Policy

State

Legislative cuts could trim back tobacco cessation efforts (IA)
Lawmakers in Iowa are considering making funding cuts to several state programs, including the state’s smoking cessation quitline, in an effort to save $500 million in taxpayer dollars this year. The Taxpayers First Act, proposed by Iowa House Republicans, would eliminate anti-smoking programs including Quitline Iowa, advertisements for the state’s Just Eliminate Lies campaign, and incentives for police to enforce the ban on selling tobacco to minors. Click here to read more, or click here to read a press release from the American Heart Association about efforts to save the tobacco prevention programs. Update: GOP budget bill likely to stall in Iowa Senate The Taxpayers First Act has passed a House vote, but the bill is not expected to pass in the Senate. According to the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, of the nearly 500 public comments submitted by the public on this legislation, 91% were in opposition to the bill. Read more here.

Illinois casinos hoping smoking ban bills pass in 2011 (IL)
Illinois legislators are considering two bills that would at least temporarily exempt casinos from the state’s comprehensive smoke-free law. The first bill would allow smoking aboard riverboat casinos as long as neighboring states did not have smoking bans in place that apply to their casinos, and would be reversed if a neighboring state enacted such a law. The second bill would permit smoking in casinos that have ventilated rooms separate from nonsmoking areas. Both of the measures are intended to increase revenue in the casinos, which experienced the lowest revenue point in the past ten years in 2010. Read more here.

Ind. lawmakers: Exempt casinos from smoking ban (IN)
Members of the Indiana House have said they plan to amend a proposed statewide smoking ban to exempt casinos. A recent analysis by a nonpartisan group estimated that the state would lose about $180 million in gambling taxes if smoking were prohibited in casinos, making a comprehensive smoke-free policy unlikely to pass. Proponents of a casino exemption say that it will help gambling facilities and the state’s budget. Those favoring a comprehensive smoke-free law say the exemption is unfair to casino employees, who would not receive the same protection against secondhand smoke that other workers would receive. Click here to read more. Update: Smoking ban bill clears Ind. House committee The Indiana Public Health Committee voted 9-3 to endorse a bill that would prohibit smoking in public places and indoor worksites, while exempting casinos and horse tracks. The bill must now pass in the full House and the Senate, where similar bills have died in the past. Supporters of the bill believe there may be a better chance this year, as the Senate President Pro Tem has said he would consider a smokefree public places bill if it exempted casinos, and Governor Mitch Daniels supports the bill. Read more here.

Kentucky legislators to open debate on statewide smoking ban (KY)
Legislators in Kentucky are considering a bill that would prohibit smoking in indoor public places statewide to protect nonsmokers from the effects of secondhand smoke. The bill is expected to pass in the eight-member health committee, but then it must also pass two additional readings and a full House vote. With about 25% of Kentucky residents being smokers, the state has the third-highest adult smoking rate in the country. Read more here. Related: Poll: Kentuckians favor statewide smoking ban The results of a recent poll released by several public health organizations show that a majority of Kentucky residents support the smoke-free law proposed in the state House. The telephone survey of 500 people indicated that 59% of those polled supported banning smoking in public places, with support across the political spectrum. Lawmakers backing the bill hope that the public support will encourage more legislators to favor the smokefree law. Click here to read more.

Mass. hospitals hope to go tobacco free in 2011 (MA)
The Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA) has partnered with the state’s Department of Public Health (DPH) to create a tobacco-free hospital initiative that encourages all Massachusetts hospitals to ban all tobacco use from their campuses in 2011. The voluntary initiative is designed to make hospitals leaders in the state’s anti-tobacco efforts. The MHA and DPH have developed resources such as a toolkit, planning steps, and examples of successful implementation to help hospitals adopt tobacco-free policies. Click here to read more, or access resources from the MHA website.

Maine lawmakers consider anti-smoking bills (ME)
Lawmakers in Maine are planning to introduce a series of bills to the state legislature aimed at reducing tobacco use. The first bill, proposed by Senator Thomas Saviello, seeks to deny MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program) benefits to smokers so that taxpayers would not have to pay for smoking-related illnesses. Saviello claims that his goal is not to punish smokers, but to call attention to the high healthcare costs related to smoking. The second bill comes from Representative Les Fossel, who is proposing to raise the minimum age to possess tobacco from 18 to 21 in an effort to decrease the availability of tobacco products to school-aged youth. A third bill, proposed by Representative Anna Blodgett, aims to expand the state’s current smokefree law to include private clubs. A separate measure supported by the state’s lung association would raise the cigarette excise tax from $2 per pack to $3.50 per pack to discourage youth smoking. The exact details of these bills are yet to be determined, but the overall goals are to reduce smoking prevalence and decrease taxpayers’ costs related to smoking. Click here to read more.

State smoking ban legislation proposed (MS)
The Chairman of the Mississippi Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee has said that the committee will likely consider legislation that would create a statewide ban on smoking in public places. At a recent hearing, public health advocates presented data on the health hazards of secondhand smoke exposure, and the possibility of exempting casinos, bars, and cigar shops was discussed. The Chairman of the House Public Health and Human Services Committee has said that if the measure passes in the Senate, it will probably be put up for a vote in the House. Similar measures have failed in the state legislature in the past, but supporters believe that widespread media campaigns and public support may create a more favorable environment this year. Click here to read more.

