National

New Hampshire bans smoking in bars, restaurants
The New Hampshire House of Representatives approved a ban on smoking in restaurants, bars, cocktail lounges and some other public establishments by a vote of 224 to 117. This vote came shortly after representatives rejected an amendment that proposed allowing separate smoking rooms in restaurants and lounges. The bill includes one exemption for members-only private bars. Governor John Lynch is expected to approve the bill, which would be implemented 90 days after he signs it.  In doing so, New Hampshire will become the last state in New England to ban smoking in restaurants, bars or both. To read more, click here.

Oregon bar and tavern smoking ban wins final OK
The Oregon legislature has approved a bill that will ban smoking in bars, taverns, bingo halls and bowling alleys across the state. The ban will, however, exempt smoke shops and cigar bars and will allow hotels to reserve 25% of their rooms as smoking rooms. The bill now moves to Governor Kulongoski, who has said that he will sign it. To read more, click here.

Colorado: Casino smoking ban gets Ritter’s approval
Governor Bill Ritter signed legislation that will ban smoking in casinos, effective January 1, 2008. The ban will overturn a casino exemption, which was included in last year’s Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act. Click here to read more.

Pennsylvania Senate approves statewide smoking ban
The Pennsylvania Senate has passed legislation that would ban smoking in most places of employment and public spaces, and it would preempt local smoking laws. The Senate simultaneously passed an amendment to the ban, which exempts private clubs, cigar bars, drinking establishments where food sales account for less than 20 percent of total profits, designated areas for slot machines in casinos, and nursing homes, among other places of business. The House of Representatives will consider a similar bill in the near future. To read more, click here.

New Jersey Senate moves to ban smoking in casinos
By a vote of 35-0, the New Jersey Senate has approved a ban on smoking in casinos. The casino ban was missing from the Smoke-Free Air Act passed last year, when it was still unclear how such a restriction would affect business. Co-sponsor Senator Shirley Turner argued that because the smoking ban did not result in financial ruin for restaurants and bars, extending the ban seemed like an obvious decision. The state Assembly will consider the measure in the near future. Click here to read more.

New Jersey senators advance bill to ban smoking in cars with children
The New Jersey Senate recently passed a bill that would ban smoking in cars with children inside. The bill’s sponsor, Senator Raymond Lesniak, easily persuaded his colleagues by emphasizing the dangers of secondhand smoke and the fact that children have no control over whether people around them choose to smoke. If approved by the House of Representatives and signed into law by the Governor, the bill would ban smoking in cars with children under the age of 16. Offenders would face a $100 fine. To read more, click here.

California senators approve bill banning smoking in cars with minors
The California Senate has approved legislation that would ban smoking in cars with children under the age of 17 and would require violators to pay a $100 fine. The bill comes in the wake of recent research suggesting that exposure to secondhand smoke in confined spaces can be very detrimental to health. The State Assembly will be the next legislative body to consider the bill. Click here to read more.

Arizona AG wants strict local laws on tobacco sales to minors
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard would like all Arizona cities to adopt strict local laws regarding the sale of tobacco products to minors. Currently, only the city of Tucson has such legislation, which calls for fines up to $300 for stores that sell tobacco to minors and the possibility of a 24-hour ban on tobacco sales after three tobacco sales to minors in a 12-month period. The Tucson legislation appears to be successful. In a round of stings during April and May, 94% of stores in Tucson were found to be compliant, whereas the average in cities outside of Tucson was less than 25%. To read more, click here.

Michigan senate OKs partial sale of tobacco suit funds
Michigan Senators have approved the sale of a portion of the state’s future tobacco lawsuit settlement funds in order to cut the state’s $800 million budget deficit in half. The legislation would provide a little over $400 million to immediately help relieve some of the state’s financial burdens, but also means that the state will lose out on larger settlement payments in the future. The House of Representative will consider the bill next and the bill is expected to be transferred to Governor Jennifer Granholm’s desk in the near future. Click here to read more.

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WHO urges all countries to ban smoking
On World No Tobacco Day, The World Health Organization (WHO) called for all countries to ban smoking in all indoor establishments and workplaces. WHO argues that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and maintains that the creation of 100% smokefree environments is the only way to fully protect non-smokers. Exposure to secondhand smoke at the workplace is believed to be responsible for 200,000 worker deaths each year. WHO also estimates that 700,000 children, one-half of the world’s youth population, are exposed to secondhand smoke, primarily at home. Click here to read more.

