Sitting on a park bench at Prescott Promenade on a hot July afternoon, John stares at a brawny tattooed man in his 50s smoking a cigarette under a “No Smoking” sign. “Who knows what this guy would do if I went up to him and told him to put that cigarette out,” says John, as he waves a copy of El Cajon’s no-smoking ordinance in the air. “People don’t respect the law anymore. They’ve never respected this one.” For some residents, the law that prohibits smoking in public — in parks, restaurants, bars, places of employment, and commo ... Jump to full article >>

Tobacco could kill one billion people this century if current trends hold, global health experts said in a report issued on Tuesday. Following are some of the main findings in the new Tobacco Atlas by the World Lung Foundation and the American Cancer Society. FINANCIAL COST * Tobacco use costs the global economy $500 billion a year in direct medical expenses, lost productivity and environmental harm. * Tobacco takes the place of potential food production on almost 9.9 million acres (4 million hectares) of the planet’s agricultural land, equal to the world’s orange groves or banana ... Jump to full article >>

Some people quit smoking to save money or to improve their health. William Peloubet is trying to quit because it’s now banned in the condominium complex where he lives. “We’re trying,” said Peloubet, 39, who lives in his mother’s condominium on Old Colony Way with his girlfriend. “It’s time to quit anyway.” Old Colony is the first Cape condominium association known to ban smoking in the private apartment-like units that people call home, real estate and condo experts said in January when the proposed ban first made the news. Owners’ votes, ... Jump to full article >>

As if to prove that the sanctimony of the anti-smoking movement knows no bounds whatsoever, the local council in Richmond, England, home of the Book Now festival, has objected to a publicity photograph of Lynn Barber, winner of five British Press awards and author of the memoir An Education, because it showed Barber smoking. Barber, who was scheduled to appear at the festival in November, responded to the request for another photo by withdrawing from the roster of attendees. The stated reason for the Richmond council’s objection? Depicting an author smoking would contravene the city̵ ... Jump to full article >>

Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri, according to the 9-11 commission report, was the mastermind of the Oct. 12, 2000, attack on the U.S.S. Cole that killed 17 U.S. sailors. Nashiri was also the target of an “unauthorized” CIA interrogation technique (that had not been legally vetted by the Justice Department) that is described in a May 7, 2004, CIA inspector general’s report that was partially declassified by the Obama administration this week. CIA officers blew smoke in Nashiri’s face, according to the report, and they used cigars. The IG’s office described this smoke-blowi ... Jump to full article >>

In a decision that could put a significant crimp in untaxed cigarette sales from the Poospatuck tribal reservation in Mastic, a federal judge has granted New York City’s request for an injunction against sales to nonmembers of the Indian tribe. U.S. District Judge Carol Amon, following a four-day hearing in May, found that sales from reservation smoke shops fueled a massive bootlegging trade of cheap smokes in New York City that deprived the city of tax revenue and reduced the effectiveness of anti-smoking programs. Although untaxed sales to tribal members for their personal use are leg ... Jump to full article >>

Some Chargers fans are fuming over San Diego’s decision to eliminate the designated smoking areas at Qualcomm Stadium. Pat Guzik, a season-ticket holder for 24 years and a smoker for 40, is mad about the change — and even angrier that no one has formally notified the tens of thousands of spectators who will fill the stadium on game days. Tailgaters can still smoke in the parking lot, but Guzik, who lives in Poway, said she wouldn’t have spent $4,000 to renew her four season tickets if she knew she would be unable to smoke during halftime. “I think a lot of people would ... Jump to full article >>

A SEX beast nicknamed The Thing was left bloody and battered in a behind-bars row with the notorious Da Vinci rapist. “Thing” Kevin Fyffe – a serial offender first jailed for rape in 1988 – ended up in hospital after the confrontation at Saughton jail in Edinburgh. Attacker Robert Greens – serving 10 years for raping a Dutch student near the chapel which features in the book The Da Vinci Code – is now locked up 23 hours a day as punishment. Prison sources said the row had broken out over Fyffe’s pungent tobacco smoke. Greens, 31, who had the cell next ... Jump to full article >>

A new study finds that smokers in rural Indonesia finance their habit by dipping into the family food budget — which ultimately results in poorer nutrition for their children. The findings suggest that the costs of smoking in the developing world go well beyond the immediate health risks, according to authors Steven Block and Patrick Webb of Tufts University. The study is published in the October issue of Economic Development and Cultural Change. Using surveys of 33,000 mostly poor households in Java, Indonesia, the researchers found that the average family with at least one smoker spend ... Jump to full article >>

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Now that an anti-smoking group has lost the fight over whether cigar bars exist in Nebraska, it’s focusing on where the smoke blows. Mark Welsch, president of the Group to Alleviate Smoking Pollution, told regulators Thursday that smoking in cigar bars shouldn’t be exempt from the state’s anti-smoking law if smoke infiltrates neighboring shops or businesses. Welsch, speaking before the Liquor Control Commission during a public hearing in Lincoln, also said a rule requiring ventilation systems in cigar bars should be struck down. He said it gives the ... Jump to full article >>

Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem announced this morning that it has nearly doubled the amount of space designated for smoking gamblers from 25% of the gaming floor to nearly 50%. Sands says the increase is in response to demand from its guests. The casino says it has a state-of-the-art air filtration system that’s designed to handle smoking on the entire floor, but 50% of the floor will remain off limits to smokers. Sands’ restaurants will also remain smoke-free. source: http://wfmz.com ... Jump to full article >>