Earlier this year the City Council of Port Lavaca, Texas voted to ban smoking at bars and other indoor areas. However, after 204 registered voters signed a petition to place a referendum on the issue the move went back to the City Council. According to a quote in the Victoria Advocate the owner of The Other Office Bar Christine Henze Demeio, says the ban had killed her business and that she wasn’t approached before the indoor […]
Last week was a bad one for residents of Geneva, New York as they saw a ban on smoking in housing projects as well as a vote that makes it illegal to smoke in city parks. Geneva is located in the Finger Lakes region of NY and the move to ban smoking in parks passed 7-0. The vote was sparked by the youth members of the local Boys & Girls Club. Meanwhile, the city […]
Last year, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would have banned smoking in parks and beaches. The move wasn’t popular amongst many of the states politicians and this week the state capital Trenton has banned smoking in parks, city facilities and city owned vehicles. Violators of the new ordinance will be fined between $50 and $100 for the first offense with the second offense carrying a fine of $100-$200. Every violation thereafter […]
Last year the Board of Health in Westminster, Massachusetts attempted to ban the sale of tobacco products. Thankfully, that measure failed and now state lawmakers have begun to take measures that will prevent other local governments from enacting similar ordinances. The bill which is co-sponsored by Representative Paul K. Frost, a republican from Auburn made it clear that the bill was a direct response to Westminster and a prevention for other local governments to attempt […]
Last week the City Council of Pleasanton which is located 25 miles south of Oakland in the Bay Area voted to ban smoking in parks. The move comes on a recommendation from the city’s Youth Commission that stated secondhand smoke poses a threat to others in the parks. The ordinance also bans smoking on public trials, and in city parking lots serving parks and trails. The city exempted Calliope Preserve Golf Course although the clubhouse […]
Just prior to the IPCPR trade show in New Orleans a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would bring an end to cigars shipped via the United States Postal Service and would add various other requirements to other methods of shipping. The bill H.R. 3042, dubbed “Stop Tobacco Sales to Youth Act of 2015,” was introduced by two democrats from Connecticut; Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro and Elizabeth Etsy and seeks to change the language of […]
Another week goes by, and another community in Massachusetts has raised the tobacco age to 21. This time that community is Wilmington, which passed the measure by a unanimous vote. During the hearing, 9 retailers spoke against the ban but the measure passed along with a measure that prohibits the sale of tobacco at local drug stores. A hearing on the ban of flavored tobacco was pushed back to a later date, and the new regulations will […]
It’s a bad day for Texas as Sherman joins Waco in passing a new ordinance that bans smoking in bars and restaurants. The new measure goes into effect immediately and passed by a 5-2 margin with violations carrying a fine of up to $500. You can still smoke on patios however that are 25 feet away from the main entrance.
According to a published report in the Waco Tribune smoking in bars, restaurants and other enclosed public spaces will become illegal after January 1, 2016. The ban did undergo some minor tweaks that will allow businesses to create a smoking patio and it was passed 5-1. The new ordinance replaces one that was adopted in 2009 that exempted existing bars and allowed walled off, separately ventilated smoking rooms in restaurants and other businesses. The lone vote and voice […]
The city of San Diego has repealed a law that banned tobacco advertising because it violates the First Amendment free-speech protections according to a report from the San Diego Union-Tribune. The repeal which the city council unanimously approved will once again allow manufacturers and retailers to speak directly to their customers about products. It also removed the 1,000 foot buffer for tobacco advertising around schools, libraries, arcades, recreation centers, and child-care facilities. However, it does not remove […]