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Indian ban on smoking in public
A ban on smoking tobacco in public is coming into force in India.
Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss says he aims to cut the number of smokers and to protect passive smokers from the harmful effects of tobacco.
India has more than 120 million smokers and observers say the ban will need to be strictly enforced. Those flouting it face fines of 200 rupees ($4.50).
Tobacco smoking in India kills 900,000 people a year, a figure expected to rise to a million by 2010.
(continues at link) A ban on smoking tobacco in public is coming into force in India. ... more -
Smoking ban to be overturned in Europe?
Anti-smoking legislation has been dramatically watered down in Berlin after small businesses have suffered losses since smoking was outlawed, the Times reports.
Courts have ruled that any single-room bar or pub smaller than 75 square metres should be allowed to waive the anti-smoking legislation on condition that under-18s are not admitted and no food is prepared.
So far, the ruling applies only to Berlin and the south-western state of Baden Wuerttemberg (you've gotta love German words) but advocates are keen that it'll become the model for Germany as a whole, and many smokers hope it will start a European roll-back.
Ah, if only there were small pubs in the UK where you could still smoke indoors. Yes, it's summer right now, and smoking outside is bloody lovely (sunshine! cool wine! sweaty thighs!) but in the not-too-distant future it's just going to be dark and rainy again, and your poor wee cigarette will get a soaking... Plus, the world smells of wee since smoking was banned in pubs. Would you like the smoking ban to be overturned where you are? Anti-smoking legislation has been dramatically watered down in Berlin after small businesses have suffered losses since smoking was ou... more -
New Antismoking Signs Are Almost Visible Through the Haze
In a country where one in four people smoke, and where doctors light up in hospital hallways and health ministers puff away during meetings, it was a telling sign that a decade of halfhearted public campaigns against tobacco may finally be gaining traction.
Last May, the municipal government banned cigarettes in schools, railway stations, office buildings and other public places. Chinese athletes are no longer permitted to accept tobacco company sponsorships. Cigarette advertising on billboards will be restricted during the Olympics. Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has declared that the Games will be “smoke free.”
About 350 million of China’s 1.3 billion people are regular smokers, more than the entire population of the United States, and even though 1.2 million people die each year from smoking-related causes, there is a widespread belief that cigarettes hold some health benefits. A cigarette in the morning is energizing, many smokers will declare, and even when confronted with scientific reason, they will cite Deng Xiaoping, an inveterate smoker who lived to 92, and Mao Zedong, who lived to 82.
Health care workers are not exactly the best role models: more than half of all Chinese medical professionals smoke, and a 2004 government survey of 3,600 doctors found that 30 percent did not know that smoking could lead to heart disease and circulation problems. (Unlike cigarettes in much of the world, Chinese brands carry no health warning on labels, although that is scheduled to change in 2011.) In a country where one in four people smoke, and where doctors light up in hospital hallways and health ministers puff away during mee... more -
Employers ponder tough tactics to halt smoking
Howard Weyers tried the "carrot" approach by giving his employees incentives and encouragement to quit smoking. But when that didn't work, he resorted to the stick. A big stick.
Weyers, owner of a health care benefits administrator in Lansing, Mich., gave his 200 employees an ultimatum in 2004: Quit smoking in 15 months or lose your job. He refused to hire smokers. Ultimately, he extended his smoking ban to employees' spouses and monitored compliance through mandatory random blood testing.
Weyers' method, while effective, wouldn't fly in California because the state has laws that prohibit employers from making hiring or firing decisions based on employee participation in a legal activity.
About 45 million Americans, 4 million of whom live in California, smoke cigarettes despite more than three decades of public efforts to encourage people to quit.
California, on both the state and local levels, has been at the forefront of anti-smoking efforts with laws to ban smoking in public places. A law went into effect in January that prohibits drivers from smoking when children are in the car. Still, smoking costs the state an estimated $8.6 billion in direct medical costs and $7.3 billion in lost productivity a year, according to the California division of the American Cancer Society.
