TALLAHASSEE — Inmates in Florida’s prisons will have to wean themselves off of tobacco. The Department of Corrections plans to make all of Florida’s prisons tobacco-free this year. The department began initiating a Tobacco Cessation Initiative April 1 to phase out tobacco usage by September 30. “The decision to eliminate smoking and tobacco use was made to reduce the medical cost associated with exposure to tobacco, and eliminate second hand smoke exposure to non-smokers,” According to a Department of Corrections release. Prisons will offer inmates a 14-day sup ... Jump to full article >>

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Hanging out in entertainment hubs and restaurants in Metro Manila can be bad for the health, according to a recent study. The study, commissioned by the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, showed that of the five types of public places screened for second-hand tobacco smoke in the metropolis, two—entertainment venues and dining areas—had the highest air nicotine levels. These places also registered extreme concentrations of particulate matters, which are hazardous fine particles produced and released into the air by combustion, including s ... Jump to full article >>

Parents who smoke while driving with their children in the car may face prosecution under strict new laws. Health watchdogs in Wales are ­trying to slash the number of smokers by a third over the next decade. Chief medical ­officer Dr Tony Jewell said the laws will help break the cycle of ­smoking within families and “bring home to parents the risks of smoking in front of their children”. He added: “Reducing ­children’s exposure to ­second-hand smoke will help to protect the most ­vulnerable in society.” Patients and staff in Wales could also be banned from smoking while on br ... Jump to full article >>

Beijing – China has ordered that smoking scenes in films and television series be restricted, amid concern it is failing to deliver on pledges to help its 300 million smokers kick the habit. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), China’s media watchdog, called for “strict control” of smoking scenes and banned minors from being present in shots involving anyone lighting up. Cigarette brands are banned from appearing in films and television series, and smoking scenes must be kept as short as possible, a circular posted on SARFT’s website said on Sat ... Jump to full article >>

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Recreation Department and the Southern Adirondack Tobacco-Free Coalition are joining forces to ensure smokers steer clear of the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center. New signs declaring “This is a Tobacco-Free Recreational Site” will be placed inside and outside the recreation center, the North Side Recreation Field and the Veteran’s Memorial Park at Geyser Road. The East and West Side recreation fields already have signs in place because they are owned by the school district and are therefore legally designated as tobacco-free areas. The City Cou ... Jump to full article >>

Thanks to the public smoking ban, office parties are no longer the smoky affairs they used to be. But at parties in private homes, non-smokers are still exposed to other people’s tobacco fumes. Sometimes Naomi (a non-smoker) wonders about those parties, and about how much second-hand smoke it takes to cause disease. Then she reads the reports last month of a World Health Organisation (WHO) study which concludes that one death in 100 can be attributed to passive smoking, and asks herself: “Could that be me?” Sadly, the research shows that it could. Other recent studies indicat ... Jump to full article >>

DES MOINES – Gov. Chet Culver said he would support extending Iowa’s workplace smoking ban to include casino floors if he succeeds in winning a second term by defeating Republican Terry Branstad in the Nov. 2 election. “I think that’s the logical next step,” Culver told reporters in touting progress Iowa has made in combating smoking during his first term as governor during a discussion of the health-care initiatives he would like to pursue if given a second, four-year term by Iowa voters. Culver said the smoke-free workplace law he signed in 2008 is among the nat ... Jump to full article >>

The low-down on the curious product that — according to a new report — may be responsible for poisoning nearly 600 children a year According to a new report, almost 600 children a year contract a mild case of poisoning after accidentally eating so-called “tobacco candy” — the second most common source of unintentional tobacco consumption for kids six and younger (after second-hand smoke). What is this controversial product, and should it be banned? Can you really buy candy made from tobacco? Yes, depending on how you define “candy.” R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, for exam ... Jump to full article >>

More than 22,000 children seek medical help for asthma and wheezing as a result of passive smoking every year, according to the first UK assessment of the impact of second-hand smoke. The 200-page report on the health impacts of passive smoking on children, and the costs to the NHS, concludes that it is responsible for thousands of avoidable hospital and GP visits, as well as for one in five sudden infant deaths. Doctors said that it provided the most compelling case yet for an extension of the smoking ban, which is due for review later this year, to enclosed public places, including cars, and ... Jump to full article >>

Following Gov. Beverly Perdue’s signing into effect the no smoking laws in North Carolina, many businesses struggle to remain open. “We know from the 2006 Surgeon General’s report that there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke,” said Karen Caldwell, a tobacco prevention specialist in Asheville. “The best way to protect everyone is to have smoke-free policies and laws.” Many grassroots coalitions and nonprofit agencies influenced legislators to pass the non-smoking policies and emphasized the importance of smoke-free workplaces, according to Caldwell. “The state legi ... Jump to full article >>

It could soon be butts out for smokers in Coos Bay city parks – as a new effort is underway by a group of concerned community members, including doctors, nurses and public health workers – to ban smokers from lighting up. “It’s simply a request to modify behavior that’s actually in the park where lots of people bring families and children to play. It’s about reducing people’s exposure to second-hand smoke.” This past week Jennifer Stephens, a local personal trainer and Coos County Public Health employee, presented a proposal to the Coos Bay City Council, ... Jump to full article >>