National

Pennsylvania smoking ban approved (PA)
The Pennsylvania Senate voted 41-9 to pass a smoke-free bill that was hotly debated among state lawmakers for months. Governor Ed Rendell has verbally agreed to sign the bill. The law will take effect 90 days after the bill is signed, and will ban smoking in public places, including restaurants and most bars. Although the new law includes exemptions for casinos and certain businesses, it is expected to protect 95% of the public from secondhand smoke. Furthermore, the law leaves Philadelphia’s strong smoke-free law intact. Click here to read more. Update: Rendell signs smoking-ban law Governor Rendell has signed the smoke-free bill, rendering it effective as of September 11 of this year. Click here for the news update.

Michigan House approves smoking ban, but exempts casinos (MI)
Michigan’s legislative saga continues as House lawmakers ended their debate on whether to remove exemptions from its version of the smoke-free bill. Earlier this year, the Senate voted to change the House bill to remove exemptions for cigar bars, casinos, and bingo halls. Most recently, the House voted to exempt tobacco shops, cigar bars, bingo halls and horse tracks from the ban. Click here for more details on Michigan’s smoke-free progress.

Lawmakers vote to ban smoking in all college dorms (NY)
In an effort to reverse the recent upward trend of smoking rates among college students, New York lawmakers have approved a smoke-free bill for college dormitories. If Governor David Paterson signs the bill, all college dormitories, including those at private universities and vocational schools, will be smoke-free. The bill will go into effect starting August 15—just in time for the upcoming school year. Find out more here.

Smoking ban fight to go national (IA)
Although Iowa’s smoking ban will go into effect on July 1, an alliance of businesses has joined together to fight it. The Clinton Organized Bar and Restaurant Association (COBRA) has partnered with several organizations that are contesting smokefree laws in other states. The groups hope to share resources and information as they pursue their goal of taking the issue to the Supreme Court. According to COBRA president Jon Van Roekel, smokefree laws infringe on property owners’ rights to do as they please on their property, within reason.  Van Roekel also states the Supreme Court has sided with property owners in the past in issues of property rights. Click here to read more.

New poll: Voters strongly support FDA regulation of tobacco, say it would be important accomplishment for Congress
A recent national poll shows that there is strong bipartisan support for FDA regulation of tobacco products among registered voters nationwide. Even smokers are supportive of Congress passing the bill for FDA regulation—62% were in favor of this legislation. Specific parts of the bill—particularly items related to youth prevention and making tobacco products less harmful—received especially strong support in the poll. Click here for more information.

Menthol cigarette ban urged by former U.S. health officials
Seven former U.S. Secretaries of Health and a former Surgeon General wrote a letter urging Congress to strengthen its proposed ban of flavored cigarettes to include menthol cigarettes. The letter states that nearly 75% of African American smokers—and 81% of African American teens—choose menthol cigarettes, compared to 32% of Whites. The letter also asserts that the currently proposed bill (which does not restrict menthol flavoring) creates a serious loophole for tobacco companies to abuse. The ban on flavored cigarettes is part of a bipartisan bill that would bring cigarettes under FDA regulation. Click here to read the letter, or click here for a summary of its contents.

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International

U.K. may ban cigarette logos on packaging to curb youth smoking (UK)
The UK Department of Health has begun a consultation with stakeholders in the tobacco control community to develop its latest tobacco control strategy. The government has issued a list of proposals to curb tobacco use, including generic labeling on all cigarette packaging, banning vending machines, regulating in-store tobacco displays, and prohibiting sales of packs of ten cigarettes, which are more affordable for youths. The government consultation will continue until September 2008, and will influence national policymaking. Click here to read more.

Ontario passes ban on smoking in cars with kids under 16 (Canada)
Joining Nova Scotia and British Columbia, Ontario has recently become the latest Canadian province to protect youths from secondhand smoke in vehicles. Drivers caught smoking in a car carrying children under 16 will be fined $250. The bill was backed by all three political parties, and medical professionals had lobbied for such a law since 2004. Until recently, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty was opposed to the measure because he viewed it as an infringement on people’s liberties, but he changed his opinion in March to support the proposal. To find out more, click here.

Heart attack admissions fall by up to 40% since smoking ban (UK)
Since England’s smoking ban was implemented in July 2007, heart attack rates may have dropped up to 41%, according to figures on inpatient admission rates from some National Health Service hospitals. While the reported numbers appear to be good news, the government has not yet released national data, and the Department of Health warns that it is too early to attribute this trend to the new smoke-free law. Slight decreases in heart attack rates have been seen in Ireland, Scotland, France, and Italy following public smoking restrictions. Click here for more information.

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