Taiwan: Amendment to ban indoor public smoking approved
The Taiwan Legislative Yuan has approved an amendment to the country’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention and Control Act, which will ban smoking in indoor workplaces as well as education, government, financial, entertainment and transportation spaces. The amendment will also raise the fine for violators and ban smoking for pregnant women and youth under the age of 18. Additionally, manufacturing candy-flavored cigarettes will be outlawed as will tobacco advertisements on all electronic devices, the Internet, and in magazines. The federal tobacco tax will be doubled. However, smoking will still be allowed in smoking rooms with air conditioners, at cigar stores, at pubs open after nine o’clock in the evening, and in outdoor dining areas. Click here to read more.

Slovenia cracks down on smoking
Slovenia has amended its anti-smoking law for a third time by a vote of 45-13, banning smoking in the majority of public places as well as the sale of tobacco products to people under the age of 18. Specifically, the amendment bans smoking in all public places, but allows hotels, restaurants, some hospitals, and prisons to install smoking rooms. The amendment also leaves room for workplaces and other public organizations to install ventilated cabins for smokers. In addition to the indoor ban, the law establishes 18 as the legal age to purchase tobacco products and gives merchants the power to ask consumers to prove their age by showing identification. The law will go into effect in August. Click here to read more.

Egypt prohibits smoking in indoor areas
The Egyptian People’s Assembly has ratified two new amendments that will ban smoking in indoor areas and forbid the sale of tobacco products to people under the age of 18. The indoor ban covers health, education and government buildings as well as youth centers. If the ban is violated, both the offending individual and the organization in which the smoking occurs will pay a fine.  The new legislation also prohibits any form of tobacco advertising, increases the price of cigarettes by ten percent and requires that a detailed health warning cover at least 50 percent of a cigarette package. Supporters of the law believe that it will discourage a significant number of young people from starting to smoke and encourage current smokers to kick the habit. Click here to read more.

Alberta moving to butt out smoking
The Alberta Conservative Progressive Caucus decided in a secret vote to adopt a province-wide smoking ban. The ban would apply to public places and work sites, stop tobacco sales in a number of locations including post-secondary schools and pharmacies, and outlaw retail cigarette displays. The ban is expected to be considered in the coming months, and would replace a weaker law that prohibits smoking in public places where children frequent, while allowing it in establishments like bars and casinos. Alberta is one of the last Canadian provinces without strong anti-smoking legislation, in part due to the fourteen-year tenure of longtime smoker and former premier Ralph Klein. To read more, click here.

China bans smoking at Olympics
On World No Tobacco Day, Chinese officials confirmed that the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be smokefree. The smoking ban will be implemented in all Olympic venues and restaurants. In a country with more than 350 million smokers, the ban is already stirring controversy. Click here to read more.

Dutch smoking ban to cover coffee shops
The Dutch government recently announced that the cigarette smoking ban, which will take effect in July of next year, will include coffee shops. However, businesses will still be able to designate separate smoking rooms or place glass partitions between smoking and non-smoking areas. Coffee shop owners do not appear to be concerned since the ban only applies to tobacco smoking and the majority of their customers smoke marijuana. Click here to read more.

Ugandan government orders cigarette companies to put big health warning labels on packets
Uganda’s Ministry of Health has ordered the National Bureau of Standards to enforce the placement of health warnings on tobacco products. The labels must take up at least 50 percent of the packet’s primary display area. Although health warnings have been required for some time, Uganda’s cigarette companies have routinely used deceptive and false labeling. Click here to read more.

European Union targets huddling smokers’ last haven: the doorway
The European Union is considering banning smoking in a variety of outdoor venues, including building entrances, open air stadiums and public transportation staging areas. This legislation would expand upon indoor smoking bans in countries like the Untied Kingdom. Click here to read more about the proposal and the debate surrounding it.

Scotland: 18 will be minimum age for buying tobacco
Scotland will soon join England and Wales in an attempt to prevent young people from starting to smoke. The country plans to raise the legal age for tobacco purchases from 16 to 18. Support for such legislation is generally strong, although for it to be successful, it is recognized that tobacco retailers must also be regulated. Maureen Moore, a tobacco executive in Scotland, believes that cigarette licensing is also necessary, so that retailers who sell tobacco products to minors can be held accountable and punished, if necessary. To read more, click here.

New Zealand: Bid to ban smoking
Maori Party MP Hone Harawira recently released the first draft of legislation that would outlaw smoking entirely in New Zealand. By 2011, Harawira would like to see the production and sale of all tobacco products be illegal. His draft comes in the wake of World No Tobacco Day and a survey which revealed that 75% of smokers between the ages of 15 and 19 wish they had never started, while 85% do not plan to quit until sometime during their twenties. Harawira believes that outlawing tobacco entirely will be the most effective strategy to protect New Zealanders from the harms of smoking. Click here to read more.

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