Ohio smoking-cessation aid might have reached the end of the line (OH)
On June 30, at the end of the current fiscal year, funding for the Ohio Tobacco Quitline and enforcement of the state’s smoke-free workplace law will expire. If this happens, Ohio would become the only state without a state-funded quitline that offers free smoking cessation support. State public health officials are concerned that without the quitline, which provides easily-accessible quit-smoking advice, the prevalence of smoking in the state could rise. Anticipating a funding gap due to a pending lawsuit over the state’s tobacco settlement money, state and nonprofit agencies have sought out alternate sources of funding, and quitline operations have been sustained by funding surpluses from other Department of Health programs for the past two years. Health advocates note that Ohio’s tobacco control programs have been effective in decreasing smoking rates, and that tobacco-related illnesses still represent a large portion of Medicaid costs. Click here for more details.

Official: SD lawmakers could amend smoking ban (SD)
Although municipal governments must wait one year to amend laws voters have enacted, a South Dakota government official says that the state legislature can amend the newly approved smoke-free law at any time. The law went into effect in November 2010, and prohibits smoking in bars, restaurants, liquor stores, casinos, and video lottery establishments. Despite their ability to change the new law, some members of legislature have expressed doubt that the issue will be examined in the near future, as the measure was approved by a strong majority (64%) of voters. Click here for more information.

top

National

Smoking lamp to extinguish Dec. 31 on Navy subs
A ban on smoking below decks in Navy submarines went into effect as of December 31. Some submarines chose to implement the rule early to correspond with deployment schedules or other events. The Navy first announced the new rule in April 2010, as a way to protect nonsmokers from the negative health consequences associated with secondhand smoke exposure. To help prepare the estimated 40% of submarine crew members that smoke for the new rule, the Navy has offered smoking cessation programs, and provides nicotine gum or patches to its members. Some crewmembers have expressed concern over implementing the rule, but generally agree that it is the right action to take, as it promotes the health of the crew. Click here to read more.

Car rental companies add 'no smoking' signs
The Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group has announced that smoking is now prohibited in their entire fleet of rental cars, including those rented from corporate and franchise locations. Renters who do not comply can be charged up to $250 to cover the cleaning costs to remove tobacco residue from the vehicle. Several other rental agencies have already banned smoking in their vehicles. Click here to read more, or read a statement of support from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Americans support smoke-free parks and beaches
The 2009 National Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control shows that there is a sizable portion of Americans that support making outdoor environments smoke-free. The telephone survey was given to a representative sample of U.S. adults, asking whether or not they support prohibiting smoking within twenty feet of a doorway, in outdoor parks, on beaches, and on sidewalks. The results showed that a majority of people polled (67.3%) agreed that smoking should be banned within twenty feet of a doorway, and that there was also considerable support for banning smoking in parks (36.5%), on beaches (43.0%), and on sidewalks (32.1%). In general, women and nonsmokers were more supportive of these measures than men and smokers. Currently, 100 municipalities and the state of Maine have smoke-free laws that apply to beaches, and 470 municipalities have smoke-free laws that apply to city parks. Click here to read more, or click here to access a data sheet discussing the survey results.

top

International

Police raid homes to stub out smoking habit (Bhutan)
The government of Bhutan has passed a law that gives the police the right to raid smokers’ homes to search for and seize contraband tobacco products. Tobacco sales have been illegal in Bhutan since 2005, but large smuggling operations have prevented the law from being enforced. The new law allows the Bhutan Narcotic Control Agency to enter homes where there is suspected illegal tobacco, or if someone is seen smoking, and use trained dogs to sniff out tobacco. Smoking in private itself is not illegal in Bhutan, but smokers are restricted to purchasing 200 cigarettes or 150 grams of other tobacco products per month through legal importation channels, and must be able to provide proof that the products have gone through customs. Those found to be selling tobacco illegally or in possession of illegal tobacco can face up to five years in jail under the new law. Click here to read more.

Canada to put bigger health warnings on cigarettes (Canada)
Canada’s Health Minister has announced plans to require new graphic and text health warnings that cover three fourths of the front and back of cigarette packages and include a quitline phone number. The current regulations require graphic health warnings to cover half of the front and back of cigarette packages, but some evidence has shown that these warnings are beginning to lose their effectiveness. The changes to the warnings come as part of a larger tobacco control program that will target youth through social media and set up a phone line to aid people in cessation efforts. While an exact timeline has not been set, the government will begin drafting legislation for the labels in early 2011, after which the regulations will be phased in gradually. Read more by clicking here.

More Chinese cities committed to anti-smoking campaign (China)
Ten new Chinese cities, some of which are in poor regions that contain many ethnic minorities, have agreed to participate in the Tobacco Free Cities project sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. By participating in the project, the cities agree to ban smoking in hospitals, schools, government offices, hotels, and restaurants in compliance with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Although China signed the FCTC, the country has not made a nationwide law regarding tobacco control, leaving legislation the responsibility of local governments. A total of 17 cities are participating in the Tobacco Free Cities project. Click here for more information.

Spain introduces smoking ban (Spain)
A new law went into effect in Spain on January 2nd that prohibits smoking in all bars and restaurants, as well as playgrounds, airports, nightclubs, casinos, and outside of hospitals and schools. Bar and restaurant owners are opposed to the new law, claiming it will negatively affect their businesses and interferes with Spanish culture. Supporters of the new law say that it will help protect the health of the 70% of the population that does not smoke and that similar laws in other European countries did not cause long-term harm to businesses. The law updates a 2006 law that banned smoking in workplaces and required restaurants and bars over 100 square meters to have separate enclosed smoking sections, but allowed smaller establishments to choose whether or not to prohibit smoking. Click here or here for more information.

top

Back to Table of Contents