After the news of the tobacco free ordinance passing at Monday’s city council meeting, the city seems to have varying opinions on whether it’s good for Norcross or not. The ordinance states that the use of tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco, are to be banned from all city property: city parks, city buildings, city parking lots and sidewalks. The ban hasn’t gone into effect yet, but once enforced, fines will range from $50 to $800, according to the ordinance. Ross Kaul, the councilman who spearheaded the ban, has explained multiple times that the reason behind the o ... Jump to full article >>

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster says movie producers should restrict depictions of tobacco use and include anti-tobacco spots in DVD and video releases that show people smoking. Koster is among more than three dozen state attorneys general calling for action by 10 movie production studios. Koster and his colleagues want movie studios to develop specific policies barring tobacco products from films aimed at children and teens. Koster says he hopes movie makers will take steps to ensure young people are not enticed to start smoking. The Associated Press ... Jump to full article >>

People who smoke menthol cigarettes have a much higher risk of stroke than those who smoke regular cigarettes, according to a new study. “Current mentholated cigarette smokers have an over two times greater risk of having stroke,” says Nicholas Vozoris, a Canadian scientist who conducted the research. “And particularly driving this association were women and non-African Americans.” Vozoris is a clinical associate at Saint Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and his study used data from more than 5,000 smokers in a U.S. government survey. The World Health Organization s ... Jump to full article >>

BEN Cousins has been charged with possession of cannabis and a smoking implement in his car after being pulled over by police in Perth early today. Police pulled over Cousins, 33, just before 7.30am as he drove his white Nissan Murano in North Beach, Perth Now reported. It will be alleged police found the cannabis – with an estimated street value of just $20 – and smoking utensil inside the vehicle during a search. A Western Australia Police spokesman refused to say which North Beach street Cousins had been arrested on but PerthNow has reliable information to suggest it was outside ... Jump to full article >>

Leda Beierle has lived through World War I and II, the Great Depression, Louisville’s 1937 flood and 18 U.S. presidents. When she was born 100 years ago, the Titanic had yet to sink. Beierle, who’s mentally sharp and lives on her own, suspects that she’s still around because of “good living,” which she describes as no smoking or drinking, and good luck. “I can’t complain,” she said . “I haven’t had anything serious [the] matter with me.” Some people live long because they’ve essentially won the genetic lottery, said Brian Kennedy, an expert on aging who also happens to ... Jump to full article >>

She’s only 15, but Madonna’s daughter, Lourdes, is the subject of a smoking’ hot photo — of her lighting up a smoke. The La Guardia High School student was snapped over the weekend enjoying a cigarette while out with pals in Manhattan. Wearing a black-and-white dress, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and sporting a nose ring, the Material Girl’s girl appeared to puff like she’d done it before. The pic of Lourdes taking a drag has spanned the globe, appearing in newspapers as far away as London. The snapshot went viral on the same day Lourdes’ mom’s video for her song “Girl Gone Wild� ... Jump to full article >>

Ex-smokers Jim and Kathleen Woodall think the proposals for smokers and obese people is a good idea. PATIENTS waiting for routine surgery are being told to stop smoking before they go under the knife. A new policy in Oxfordshire means doctors must enrol patients in stop smoking classes while they are waiting for surgery. Similarly, obese people awaiting for medical procedures are also instructed to lose weight before their own procedures. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure that most people can use to check if their weight is healthy for their height. A BMI of more than 30 is classed as clinica ... Jump to full article >>

The Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen Thursday voted against prohibiting smoking on the beach strand, frustrating a large pro-ban crowd that had turned out for a public hearing and subsequent vote on the issue. The vote was 3-2, the same result as two years ago when another smoking ban proposal was extinguished. But proponents of the ban said public sentiment was on their side. “This is one of those issues that will gain momentum,” said Alderman Bill Sisson, who is in favor of the ban. “It’s not going to go away with this much support.” If the ban had been adop ... Jump to full article >>

No, that’s not a joint Paul McCartney is toking on the cover of Rolling Stone. From a distance, it looks like he’s smoking something, but upon closer inspection you realize it’s a harmonica. Paul McCartney – Rolling Stone According to the interview, McCartney doesn’t use marijuana anymore. “I smoked my share,” he says. “When you’re bringing up a youngster [eight-year-old Beatrice), your sense of responsibility does kick in, if you’re lucky, at some point. Enough’s enough – you just don’t seem to think it’s necessary.” McCartney ... Jump to full article >>

Efforts to limit smoking in the workplace or other public areas have seen a rise in recent years — yet none go as far as recently proposed measures at universities in Texas, which aim to ban smoking from college campuses altogether. With billions of dollars in grant money, a state agency is considering campus-wide tobacco-free policies in order to cut down on the number of smokers and prevent instances of cancer in Texas. Such a policy is likely to draw criticism from both sides. Smokers and proponents of individual liberties might view this as an infringement on personal freedom, while non- ... Jump to full article >>

I have attended prior meetings concerning the proposed smoking ordinance, and as the final vote is scheduled for today, I have several questions. Who brought this smoking ordinance to the Augusta Commission in the first place? Was it a local concerned citizen who wrote a simple letter or stood up before the commission and asked that it be drafted? Could it have been lobbyists who get paid to travel from city to city in groups to skewer our government? Is this smoking ordinance necessary? We get it – smoking, among other things, is bad for you. But nobody is forcing a nonsmoker to be around i ... Jump to full article >>