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Mexico Will Become Tobacco-Free City

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

best colts cigarillosThe City of Mexico is committed to providing a healthy, safe, comfortable and productive environment for its employees and visitors. For years, all city buildings have been smoke-free. But now, due to new policy, tobacco chewers will have to find another place to enjoy their snuff as well. Effective April 1, all City of Mexico buildings and enclosed facilities, properties, vehicles and equipment owned or leased by the city will become tobacco-free.

The new policy applies to all individuals, including regular employees, full-time and part-time, temporary workers, contractors, consultants, elected and appointed officials and visitors.

“As city employees working with the public, the fact that we are not smoking (or chewing tobacco) in front of them, and that we’re providing a smoke-free environment, shows a more professional image,” said Assistant City Manager/Administrative Services Director Roger Haynes. He backed the opinion by saying that “tobacco-free studies have shown over and over again that smoking best Colts cigarillos and chewing are unhealthy and raise concern to people in the same environment,” who don’t smoke or chew.

Unlike cigarettes and cigars, where the smoke may offend a non-smoker or someone with allergies, Haynes said “it’s more of a sight issue” with chewing tobacco. The pools of tobacco spit on the ground and in containers, are unpleasant to look at and offensive to smell, he said.

An initial violation of the tobacco-free policy by temporary workers, contractors, consultants, elected or appointed officials and visitors will result in a reminder of the City’s policy. Subsequent violations, Haynes noted, will be addressed through a formal request to cease the use of tobacco and/or be asked to exit the facility or vehicle.

Haynes said the City is not telling people to stop smoking, the policy merely limits where they can. Per policy, tobacco use shall be permitted only at a reasonable distance (25 feet or more) outside of any city building, through entrances, windows ventilation systems, or any other means. City parks, lakes and ballfields are excluded.

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Tobacco Free Week in Florida

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

cheap winston cigaretteEach year, Tobacco Free Florida Week is an opportunity to educate and empower Floridians about relevant issues related to tobacco use inthe state. This year’s focal point, secondhand smoke (SHS), is one of the issues that affects every single Floridian, according to a press release from Tobacco Free Florida. The fourth annual Tobacco Free Florida Week runs from March 26 through April 1.

Themed “Fresh Air for All,” the week’s events and messaging highlight the progress made in protecting Floridians from the harmful effects of SHS and look to the challenges ahead, as SHS continues to impact Florida’s health.

Secondhand Smoke

Despite the substantial decrease in smokers inthe stateand the growing trend of smoke-free policies — both indoors and out — many of Florida’s most vulnerable are still involuntarily affected by SHS’s harmful chemicals, hundreds of which are toxic and almost 70 are proven to cause cancer. Each year, approximately 2,520 non-smoking adults in Florida die primarily from exposure to SHS.

Whatthe State’s Surgeon General has to say:

“We are committed to protecting Floridians, especially children who sometimes do not have a voice. One of the most crucial ways to protect yourself and your loved ones from the dangers of SHS is to maintain a 100 percent smoke-free home,” said Dr. Frank Farmer, Florida’s State Surgeon General. “While a home should always be a safe place for children, the fact is that the primary place young children breathe SHS is in their own homes.

Outside of the home:

Florida residents benefit from Florida’s Clean Indoor Air Act (FCIAA), which was amended in 2003 to protect people from exposure to SHS and prohibit smoking in indoor workplaces. While the FCIAA protects many, countless Floridians are involuntarily exposed to the dangers of SHS in the nightlife industry, construction and other blue-collar industries while making a living and providing for their families.

The bottom line is that there is no risk-free level of exposure to SHS. Even breathing SHS for short periods of time, like at a bar or a nightclub, can be dangerous. When you breathe SHS, tobacco smoke immediately seeps into the bloodstream and changes its chemistry so that the blood becomes stickier, allowing clots to form that can cause major blockages in already narrowed arteries. Damage to the heart can be significant, if not deadly.

