Teenagers who use tobacco in Bellefonte could be facing a hefty fine the next time they light up. Borough Council unanimously voted Monday night to approve an ordinance that makes it illegal for anyone younger than 18 to use or possess tobacco, in any form, within the borough limits. That includes cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco and any other product containing tobacco leaf. The ordinance is based on one in place in Hollidaysburg. Bellefo ... Jump to full article >>

Chewing tobacco — like the Yankees’ starting lineup — is a relic of the past. And while New York’s aging superstars might still be able to pull together a winning season, it’s past time for Major League Baseball to ban this dangerous habit from the diamond. About a third of major leaguers still chew. But with every passing season, baseball’s tolerance for tobacco use, and the disgusting spectacle of grown men spitting on the field l ... Jump to full article >>

Tobacco usage by students not only creates health hazards but also develops criminal instincts in them. The Delhi high court said this on Wednesday, asking all educational institutions in the capital to check the sale of tobacco in their vicinity. The division bench of chief justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said passive smoking is as dangerous as active smoking and can cause serious health hazards among children. The court also aske ... Jump to full article >>

Local health officials looking to knock tobacco all the way out of Fenway Park [map] are lining up behind a Washington, D.C., nonprofit to urge Major League Baseball and the players’ union to ban players, coaches and managers from using the smokeless variety at all games and ballparks. “I understand this issue as a former smoker, but I also feel like we all have roles to play as we’re adults, and making sure that we’re not modeling unhea ... Jump to full article >>

Kids across DeSoto County will encourage others to kick butts today as part of an annual awareness event to fight tobacco use. Hundreds of events are planned across the nation, including in DeSoto County and elsewhere in Mississippi, for the 16th annual Kick Butts Day. Sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the event encourages tobacco companies to stop targeting youth with marketing for cigarettes and other tobacco products. Organizer ... Jump to full article >>

Almost four fifths of Irish smokers want to quit according to research released today. According to the Europe Quitting: Progress and Pathways Report Irish smokers come second only Luxembourg in their desire to give up. Some 79 per cent of smokers who were surveyed here claimed they wanted to quit compared with 83 per cent in Luxembourg. The figures are well above the European average of 67 per cent. The research among 2,482 healthcare professio ... Jump to full article >>

HELENA — University of Montana sophomore Bambi Erving says the state’s anti-tobacco programs not only convinced her to quit smoking but also helped turn her life around at age 15. Erving, of Plains, had left her family’s troubled home to move into a trailer house with other teenagers and young adults, where she said drug, alcohol and tobacco use was the norm. A high school counselor suggested that she get involved with reACT, a youth toba ... Jump to full article >>

The Carroll County Health Department is busy preparing to become a tobacco-free campus April 20. Director of Health Education Kim Spangler said the policy will ban smoke and smokeless tobacco use on health department property, including in personal vehicles. “It was very much past due that the Health Department go tobacco-free,” she said. Spangler is chairwoman of the committee that was charged with discussing the creation of a tobac ... Jump to full article >>

Alpharetta is considering a tobacco ban at its six city parks and along its more than six miles of greenway trails. And the City Council appears to be on board. The city’s Recreation and Parks Commission originally proposed banning all tobacco use within 25 feet of organized activities, such as athletic events. But City Council members said at a work session Monday that a complete ban made more sense. Mayor Arthur Letchas said that determi ... Jump to full article >>

In 1983, when Ken Miller was 15, he saw a few students walking across the parking lot at Blue Mountain High School in Schuylkill County. They were chewing something and spitting, and one of them said to Miller, “Here, try this.” Miller, then a budding athlete, stuffed a wad of smokeless tobacco in his jaw. “In 30 seconds,” he recalled, “I felt addicted.” It took 27 years and throat cancer, but the 43-year-old ... Jump to full article >>