MURFREESBORO — The calendar has turned from 2011 to 2012, and spring semester is under way at MTSU. A new day has dawned on campus. A tobacco-free day. “MT tobacco free” decals began going up Jan 4, and a majority of the installation was to be completed by the end of the week. On academic, housing and administrative buildings, decals were installed over the existing “no smoking within 20 feet” door signs. MTSU News and Media Affairs reported that 300 decals were ordered and installed at a total cost to date of $3,853. MTSU’s tobacco-free policy was announced by ... Jump to full article >>

Smokers face an average rise of 0.30 euro ($0.40) on a packet of cigarettes on Monday, making France the fourth most expensive European country for people wanting to light up. Prices have risen by over 70 percent in ten years, taking the price of a pack from €3.60 to €6.20 for the best-selling Marlboro brand. Only the UK, Sweden and Ireland have more expensive cigarettes. A further 6 percent rise is planned for 2012. While the total number of cigarettes sold has fallen over the last ten years, data showed a recent rise in cigarette sales. The drug watchdog OFDT (Observatoire français des ... Jump to full article >>

A Macomb County Circuit judge did not rule the Michigan smoking ban unconstitutional Monday, but called some of the language in the ban confusing. Judge Edward Servitto also allowed Warren bar owner Boyd Cottrell to keep his license and did not order him to pay a $500 fine for violating the ban. Cottrell, owner of Sporty O’Toole’s, was cited in May for violating the ban and paid a $100 fine. His second ticket came in October, but he did not pay the $500 fine. The Macomb County Health Department filed a complaint in Circuit Court, and Cottrell took up the challenge, the first in th ... Jump to full article >>

Voters in the state capital will decide whether smokers should be allowed to keep lighting up in bars, or whether a ban the city approved last year should finally take effect. Bismarck city commissioners last fall approved an ordinance banning smoking in bars, truck stops and tobacco stores. The ban was to go into effect on Nov. 1, but a group of bar workers submitted enough referral petitions to bring the matter to a public vote. Voters on Tuesday also will decide whether to allow smoking huts outside bars if a ban is approved. Supporters of a ban say it is in the interest of public health, p ... Jump to full article >>

The Albatross is the only hookah lounge and specialty shop in Springfield, and it will be unable to operate under the city’s new smoking ban.   SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— The fight isn’t over; that’s the sentiment those against Springfield’s smoking ban are touting. And one local business is convinced it has the best argument for exemption. “My family lives in The Albatross.” Amidst the haze of Springfield’s only hookah lounge and specialty tobacco shop, one thing’s clear. “I can go an hour without smoking anything, just because weR ... Jump to full article >>

A local bar owner is going to court on Monday to fight Michigan’s smoking ban saying it has destroyed his business and is unconstitutional. Boyd Cottrell bought Sporty O’Tooles bar in 2009 after 23 years as a Detroit Police Officer. He says he thought is would be a good investment for his retirement and at first business was great. But last May when the state’s smoking ban took effect, business dropped dramatically. Cottrell admits he did allow customers to light up now and then but then he was fined. That’s when he decided to take some legal action. He says if casin ... Jump to full article >>

Opponents of the proposed smoking ban say the measure, if approved, would be among the strictest in the state. Unlike smoking bans adopted recently in other Missouri cities — and three others up for vote April 5 — the proposed Springfield ordinance contains almost no exceptions. The ban, which covers electronic cigarettes as well as traditional tobacco products, allows smoking indoors only in private homes and vehicles and up to a quarter of the rooms for rent in hotels. In contrast, ordinances going before voters in Cape Girardeau, O’Fallon and Webb City all include exemptio ... Jump to full article >>

With the fifth anniversary of the most radical public health legislation since devolution, our reporter gauges how Scots have reacted and tries to discover what the next step might be. FOR MANY, it seems like a distant memory, a bygone age when smokers and non-smokers sat side-by-side enjoying a drink in a Scottish pub. Now, smokers are left out in the cold – some would say in more ways than one. The ban on smoking in public places in Scotland, now approaching its fifth anniversary, was hailed as a major step forward in the battle to improve public health. Those exposed to second-hand smoke ... Jump to full article >>

Paramount’s new animated film Rango has left many parents — and anti-tobacco advocacy groups — fuming over the portrayal of characters smoking cigarettes and cigars. In fact, there are more than 60 instances of smoking throughout the PG-rated Western, according to Kori Titus, CEO of Breathe California, a Sacramento-based non-profit dedicated to clean air and anti-tobacco programs. “While some in the film industry have taken preliminary steps to protect young audiences by making more movies smoke free, Paramount’s decision to include smoking in a movie designed for kids is really tro ... Jump to full article >>

Popular American rock band Maroon 5 says that its local promoter rejects further tobacco company sponsorship for its upcoming concert in Jakarta in response to a letter from the National Commission for Child Protection. After receiving the letter dated Jan. 20, which urged the band to reject tobacco sponsorship of the concert and refuse any connection with the tobacco industry in their future concerts in Indonesia, Maroon 5, scheduled to perform on April 27, notified promoter Java Musikindo, owned by Adrie Subono, to cancel sponsorship of their concert by Surya PROfessional Mild, a Gudang Gar ... Jump to full article >>

The Indiana House voted 68-31 for a bill that would ban smoking in most public places in Indiana. House Bill 1018, sponsored by Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, and Rep. Eric Turner, R-Marion, now moves to the Senate for consideration. This is the fifth time a smoking-ban bill has passed the House. In the past, the bill has never gotten a hearing in the Senate, but Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said it will get a hearing this year. The bill exempts casinos and bars that serve only those 21 and older; and also allows nursing homes and fraternal clubs, such as Veterans of Fo ... Jump to full article >>