An estimated 4,000 people each year in California die from secondhand smoke, according to Santa Clara County Department of Public Health officials, who kicked off an ad campaign Tuesday to warn people about the dangers of secondhand smoke. The campaign was announced at a news conference April 26 with county Supervisor Ken Yeager and Campbell Mayor Jason Baker, who said that as a father of two kids, he is especially concerned about the impact of ... Jump to full article >>

PUBLIC health experts say a campaign that links plain cigarette packaging with children buying ”chop chop” – unbranded loose tobacco – from criminal gangs is grossly misleading and indicative of a desperate industry. The Association of Australian Retailers, which is bankrolled by big tobacco, has been running advertisements claiming children as young as 14 are smoking illegal tobacco smuggled by ”highly organised cr ... 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 >>

Commission limits ban to parks, playgrounds as resort city joins national and regional trend. Smoking will be banned in parks and playgrounds in Rehoboth Beach but city commissioners on Friday stopped short of a prohibition of smoking on the beach and boardwalk. The ban will take effect in 30 days to give municipal officials time to post signs and place cigarette-disposal caddies in the restricted areas. The commissioners’ 5-2 decision mir ... Jump to full article >>

COLUMBUS — The question of whether smokers can light up in bars, restaurants, and other public places has worked its way up to Ohio’s highest court. The Supreme Court Wednesday agreed to hear an appeal of November’s 10th District Court of Appeals ruling that upheld enforcement of the voter-approved ban on indoor public smoking against a challenge brought by a Columbus bar that had racked up $30,000 in fines for repeat violation ... Jump to full article >>

Is the new animated flick Rango a public health hazard or a harmless cartoon? The fact that some of the characters smoke has angered anti-tobacco activists and made some parents wonder if they should go to Mars Needs Moms instead. Tangled, How to Train Your Dragon and Gnomeo and Juliet were all hits for the Toronto mom’s boys, aged 4 and 7, but Ms. Katz is drawing the line at Rango. The flick stars Johnny Depp as a hapless lizard thrust into a ... Jump to full article >>

WHEELING – The Ohio County Tobacco Prevention Coalition is disappointed comedian Ron White was permitted to smoke a cigar on stage at the Capitol Theatre during a recent performance. But Denny Magruder, theater manager, said it is not known whether White smoked a real cigar or an electronic cigar during his Jan. 27 act. Currently, electronic cigarettes and cigars are not banned in Ohio County. During a Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health ... Jump to full article >>

Anti-smoking campaigners have branded the animated film Rango a public health hazard for encouraging children to take up the habit. A raft of groups said the PG feature, which opened last Friday, is setting a bad example by featuring more than 60 instances of characters puffing away. The only other film which came close was 101 Dalmatians in which Cruella de Vil smoked all the time. Even the lead character, Rango the chameleon, swallows a cigar ... Jump to full article >>

The lawyer for a teenage mother accused of photographing her baby apparently smoking a marijuana bong has claimed it wasn’t a pot pipe at all. Steven Whittington, representing 19-year-old Rachel Stieringer, from Keystone Heights, Florida, said: ‘No bong was ever seized or even seen by law enforcement. ‘No evidence exists that the device was, in fact, a bong.’ But his motion to dismiss the case in Jacksonville was rejected ... Jump to full article >>

WASECA — Tobacco companies appear to be getting a hold on students in Waseca County, as the number of students smoking cigarettes are holding steady, and in some cases, tobacco consumption by high school seniors is growing. Students in public schools across Waseca County reported a number of fluctuations in their tendencies toward tobacco use when they responded to the Minnesota Student Survey last year. In 2007, 40 percent of 12th grade male ... Jump to full article >>