WHEELING – The Ohio County Tobacco Prevention Coalition is disappointed comedian Ron White was permitted to smoke a cigar on stage at the Capitol Theatre during a recent performance. But Denny Magruder, theater manager, said it is not known whether White smoked a real cigar or an electronic cigar during his Jan. 27 act. Currently, electronic cigarettes and cigars are not banned in Ohio County. During a Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health ... Jump to full article >>

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Business owners battled public health officials at the Capitol Thursday over a bill to change the state’s smoking ban. The proposed law would create an exemption for cigar smokers by allowing smoking lounges in bars, restaurants and tobacco shops. The exemption would not allow cigarette smoking in any of the lounges. Tobacco shop owners would have to pay $5,000 for a license; restaurant or bar owners would be charge ... Jump to full article >>

So long, cigar bars and hotel smoking rooms. Maybe. A Lincoln judge has ruled that certain exceptions to the statewide smoking ban — specifically those that allow smoking in cigar bars, tobacco stores and some hotel rooms — are unconstitutional special treatment for those businesses. The finding likely will be appealed as early as Thursday. “I’m just confident that will be the case,” said Omaha Sen. Scott Lautenbau ... Jump to full article >>

BOISE — Cigar connoisseurs don’t want pot smokers operating under their guise. Legislation introduced Monday in the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee would make that a lot more difficult. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Denton Darrington, R-Declo, would make it unlawful to sell, manufacture or distribute roll-your-own cigar wrappers in Idaho. The proposal would give the wrappers typically called “blunt wraps” the same status as other drug ... Jump to full article >>

Pennsylvania remains the only state in the nation that doesn’t tax smokeless tobacco and one of only two that doesn’t tax cigars. Two Democratic lawmakers think it’s time for the state to surrender its membership in that exclusive club. Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York, has introduced House Bill 2405 to impose a tax on tobacco products not subject to the state’s tax on cigarettes and cigarillos. His bill would direct about ... Jump to full article >>

On Tuesday afternoon, four Cuban goombahs were halfway into the third round of their daily dominoes game at Macabi Cigar Factory. Heli Montoto slammed one of the white pieces on the table and taunted his partner, Jacinto Perez, “Put on your batteries, man.” The two had already lost two games to Adrian Lopez and Jorge Azze, two other middle-aged, tanned exiles with huge cell phone holsters on their belts. Earlier in the day, El Nuevo ... Jump to full article >>

Smoke-Free Oklahoma and Tulsa restaurant owner Ken Selby held a Capitol press conference Monday to call for abolishing smoke rooms in restaurants and ending smoking in bars. Selby, the owner and operator of Mazzio’s and Oliveto restaurants, said his restaurants saw an increase in business when they went smoke-free a decade ago. “Several years ago and considerably before there were any regulatory laws against smoking in restaurants, I ... Jump to full article >>

Cuba seeks to pitch famous cigars beyond male base With anti-smoking laws and the global recession causing sales to fall, Cuba wants to develop a largely untapped market for its famous cigars — women. Habanos S.A. executives said on Monday sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 1 ... Jump to full article >>

A group of bar owners is asking for an exemption from the state’s three-year-old workplace smoking ban. They want state lawmakers to allow bars to pay an annual fee starting at $1,000 to allow smoking in their establishments. Only stand-alone bars — not restaurants — would be able to apply for the exemption. Proposals to create exemptions from the state’s workplace smoking ban have been introduced in each of the past thre ... Jump to full article >>

A half-smoked cigar stubbed out by Sir Winston Churchill in the Second World War is expected to fetch £300 at auction. The 4in long stub was left by the Prime Minister before he dashed off for a Cabinet meeting on August 22, 1941 – the day German troops reached Leningrad. Whitehall valet Nellie Goble found it when cleaning and sent it to a friend, with a note on No10 paper reading: ‘Just a small souvenir to remind you at some future ... Jump to full article >>