A group of Yankton’s health care professionals gathered Tuesday to voice their support of a law that, if passed, would ban smoking from all restaurants, bars and casinos in South Dakota. The gathering took place at the Avera Sacred Heart Hospital Pavilion was part of a kick-off for the Yes on 12 campaign. Referred Law 12 will be on the ballot in the upcoming election. “I’m going to continue in those efforts and support the passage of a stat ... Jump to full article >>

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The law and justice are on the side of Gov. David A. Paterson’s plan to start collecting state taxes on tobacco products sold by the state’s Native American nations. That doesn’t mean the governor won’t have to be very careful in the way he follows through with that pledge. Paterson said last week that he had been warned by his own State Police that “violence and death” could be the result of any effort to go against the Seneca and On ... Jump to full article >>

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Tobacco companies are squeezing through loopholes in a new federal law banning candy-flavoured cigarillos so they can continue to sell smokes that appeal to kids, QMI Agency has learned. The Tories pledged to get rid of the cigarettesize cigars — in flavours like grape, tangerine and vanilla — because they target children. But with the legislation set to kick in July 5, tobacco companies have found plenty of ways to get around it R ... Jump to full article >>

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Among the changes: expanding Medicaid’s reach, preventive screenings, support services and insurance coverage requirements By the time women reach 44 years old, roughly 85% have given birth. Yet even though pregnancy and childbirth are so commonplace, health insurance coverage and support services to keep mothers and babies healthy are often seriously deficient. Some private insurers, for example, treat pregnancy as a preexisting condition ... Jump to full article >>

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A tobacco tax loophole in President Barack Obama’s children’s health insurance program cost the government more than $250 million in its first year, public health officials say. The loophole allowed companies to avoid huge tax increases on loose rolling tobacco by relabeling their product as pipe tobacco. The simple marketing twist lets companies pay $2.83 per pound, rather than the $24.78 per pound levied on rolling tobacco. That pro ... Jump to full article >>

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Minnesota’s tobacco laws are strengthened to reduce youth access to tobacco products under a bill signed into law this week. The measure, known as the Tobacco Modernization and Compliance Act of 2010, authored by Senator Scott Dibble and Representative Jim Davnie, both DFL-Minneapolis, closes loopholes in current state law that allows many new tobacco products to skirt or avoid the taxation and regulation currently applied to cigarettes. &# ... Jump to full article >>

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