News 2011-11-22 18:01:00 Samaritan Hospital and Pioneer Medical Centers ban on cigarettes for sale use goes into effect Nov. 17Tobacco use is already prohibited within the medical facilities themselves, but the new ban extends to the entire property at Samaritan and Pioneer, including parked cars in their parking lots, said Dr. James Irwin, a member of the committee that recommended the ban.Samaritans medical staff has actively encouraged the ban over the past year, he said; adding that most health care facility campuses in Eastern Washington are already buy cigarette online free.The medical executive committee at Samaritan brought a petition to the hospitals board of commissioners in May to make the Samaritan campus smoke-free and the measure had the boards approval, said Irwin.A task force of employees throughout the hospital met monthly since June to discuss the tobacco ban, said Irwin. The task force included smokers and nonsmokers, he added.Were supposed to be a healthy place and be an advocate for preventive care and good health practices and certainly no tobacco use is one of those aspects of preventive medicine that can be very effective in cutting down on disease, said Irwin. Smoking affects recovery from surgery and the children of new or expecting mothers, and the smell of smoke cigarettes on peoples clothing can affect people with allergies and asthma, he said.The hospital offers nicotine patches or gum for patients as appropriate, said Irwin. In some cases, smoking cigarettes cessation medications may be administered as appropriate, he added.Hospital staff will enforce the tobacco ban using gentle persuasion, said Irwin, acknowledging that some people turn to smoking cigarettes as a reaction to stress when family are admitted to the hospital.The date the ban takes effect coincides with the American Cancer Societys Great American Smokeout event, which encourages people to stop smoking cigarettes. Deaconess Medical Centers campus in Spokane will be going smoke-free the same day, said Irwin. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/samaritan_bans_cigarettes.html 2011-11-20 17:58:00 Tobacco-use prevention programs have been cut and positions at the Whatcom County Health Department will be eliminated largely because of reductions in state grant funding.The County Council on Tuesday, Nov. 22, considered approving an update to the countys budget for 2012. Included in the update was elimination of the tobacco-use prevention programs.The programs, which largely targeted youths, effectively ended midway through 2011, because the state cut all funding, said Regina Delahunt, county health department director.Click here to find out more!We really are not doing very much in relation to online cigarettes prevention any longer, she said. At the beginning of the year, the staffer dedicated to the program was cut; the department hoped to have other staff fill in, but then the state cut all funding, she said.The counties cant afford to backfill all of these cuts, she said.The tobacco-prevention program included, among other things, holding workshops and teaching youths about the dangers of discount cigarette online so they could teach their peers.County health officials retained some programs, despite the fact that grants paying for them were reduced. Those included the needle-exchange program and the communicable disease program, through which officials investigate and prevent the spread of diseases. The Health Department made cuts to administration to save the programs.Business in the needle exchange, unfortunately, is really booming, Delahunt said.Examples of administrative cuts in the 2012 budget update: eliminating three positions in the health department - two clerk typists and an environmental health specialist. The clerical positions are currently vacant, but the environmental health specialist would be laid off. The layoff is because of decreased revenue from septic system permits, said Delahunt, who noted that new home construction remains slow.Were to the point where were not going to be able to find much more in the way of administrative cost savings, she said. Even covering the phones and desks is difficult at this point.In fall 2010, when the county was working on the budget, the administration initially proposed eliminating county involvement in the Women, Infants and Children health and nutrition program. Then the state promised to fund all of the countys WIC costs, including administration, for two years, Delahunt said. But the state reduced funding for 2012, requiring the county to spend $188,000 from its general fund for WIC administration.In all, county officials expect to receive $514,000 less revenue in 2012 than was anticipated in the 2011-12 budget, Delahunt said.The councils finance committee recommended approving the update Tuesday afternoon. The full council vote was expected late Tuesday night. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes Online News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/cigarettes_use_prevention_program.html 2011-10-18 17:38:00 A grass-roots push for a $1 cigarette tax increase has won the endorsement of the Wicomico County NAACP — needed support in a region where the rate of youth smoking cigarettes is higher than the statewide average.The Maryland Citizens Health Initiative addresses the statewide meeting of the NAACP on Saturday in Baltimore to make the case for a $1 per-pack increase that, combined with a tax hike on other online cigarettes products, would generate $100 million in revenue, said coalition President Vincent DeMarco.The coalition has the support of the state NAACP, and hopes the meeting wins formal endorsements from the groups organized branches. Backing by the Wicomico NAACP branch is among the first on the Lower Shore, where the prevalence of use of all kinds of discount cigarette online in one county, Somerset is at a statewide high of 33.9 percent.The Tobacco Tax for Health Care Campaign focuses on teen prevention and cessation and generating spending for critical health care and public health needs, DeMarco said. The MCHI lobbied for and won state legislation that increased the cigarette tax by $1 in 2008. The measure generated $120 million in annual tax revenue that supported health care expansion for 250,000 people, DeMarco said.The MCHI also has endorsements from two Talbot County coalitions, The Talbot County Democrat Forum and the Talbot Partnership for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention. The initiative also is supported by the American Cancer Society and AARP.We hope to pick up support from all state NAACP branches, DeMarco said last week. Two hundred and fifty thousand people had health care expansion, thanks to the (2008) tax. It works, and