In addition to lost work hours, employers have a vested interest in getting their workforce to kick the habit, given that they pay a large portion of health care costs and are the main source of health insurance for more than half the population. Howard Weyers tried the "carrot" approach by giving his employees incentives and encouragement to quit smoking. But when tha... more -
Bluff Puff?
Nicotine fans - if you're looking to beat the smoking ban, and dont mind chugging on a plastic pipe with some steam coming out of the end, then the 'Super Smoker' is the gadget for you! Nicotine fans - if you're looking to beat the smoking ban, and dont mind chugging on a plastic pipe with some steam coming out o... more
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World Health Organization (WHO) Calls on Governments to Ban Tobacco Advertising
By Diane Smith// eFluxMedia
The World Health Organization (WHO) called on all governments to forbid all sorts of tobacco advertising. The main goal of this measure is to protect the world's youth from becoming addicted to tobacco. WHO estimated that tobacco could cause as much as one billion premature deaths this century.
The call was made by the WHO on World No Tobacco Day. The surveys carried out by the U.N. organization have shown that the young people who are more exposed to tobacco advertisement are also more likely to start smoking and less likely to quit.
WHO officials accused tobacco producers of using increasingly sophisticated marketing techniques to ensnare young people. The most exposed segment of the population is the girls in poorer countries.
The U.N. organization said only 5% of the world's population was covered by comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship...
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Full story at link. By Diane Smith// eFluxMedia ... more -
Anti smoker interviews pro smoker
Talking to a teen guy, who is a smoker, who is giving his opinion why smoking is good. He does not particularly believe in the three wise men! Talking to a teen guy, who is a smoker, who is giving his opinion why smoking is good. He does not particularly believe in the three w... more
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London's pubs in trouble?
London pubs are reportedly closing at the rate of one almost every other day - 78 of London's 3,879 urban pubs closed in the last six months of 2007.
The crdit crunch, rising costs and the smoking ban have all been blamed. In the six months after the smoking ban was introduced, pub group JD Wetherspoon's profits dropped 13% to £28.5m.
I suppose it doesn't matter, the government has won against the smokers, next they're coming after the drinkers. Then meat eaters. Then people who like condiments. Repeat until we're all eating green paste and not leaving the house. London pubs are reportedly closing at the rate of one almost every other day - 78 of London's 3,879 urban pubs closed in the last... more -
Shia LaBeouf pleads 'not guilty'
Actor Shia LaBeouf plead 'not guilty' to charges of smoking in a non-smoking area on Wednesday.
After failing to appear in court Tuesday, a warrant for arrest was issued, but soon dismissed after LaBeouf's lawyer entered a plea on his behalf.
The trial is set for April 24 - if the Actor is found guilty, he faces a 6 month jail sentence along with a $1,000 fine.
Pretty hefty for lighting up in a non-smoking zone isn't it? Actor Shia LaBeouf plead 'not guilty' to charges of smoking in a non-smoking area on Wednesday. ... more -
Minnesota bars beat smoking ban
A new state ban on smoking in restaurants and other nightspots contains an exception for performers in theatrical productions. So some bars are getting around the ban by printing up playbills, encouraging customers to come in costume, and pronouncing them "actors." A new state ban on smoking in restaurants and other nightspots contains an exception for performers in theatrical productions. So some... more
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Minnesota smokers use theatre to get round the smoking ban
A bar is using a legal loophole that allows smoking as part of a theatrical performance. The plot in the play is simple and direct: Bar patrons light up. They aren't required to speak, gesture or — for the most part — dress up.
"They're required to dress as they did before the ban," said Brian Bauman, owner of the Rock Nightclub in Maplewood, which allowed its patrons to be part of Tuesday's production of "Before the Ban." A bar is using a legal loophole that allows smoking as part of a theatrical performance. The plot in the play is simple and direct: Ba... more -
Snack-size cigarettes from tobacco giant
Philip Morris has unveiled plans for a smaller cigarette to cater for the age of the smoking-ban. 'Marlboro Intense' will deliver the same potency while taking less time to puff, and is designed to appeal to employees who are forced to take quick outdoor cigarette breaks while at work, often in cold weather. The cigarette, which is 7.2cm long, compared with the normal 8.5cm.
