BLUEFIELD — Legislation pending in the House and Senate would increase West Virginia’s excise tax on cigarettes by $1 per pack, creating a new revenue source for the Mountain State but also causing potential problems for retailers living in border communities such as Bluefield. “I just think, and again I relate it as such to the gasoline tax, I think it would just encourage folks who are going to use those products to purchase them certain ... Jump to full article >>

State Sen. Mike Gloor of Grand Island said introduction of legislation to increase the state’s tax on tobacco products has been needed for a long time. Under the proposal Gloor introduced on Tuesday, the state’s cigarette tax would increase from 64 cents per pack to $1.99 per pack. That increase in the cigarette tax is estimated to generate $111 million in revenue, along with another $4.5 million in new revenue from taxes on other t ... Jump to full article >>

SPRINGFIELD — A report said the state would gain $377 million in revenue by raising the cigarette tax $1 per pack. The Illinois Senate passed a $1 per pack cigarette tax increase in April 2009, but since then the House has not taken up the legislation. In light of the report by economist Frank Chaloupka at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Senate President John Cullerton said in a statement that “a cigarette tax is one of the m ... Jump to full article >>

WASHINGTON — It’s a simple matter of math: Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court has complicated the government’s effort to force the tobacco industry to cough up nearly $300 billion. If confirmed by the Senate as a justice, Kagan would have to sit out high court review of the government’s decade-old racketeering lawsuit against cigarette makers. That’s because she already has taken sides as solicitor gene ... Jump to full article >>

The D.C. Council will move Tuesday to toughen the District’s smoking laws with new provisions targeting underage tobacco use and lighting up on public sidewalks, part of a broad bill that could portend a more rigid ban down the road. The omnibus smoking legislation, up for the first of two council votes, establishes civil penalties for minors who buy cigarettes, bars street vendors from selling tobacco products, bans the sale of “blu ... Jump to full article >>

Legislation proposed to prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and include e-cigarettes in the state’s Smoke Free Air Act, which prohibits smoking in indoor public places and workplaces, was unanimously approved Monday by an Assembly panel. Assemblywoman Connie Wagner (D-Bergen), a co-sponsor, said she’s concerned e-cigarettes are being marketed to children because they offer flavors like chocolate, banana and strawber ... Jump to full article >>

This afternoon, city officials want to hear what business owners, residents and other stakeholders think about a proposed indoor smoking ban for restaurants, bars and offices. Crestview Hills economic development and zoning committee will hold at public forum on the issue at 4 p.m. at the city building, 50 Town Center Boulevard. No decision will be made today. Council Member Dave Kramer, who chairs the economic development and zoning committee, ... Jump to full article >>

St. Louis County voters on Tuesday simultaneously made most public places there and in the city smoke-free. With light turnout — about 20 percent of the county’s 705,000 registered voters — about two-thirds of them favored Proposition N, which, with some exemptions, bans smoking in public places on Jan. 2, 2011. The ban applies to the city also because the Board of Aldermen last month approved a similar measure, contingent on county pa ... Jump to full article >>

City officials want to hear what business owners, residents and other stakeholders think about a proposed indoor smoking ban for Crestview Hills’ restaurants, bars and offices. Crestview Hills City Council’s economic development and zoning committee will hold a public forum on the issue Nov. 10. No decision will be made, and no ordinance will be presented. “This is strictly for information gathering and educational purposes to ... Jump to full article >>

Germany’s high court in Karlsruhe on Thursday ruled that Bavaria’s looser implementation of its smoking ban is constitutional. The Federal Constitutional Court’s decision stated that changes to the state’s ban, based on an appeal by a restaurant owner, can legally remain in place. A state parliamentary decision went into effect on August 1, changing the general ban to allow smokers in pubs smaller than 75 square metres, in addition ... Jump to full article >>