States

California:
 
State lawmakers try again to limit smoking
A month after voters rejected a ballot initiative to raise tobacco taxes, California lawmakers are introducing at least three smoking-related bills in the Legislature so far. One bill that could attract attention during the so-called year of health care would raise cigarette taxes by $1.90 a pack to generate almost $2 billion for children's health care and smoking-cessation programs. Two other measures seek to limit the effects of second-hand smoke on nonsmokers. They would impose a fine of as much as $100 on anyone who smokes in a car with children younger than 18, including on private property, and would make it illegal to smoke in state parks or on state beaches, where discarded cigarette butts can befoul the sand and water. To read more, click here.

Texas:
 
Smoking ban here?
Houston lawmaker, state Senator Rodney Ellis announced his plan to introduce a bill that prohibits smoking in almost every workplace in Texas, including bars and restaurants, sighting secondhand smoke as a health and safety issue that needs to be addressed. Currently, 47 cities in Texas have some form of smoking restrictions. One of the biggest obstacles to passing local smoking bans comes from restaurant and bar owners who fear loss of business to neighboring communities that still allow smoking. However, a state wide ban would alleviate this concern. To learn more, click here.

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Scotland plans to raise smoking age
Scottish misters plan to raise the legal age for buying cigarettes from 16 to 18. The decision came after the release of an Executive-commissioned report recommending a range of measure to discourage smoking, particularly among youth. Scotland has recently focused a lot of attention on smoking issues, including banning smoking in enclosed public spaces last March. The wave of new anti-smoking laws being introduced by Scotland are some of the toughest in the Western world. To read more, click here.

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