That’s because a circuit judge ruled yesterday that opponents of South Dakota’s smoking ban have gathered enough petition signatures to put the measure to a statewide public vote. After testimony ended in a two-day trial, Circuit Judge Kathleen Trandahl found that opponents of the ban had collected 2,244 more signatures than they needed to force a public vote. [caption id="attachment_6408" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Smoke ... Jump to full article >>

Some smoke just a few cigarettes each day. Others smoke only on weekends, with certain friends or in certain places. The habits of light, occasional or non-daily cigarette smokers are so varied that experts have yet to come up with a single label for them – though the term “chippers” gets some use. That term “comes from the world of heroin addiction,” says Thomas Glynn, director of cancer science and trends at the Amer ... Jump to full article >>

Twitter has been making headlines for a while now, but is it helping to spread the buzz on a controversial product? Many companies are aggressively marketing their sites through the Twitter medium while some companies seem to be benefiting from the service with no effort at all. There are a few sites and products on the internet that do not need some glam or slick marketing schemes to make use of Twitter. Just being what they are can create all ... Jump to full article >>

So far, the ban appears to have had little effect. CAIRO — Perhaps not since Egypt built the great pyramids of Giza, or more recently tamed the Nile with the Aswan High Dam, has the government embarked on as challenging a national project: wiping out smoking in public places. Anyone who has ever spent any time in a Cairo taxicab, restaurant, office, lobby, coffeehouse, cafeteria or university, or even at the zoo, knows just how ubiquitous sm ... Jump to full article >>

Some of the money earned from the sale of black market smokes is fuelling firearm and drug smuggling efforts by organized criminal groups, an expert says. About $2 billion in tax revenue goes up in smoke as a result of the sale of illegal smokes, according to a report by the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers Council. About 13 billion illegal cigarettes are sold in Canada a year. “People think selling contraband cigarettes is a victimless crime a ... Jump to full article >>

Public health advocates accuse Yushchenko of doing tobacco industry’s bidding. Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko, citing concern for the tobacco industry and fears of cigarette smuggling, on Nov. 11 vetoed legislation that would have hiked the excise tax on tobacco products by 36 percent. Public health advocates called a news conference on Nov. 12 to criticize Yushchenko and note that price increases are the most effective way to reduce s ... Jump to full article >>

Fending off accusations it misappropriated the names of more than 185 indie rockers to promote cigarettes, Rolling Stone magazine on Thursday appeared to have one appellate justice solidly in its corner. However, two votes are needed to win and one justice was absent during oral arguments in San Francisco’s 1st District Court of Appeal. The third didn’t tip his hand. Rolling Stone was sued last year by a class of indie bands — ... Jump to full article >>

Trying to buy a company that specializes in products that help people quit smoking may seem like a radical change for Reynolds American Inc. But analysts said yesterday that it all depends on how Reynolds would potentially use and market cigarette-replacement products in gum, pouch and spray form made by that company, Niconovum AB. Media reports have said that Reynolds is close to buying Niconovum, of Helsingborg, Sweden, for $44.5 million. The ... Jump to full article >>

The state ban on smoking in public places that has been delayed by a legal fight is going to get its day in court this week. A trial is set for today and Friday in Pierre over Secretary of State Chris Nelson’s decision to invalidate 8,845 petition signatures, which denied opponents of the state smoking ban the chance to put a referendum on the 2010 ballot and let voters decide whether the prohibition should stand. The smoking ban was appro ... Jump to full article >>

South Dakota’s smoking ban faces one burning question. Did the notaries who verified the petitions do enough to make them official? A two-day trial started Thursday in Pierre. The opponents of the ban are only 18 signatures short of getting the issue on the ballot. Several notaries took the witness stand Thursday and were questioned about how they signed and dated the petitions and if they did it legally. Linda Wegman was one of the notar ... Jump to full article >>