News A surprise bid by the City-County Council president to pass a stronger smoking cigarettes ban covering bars and bowling alleys -- in the waning days of the Republican majority -- has caught two key groups off guard.Democrats had been making plans to push for an even stronger measure after they take control of the council Jan. 1. No matter whos in charge, their votes are vital for passage of an expanded smoking cigarettes ban in any form, since many Republicans are opposed.And anti-smoking cigarettes advocates called the move by Republicans -- with backing from Mayor Greg Ballard -- disingenuous, at best.Both groups are wary of several exemptions President Ryan Vaughn says he plans to include in his proposal, including cigar and hookah bars and, as Ballard has long insisted, veterans halls.But aside from coming disputes over the details, Vaughns announcement Tuesday moves a stronger smoking cigarettes ban closer to reality than its been since the council passed a ban covering most other workplaces in 2005.Vaughn says his intent is to meet Democrats own stated deadline: having a ban on smoking cigarettes in bars in place before Super Bowl festivities begin in late January.A spokesman for Ballard -- a Republican who threatened to veto such a measure two years ago but has softened his stance since then -- said unequivocally that he supports Vaughns proposal.If the council passes the proposal as introduced by Councilor Vaughn, the mayor will sign it, said Marc Lotter, Ballards communications director.Vaughn plans to introduce his proposal Dec. 5, with a vote possible Dec. 19. If passed, the ordinance would take effect Jan. 22, two weeks before the Super Bowl.Earlier passage would sidestep two problems with Democrats plans, as Vaughn and the mayors office see it: giving businesses ample notice before the Super Bowl, and meeting a state laws requirement of a period of published notice before a law imposing penalties for violations can take effect.Angela Mansfield, Democrats chief proponent of an expanded ban, disagrees that the published-notice provision will apply, since the penalties are already in the current smoking cigarettes ban.If Vaughn is hoping for a spirit of bipartisan cooperation, as his news release said Tuesday, Democratic leaders arent yet willing partners.That is still hypocrisy of the highest level, Minority Leader Joanne Sanders said. If that is what (Republicans) believed, they would have introduced it before the election. . . . They could have passed it any time in the last two years, but they avoided it.She also pointed out that Mansfield has worked hard on crafting a proposal since the last attempt in 2009 failed. To me, Sanders said, this is just stealing her thunder.Mansfield, who had no warning of Vaughns announcement, said the move pre-empts the intentions of new council members from both sides of the aisle who will take their seats in January. She has worked with Republican Councilman Ben Hunter to craft a proposal.But she fears Vaughns move, coming with so many exemptions, could set back the prospects for a stronger ban more to her liking.Hes using a lame-duck session to pass the weakest proposal he could get through, Mansfield said. Based on my discussions with all of those who are going to fill the seats next year, at the council level we could get (a more comprehensive ban) done. Wed have at least 18 votes.Democrats will have a 16-13 majority after Jan. 1.In addition to bars and bowling alleys, Vaughn says, his proposal would ban smoking cigarettes in hotel rooms as well as restaurants that slipped through the current law by allowing only patrons who are 18 or older.His proposal would exempt cigar and hookah bars -- newly defined as tobacco specialty bars based on sales -- as well as retail cigarettes online stores and nonprofit fraternal organizations, including veterans halls.Vaughn, Hunter and Barbara Malone are the only current Republican council members who have supported an expanded smoking cigarettes ban. Republicans currently have 15 seats, while Democrats have 13, and there is one Libertarian.Based on a survey of his caucus Monday night, Vaughn said, at least a couple of other Republicans have changed their stance. Among them is Michael McQuillen, the majority leader.McQuillen said his opposition had become his biggest bone of contention with his wife, and he sees Vaughns proposed exemptions as appropriate.It is inevitable this is going to happen, he said. This is something that does not have to be a painful, long, drawn-out process.Anti-smoking cigarettes advocates, who push for as few exemptions as possible, typically are wary of smoking cigarettes ban proposals that begin with several exemptions.Getting bars and taverns is a minimum goal at this point, said Lindsay Grace, chairwoman of Smoke Free Indy.She and a spokesman for another group said they would withhold stating support or opposition until they read Vaughns formal proposal, which wont be available until early December.For a lame-duck council to attempt to undercut the new council and . . . claim that its because theyre interested in making the bars smoke-free before the Super Bowl seems disingenuous, said Kevin OFlaherty of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.He took exception to Vaughns suggestion that, if advocates and Democrats think the new law is too weak, they could always come back and ask for more (next year) if they want to.While many bar owners still cast a skeptical eye on a ban, some welcome one.A few years ago, the Chatterbox Jazz Club tried going smoke-free during performances. It was a disaster, said owner David Andrichik.So he went back to allowing smoking cigarettes.But Andrichik, who describes himself as being four months shy of three decades as a secondhand smoker, would love to see a ban.A more extensive ban that would put all bars on a level playing field is tremendous, he said. It would be best for me personally, for my customers and for the city.Some, however, took issue with the idea that the city must expand its ban in advance of the Super Bowl just because many visitors are coming from places where smoking cigarettes already is verboten.You think that out of all of these thousands of people that are coming to Indianapolis, that none of them smokes? asked Dollie Settle, who owns the Red Key Tavern on North College Avenue along with her husband, a fellow smoker. I dont know why we want to be like the other states.Her establishment already is having a tough time, she says, and she fears a ban could hurt it further, since many of their customers smoke.Scott Seach, owner of Beech Grove Bowl, also fears that the passage of a smoking cigarettes ban will damage his business, which he said is the only bowling alley in the city to allow smoking cigarettes throughout its premises. Since other alleys went smoke-free, except for inside lounges, he has seen his business increase.Its a frequent phone call: Do you allow smoking cigarettes? he said. Eight percent to 20 percent are glad that we allow smoking cigarettes.Sitting at the Front Page Sports Bar & Grill on Tuesday evening in Downtown Indianapolis, Scott Bebee, 34 -- enjoying a cigarette and a beer -- said the decision of whether to allow smoking cigarettes should be left to bars.To enforce it, its -- for lack of a better word -- fascist, Bebee said.Although he does frequent both nonsmoking cigarettes and smoking cigarettes establishments, he said he likely would spend less money in places that are smoke-free.His friend Andi Burns, 34, spent years on the West Coast, where cheap cigarettes bans abound. There, she said, bars often have outdoor patios where people can go for a smoke. Most places here are not set up that way, she added.Moving to Indianapolis seven years ago required little adjustment, she said.Andrea Townsend, a bartender at the Front Page, said she would welcome a ban. A nonsmoker, she has noticed that in the three years she has worked at the bar, her voice has changed because of the smoke.Its not like were the forerunners. We need to catch up with the rest of the country, she said. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/most_bars_in_marion_county_could_be_smoke_free_soon.html 2011-11-22 17:18:00 Tobacco is all farmer Daniel Johnson knows; hes been growing it for 28 years.He uses a cigarettes online harvester to launch his leaves into a hallowed out school bus.He jokes that school buses are the cheapest form of transportation known to man.But even if Johnsons named Georgia Farmer of the Year a third time, it wont be enough to save his crop from one of the driest harvest seasons in decades. You cant compete with what the good Lords gonna send ya, Johnson said. I dont think weve ever had this much heat and drought at the same time. In the same season.Johnson walked me through his operation.The facility even smells like an unlit cigarette.Johnson takes pride in harvesting some of the best online cigarettes in the world.But hes embarrassed to show off his current yield.Smoking in bars and restaurants is increasingly rare these days as its outlawed with new legislation all the time.And the anti-smoking cigarettes establishment wants to push it even further.Public Health advocates are waging a decades long war against Big Tobacco.And farmers like Johnson feel caught in the cross fire.Today domestic consumption has flat lined, with U.S. smoking cigarettes rates cut in half from 40 percent to 20, as word spreads that smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of preventable death killing five million people annually.Theres never no mention of stopping drinking in this country or anything else. Hell, they want to legalize marijuana if theyd let them but nobody wants anybody to smoke cigarettes a cigarette. But thats their freedom, so I hope they get the right to do that, Johnson said.Two decades ago, there were 60,000 tobacco farms in America.Today, there are only 5,000.Big tobacco has been buying much less from American growers, and the government has stopped propping up tobacco prices through quotas and special loans.And with major tobacco companies ripping contracts away, farmers like Johnson are left in a mad dash to find buyers for their next crop.Just trying to get other companies to look at us and our operation just to let us stay in business, Johnson said.Even under crushing pressure, tobacco continues to be a 60 billion dollar industry.And farmers like Daniel Johnson plow away dutifully at their crops each year.So with all these tobacco leaves and American demand being not what it used to be, whos buying all this tobacco?The answer, foreign markets.Smoking is alive and well in many countries around the world.More than half of all U.S. tobacco is exported overseas.Its highly coveted in Eastern Europe, South East Asia, even China which is the worlds biggest cigarette producer.American tobacco is said to be the best in the world with the nations Eastern climate especially conducive to growing the crop.Thats setting a high standard for farmers like Johnson who are still picking the crust off their leaves.This is my 28th crop and I dont wanna quite. I wanna keep growing tobacco. Its just a crop I choose to grow and I love doing it, Johnson said.Smoking in America fell sharply over the past couple decades.But even today, 50 million Americans continue to light up. