A FRANKSTON trader is urging other angry shop owners to join him in a legal class action against Frankston Council over its smoking ban – which has become permanent in the trial zone and may be greatly extended. Glen Cooper, of Cooper’s Patisserie in Shannon Street Mall, told the Weekly that he and neighbouring coffee shop and juice bar proprietors have suffered substantial loss of trade since the council introduced its smoke-free ou ... Jump to full article >>

MSU President Waded Cruzado says she will be looking for input from university employees before deciding on a campus wide ban on tobacco. This follows an opinion poll conducted last week showing 61 percent of students in favor of a ban with 39 percent against. Yet, only 20 percent of the student body participated in the vote. We wanted to find some campus opinions of our own. Spring break is not an ideal time for this, but it’s not totally ... Jump to full article >>

When Pueblo, Colo., decided in 2003 to become smoke free inside all workplaces, the hope was that the move would help with the city’s poor health conditions. Pueblo was a community much like our own. Smoking rates were high. Heart attacks and other smoking-caused illnesses were costing residents millions in lost productivity and medical expenses. The results were dramatic. Just 18 months later, heart attack hospitalizations declined by 41 ... Jump to full article >>

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others in the anti-tobacco movement are working to turn America into a land without smokers. But what would an America without smokers look like? Leaving aside the fact that more than 20 percent of Americans would be gone (or, more likely, extremely irritable), cigarettes bring in significant revenues for state and federal government. In Fiscal Year 2010, the federal excise tax on cigarettes (currently $1.01 ... Jump to full article >>

Smokers actually do have a shaky foothold in the City Council – not that it helps much. After the Council voted, 36 to 12, last week to ban smoking in city parks, beaches and public plazas, the Daily News reported Sunday that one reason could be the lack of smokers on the Council. More than a dozen Council members and staffers said they hadn’t seen a member regularly lighting up in years – though some enjoy the occasional cigar ... Jump to full article >>

Smoke-free is becoming the norm in workplaces across Missouri. But in state government, you can still light up in one office building: the Capitol. The House and Senate allow smoking in representatives’ and senators’ office suites on all four floors of the Capitol, as well as in a members-only gallery at the rear of the third-floor House chamber. Now, that policy is coming under attack from health-conscious legislators in both politi ... Jump to full article >>

People know that exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with many harmful illnesses, including lung cancer, heart disease and other respiratory ailments. The negative effects have an even wider scope, however, especially if one considers our children as unwilling participants inhaling secondhand tobacco smoke. Youth tobacco user rates have a direct relationship with youth exposure to secondhand smoke. The more exposure children have to secon ... Jump to full article >>

The smoke-ban saga continues and could carry on after the November election. Here’s a quick summary of what’s happened, the latest update and a rundown of what might come next. Per City Charter guidelines, the City Council has taken public comment on the version of the ordinance for which Smoke-Free San Angelo collected petition signatures. That ordinance calls for an across-the-board ban of smoking in the city, including bars, restaurants a ... Jump to full article >>

The San Angelo City Council — including its two newest members — will take public comment at its meeting today on the controversial smoke-ban ordinance proposed via petition earlier this year. Smoke-Free San Angelo submitted a petition in February proposing an ordinance that, if approved by voters, would ban smoking in all public indoor places in the city, including bars and restaurants, as well as certain outdoor spaces and within 15 feet o ... Jump to full article >>

Facebook and iPhone applications can help you stub out your smoking habit Are you one of the more than 2 million smokers ready to quit on No Smoking Day? Then today is your day! Don’t worry, you won’t be alone as there is an app for it – well, several. And this is how you can call it a day: First of all, you install the WeQuit Facebook app to let everybody know what your are up to. It’s best to grab one of your chain-smoking ... Jump to full article >>