, said she called the Quitline.
She said she's not alone as they've referred several to the Quitline who contacted PDAP, with many saying it's simply not financially feasible for them to continue smoking and paying the rest of their bills.
Call volume has dropped a little as Texans get used to the price increase, though daily calls are still up from last year, Bradley said. Whether all those trying to quit will follow through may be the real test as experts say it typically takes more than five attempts at quitting for a smoker to permanently give up the habit.
Singh said part of success depends on creating a personalized plan as the time and methods it will require for someone to quit vary widely. If someone gives in during a particularly difficult withdrawal before the quit date they've set as a goal, she said, they'll work with people to set a new one and continue through the process.
"Nicotine addiction is insidious in a way," Bradley said. "It is a drug and it is addictive."
Getting people to quit, she said, is not only important for their own health, but also for those who die each year as a result of second-hand smoke.
Smoking, according to the American Cancer Society, remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and death in the U.S., accounting for 443,000 premature deaths each year including 38,000 non-smokers.
Half of those who continue smoking, according to the American Cancer Society, will die as a result of the habit.
Those still smoking, though, say they're aware the habit is unhealthy. But, they say, it's not the government's place to urge them to quit by collecting tax revenue for federal programs.
"Why are they trying to do this?" Richardson said. "I don't know."
Additional dollars brought in by the tax will go toward the State Children's Health Insurance Program and are projected to increase federal tax revenue from tobacco products by $6.4 billion during Fiscal Year 2010, according to a Congressional research report.
Debbie Erskine, who also said she's upset about the increase, said when friends are going to New Mexico she now pays them to bring her back cigarettes that run about $30 less per cartoon than they do in Texas since state taxes are lower there.
Though they're a different brand than she usually smokes, she said the savings is worth the switch.
And while the local Smoker's Outlet stores have seen a slight drop in sales, said Amy Neifert, who manages purchasing for area Smoker's Outlet stores, they saw such an increase in people buying up cigarettes before the tax took effect it hasn't made a difference. Overall, she and other area retailers said, customers don't seem to be changing their habits.
The parent company of Philip Morris USA, Altria Group, reported its first quarter cigarette revenue was down about 8 percent.
If the price goes up again, said Richardson as he tapped his cigarette on the nearby ashtray, it still won't force him to quit, he'll simply start buying online.
**********************************
Gary K's comments on this article:
http://www.mywesttexas.com/articles/2009/05/02/news/top_stories/doc49fd157246239836939343.txt
Published: Saturday, May 2, 2009 10:57 PM CDT
Although calls to the American Cancer Society's Quitline went up more than 800 percent in Texas during the weeks surrounding the tax increase on cigarettes, local smokers and area business managers say the cost is causing more anger among smokers than it is creating a significant dent in Tall City tobacco use rates.
"As long as they've got the money they'll keep buying 'em," said Kevin Pool, owner of Basin Candy and Tobacco.
Pool, who is also on the board of the Texas Grocery and Convenience Association, said some have switched to generic brands of cigarettes, but overall the orders he's receiving from West Texas retailers have remained consistent despite the price increase.
Since the federal tax increase on cigarettes went into place about a month ago, the average price for a package of cigarettes in Texas is nearly $6, according to area retailers, with the price for a carton running around $50.
Lighting up Friday night, Geoffrey Richardson said while he's still upset about the increase he called absurd and unfair, he's not about to give up his habit.
"I've been smoking 43 years and, no, it's not going to make me quit," he said. "I do what I want to do. At the same time it's (price increase) extremely ridiculous."
Anti-smoking advocates, though, say the price hike combined with moves by area hospitals to go smoke free have been making a difference.
With the Permian Basin reporting higher smoking rates than Texas as a whole at about 23 percent compared with state averages of 18 percent, said Betty Bradley with the Permian Basin Regional Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, anything to curb tobacco use in West Texas is welcomed.
"We're seeing more and more," she said, of people looking to quit.
To help spur a drop in area smoking rates, state grants have been specified for Midland, Ector and other surrounding counties that entitle those who call the Quitline from the Permian Basin to free nicotine patches if they undergo counseling through the phone line and meet other qualifications.
"A lot of people have tried to quit in the past either cold turkey or with medications," said Sebita Singh, who works with the employee wellness program at Midland Memorial Hospital. "The counseling that they get is the most important element."
In March, 593 Texans called the American Cancer Society Quitline, up from 317 in March 2008, with the majority of calls coming in the last weeks of March right before the cigarette tax increase took effect, according to a recent report.