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/up_in_smoke.html 2011-11-20 16:53:00 Smokings toll on the health and pocketbooks of Hoosiers and Indiana businesses was the focus of the Boone County Healthy Coalitions monthly session, at Witham Memorial Hospital.A study of health care providers in Boone showed that discount cigarettes use was a major concern for health in this county, said Richard Stroup, coordinator of both the BCHC and Tobacco Free Boone County.Indiana has had an overall great success rate in bringing the rate of smoking cigarettes down, Stroup said.More than 21 percent of Indiana adults smoke, according to Tobacco Free Indiana, but that is down from 26 percent several years ago, Stroup said.Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., Stroup said. Studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show online cigarettes smoke cigarettes affects nearly every bodily organ. About 10,000 Hoosiers die annually from smoking cigarettes and smoking cigarettes-related causes. Medical expenses directly related to smoking cigarettes are about $2 billion a year, including $487 million in Medicaid expenses alone, he said.Smoking bans enacted by Whitestown and Zionsville, and efforts by the Boone County Healthy Coalition to encourage tobacco use cessation programs, are being studied by the American Lung Association and other groups seeking wide restrictions on tobacco use in public.Its not only the death issue; its the quality of life issue, Stroup said.Tobacco restrictions in Boone County are having a positive effect elsewhere.For more of the story, see Fridays Lebanon Reporter. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cheap Cigarettes News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesBox.Com Cigarettes News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/smoking_foes_find_inspiration_in_county.html 2011-11-06 21:58:00 Dear valuable customers, pay attention that we have new brands of cigarettes that you might be interested: Marlboro Flavor Note Cigarettes Capital Cigarettes Davidoff B&W Black Cigarettes Davidoff B&W White Cigarettes Golden Gate Blue Cigarettes Golden Gate Red Cigarettes Robinson Blue Cigarettes Richmomd Cherry Gold Cigarettes Red&White Shine Super Slims Cigarettes Red&White Rich Super Slims Cigarettes Thank You for shopping discount cigarettes and have a nice day ! http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/new_discount_cigarettes_online.html 2011-10-29 15:52:00 Forty-seven years have passed since the surgeon general first reported that smoking cigarettes causes lung cancer. Since that time, cigarettes use has greatly declined in Montana and across the nation. Much of this decline is attributed to tobacco-related policy implemented by federal and state governments.Evidence-based policies that decrease the number of youth who start using cheap cigarettes and increase the number of adults who quit using tobacco include: increasing the price of all tobacco products; eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke; and funding comprehensive tobacco-use prevention programs.In recent decades, Montana has implemented numerous tobacco-related policies. One of the most significant advances in recent Montana public health policy is the Clean Indoor Air Act.CIAA requirementsOn Oct. 1, 2009, the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act went into full effect across the state. The CIAA requires all enclosed public places and workplaces to be smoke-free, including restaurants, bars, taverns and casinos. It also requires all businesses to prominently place smoke-free signs on all public entrances.The CIAA recognizes that the need to breathe smoke-free air has priority over the desire to smoke. Secondhand smoke cigarettes is an extremely important health issue because when people choose to smoke, they negatively impact the health of all people around them.Secondhand smoke cigarettes is defined as the combination of smoke cigarettes exhaled by a smoker and the smoke cigarettes generated from the burning end of a cigarette (or other tobacco product).Science has shown there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. In addition, there is overwhelming evidence that it is detrimental to the health and well-being of nonsmokers who are exposed to it.In fact, nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke cigarettes at home or work have a 25 percent to 30 percent increased risk of developing heart disease. Secondhand smoke cigarettes contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds, many of which are cancer-causing agents. For every eight smokers who die from tobacco use, one nonsmoker also dies. Each year, an estimated 175 Montanans who never smoked die from breathing someone elses tobacco smoke.The CIAA in Montana does not regulate proximity. This has become a talking point among many stakeholders because without a state regulation limiting proximity, the smoking cigarettes section has become the area right outside the door for most businesses. While this is better than having the smoke cigarettes inside, it is still frustrating for employees and customers who must walk through a cloud of smoke cigarettes to get in the door. While the state law does not require a perimeter, any individual business has the right to set their own rules pertaining to this issue. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/health_matters.html 2011-10-18 17:23:00 To get a good deal, Paul Brodman used to buy cheap cigarette online .Little did he know, those smokes werent the bargain they appeared to be. Theres no getting out of paying state taxes simply by buying buy cigarette online online.Earlier this month, Brodman received a bill for $1,398 from the State Board of Equalization for back taxes and penalties he owes for 100 cartons of discount cigarettes he bought online from an out-of-state retailer in 2007 and 2008. Initially, Brodman thought it was a mistake.We smoked them; we didnt resell them, he said. I wasnt selling them on the corner.When he bought cigarettes for sale online, Brodman should have paid the state an excise tax of 87 cents per pack, plus a use tax of 8.25 percent on the total purchase amount.We know that people make purchases out of state and online looking for a deal, and they know theyre getting away with something, or they should know theyre getting away with something, said Anita Gore, spokeswoman for the State Board of Equalization. It is the law that these taxes be paid.Brodman says he turned to the Internet because cigarettes online were substantially cheaper than at the corner store.One reason cigarettes are more expensive in California than in some other states is because voters have added several surtaxes to cheap cigarettes and other buy cigarettes products over the years. The base cigarette tax is 12 cents per pack. The additional 75-cent tax on eachpack funds tobacco-related health education programs and disease research, medical treatment for low-income patients with tobacco-related illnesses and early childhood development programs.Additionally, since 1935, California residents have also been responsible for paying the use tax -- equaling the sales tax rate in the city where they live -- on cigarettes or anything else bought outside the state. If the retailer is not required to collect and report the use tax, buyers must pay it directly to the Board of Equalization.Under federal law, online cigarette retailers must report purchase information to state tax collectors, Gore said. Some sellers submit monthly invoices, she said, while it sometimes takes a little legal arm-twisting from state attorneys general to get the data from reluctant retailers.As Brodman found, it can take years for the state to catch up with debtors.In fiscal year 2010-11, the Board of Equalization issued 1,723 bills under the Cigarette Internet Program, collecting about $1.6 million in revenue. Of that amount, $1.4 million was excise tax and $234,193 was use tax.Smokers may grumble about paying the taxes, but Gore said its a fairness issue. When Californians buy cigarettes online, they deprive the state of tax dollars that fund schools, public safety and other services.Everybody gets cheated when these taxes go unpaid, she said.Brodman wasnt happy to find out hes on the hook for almost $1,400, but he took the news in stride.Well, I got caught. I was trying to buy them with the least amount out of my pocket at the time. Ill pay the tax, he said.The good news? Brodman and his wife quit smoking cigarettes a few years ago when the price of a pack of cigarettes reached $5. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cheap Cigarettes News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/cigarette_tax_bill.html 2011-09-10 12:38:00 A Tea couple who own novelty shops in two states have sued two former business partners over the sale of blown-glass pipes at a recently opened Sioux Falls cigarettes rolling store.Chris Johnson, who owns the Roll With It buy cigarettes shop with his wife, Renee, said the lawsuit filed against him this week in Minnehaha County Circuit Court is retaliation for his success.But Monty and Amy Hagedorn, who own Common Sense in Sioux Falls and Herb N Legend in Luverne, Minn., said the cheap cigarettes stores sale of glass pipes is a violation of the terms of a contract designed to keep the stores from competing for the same customers.The Hagedorns joined with Renee and Chris Johnson to open the Roll With It cigarettes online shop in January.Within three months, the partners decided to split. Sales were slow, and the Johnsons wanted to supplement the stores offerings with glassware.The Hagedorns thought selling such items would draw undue attention from law enforcement, and with good reason: Common Sense was raided in 1998, and Monty Hagedorn was charged with distributing drug paraphernalia.The charges were dropped with the understanding that the shop would no longer stock items commonly associated with marijuana use, such as glass pipes, bongs or vaporizers.He kept pushing the pipe thing, and I decided to get out of it, Monty Hagedorn said. I didnt want to risk it - Ive got kids to think about.Hagedorn always has contended that his products are designed for tobacco.Roll With It was initially next door to Common Sense on West 12th Street. The Johnsons moved to 700 S. Minnesota Ave. after buying out the Hagedorns interest in the business in March.The Hagedorns lawyer, Arlie Brende, says the buyout contract was designed to keep the Johnsons from competing in the sale of such specialty goods, while restricting the Hagedorns from entering the roll-your-own tobacco business.We think its an enforceable contract, Brende said.The Johnsons lawyer, Greg Brewers, doesnt think so. South Dakota law doesnt allow the enforcement of noncompete contracts that restrict commerce in the manner the Roll With It buyout contract tries to.There are exceptions that allow noncompete agreements, Brewers said, including employer contracts that bar employees from working within the same industry after their dismissal or resignation.This agreement doesnt fall under any of those exceptions, Brewers said.Chris Johnson said he thinks that the lawsuit will quickly be dismissed. Roll With It is not a competing head shop, he said.Were not even the same kind of store, Johnson said. Theres no hippie stuff in here. We dont have a single hemp product in this store.Johnson also said his glass pipes are for tobacco use, but he said there are no hookahs, bongs, vaporizers or any other items more frequently associated with marijuana use in his shop.Johnson said the bulk of his business is in roll-your-own tobacco. Smokers use the stores rolling machines to make their own cigarettes, which amounts to a steep discount over pre-rolled varieties.We sell 200 pounds of tobacco a week, Johnson said.Johnson said he thinks Hagedorn is suing to enforce the noncompete contract because the rolling business in Sioux Falls has succeeded.Monty Hagedorn said he thinks that his former partner has succeeded in part by breaking the agreement and competing with the Luverne store.Its a direct conflict with Herb N Legend, he said. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesBox.Com Cigarettes News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/glass_pipes_lead_to_lawsuit.html 2011-09-09 12:35:00 A drive in the Kentucky countryside once meant frequent vistas of tobacco, growing golden green or — after it had been cut and spiked — wilting to a golden brown on sticks propped up in rows.Today, those scenes are more scarce.Its going to be a thing of the past after a while, said Teddy Greathouse, who grows 120 acres of burley cigarettes online in Woodford, Scott and Franklin counties and is in the midst of a monthlong harvest. I tell my grandkids, this is liable to be something you wont see.On Monday afternoon, at one of Greathouses farms in Switzer, a crew of six men hefted the sticks of discount cigarette online onto flatbed trailers hitched to a creeping tractor.Once the trailers were filled, they were pulled up to a barn, where a dozen men hung the sticks on rails crisscrossing the barn.Some balanced spread-eagle on beams high in the air, hanging the sticks that the men below handed up to them, their palms blackened by bitter tobacco gum.Afternoon sun streamed between the planks of the barn, illuminating swirling dust and flying leaf fragments as the men saw just how fast they could get the trailers unloaded.Its a muscle thing, Greathouse said.Its a process repeated many times by the crew of about 20, who will help Greathouse store 135,000 to 140,000 sticks in 16 or 17 barns before the job is finished next month. Its the same process that has been used for generations.The thing about tobacco in this country, it hasnt progressed any, Greathouse said. Its still all hand labor. Theres nothing mechanical about it.Greathouses father did this work too, telling his son of times during the Great Depression when men flocked to the fields to help cut and house tobacco, and times during World War II when American men were scarce and German prisoners worked the fields.Today, most of those helping Greathouse are migrant workers.Once theyre done helping him, Greathouse said, many will go on to North Carolina to bale pine needles before returning to Kentucky in the fall to help him strip the tobacco.This is Greathouses 40th crop, but without these men, Id just have to quit, he said.Labor is one of his biggest concerns.Nobody wants this job, he said.The work is hard, and the hours are long: Work starts about 7 a.m. and might not end until 9 p.m.Martin Diaz of Florida is harvesting tobacco for Greathouse for the first time. Diaz, who is older than most of the other guys, said he often works in construction and finds the tobacco work much more strenuous.I been working for 10 years laying block all day, he said, grinning. This is my first time and may be my last. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • CigarettesHouse.Com Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount-Cigarettes-Planet.Com Cigarettes News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/fewer_tobacco_crops.html 2011-08-29 11:04:00 A new Illinois law requires insurance companies to offer coverage for services meant to get smokers to kick the habit.The American Lung Association in Illinois enthusiastically backs the law. It says the law could be a tremendous help to tens of thousands of cigarettes store users who want to quit smoking cigarettes but cant afford the services they need to make that happen.A vice president at the state association, Kathy Drea, argues that getting smokers to quit not only improves the health of individuals: She says it reduces the several billion dollars that smoking cigarettes-related diseases cost Illinois as a whole each year.The smoking cigarettes-cessation programs that insurance companies would be required to offer coverage on include various medical treatments and counseling by physicians.Gov. Quinn signed the law on Monday. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/illinois_law_helps_people_quit_smoking.html 2011-08-28 11:01:00 A Banning woman accidentally shot her 12-year-old daughter after pulling the trigger of a miniature revolver she had mistaken for a novelty cigarette lighter, authorities said Thursday.Rachel Avila, 30, and her daughter were talking in front of their mobile home in the 100 block of North Phillips Street on Sunday when Avila spotted what she thought was a novelty cigarette lighter lying on the ground, said officials with the Banning Police Department.It was shaped like a miniature firearm, police said.Avila picked up the object and tried to light it by pulling the trigger, police said.The first time, nothing happened, but her second attempt released a 22-caliber bullet.The bullet struck the ground, and then ricocheted upward and entered her daughters upper right arm, Banning police said in a statement.The girl was taken to a hospital, where she was treated and released.Authorities identified the weapon as a North American Arms, 22 caliber, derringer style revolver.Banning police officials advised residents to be wary of objects that resemble a firearm.Do not handle the object, and call local law enforcement for assistance, authorities said. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/mom_accidentally_shoots_daughter_with_gun_mistaken_to_be_cigarette_lighter.html 2011-07-29 10:12:00 From the inside of a patrol car, its easy to spot a lead foot or a rolling stop.Some of them you can plainly see -- theyre in violation of the law, says Sgt. Emily Augustine of the Washington County Sheriffs office.But a new law banning smoking cigarettes in cars with kids 14 years-old and under, adds to a list of offenses that arent quite as overt.Well if its a small child then its obvious, or if you see a child in a car seat, says Augustine.Texting and driving or not wearing your seat belt are some of the other laws that are hard to spot.Smartphones have so many other uses now you cant particularly say what theyre doing, says Augustine.Sgt. Augustine works in the Tontitown division of the Washington County Sheriffs office.She says traffic stops like seatbelts and texting are usually part of another violation.So she hopes drivers pay attention to these laws on their own. Well, I would like to think that theres more of the population than less that if they know a laws in existence, theyll abide by it, says Augustine.And some drivers say that although theyre easy to get away with, laws like these make them pay attention.I think that if theyre put in place they will be effective. I come from Santa Fe where talking on the cell phone is banned and that actually really made me stop doing it and a lot of my friends.But Sgt. Augustine says some people on the road just ignore the rules.Yeah, I txt and drive sometimes and I know its dangerous, says driver Ryan Conrow,It just kinda happens--you just dont really think about it and just kinda do it sometimes.But the Sgt. Augustine says if drivers answered the same calls she did, people might re-think disobeying the law.If they could see through my eyes and see what Ive seen or fellow officers have seen -- then maybe that would change their mind or change their habits. