The University of California is banning cigarettes and all other tobacco products from its campuses over the next two years, in a move designed to both protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke and prevent young people from developing the bad habit. Students and staff alike will be prohibited from smoking anywhere on a UC campus – including outdoor spaces, parking lots and private residences. There won’t be any designated smoking area ... Jump to full article >>

CONCORD, NC – Cigarette manufacturer Phillip Morris is gone and now smoking is on its way out, too, as Concord City Council bans smoking and the use of tobacco products from city parks. Concord City Council voted 4-3 Thursday to ban smoking and tobacco use from the city’s parks to encourage healthier choices for residents and to reduce the effect of secondhand smoke on the children and adults who use the parks. Council members Dr. Hector ... Jump to full article >>

BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) — A survey conducted by an environmental group finds that a government ban on smoking in indoor public venues has been completely ignored by half of Beijing’s restaurants, a finding that underscores the challenges of controlling tobacco in a country with 300 million smokers. The Daerwen Nature Quest Agency, a civil environmental group, conducted the five-month survey of 51 mid-range and low-end restaurants in ... Jump to full article >>

BEIJING — China launches a ban on smoking in indoor public spaces Sunday but the effort is widely viewed as vague and half-hearted and few expect it to have much of an impact in the tobacco-addicted country. The nationwide prohibition is designed to bring China — which has more than 300 million smokers, roughly equal to the entire population of the United States — more in line with health regulations in developed countries. But it ... Jump to full article >>

A smoking ban proposal could encompass 175 parks and recreational facilities in Greensboro. Smokers could no longer light up legally in any part of the municipal park system under a proposal city officials are considering. If enacted in full, the ban would cover all outdoor areas across a system that encompasses about 175 parks and other recreational facilities, including greenways and trails. Cone Health Foundation recently asked the city park ... Jump to full article >>

O’FALLON, Mo. — Just 15 days after voters passed a comprehensive smoking ban, opponents on Wednesday disclosed plans to gather signatures to spur another election on the issue. A group called Repeal The Ban notified the city of its intention to petition for a referendum on the ban at a special election in November. The ban – covering bars, restaurants and other indoor public places in St. Charles County’s largest city – ... Jump to full article >>

Mount Clemens— A judge Monday denied a Warren bar owner’s request to declare the state’s smoking ban unconstitutional but did toss out a fine the man incurred, agreeing some elements of the law are confusing. Boyd Cottrell, owner of Sporty O’Toole’s, likens his Mound Road bar to a “small-scale casino” and has said the smoking law, which took effect May 1, is unfairly restricting his establishment, while gami ... Jump to full article >>

Herter 227 lecture hall was filled to the breaking point with occupants, as one student after another voiced their staunch opposition to the “Tobacco-Free UMass Amherst” policy. Regardless, the Faculty Senate has proven yet again its blatant disregard for the will of the student body, endorsing the policy with a vote of 14-to-7. Not one single student, smoker or non-smoker, spoke in favor of the policy. Generally, the University of Massachu ... Jump to full article >>

Two Georgia-based associations of premium tobacco retailers have warned the Macon City Council that the ordinance it is considering to restrict smoking in most indoor public places would be putting local jobs and small businesses at risk for no reason. Two Georgia-based associations of premium tobacco retailers have warned the Macon City Council that the ordinance it is considering to restrict smoking in most indoor public places would be putt ... Jump to full article >>

RICHMOND, Ky. — Officials in a Central Kentucky county have voted to add electronic cigarettes to its smoking ban. Madison County banned smoking in indoor public places like restaurants, bars and workplaces in 2007. The county’s Board of Health voted 8-1 Wednesday night to include electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, in the ban. E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that heat a liquid nicotine solution in a disposable ... Jump to full article >>