With a proposal to raise the smoking age to 21 statewide in Massachusetts, yet another city has raised the age on their own. This time it is Amherst, MA where a measure was passed on Thursday night by the Board of Health. There are currently over 50 communities in the state that have seen the raise in the tobacco most of them being raised by the Board of Health. The new measure goes into […]
This week the city council of Montpelier was addressed by a prevention specialist who is working toward a goal of making Montpelier’s parks and downtown smoke free. During the session Directors Ann Gilbert and Ginny Burley, the aforementioned specialists cited places that have similar bans such as Times Square in NYC and Boulder, Colorado. The measure has already been approved by the Parks Commission and city Manager William Fraser said he would write a suggested plan […]
On Wednesday, the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners voted on a measure that ban smoking in all county parks. The measure was unanimously passed and will go into effect next month. The measure is added to an existing no tobacco policy that was created in 2011 that banned tobacco outside county department buildings. The proposal was first opened at a public hearing on April 22 and kept open through the meeting yesterday. It was voted […]
The global push to ban smoking continues with the Senate in Nigeria passing the Tobacco Control Bill of 2015. While cigar smoking is virtually nonexistent in the African nation, it is worth noting that smoking in pubic will result in six months imprisonment. The Senate did acknowledge however that if tobacco regulation became excessive it would result in the closing of shops. The Senate went on to add that it wouldn’t stop people from smoking and […]
An interesting article posted over at the Convenience Store News website shows the FDA this week issued a guidance document titled, “Determination of the Period Covered by a No Tobacco Sales Order and Compliance with an Order.” The article which states under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the FDA was authorized to conduct retail compliance inspections and impose fines for violations that would culminate in a “no-tobacco-sales” order for repeat violations. The order would […]
Since the TAA Convention last month we have heard rumblings that the FDA was close to making a ruling on the deeming regulations that the cigar industry faces. Currently, the FDA has a date of February 15, 2007 for these regulations which would put many companies out of business. In short, cigars that came to the market before then would be given a free pass, while those after the date would have to apply to have […]
You can add yet another city to the ever-growing list of cities that do not allow smoking in parks. In Ohio, the Nelsonville City Council approved such a measure with a vote of 4-2. While many towns use the guise of second smoke, more and more cities are including smokeless tobacco in the ban. The new legislation passed in Nelsonville bans all forms of tobacco and tobacco derivatives at city parks which includes parking areas, […]
On Monday, the Albert Lea, Minnesota City Council voted 4-3 to ban smoking and all tobacco products in city-owned parks. Violation of the new ordinance will be a petty misdemeanor. The troubling quote from the meeting comes from Erin Simmons of the American Lung Association who smoke for the ban stated, “What we permit, we promote.” Which to me reminds me a bit of communism and not the democracy my grandfather fought for in World […]
In Harrison County, Mississippi it may soon become illegal to enjoy a good cigar as a smoking ban on all city property is looming. The county which encompasses Biloxi, and Gulfport is home to 196,000 residents. The first reading of the proposal passed on Monday also includes any land leased by the county. A second reading is due for next month and if passed the ordinance can immediately be put into effect.
UPDATE: Governor Mike Pence has signed this into law and it will be effective July 1st. It’s not often you seem a smoking law overturned, but it’s about to happen in Indiana and Cigar Lounges couldn’t be happier. As it stands now if you walk into a new cigar lounge it is illegal to smoke indoors even if the only product sold is tobacco. In order to light up you need to walk outside at least […]