 


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Health Debates Smoking Study

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

best quality winston cigarettesThe Arkansas Department of Health trying to stamp out a report that says the state isn’t doing enough to stop kids from picking up the habit of smoking.

The report by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, finds that states have slashed funding for tobacco prevention programs to the lowest levels since 1999. That money is generated yearly from tobacco settlement dollars.

In Arkansas, the group says only 2.6% of the estimated $292 million dollars from tobacco settlement dollars is actually used for prevention and cessation programs. The Arkansas Department of Health says this report is wrong.

“In the year 2000, the voters of Arkansas approved the chart plan, and in the chart plan, there is a slice of 31.6% of the total that Arkansas receives that is spent on tobacco prevention and cessation efforts, and that’s been the same now for many years,” said Ed Barham with the Department of Health.

Mr. Barham says it is true that overall funding has dropped, because there are fewer people smoking today.

The Arkansas Department of Health has attempted to contact the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids to fix what it calls a mistake.

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Tobacco Free Play Areas

Monday, November 21st, 2011

buy esse cigarettes onlineMany families enjoy spending time with their children at a local playground. What parents and caregivers may not know is that if the playground is not tobacco-free, their children may be inhaling toxic chemicals while they are playing.

Those toxins come from secondhand smoke.

Children exposed to secondhand smoke inhale more than 250 toxic and cancer-causing chemicals, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide.

These chemicals are found in substances such as embalming fluid, PVC piping, household cleaners, and pesticides. According to the Surgeon General, exposure to secondhand smoke results in an estimated 38,000 deaths annually and more than 1 million illnesses in children.

In addition to secondhand smoke, discarded cigarettes found in play spaces are also hazardous. In fact, small children and animals could be at risk of swallowing, choking or being burned by cigarettes that have not been put out properly.

If a child swallows a discarded cigarette they are ingesting the toxins in tobacco, nicotine and the plastic fibers in the filter.

There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure — even brief exposures can cause eye or lung discomfort, and trigger allergies and other illness in children.

The only way to fully protect yourself and your loved ones from the dangers of secondhand smoke is through 100 percent tobacco-free environments — including play spaces.

Children learn their behaviors from adults, so when children see adults smoking, they think that using tobacco is safe and acceptable. This may contribute to the more than 16,000 Pennsylvania youth who become new daily smokers every year.

A tobacco-free play space is healthy for adults and children, and helps to reduce the number of children who will try tobacco.

Young Lungs at Play is a local program that supports tobacco-free public play spaces through policy change.

You can help prevent a child’s exposure to secondhand smoke at outdoor public play areas by encouraging cities, towns, and schools to create tobacco-free parks, playgrounds, and other places where children play.

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Wisconsin Smokers Purchase Fewer Cigarettes

Monday, November 7th, 2011

discount prima lux cigarettesA nationwide effort to make smoking both more expensive and more uncomfortable is forcing smokers to cut back, but it has not reduced the number of smokers. Tobacco purchases nationwide dropped 23 percent between 2007 and 2010, largely because the average price has increased by nearly 50 percent, according to recent figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That includes a $1.75 state tax hike in Wisconsin since 2008, driving per-pack taxes to $2.52 — the eighth-highest state tax in the nation.

But at the same time, the number of adults who identify themselves as smokers nationwide — about 20 percent of the population — hasn’t changed, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The number of young smokers also has hovered around 20 percent during the past five years and now sits at 19.5 percent. Overall, Wisconsin’s adult smoking rate of 19 percent ranks 35th lowest in the country — a drop from its rank of 25th lowest nationally in 2007, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

That leads anti-smoking advocates to conclude that smokers such as Dean McKinley are burning through fewer cigarettes, but not giving up the habit.

McKinley, 52, of Tomahawk said he has cut his habit in half over the past two years, from up to two packs each day about one pack. Two reasons are the cost and a state law that keeps him from smoking during his pipefitter job.