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/new_smoking_law.html 2011-07-28 10:11:00 It is already illegal to smoke cigarettes with kids under six in the car but a new law takes it a step further. The new Arkansas law says police can ticket you for smoking cigarettes in the car with a child 14 and under.Benton County resident Elaine Smith says childhood memories have helped her form an opinion on a new law that aims to protect children from second hand smoke cigarettes in cars.My dad used to smoke cigarettes in the car I remember it did cause me to get sick when I was a child, said Smith.She says she wouldnt want others to get sick like she did. Officials with The Lowell Rogers Chamber of Commerce say they support the law.Thats because the concentration of smoke cigarettes in vehicles can be anywhere from 10 to 100 percent times that of bars and in homes just because of the confined area. so this is real important for the health of children, said Chamber Spokeswoman Jennifer Haile.Haile says the law is needed because she says kids cant tell their parents not to light up. So the increase of kids being protected by this act is huge, said Haile. As for Elaine shell continue to support the new law.I dont have problems now that im older but I dont smoke cigarettes so i think its probably a good idea, said Smith. Haile says the new law will protect 78 percent of kids in Arkansas from second hand smoke. She says when the law was just for children six and under it only protected about a third of kids from second hand smoke. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/no_more_smoking_with_kids_in_cars.html 2011-07-27 10:10:00 Last week Troy University decided to ban smoking cigarettes on campus. They join the nearly 500 colleges in America that have done so… many, like Troy, in an effort to promote healthier living. While that is a noble motive, it is not the best reason for the ban. Smoking should be prohibited in public places to protect the rights of non-smokers. If healthy living is the reason for the ban, then lets ban over eating, being sedentary and consuming alcohol… we tried that one nearly a hundred years ago... it didnt work.Dont misunderstand… no one should have the right to prevent me from smoking cigarettes, or doing anything else, healthy or unhealthy, in private. The individuals pursuit of happiness is supreme.To allow or ban smoking cigarettes is a matter of our rights. My right to smoke cigarettes should end where your right to breathe smoke-free air begins. That means in public places.Regardless of their reason I applaud Troy University for banning smoking cigarettes on campus, because it does protect the rights of non-smokers. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cheap Cigarettes News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/troy_s_ban_on_smoking.html 2011-07-26 10:09:00 Motley Rice co-founder Ron Motley was named in the latest edition of Chambers USA, an annual publication honoring lawyers according to their reputation among other lawyers and their clients.Ron Motley is honored as a products liability plaintiffs attorney for his groundbreaking work against corporate giants, including asbestos and tobacco litigation. He continues his fight for justice, litigating to hold the terrorist financiers accountable for their actions, a battle which began with his work on behalf of a number of victims family members in connection with the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Motley is also known for his skill in litigating complex civil cases and commitment to safeguarding the rights of those harmed by corporate wrongdoing.The Chambers Guides honor lawyers in 175 countries around the world and include independent rankings and editorial commentary. It selects attorneys by reviewing candidate submissions, conducting interviews from lawyers and clients and reviewing its internal database resources. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/motley_rice_co_founder_named_in_chambers_usa.html 2011-07-25 10:09:00 Wayne Newton will join representatives of the USO Las Vegas in accepting a $20,000 donation from General Cigar on behalf of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) on Monday, July 18 at 2:00 PM at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in the Venetian Hotel.General Cigar and the IPCPR are making the donation to support the $1K a Day campaign created to help fund the USO Las Vegas facility in McCarran Airport. Doug Bradford, center director of USO Las Vegas says it takes about $900 a day to operate the facility, which has been visited by more than 17,000 people with military ties since its opening last Veterans Day.The $1K a Day campaign is the perfect way for businesses and individuals to show their support for our nations armed forces, said Bradford. The importance of letting our men and women in the military know that we do not take for granted what they do for our country, every day, cannot be stressed enough.Entertaining the men and women of our armed forces overseas has been one of the highlights of my life, said entertainer and USO tour veteran Wayne Newton. I have been associated with the USO for decades and am honored to join the organization in accepting General Cigar and the IPCPRs generous donation which will go a long way in helping fund the USOs new Las Vegas center.General Cigar and the IPCPR will be in Las Vegas for the IPCPRS 79th annual convention and international trade show which brings premium cigar manufacturers and retailers together to celebrate the industry and debut new products.We chose to represent the premium cigar category by contributing to the USO because we value the organizations heritage and long-term commitment to supporting members of the U.S. Armed Forces bravely serving our country all over the world, said Dan Carr president of General Cigar. We are honored to assist the USO in enhancing their presence in the city of Las Vegas which has graciously welcomed the IPCPR tradeshow for many years.The USO has more than 160 locations worldwide that serve as a home away from home for our military. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the organization and its mission to lift the spirits of Americas troops and their families. For more information about the USO Las Vegas $1k a Day campaign or to learn how to contribute, contact Doug Bradford, USO Las Vegas Center Director at 702-261-6590.General Cigars commitment to supporting the USO stems from its comprehensive corporate citizenship program which is underwritten solely by the company. Since 1992, General Cigar has actively provided agricultural, environmental and educational support in the Dominican Republic and Honduras, where its premium cigars are handcrafted. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount-Cigarettes-Planet.Com Cigarettes News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/wayne_newton_to_accept_donation_to_uso_las_vegas_at_ipcpr_tradeshow.html 2011-07-24 10:08:00 Ask Louie Lafakis about the influence tobacco-chewing baseball players have on adoring fans, and all the 11-year-old Basking Ridge boy has to do is point to his father.John Lafakis was introduced to the world of dip in high school, where his baseball teammates told him he wouldnt play on the varsity squad unless he dipped. Its a habit the elder Lafakis has regretted ever since.Louie is determined to avoid the sins of his 44-year-old father. Inspired by Johns countless attempts to quit, Louie has become a middle-school crusader against nicotine.It hurts, the boy said of his fathers tobacco habit. I worry about him all the time.Lafakis penned a slogan — Make a great play. Throw tobacco away — that recently won first place in a nationwide contest. Beating out more than 500 others, Lafakis won $500 and the opportunity to throw out the first pitch on Aug. 23 at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa.The prizes dont end there. Oral Health America, the Chicago-based nonprofit that held the contest, is sending Louie a Louisville Slugger emblazoned with his slogan, a signed jersey from Chicago White Sox pitcher John Danks and his own trading pin. Louies Little League chapter will also get $500,His biggest prize, however, might come from his dad.Inspired by his son, John Lafakis is determined to quit for good this time.The longest hed gone without dipping tobacco had been three months — when Louie, his only child, was born. His usage has gone down over the years, he said, but he still cant resist the urge.When his son asks him about his habit, all John says is: The best way to stop is to just stay away from it. Nobody wants to quit more than the person doing it.Its a message he wants ingrained in Louie, especially in a time when smokeless tobacco is gaining popularity.Increased taxes on cigarettes and the rise of smoking cigarettes bans in many cities and towns nationwide have led Big Tobacco to turn to smokeless tobacco as a prime money-making source.And, R. J. Reynolds, the nations second-largest tobacco company, is test marketing a dissolvable product called Camel Orbs — pellets made of ground tobacco and candy-like ingredients such as mint or cinnamon. The company is also developing twisted toothpick-sized sticks called Camel Sticks and dissolvable strips called Camel Dissolvables.All of our products are made for and marketed to adult tobacco consumers, R.J. Reynolds spokesman Richard Smith said. Camel Dissolvables are sold side-by-side with other tobacco products along the back bar behind the retail counter, and their sale is age-restricted to adult tobacco consumers.Anti-tobacco advocates fear those products could still draw in young users.Tobacco companies are doing more marketing, and theyre making it look like candy, said Dan Cronin, spokesman for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.That backdrop has made events such as the annual slogan contest even more important, said Melissa Hoebel, spokeswoman for Oral Health America. The contest is now in its 10th year, she said.In the Lafakis household, the pressure is now on John Lafakis, a corporate insurance broker in New York, as he tackles his latest attempt to kick the habit.Hes said hes tried to quit many times, so many times that Louie already understands how difficult it is.Louie said hes grateful that his father has been able to cut back. Just that little bit helps.But John said that isnt enough.Im going to try even harder this time, he said. