The smoke officially cleared Jan. 2 in North Carolina, but public health officials say it could take a few more months for the dust to settle with the state’s new indoor smoking ban. Some warning letters have gone out to businesses not complying, but most owners appear to be adhering to the new rules, said Erin Morrissette, tobacco prevention educator for the New Hanover County Health Department. Morrissette, who is fielding complaints made abo ... Jump to full article >>

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A nonsmoking revolution is under way in downtown Mobile, led by new upscale hotels and restaurants that are trying to attract customers who don’t want to go home smelling like an ashtray. Health officials said they’re hoping the trend adds momentum to efforts to pass a citywide ban on smoking in public places. The bars and restaurants at the Battle House Hotel and the Riverview Renaissance Hotel don’t allow cigarettes, although ... Jump to full article >>

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Ministry of Health has directed the managements of hotels and restaurants to stop allocating designated areas for smokers in their premises to allow them using cigarettes, pipes, cigars and ‘Sheesha.’ According to official sources, they have been asked to implement anti-tobacco laws to protect the health of non-smokers, as there is no permission of allocating any designated area for smokers. While taking notice of open use of tobacco in the p ... Jump to full article >>

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With his fingers curled around a Marlboro Light and a gin and tonic in the other hand, Randy Dawe mused on the unfairness of a state smoking ban approved Thursday by the state Legislature. Next spring, he won’t be able to inhale at his favorite tavern, Bob’s Sports Bar, 725 Michigan St. NE. Meanwhile, people who frequent casinos still will be able to light up. “I think it’s a bunch of crap. I don’t think it’s f ... Jump to full article >>

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Two years after the General Assembly passed a bill to ban smoking from most workplaces, including restaurants, supporters say the law is working and should be extended to include places such as over-21 venues that are now exempt. “There literally are hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans who are healthier, and tens of thousands who do not have lung cancer or heart disease because they now get to breathe clean air,” said state Sen. Roy ... Jump to full article >>

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The sun rose Tuesday on a different kind of day for restaurants that once permitted customers to light cigarettes over food, alcohol or cups of coffee. Area restaurant owners braced themselves for all kinds of responses from patrons on the first day of a statewide ban on smoking at food establishments. Tuesday’s early morning breakfast crowd was slightly thinner at the Bedford Restaurant, a country-cooking style eatery on U.S. 460 in Bedfor ... Jump to full article >>

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