“It helps you cut back,” he said.

But even price hikes and regulations aren’t enough to change some habits.

Stacy Gahlbeck, 49, of Minocqua was smoking with McKinley on Thursday outside the Wausau Center mall. She pays $50 for a carton of Marlboro Light 100s on the Lac du Flambeau reservation, and burns through a pack a day. Gahlbeck said if she did not have access to cheap cigarettes — her brand is at least $70 a carton off the reservation — she would consider kicking the habit.

“I would quit if I had to pay $70 for a carton,” she said.

All that cutting back might be keeping some cash in smokers’ wallets, but it’s not doing much for their health.

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Discussion of a Proposed Public Smoking Policy

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

discount red & white cigarettesCommissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday to restrict everyone from using tobacco products on county campuses, including those smoking in their cars in county parking lots.

What started out as a discussion of a proposed public policy turned into a debate of how far the county could legislate when it came to individual rights.

Brought forth by Assistant County Administrator June Fisher and supported by the Highlands County Health Department, the effort was to make all county property tobacco free.

Currently, smoking Red & White cigarette is not allowed inside county buildings, but there have been concerns about smokers congregating outside the doors and people having to walk through second-hand smoke when entering or leaving.

The proposal would be implemented in phases, according to Fisher, starting with the immediate government buildings and then extending to parks and boat ramps.

Fisher stated that she included smokers and non-smokers on her committee.

“The board directed us to come up with a tobacco-free policy, that’s what we have done here,” Fisher said.

Commissioners Don Elwell and Jack Richie made it clear that they would not approve the policy as it stood, Elwell going to individual rights and Richie supporting individual rights and questioning enforcement.

“For me, this issue touches on individual rights,” Elwell said. “We are legislating morality, if you will. We are looking at saying something is bad for you, and you can’t take care of yourself, so we will do that for you.

“We are telling people that they are not able to take care of themselves, so we will do it for them.

“I know that one of the arguments is that smoking cuts into productivity. Now employees are going to walk outside past the area that is currently designated for smoking, walk another 50 yards past the area we could have designated for smoking, get into their car, but since they cannot even smoke there they will drive across the road to smoke. And that is going to help productivity how?” Elwell asked.

“I think we are creating a widespread solution to a very simple problem. In this economy or this county is this our biggest problem? Shouldn’t we be looking at reducing the size of our government?” Elwell asked.

“This is not enforceable in my mind. We are messing with people’s rights to some extent,” Richie pointed out, expressing concerns about the phase three of the policy, which would apply to parks and boat ramps.

After some discussion, Chairwoman Barbara Stewart pointed out that the county needed “three to approve anything” but only had two commissioners who supported the policy as it stood and began polling the commissioners to determine if they would support part of the policy.

Commissioner Greg Harris made the motion, at Stewart’s prompting, to pass the policy without phase three, and direct staff to come back with more adjustments to the policy, including a police that the county would no longer hire smokers due to their increased health insurance risk.

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Pfeiffer University Going Tobacco-Free

Monday, June 27th, 2011

discount beverly cigarettes onlinePfeiffer University’s three campuses will go 100percent tobacco-free starting Jan. 1 under a policy adopted recently by its board of trustees. ”This policy will help prevent exposure to the well-documented dangers of Beverly secondhand smoke,” said Dr. Laura Gerald, executive director of the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund, which works with colleges statewide to adopt such policies.

Pfeiffer joins more than 30 N.C. higher-education institutions to go tobacco-free.

The policy applies to everyone on Pfeiffer’s campuses in Charlotte, Misenheimer and Mooresville. It also prohibits the sale, distribution or advertisement of tobacco products on all three campuses.

The university will promote cessation resources such as phone-based coaching provided by QuitlineNC.

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Posted in Cigarettes shops online, Smoking Ban | No Comments »

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