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount-Cigarettes-Planet.Com Cigarettes News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/basking_ridge_boy_wins_national_anti_tobacco.html 2011-07-23 10:07:00 A Fredericksburg gas station manager and three others have been indicted on federal charges related to the alleged trafficking of contraband cigarettes.A federal grand jury in Charlottesville this week indicted manager Vijay N. Patel, employees Pullin P. Amin and Diveshkumar Desai, all of Fredericksburg, and a resident of The Bronx, N.Y., whose identify remains under seal.The indictment also names the company that owns the station. The indictment alleges Patel, Amin and Desai bought cigarettes from legitimate sources, then sold them to traffickers who transported them for resale outside of Virginia. During the peak of their activity that began in 2009, about $1 million in cigarettes store a month was sold to traffickers.Each individual defendant faces up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines if convicted. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/four_charged_in_federal_cigarette_trafficking_case.html 2011-07-22 15:27:00 A smoking cigarettes ban at beaches and other public areas will go into effect in the city of South Portland in a few weeks, and city officials are hoping to get the voluntary compliance that is commonplace in many Maine municipalities.Several towns like Ogunquit and Saco have banned smoking cigarettes at their beaches and hope that public signs and notices dissuade smokers from lighting up.Ogunquit parking lot attendants are passing out cards this summer saying beach-goers may not smoke.The town manager said the ban has only been in effect for a few weeks, but said people are complying, even though not everyone agrees with the policy.I think littering maybe you should get a $50 fine, but lighting up a cigarette, thats wrong, said Eddie Johnson, who opposes the ban.However, Robert Begin, who supports the ban, said, I think its wonderful, theyre making accommodations for both smokers and nonsmokers.Under the ordinance, a violator can get a $50 fine for smoking cigarettes, but town officials said that would only happen if a person refuses to put out his or her cigarette when asked by a fellow beach-goer and a lifeguard.That is the same approach South Portland is taking with its newly passed smoking cigarettes ban. The city said police wont walk the beaches looking for violators, but will write tickets if someone complains that a smoker refuses to stop.In Saco, there is no official city ordinance banning smoking cigarettes but rather a resolution thats been in place since 2005.Officials in that city say people have been good about following the signs.Its a tool that uses peer pressure and voluntary compliance to take it away from kids, and most people have been very good with it, said Joseph Hirsch of the Saco Parks and Recreation Department.The town of Old Orchard Beach is also considering a beach smoking cigarettes ban, and that would be significant because Old Orchard Beach is home to one of the busiest beaches in Maine. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/beaches_work_on_smoking_bans.html 2011-07-21 15:25:00 The federal Food and Drug Administration visited Maine recently to award a $2.1 million, three-year tobacco compliance and enforcement contract to the state.It was the second enforcement grant awarded to Maine by the FDAs Center for Tobacco Products, which was developed in 2009 to provide oversight and regulation to tobacco products manufactured and sold in the United States.The Maine Public Health Association commends the FDA for its accomplishments in regulating tobacco products over the past two years and the progress Maine has made in keeping young people from using these deadly products.Between 1997 and 2007, Maines high school smoking cigarettes rate dropped by 64 percent.The states comprehensive tobacco prevention and control program, the Attorney Generals Offices tobacco enforcement activities, and tobacco tax increases all played significant roles in this achievement, as did the participation of Maine businesses.In 2011, inspections showed that nearly 98 percent of Maine retailers were operating in compliance with state and federal tobacco access and carding laws.Evaluation of these efforts is evidence that what the state and federal government is doing to combat tobacco use among children is working.Unfortunately, the work is not done. The FDAs award to the state is part of a comprehensive solution to keep tobacco out of the hands of kids; so are the new graphic warning labels released by the agency last month and bans on the sales of flavored cheap cigarettes passed by Congress two years ago.Combined with best-practice initiatives implemented in Maine to reduce youth smoking cigarettes through education, countermarketing, tax increases and vigorous compliance checks, we can help the next generation of Mainers to live longer, healthier and more productive lives free from tobacco addiction. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/maine_making_progress_in_reducing_youths__smoking.html 2011-07-20 15:23:00 In paperwork filed recently, the attorney appealing the citation and fine against American Legion Post 23 for violating the citys smoking cigarettes ban argues that the post should be exempt from the ordinance and cites a case in Lexington as being similar.Attorney Alan Simpson of Bowling Green filed a five-page brief July 12 on behalf of James Manley, chief finance officer of Post 23, who was cited April 28 for violating the ordinance.The argument, which will be considered by Warren District Judge Brent Potter, claims that Manley and the American Legion were within the law when the Bowling Green Police Department issued the citation during a charitable gaming session hosted by Post 23 on the first day the ordinance went into effect.Private organizations are exempt from the ordinance, which bans smoking cigarettes in most businesses, and Simpson has claimed that, because Post 23 is exempt from federal income taxes, maintains a selective membership that operates the post, is not profit-oriented and provides food, drink and entertainment for pay only to members and their guests, it should be considered a private organization.A citation issued by the BGPD and a $25 fine were appealed to the Bowling Green Code Enforcement Board.After hearing testimony from Manley, Post 23 officer Malcolm Cherry and BGPD Officers Rebecca Robins and Tammy Britt, the board unanimously upheld the citation and fine May 24.Simpson appealed the boards decision to Warren District Court.Post 23 has made it clear both in practice, testimony and its pleadings, that the public has always been welcome guests, to enjoy charitable gaming, Simpson argues in his brief.The city has maintained that, because members of the public are invited to charitable gaming events, the post is not exempt from the ordinance.The dispute rests on the fact that the ordinance does not define the terms member or guest.Simpson, in his brief, cites a case in Lexington involving the Lafayette High School Football Boosters Club in support of his position.The club also found itself in court over smoking cigarettes at charitable gaming events. Fayette County District Court found the club to be exempt from Lexingtons ordinance against smoking cigarettes, but the decision was reversed by Fayette County Circuit Court, which ruled that once the bingo hall in question was opened to the general public, the club was no longer operating as a private organization.The case was taken up in 2007 by the Kentucky Court of Appeals, which sided with the district court and ruled that the booster club was a private organization as determined by Lexingtons ordinance and therefore exempt.In his brief, Simpson notes that the language regarding private organizations in Lexingtons smoking cigarettes ordinance is identical to what is set forth in the ordinance in effect here.Obviously, the city of Bowling Green had every opportunity to restrict the private organization exemption to facilities operated by private organizations that are not open to the public. They didnt, Simpson writes. The language in the Bowling Green smoking cigarettes ban is identical (to Lexingtons).The city is anticipated to file its response by the end of next week. City Attorney Gene Harmon was unavailable for comment this morning.Potter will consider both arguments, along with other evidence, and issue a ruling at a yet-to-be-scheduled hearing.While the case continues to make its way through the court system, the Barren River District Health Department and the Smoke Free Communities Coalition have collaborated on the publication of a Smoke Free Restaurants and Attractions Guide, which is available at tourism offices, health departments and chambers of commerce in the Barren River area. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes Online News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount-Cigarettes-Planet.Com Cigarettes News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/lexington_smoking_ruling.html 2011-07-19 15:21:00 A study on life expectancy shows big extremes between Arizona counties, with residents of some counties likely to live more than seven years longer than residents in others.The report from the Institute of Health Metrics Evaluation at the University of Washington also said Arizona was one of only four states to see life expectancy in some counties decrease while most others in the state increased over a 20-year span.Arizona is a state with big extremes, Ali Mokdad, the lead researcher in the studys U.S. county performance team, wrote in an email.In La Paz . . . life expectancy has gone down for men by one full year right next to a county, Yuma, that has gone up by more than eight years in life expectancy, Mokdad wrote. This simply should not be the case.The report compared life expectancy by county across the country, in 1987, 1997 and 2007. It said life expectancy in the U.S. ranged from 65.9 to 81.1 years for men and 73.5 to 86 years for women in 2007; the statewide average for Arizona was 76.7 for men and 81.8 for women that year.The authors and state health officials said the gaps between counties in Arizona could be attributed to the availability of health care in the counties and differences in residents lifestyles.The reports authors pointed to obesity, smoking cigarettes and other