A group of Louisiana lawmakers, including Senate President Joel Chaisson, is pushing to boost cigarette taxes by 70 cents per pack, with similar increases for cigars and chewing tobacco. The change would increase the state tax on cigarettes from 36 cents per pack to $1.06. The tax hike will be considered in the upcoming regular session. It faces a tough battle for passage, with significant Republican opposition and Gov. Bobby Jindal threatening a veto if the bill could get the two-thirds vote it needs. Supporters of the proposal — led by Bogalusa Rep. Harold Ritchie — say it would ... Jump to full article >>

Bellefonte Borough Council members are considering passing an ordinance that would prohibit minors from using and possessing tobacco products within the borough. It is illegal in the state for minors to purchase tobacco, but it is not illegal for them to use the products, or have them in their possession. The ordinance is based on one that is already in place in Hollidaysburg, Blair County. If passed, it would make it illegal in the borough for any person younger than 18 to use or possess tobacco in any form, including cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco and any other product containing toba ... Jump to full article >>

Over the course of seven months, a small group of protesters stood in front of various CVS stores in Washington, D.C., holding up signs with a simple yet powerful statement: “CVS sells poison.” The “poison” is something most of us are accustomed to seeing at check-out: cigarettes, chew, cigars. CVS, like other major pharmacies, promotes and sells tobacco products, while simultaneously dispensing medication designed to treat tobacco-related diseases. This conflict of interest is one that activists are hoping to point out to the stores, customers and lawmakers. The ̶ ... Jump to full article >>

OLYMPIA — Some state lawmakers are looking to carve out an exception to the state smoking ban by allowing customers to smoke cigars or pipes at some cigar lounges and tobacco shops. Under bills proposed in the state House and Senate, cigar lounges and retail tobacco stores could apply for a state endorsement that would allow patrons to smoke cigars or pipe tobacco in their shops. Cigarettes, however, would be banned, and the designated smoking area would be physically separated from other areas that prohibit smoking. No more than 100 cigar lounges and 500 retail tobacco shops in the state co ... Jump to full article >>

The notion of Grand Forks bars going smoke-free might have amused civic leaders throughout the Red River Valley a century ago. In 1910, cities throughout the valley celebrated tobacco. Before the television and magazine ads of the 1950s and 1960s, tobacco use a century ago was marketed as a sign of affluence, of decadence, of independence. The Metropolitan Opera House in Grand Forks even featured a third-story outdoor smoking loft. Cigars not only were sold in stores, they were “manufactured” in home-based and storefront businesses, operated by both men and women. One valley co-op marketed ... Jump to full article >>

Regardless of the fact that adverts of cigarettes were banned many years ago, tobacco giants still fork billions of dollars on marketing their newest tobacco creations. According to Marry Smith communications manager for ClearWay Minnesota charity, tobacco industry spends $200 million each year to promote tobacco products across the state. The companies still apply traditional promotional tools, like distributing discount coupons and sending gifts to loyal smokers. Nevertheless, Smith said that some tobacconists apply completely new ways to raise public awareness about their new products, some ... Jump to full article >>

With the state facing a budget deficit of up to $1 billion, and with tobacco companies developing new products designed to appeal to young people, two Democratic legislators say it’s time to enact a stiff new tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco. Reps. Dan Frankel of Squirrel Hill and Gene DePasquale of York, joined by the American Cancer Society, urged legislators Tuesday to end Pennsylvania’s dubious distinction of being the only state that doesn’t tax smokeless tobacco products and one of only two states that doesn’t tax cigar sales. They’re pushing House Bill 5 ... Jump to full article >>

Relax, enjoy a free cigar and beer, get a free day’s entry to Walt Disney World and other famous amusement parks, or cash in on an additional free seat for a local swamp tour. Retailers, theme park operators and hoteliers in Orlando, one of the top tourist destinations on the planet, are looking to ease the pain of thousands of stranded foreign travelers with a raft of ‘freebies,’ discounts and cut-price promotions. The website of the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc has created a special link window, called European Air Service Disruption Offers, to ... Jump to full article >>

The Canadian women’s hockey team apologized yesterday for a celebration in which some players drank beer and smoked cigars on the ice at Canada Hockey Place on Thursday after winning the gold medal at the Vancouver Winter Games. Photos of Canadian players whooping it up about an hour after their 2-0 victory over the United States made their way onto the Internet late Thursday. That angered Gilbert Felli, the IOC’s executive director of the Olympic Games, who said: “I don’t think it’s a good promotion of sport values.” He also promised an investigation. ̶ ... Jump to full article >>

The 38-year-old Ada man says he doesn’t smoke cigarettes and avoids caffeine and alcohol. He’s even a marathon runner, despite having asthma and high blood pressure. But he knows his nightly habit could lead to lung disease or cancer. “I’m kind of stubborn,” Scrivner said. “I’m one of those people who thinks that won’t happen to me.” A new study finds that pipe and cigar smoke may be more harmful than once thought. While less harmful than cigarettes, researchers found pipe and cigar smoke decreases lung function and doubles the risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary d ... Jump to full article >>

Cigar aficionados and pipe smokers often claim that their habit is safer than cigarette smoking because they don’t inhale. Even if they think they’re just harmlessly puffing away, they’re still damaging their lungs, a new study shows. People who smoke cigars and pipes, but have never smoked cigarettes, are more than twice as likely as people who never smoked to have decreased lung function, according to the study. Cigar and pipe smokers who smoke cigarettes (or used to) are at even greater risk; those smokers were nearly 3.5 times more likely than nonsmokers to have decreased lung funct ... Jump to full article >>