MP Stephen Pound said: 'The desperation of the smokers knows no limits; it’s only matched by the desperation in Philip Morris trying to corner the market'. Philip Morris has unveiled plans for a smaller cigarette to cater for the age of the smoking-ban. 'Marlboro Intense' will d... more -
B&Q to stop selling patio heaters...
...Just in time to make sure they cashed in on the fall-out from last July's smoking ban! The government - and Friends of the Earth - today welcomed the DIY store's decision to stop selling the 'carbon-belching monstrosities'. Carbon dioxide emissions have risen in the UK under Labour, despite promises of substantial cuts. ...Just in time to make sure they cashed in on the fall-out from last July's smoking ban! The government - and Friends of the Ea... more
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Despite ban, Germans keep smoking
Photographer Frank Blum puffed contentedly on a hand-rolled cigarette in a cafe in central Berlin, blatantly ignoring a ban that went into effect in most of Germany this month.
"I'm smoking because no one's stopping me," Blum, 43, said from behind his laptop, one of a dozen customers happily smoking without fear. "The cafes aren't making it difficult." Photographer Frank Blum puffed contentedly on a hand-rolled cigarette in a cafe in central Berlin, blatantly ignoring a ban that went ... more -
What's new in French cafes? Clean air
What's that nice smell? For drinkers and diners in France on Wednesday, the answer was fresh air. France reinvented itself with a new ban on smoking in cafes, restaurants and night spots, the most drastic measure yet to curb the habit in a country where cigarettes were long a potent lifestyle symbol. What's that nice smell? For drinkers and diners in France on Wednesday, the answer was fresh air. France reinvented itself with a... more
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Even France, Haven of Smokers, Is Clearing the Air
Under a sweeping decree that took effect Wednesday, smoking has been banned in every commercial corner of "entertainment and conviviality" -- from the toniest Parisian nightclub to the humblest village cafe. Under a sweeping decree that took effect Wednesday, smoking has been banned in every commercial corner of "entertainment and conv... more
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Waiting to Inhale // Comment Picked for TV
Efforts to curb smoking are indeed controversial, as jimiih asserts here, but how far should we really go? Our very own Joe Hanson looks to experience more than just secondhand smoke in number 56 of our Top 71 pods of 2007. Efforts to curb smoking are indeed controversial, as jimiih asserts here, but how far should we really go? Our very own Joe Hanson loo... more
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Will the smoking ban in France mean the end of café society?
Every day after work for the past 15 years, Luz Sarfati has made her way to a café down the block for a glass of white wine and a cigarette. It is, for her, one of life's most pleasurable routines.
Less than one year after France imposed a nationwide ban on smoking in most public places (including hospitals, schools and offices), it will extend the ban to bars, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs - and the most cherished of all spaces: the café. Every day after work for the past 15 years, Luz Sarfati has made her way to a café down the block for a glass of white wine and a ciga... more -
Did smoking just get that little bit cooler?
Because you'll be standing outside! Everyone has their opinion on the smoking ban, and whether it's good or bad. Standing outside cold and wet is something many of you will have already learnt to live with, but fear not my fellow smokers, a pub in Dorset has come up with a solution to not only keep you looking cool but also keep you dry...is it a shelter? Is it a tent? No, it's an umbrella hat! How cool!! Because you'll be standing outside! Everyone has their opinion on the smoking ban, and whether it's good or bad. Standing ou... more
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Still smoking? Watch this!
Ever wanted to see what goes into your lungs when you smoke? If this doesn't turn you off, i don't know what will.
Click link to see video! Ever wanted to see what goes into your lungs when you smoke? If this doesn't turn you off, i don't know what will. ... more
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