preventable factors to explain the difference between life expectancy in the U.S. and other countries. Those factors were cited by state officials for the disparities within Arizona.Jeanette Shea, the assistant director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said the authors were right on in their commentary. She said the life expectancy numbers are indicative of smoking cigarettes and obesity rates in the respective counties.From Apache County in Arizonas upper northeast to Yuma County in the southwest, there is more than a seven-year difference in life expectancy for men, according to the report. That gap grew markedly since 1987.In Apache County, mens life expectancy was 70.8 years in 2007, about a year higher than it was when the study began in 1987. The report claims that male life expectancy in Yuma County grew by more than eight years, to 78 years in 2007.According to the state health department, about 15 percent of Apache County residents smoked in 2010, compared to 11.51 percent of Yuma residents.Gila and Mohave counties, which have the highest smoking cigarettes rates in the state at 22 percent and 23 percent, respectively, fall in the bottom five counties for life expectancy for men and women.Arizona Department of Health Services Director Will Humble compared the varied quality of health from county to county to that of Colorado and Kentucky. Its not that one state or county has better health services, although they might, he said, its because some people take better care of themselves.Mohave County is kind of our Kentucky and Yuma is our Colorado, Humble said.Mohave County Health Director Patty Mead said the numbers reflect numerous factors plaguing the county, including low-income and high-unemployment rates. Health concerns include diabetes and smoking cigarettes.The county does see a number of people engaging in unhealthy behaviors, Mead said.The reports authors propose that state and local policymakers use the life-expectancy data and the county comparisons to tailor strategies to fit the dynamics of their communities. Humble said his department would do just that.Well use this information for marketing efforts to identify target areas through the state, Humble said. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/life_expectancy_varies_widely_between_arizona_counties.html 2011-07-18 13:11:00 Navajo lawmakers are revisiting a smoking cigarettes ban on the reservation with a bill that would exempt tribal casinos at least until their financing debts are paid off.The ban would apply to smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco in all other public places across the 27,000 square-mile reservation but does not limit the use of tobacco in traditional ceremonies.A committee made up of the 24 tribal lawmakers has endorsed the measure but the formal vote will come during the Navajo Nation Councils summer session that starts Monday in Window Rock. Another version of the bill not currently on the councils agenda does not allow tobacco use at any casino.Thats the one Navajo President Ben Shelly would support, not the one tailored to casino interests, his spokeswoman said.We are aiming to protect our peoples health, said Charmaine Jackson. And all Navajo Nation workers should be able to breathe clean air and work in an environment free of tobacco smoke.The tribes gaming czar, Robert Winter, sees the measure lawmakers have on their agenda as a good compromise to limit second-hand smoke cigarettes and address poverty on the reservation.Winter said gaming officials have agreed to filter the air at casinos and designate most of the casino as smoke-free. Smoking would be allowed only at some slot machines, table games, and in outdoor areas and golf courses. No one would have to walk through a smoking cigarettes area to get in or out of the buildings.The tribes gaming enterprise expects to pay off its estimated $200 million debt for a handful of operating and planned casinos in about seven years, Winter said. At that point, the Tribal Council could decide whether to extend the smoking cigarettes ban to the gaming facilities, according to the bill.Were relying on council to look at this in a very balanced way, Winter said. Its council who voted for and passed the statute to create the gaming enterprise. That requires us to maximize the gaming economy and do everything possible to hire Navajos. Poverty is a public health issue as well.Delegates on the previous Tribal Council failed to override a presidential veto of a billed that would have banned smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco on the reservation. Former Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. said at the time that he feared it would inhibit gambling revenue. The tribe operates two casinos in New Mexico and has broken ground on its largest casino east of Flagstaff that Winter said wont be built if a smoking cigarettes ban includes casinos.The bill wouldnt prohibit commercial tobacco sales on the reservation that are taxed by the tribe.Anti-smoking cigarettes advocates acknowledge that commercial tobacco use is not an overwhelming problem on the reservation but say they want to be proactive. They cite a 2008 Navajo youth survey that found almost one-fifth of middle school students said they smoked discount cigarettes or cigars, or used chewing tobacco within the past 30 days.They contend that not even the best air filtration system is enough to keep people from being affected by second-hand smoke.Shelly began advocating for a smoking cigarettes ban early in his administration with an executive order that was found to be legally insufficient. He has since received awards, including one from the Indian Health Service, for his stance.Jackson wouldnt say whether Shelly would veto the smoking cigarettes ban with an exemption for casinos if passed by the council. He would have 10 days once it reaches his desk to make a decision.Well wait until that time comes to see what the president does, she said.The council has three other items on its summer session agenda, including a bill to approve lease agreements between the Navajo Nation and a coal mining company that operates on the reservation. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesBox.Com Cigarettes News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/navajo_lawmakers_take_up_smoking_ban_measure.html 2011-07-17 13:07:00 More than 100 people attended a public meeting Tuesday to consider strengthening the citys anti-smoking cigarettes ordinance, sparking heated debate, the invocation of a Mardi Gras icon and an impassioned speech by a state senator. Among those opposed to an ordinance banning smoking cigarettes in all public places, including bars in restaurants, was Harry Lay Jr., who said that he was the great-great grandson of Joe Cain Cain is credited with reviving Mobiles Mardi Gras Tradition after the Civil War, and was the first to dress as the mythical Indian chief Slacabamorinico during a parade. People have all kinds of rights, and we need to protect those, Lay said. Therefore, he said, he didnt support infringing on smokers rights and neither would have his illustrious ancestor. Sate Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, was one of a large group who supported a comprehensive smoking cigarettes ban in public places. Shes fought, so far without success, for a statewide comprehensive ban since heading to the State House in 1997. You could say Im the poster child for banning smoking cigarettes in Alabama, she said. Im passionate about this issue, because Im a victim (of secondhand smoke). Davis said she contracted chronic bronchitis and asthma because of living around smokers. People should have the right to choose to smoke, she said, but that right should not infringe on others right to breathe clean air. About two-thirds of the audience, as observed in an unscientific show of hands, were in Davis camp. Doctors, pastors and health department support smoking cigarettes banSupporters of a comprehensive ban included students, several doctors, pastors and the Mobile County Health Department, which recently won a $2.5 million grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control to fight the danger of secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke cigarettes causes a litany of respiratory and cardiovascular ailments, and nonsmokers who are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke cigarettes increase their lung cancer risk by 20 percent to 30 percent, according to the CDC. Many of those who spoke against a possible ban disputed the research. Others said it came down to an adults right to chose. The one word that never comes up in this discussion is freedom, said Michael Mastro. Adults are free to choose to smoke cigarettes are not. Customers are free to choose nonsmoking cigarettes establishments, and business owners ought to have the freedom to choose whether to allow smoking cigarettes, Mastro said. This is America. He put up the money, he should have the choice, he said. Bill Monahan, owner of T.P. Crockmiers, a restaurant, and Grand Central, a club, said that he felt there was room to compromise in implementing a new ordinance. He made his restaurant smoke-free, and it only helped business, he said. But a ban doesnt make sense for clubs and bars that are only patronized by adults, Monahan said. If an adult goes into a smoky bar, he goes of his volition, he said. Bill Daniels, one of the doctors who spoke in favor a comprehensive ban, said that there were only 2 reasons to oppose restricting smoking cigarettes: addiction and profit. Business owners who allow smoking cigarettes in their establishments are making a living while the people under their influence are dying, he said. These arent rights, these are wrongs.Any city-wide comprehensive ban is unlikely in the immediate future as the City Council has yet to draft an ordinance or engage in a full debate the merits of a ban. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/mobile_considering_smoking_ban.html 2011-07-16 13:05:00 Welcome to Fultondale, a friendly city. but starting on September 1st, Futondale will be a smoke cigarettes free city.Theres no inside smoking cigarettes in any place the public is allowed to go into, says Mayor Jim Lowery.Meaning restaurants, and night clubs. Fultondale will join 13 other cities thought out Alabama, with similar ordinances. Mayor Jim Lowery believes this ordinance will improve the quality of living in the city, and ultimately save lives.I dont look at it as just a smoking cigarettes ordinance, I look at it as a cancer ordinance. I think when you pass something like this, its the most economical way to prevent cancer.But many arent convinced. They believe this ordinance is putting a cancer on the way they live life.I do understand nonsmokers dont want to be around it, however it is my right to smoke, says Chance Cromwell.As of now, there arent many restaurants in Fultondale that allow smoking cigarettes. Jalisco Mexican Restaurant is one. The manager doesnt like the approach the city is taking to abolish smoking cigarettes in the city, but he stands behind their decision.I think the city shouldnt tell you what to do because its your establishment, you pay the taxes, you pay everything, but its the right thing to do, says Jose Madina.Despite the gripes, and complaints, Mayor Lowery stands behind the ordinance, 100 percent.If theres something we could do to protect the people that shop in Fultondale, live in Fultondale, I think we should do it. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesBox.Com Cigarettes News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/mayor_stands_by_smoking_ban_in_fultondale.html 2011-07-15 13:04:00 After weeks of crippling political deadlock, DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders emerged in the darkened Capitol on Thursday to announce they had brokered a budget deal to end the longest state government shutdown in U.S. history.The deal raises the revenue Dayton sought -- $1.4 billion -- but without raising taxes, which Republicans opposed. Instead, it reaches back to an earlier GOP offer to rely primarily on more borrowing from schools and from the sale of tobacco bonds. The House and Senate could return in special session to vote on a final budget as early as Monday or Tuesday.Dayton and legislators said they plan to work around the clock through the weekend to fine-tune details and call a special session. State government would be able to start back up as soon as bills are passed and signed.Dayton acknowledged the deal certainly doesnt put us in a better situation, but the real solution for Minnesota and the nation is for the state and national economy to improve and put more people to work and, therefore, paying taxes.No one is going to be happy with this, which is the essence of a real compromise, he said as the deal was announced.Dayton shocked some Democrats and other supporters earlier in the day when he said he was dropping his push to raise taxes on high earners and instead would accept a June 30 GOP offer that featured a $700 million money shift from K-12 school spending and roughly $700 million in tobacco revenue bonds.Daytons move means the deepest cuts in services will be averted, but it abandoned his campaign goal of balancing the budget by raising taxes on high earners.He will also be able to claim credit for preserving thousands of state jobs by forcing Republicans to drop a proposed 15 percent reduction in state workers and for a $500 million bonding proposal that will kick-start private sector jobs. Dayton further got Republicans to eliminate controversial social policies from spending bills.For their part, Republicans can tell constituents they honored their campaign pledge to oppose tax increases. But they also will be saddled with responsibility for a plan that adds to the states debt and a budget that breaks their live within your means goal.No ones happy with itIts not a perfect scenario, but we are in an imperfect situation, said House Speaker Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove. It was about making sure we could get a deal that we all can be disappointed in. ... None of us got exactly all of what we wanted.Republican leaders will spend the coming days cobbling together a list of bonding projects that may win some otherwise reluctant legislative votes.Grumbling among rank-and-file members was swift.Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dave Thompson, R-Lakeville, said the loss of social policy language would cost GOP leaders his vote. If there cant be any policy changes contained in any of the legislation, then no, he said. Im not a supporter.Sen. Michael Jungbauer, R-East Bethel, said the deal is a real non-starter for me, but conceded, I dont want to see this shutdown.On the DFL side, Golden Valley Rep. Ryan Winkler called it the most irresponsible budget in our states history. Borrowing money to balance the budget was wrong when Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty did it, he said, and that pattern is being repeated. Minnesota has steadily marched down a path toward a fiscal crisis, like we have seen in other dysfunctional states, Winkler said.Sen. Barb Goodwin, DFL-Columbia Heights, said that before, it was House and Senate Democrats who caved in to Pawlentys shifting. Now, she said, Its Dayton caving in to Republicans shifting the debt into the future.Some legislators were disappointed other options werent explored.If we did Block E [casino] and racino together, that would be a $200 million shift, said Rep. John Kriesel, R-Cottage Grove. Thats much easier for Minnesotans to swallow.Sen. John Howe, R-Red Wing, urged Republicans not to let bickering scuttle the deal.I dont think people should stand in the way of it because we do want to get Minnesota working again, he said. Generally, no ones happy with it.Terms of the offerThe $35.5 billion two-year budget deal would cause the state to double down on short-term financial shifts that could make it even more difficult for Minnesota to right its ledger in coming years.For example, the state will end up owing a record $2.1 billion to K-12 schools with no method laid out yet for paying that money back.Last week, the national firm Fitch Ratings downgraded the states credit rating over the use of these types of stopgaps and warned against similar one-time accounting tricks.Borrowing $700 million against future tobacco settlement revenue would involve repayment with significant interest. A bonding bill would add jobs but also add to the states mounting debt service.Dayton and the Republicans who dominate the Legislature have been at odds since January over how to resolve the states $5 billion projected deficit.When the session ended May 23, the fight rolled on, with Dayton vetoing every Republican budget bill save for agriculture.When the states two-year budget expired June 30, triggering the second government shutdown in seven years, the two sides continued to squabble.The impasse rankled for two weeks, as state parks closed, racetracks closed, thousands of state employees began filing for unemployment and businesses began to feel effects of a government unable to so much as issue a permit or renew a license.By Thursday, the two sides had not even met to talk for a week. Thats when Dayton made one last try.Despite my serious reservations about your plan, I have concluded that continuing the state government shutdown would be even more destructive for too many Minnesotans, Dayton wrote to legislative leaders. Therefore I am willing to agree to something I do not agree with -- your proposal -- in order to spare our citizens and our state from further damage.Within hours, the stalemate was broken. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cheap Cigarettes News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/dayton__gop_finally_reach_budget_deal.html 2011-07-14 13:02:00 The state budget deal brewing between Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders involves a lot of debt, including perhaps borrowing $700 million by tapping future tobacco settlement payments.That approach concerns some people, such as state economist Tom Stinson, who doesnt feels it could hurt the states credit ratings and raise its borrowing costs.It certainly doesnt do the states credit reputation any good. The lower your bond rating, the lower your credit reputation, the higher the interest rates you have to pay, Stinson said.However, Minnesota is not alone in the approach.Fifteen other states have borrowed against tobacco settlement money. And there was consideration for doing that in Minnesota when during Tim Pawlentys term as governor.But Tom Hanson, Pawlentys former finance commissioner, warns that tobacco money spent now wont be available in the future.The problem with, or the dilemma with tobacco bonds is its money thats here for the current biennium, 12 and 13, Hanson said. But its not money thats going to be there in 14 and 15. And if theyre going to build-in spending thats continuing into 14 and 15, youre going to have to find another revenue source two years from now.Minnesota has been getting about $160 million a year from tobacco companies, as part of a 1998 deal to compensate states for treating people with smoking cigarettes-related illnesses. It is unclear how much it will cost to utilize those payments or how it will affect the states credit rating. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • CigarettesHouse.Com Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/economists_cautious_on_borrowing_against_tobacco_fund.html 2011-07-13 12:57:00 The tentative agreement announced by Democratic Governor Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders on Thursday relies on delaying payments and borrowing against future revenues, rather than taking any hard decisions on cutting spending or raising taxes.And it will do little to ease the tensions between the two political parties over fiscal and social policy issues.It does nothing to address the fundamental problems the state has been facing for years, said David Schultz, a Hamline University professor and expert in Minnesota politics.The deal in Minnesota comes as President Barack Obama and Republicans wrestle over higher taxes versus spending cuts as they try to hammer out a deficit-reduction plan while facing an Aug. 2 deadline on raising the federal governments debt ceiling.In Minnesota, details on spending bills were being hammered out on Friday and work was expected to continue over the weekend toward holding a special session as early as Monday where the budget could be approved to end the shutdown, now in its third week.The planned $35.4 billion two-year budget would close a $1.4 billion gap between Democratic and Republican proposals by delaying $700 million of payments to schools and issuing $700 million of bonds backed by tobacco settlement money.It leaves the structural problem virtually unchanged and in fact actually makes the structural problem just a little bit worse looking out into 2014 and 2015, said Tom Stinson, a University of Minnesota and state economist.Ratings agency Fitch had stripped Minnesotas AAA bond rating partly over structural deficits and partly because the tobacco bond proposal was even on the table, he said.It is just not good financial practice to indulge in that kind of smoke cigarettes and mirrors, Stinson said.FISCAL VICTORY FOR REPUBLICANSThe deal includes none of the income tax increases Dayton had proposed, in a clear fiscal victory for Republicans that has so far met stiff opposition from Democratic lawmakers.They won on this one across the board, Schultz said, adding that he thought the deal would be approved.The agreement is expected to exclude big social policy changes Republicans had sought, such as restrictions on stem cell research and abortion that were reported as hang-ups in talks ahead of the shutdown.Still, Schultz said, Republican lawmakers could bypass Dayton on policy issues by placing proposed amendments to the state constitution before voters as they have with a gay marriage ban amendment for the 2012 general election.Capital bonding proposals Dayton had made early in the year were cut in half to $500 million in his latest budget offer, and are no longer required to complete the deal.Even if the legislature approved the spending plans on Monday it could take until the end of the week to get the state government back up and running, Schultz said.More than 22,000 state workers were furloughed in the chaotic government shutdown that started with the new fiscal year on July 1.State parks, historic sites and highway rest stops were closed before the July 4 holiday weekend. The state lottery was suspended and two horse racing tracks were forced to suspend operations due to a lack of government oversight.Only functions deemed critical were continued such as prison staffing, state police patrols and operations at nursing and veterans homes. Still, not all prison and police functions were deemed critical.About 100 state-funded road construction projects were also suspended during the shutdown. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes Online News    • CigarettesPro.com Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/minnesota_budget_deal_pushes_problem_down_the_road.html 2011-07-12 13:01:00 Starting Tuesday everyone living, working or visiting Summerville can breathe a little easier. The city is becoming one of 36 in South Carolina that is going to be smoke-free.Physicians at Summerville Medical Center said this is a step in the right direction to bettering the overall health of the community.Secondhand smoke cigarettes is a major public risk factor, its been linked to cardiovascular disease, its been linked to lung cancer and its something that needs to be reduced to reduce risk factors for the public, Dr. Geoffrey Gray said.According to the Centers for Disease Control, secondhand smoke cigarettes contains more than 7,000 chemicals, hundreds are toxic and about 70 can cause cancer.Secondhand smoke cigarettes causes numerous health problems in children, which is why John Watson said smoke-free will encourage families to go out more.It will probably make us go to other bars and restaurants that we didnt go to previously because of having a three year old, Watson said holding his son.Even if restaurants and bars are the only place you encounter secondhand smoke, there is no risk-free level of exposure.Gray said eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke cigarettes for any amount of time can reduce the risk of serious medical conditions. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/smoke_free_in_summerville_this_week.html 2011-07-11 16:58:00 Fearing that flavored tobacco is luring teens and young adults to start smoking cigarettes, health advocates asked Oregon lawmakers to ban new hookah lounges. But the measures biggest cheerleaders have now become its fiercest critics.The state House set aside pleas from health advocates Wednesday and approved the bill by the narrowest possible margin.The Houses 31-29 vote sends the measure to Gov. John Kitzhaber, who will sign it, Kitzhaber spokeswoman Christine Miles said.The measure was changed in the final days of the legislative session, and its primary sponsor fears those changes will allow hookah lounges to open in teenage hangouts like shopping malls and do more harm than good to Oregons indoor smoking cigarettes ban.This could be just a real destructive piece of legislation if it passes, said Rep. Carolyn Tomei, a Milwaukie Democrat who introduced the original bill but asked lawmakers to defeat it.The bills proponents say the changes were designed only to allow a small number of existing cigar businesses to continue operating.They deny that it would allow a significant expansion of hookah lounges and say its passage is critical to restricting the growth of flavored tobacco.There will be no hookah lounges in malls, said Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville. If we dont pass the bill, we are going to get a flood of hookah applications.Hookah lounges allow people who are at least 18 years old to smoke cigarettes flavored tobacco from a water pipe.They often sell food, play music and create a social atmosphere like a coffee shop.The Oregon Health Authority has certified 26 smoke cigarettes shops, which include both cigar and hookah lounges that are allowed to permit smoking cigarettes indoors. The agency doesnt distinguish hookah from cigars, but just over half of the certified shops have the word hookah in their names.Public Health Division spokeswoman Christine Stone said there has been a small increase in applications for new smoke cigarettes shops but its unclear whether its related to the pending legislation.Tomeis original bill would have created tough rules for new smoke cigarettes shops, intended to allow some indoor smoking cigarettes at cigar shops while preventing most indoor hookah lounges. Smoke shops could have no more than four seats, they could allow smoking cigarettes only for sampling purposes, and they couldnt sell food or drinks. The proposal passed the House on a 35-23 vote in April.But the Senate watered down current smoking cigarettes regulations, allowing shops to operate not just in stand-alone buildings but also in locations that share walls with other businesses — as long as they have an independent ventilation system.The bill would still ban new hookah lounges, but instead of the new restrictions being retroactive, hookah lounge applications will be allowed up until the day the governor signs the bill. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cheap Cigarettes News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesBox.Com Cigarettes News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/house_oks_disputed_hookah_lounge_bill.html 2011-07-10 22:56:00 Smokers purchased 120 million fewer packs of cigarettes store in Kentucky over the past two years after the state doubled its cigarette tax to 60 cents a pack, a state economist said Friday.Greg Harkenrider, deputy executive director of the Governors Office for Economic Analysis, told The Associated Press that raising the tax in 2009 appears to have done what proponents had hoped: caused people to smoke cigarettes less.The datas hard to refute on that point, he said.Kentuckys cigarette tax increase came shortly after the federal government raised its rate by 62 cents a pack to $1.01. Together, the state and federal taxes proved to be a double whammy for smokers, pushing average prices for name-brand discount cigarette online to as much as $44 a carton.Phillip Morris USA spokesman David Sutton said cigarette sales, which have been declining in the United States for decades, can be expected to drop when taxes go up.But he said some Kentucky smokers also could be buying their online cigarettes in neighboring states with lower taxes, particularly Missouri, where the tax is 17 cents a pack, and Virginia, where its 30 cents a pack.Despite the decline in sales, Harkenrider said more than 500,000 packs of cheap cigarettes were sold in Kentucky last year.Tax revenue risesFinancial records show the state is receiving far more revenue from the cigarette tax. In 2008, the year before the tax increase, state government received $165.5 million. Last year, that increased to $272.6 million.Tonya Chang, the American Heart Associations advocacy director, welcomed the decline in sales but said Kentucky, which still has one of the highest smoking cigarettes rates in the nation, needs to do more to discourage people from lighting up.Chang said shed like to see Kentuckys cigarette tax raised to the national average, which now stands at $1.45.Selling fewer cigarettes online in Kentucky is good news, she said. However, since Kentucky still has one of the highest smoking cigarettes rates in the country, there is a lot more that could be done to address the problem.Chang said the state should spend more than the current $3.7 million a year on smoking cigarettes prevention and cessation, considering that nearly 25 percent of the states population smokes. She said lawmakers also should pass legislation prohibiting smoking cigarettes in workplaces and public places.Harkenrider said other factors also played into the decline in cigarette sales in Kentucky, including the growing number of localities that have banned smoking cigarettes in public places.More significantly, Harkenrider said, fewer people have been driving to Kentucky from neighboring states to purchase cheaper buy cigarettes since the higher tax rate was imposed.State Rep. Tom Riner, D-Louisville, called Harkenriders finding regarding the decline in sales wonderful news. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesBox.Com Cigarettes News http://www.discountcigarettesbox.com/tobacco-news/cigarette_tax_cuts_sales.html 2011-07-09 22:54:00