A local group is pushing to pass laws that will end smoking in bars and dictate where people can smoke outside. Shelley Courington is with a group called CHART. They’re about to start lobbying state lawmakers to ban smoking in bars. They’re also pushing to keep smokers from lighting up within 25 feet of a building. “We have to have a healthy safe workforce in Tennessee. We have to make it safe for our workers, no matter what,&# ... Jump to full article >>

The 1964 Surgeon General Report, which declared that the inhalation of cigarettes would likely cause lung cancer and heart disease, had a profound impact in the United States. This report started America thinking that the practice of inhaling cigarette smoke was unhealthy and began a long series of studies, lawsuits, and laws, that changed the face of America from a primary smoking society—where over 60 percent of adults in the U.S. smoked—t ... Jump to full article >>

Local electronic cigarette use may be spurred by recent freezing temperatures and the statewide smoking ban, but health advocates are cautioning people of marketing claims and use of the unregulated product. Because the battery operated devices, also referred to as “e-cigarettes”, are not considered a tobacco product, there is no law governing its sale or use. The Food and Drug Administration is currently awaiting a decision in a federal cas ... Jump to full article >>

The warning by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that passive smoking constitutes a global threat, is revealing and must be checked. The UN agency had in its second major report on the “tobacco epidemic” released last week, said second-hand or passive smoking killed nearly 600,000 people each year. WHO, which also warned that tobacco is still the leading preventable cause of death, killing five million people every year, said more and more ... Jump to full article >>

Attorneys for Wynn Las Vegas are seeking dismissal of a lawsuit claiming its casino workers are exposed to dangerous second-hand tobacco smoke. In court papers filed Friday, Wynn’s attorneys argued: The suit appears to be part of a union campaign involving Wynn casino dealers. Wynn is in compliance with the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act, which specifically allows smoking in casinos. The lawsuit was filed Oct. 20 in federal court in Las Veg ... Jump to full article >>

When pregnant Cambodian women suffer morning sickness, they often reach for an unlikely source of relief: a wad of chewing tobacco. Many become hooked, and the World Health Organization warned Thursday it is a tradition putting the health of both mothers and babies at risk. The largest tobacco survey ever conducted in Cambodia found that about half of all women older than 48 regularly chew tobacco, and about one in five rural women first took up ... Jump to full article >>

San Luis Obispo made history when it became the first city in the nation to outlaw indoor smoking in public places — and it should forever be proud of helping to alert the nation to the dangers of second-hand smoke. Tonight, the City Council has another opportunity to protect public health. It will consider banning smoking at several outdoor venues, including city parks, sports facilities, trails and open spaces, as well as Mission Plaza and t ... Jump to full article >>

For better or worse (health wise and economically-speaking somewhat), the Philippines has had a long affair with the tobacco plant. Today, the negative health effects of tobacco and cigarette smoking are well understood; so we hope that the affair is finally coming to an end. Beyond personal health, cigarettes pose a public health and garbage problem. Each day we lose count of how many people we see tossing their cigarettes on the streets and s ... Jump to full article >>

When, more than a decade ago now, smoking bans began to take effect around the world, researchers and public health officials feverishly collected data demonstrating the health benefits: lower levels of respiratory illness were reported among bar workers from Dublin to San Francisco after indoor smoking bans took effect, saliva tests revealed lower levels of nicotine concentration in hotel and restaurant workers once smokers were chucked outside ... Jump to full article >>

Indoor smoking bans have forced smokers at bars and restaurants onto outdoor patios, but a new University of Georgia study in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that these outdoor smoking areas might be creating a new health hazard. The study, thought to be the first to assess levels of a nicotine byproduct known as cotinine in nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke outdoors, found levels up to 162 percen ... Jump to full article >>