Ector County had 73 calls in March, more than Dallas or San Antonio where the highest call volume is typically recorded. Midland has just less than 20 calls, Bradley said, which is still an increase from previous years and months.
After realizing her smoking habit was quickly becoming as expensive as a car payment, Cathy Fowler, development and public relations coordinator at Palmer Drug Abuse Program, said she called the Quitline.
She said she's not alone as they've referred several to the Quitline who contacted PDAP, with many saying it's simply not financially feasible for them to continue smoking and paying the rest of their bills.
Call volume has dropped a little as Texans get used to the price increase, though daily calls are still up from last year, Bradley said. Whether all those trying to quit will follow through may be the real test as experts say it typically takes more than five attempts at quitting for a smoker to permanently give up the habit.
Singh said part of success depends on creating a personalized plan as the time and methods it will require for someone to quit vary widely. If someone gives in during a particularly difficult withdrawal before the quit date they've set as a goal, she said, they'll work with people to set a new one and continue through the process.
"Nicotine addiction is insidious in a way," Bradley said. "It is a drug and it is addictive."
Getting people to quit, she said, is not only important for their own health, but also for those who die each year as a result of second-hand smoke.
Smoking, according to the American Cancer Society, remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and death in the U.S., accounting for 443,000 premature deaths each year including 38,000 non-smokers.
Half of those who continue smoking, according to the American Cancer Society, will die as a result of the habit.
Those still smoking, though, say they're aware the habit is unhealthy. But, they say, it's not the government's place to urge them to quit by collecting tax revenue for federal programs.
"Why are they trying to do this?" Richardson said. "I don't know."
Additional dollars brought in by the tax will go toward the State Children's Health Insurance Program and are projected to increase federal tax revenue from tobacco products by $6.4 billion during Fiscal Year 2010, according to a Congressional research report.
Debbie Erskine, who also said she's upset about the increase, said when friends are going to New Mexico she now pays them to bring her back cigarettes that run about $30 less per cartoon than they do in Texas since state taxes are lower there.
Though they're a different brand than she usually smokes, she said the savings is worth the switch.
And while the local Smoker's Outlet stores have seen a slight drop in sales, said Amy Neifert, who manages purchasing for area Smoker's Outlet stores, they saw such an increase in people buying up cigarettes before the tax took effect it hasn't made a difference. Overall, she and other area retailers said, customers don't seem to be changing their habits.
The parent company of Philip Morris USA, Altria Group, reported its first quarter cigarette revenue was down about 8 percent.
If the price goes up again, said Richardson as he tapped his cigarette on the nearby ashtray, it still won't force him to quit, he'll simply start buying online.
**********************************
Gary K's comments on this article:
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Sunday, May 3, 2009
The economy would be betta with no smoking bans
I bet if smoking bans neva existed in this nation, the nation's economy would be in betta shape.
Nonsmokers and antis don't wanna confess smokers play a positive role in the nation's economy. They wanna blame the economy itself for business closures. But how do you think we got into this sh!t in the first place economy-wise? It all goes back to those smoking bans themselves.
BTW, if antismokers can waste money on gambling, or waste tons of money on buying booze, then (in all honesty) they can't use dat economy excuse. Using their logic, if smokers can't afford to visit a smoke-free tavern cause of the economy, how the he!! can antis find a way to buy booze every darn day in a liquor store instead? How about antis who waste money on lottery tickets?
Sure, smokers don't visit hospitality businesses cause of the nation's economy. Yeah right. Tell dat sh!t to a kid. How the F can you antis waste money on too much gambling and booze? And I thought the economy affects EVERYONE. Not just smokers (and "us" for dat matta....MFkas!).
Nonsmokers and antis don't wanna confess smokers play a positive role in the nation's economy. They wanna blame the economy itself for business closures. But how do you think we got into this sh!t in the first place economy-wise? It all goes back to those smoking bans themselves.
BTW, if antismokers can waste money on gambling, or waste tons of money on buying booze, then (in all honesty) they can't use dat economy excuse. Using their logic, if smokers can't afford to visit a smoke-free tavern cause of the economy, how the he!! can antis find a way to buy booze every darn day in a liquor store instead? How about antis who waste money on lottery tickets?
Sure, smokers don't visit hospitality businesses cause of the nation's economy. Yeah right. Tell dat sh!t to a kid. How the F can you antis waste money on too much gambling and booze? And I thought the economy affects EVERYONE. Not just smokers (and "us" for dat matta....MFkas!).
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