its time to do it again.Statistics show that in two years after the increase, the number of packs of cheap cigarette online sold in Maryland dropped by 25 million, to about 200 million in 2010, from 225 million in 2008, according to date from Tax Burden on Tobacco, 2010.Mary Ashanti, president of the Wicomico NAACP, supports initiatives for smoking cigarettes cessation and prevention programs and improved health care for youth and seniors. Teen and adult (anti-use) tobacco programs save lives and save the state health care costs, she said. The Wicomico County NAACP branch 7028 supports this. The main reason is that the cigarette tax funding will help state programs that are in place to help people quit.In Somerset County, 29.2 percent of middle or high school students reported smoking cigarettes discount cigarettes during a 30-day period — a statewide high — according to the Maryland Youth Tobacco Survey. By comparison, the rate was 10.6 percent among Prince Georges County students in those grades. The state average was 21.4 percent for Maryland students in public, middle and high schools who smoked some form of tobacco product.The proposed $1 increase should lower those numbers. Every time the tax went up, there was a drop in smoking cigarettes and more money is raised for the state, DeMarco said.Among critics of the proposal is Bruce Bereano, a tobacco lobbyist, who told the Capital News Service that tthe tax hike on tobacco is discriminatory and unwarranted. He contends that raising the tobacco tax actually costs the state money because smokers go to other states to buy cheaper tobacco.Its not going to stop smoking cigarettes in Maryland, he told CNS. (Smokers) are just going to be driven further from the state of Maryland to buy their smokes, and theyll buy their bread and butter and other things there. Maryland will lose revenue — it makes no sense fiscally. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cheap Cigarettes News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/local_naacp_chapter_backs_cigarette_tax_increase.html 2011-09-10 12:57:00 It appears Betty Bullock may finally receive the justice she so richly deserves. Unfortunately, shes dead and wont be able to enjoy it. Betty started smoking cigarettes buy cigarettes during smoking cigarettess golden years. She took up the habit in 1956 when she was 17. The Philip Morris buy cigarette online she smoked caused her to develop lung cancer at age 59.In 2001 she sued Philip Morris. After hearing about Philip Morris decades long campaign of deceit, a California jury rendered a 28 billion dollar verdict against Philip Morris in 2002. Unfortunately in 2003 Betty Bullock died. Her daughter continued the case and ultimately the damages verdict was reversed on appeal. The case was re-tried and the jury again found Philip Morris conduct to have been reprehensible and awarded 13.8 million dollars. Philip Morris appealed yet again, this time all the way to the California Supreme court. The court recently affirmed the jurys verdict.In doing so, the California Supreme court agreed with the jurys assessment of the evidence. They too found Philip Morris conduct to have been extremely reprehensible. Luckily for anti-cigarette advocates they took care to chronicle some of the evidence that supported their finding.In response to Philip Morris claim that the award was unconstitutionally excessive, the court found that the companys conduct warranted punishment in line with the verdict. The court found that Philip Morris knew that the smoking cigarettes caused cancer yet, conducted a decades long publicity campaign designed to obscure the truth. The company hired researchers to create junk science in an effort to generate a false controversy about the dangers of tobacco. This strategy was described in a previously confidential industry document as, Brilliantly conceived.The court found, as the jury had, that Philip Morris scientists destroyed written test results and the company conducted biologic testing overseas to avoid having the results subpoenaed in the US. Despite having the ability to remove nicotine from cigarettes, the company refused to do so and in fact, added chemicals to cigarettes store to make them more addictive.This case once again highlights the pain, suffering and morbidity Big Tobacco has foisted upon the very customers from whom they accepted billions and billions of dollars. An entire generation of Americans, some say the Greatest Generation was lured into Big Tobaccos trap, as teens, during a time when it was glamorous to smoke. No one knew smoking cigarettes caused any harm. Doctors frequently appeared in print and radio ads:Not a Cough in a CarloadMore Doctors Smoke CamelsScience Discovered it, You can prove it20,679 Physicians say Luckies are Less IrritatingThese and many just like them were all used as pitch lines for cancer sticks. Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball pitched the smokes Betty Bullock smoked.This ad, from Philip Morris was likely seen by Betty Bullock. Just what was the Miracle of Marlboro?After killing her, Philip Morris Betty Bullock and her family through ten years of court battles attempting to avoid accepting any responsibility for Mrs. Bullocks death. They have spent millions of dollars stalling, delaying and obfuscating. It is no coincidence that Big Tobaccos litigation strategy is eerily similar to the decades long conspiracy it conducted to deceive its customers.Its ironic but telling that this decision was handed down almost to the day from the filing of Big Tobaccos law suit against the United States Government claiming that the new warnings required on online cigarettes are unconstitutional. The suit claims that requiring the new warnings inhibits Tobaccos rights to free speech. In fact, what it inhibits is Tobaccos ability to lure children into the habit. It also might give smokers more motivation to attempt to quit.Big Tobacco markets and sells death. They are allowed to sell the only legal product in this country that when used exactly as designed and intended (and encouraged by the companies) will kill you. They will continue to spend millions upon millions of dollars, all on the backs of their customers, to preserve their right to addict and kill them. Common Philip Morris, pay this verdict and go back to recruiting replacement smokers as they are referred to in your co-conspirator R.J. Reynolds documents. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesBox.Com Cigarettes News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/in_the_cigarettes_wars.html 2011-09-09 12:55:00 Hookah use among California youth ages 18 to 24 is rising rapidly according to a study conducted by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. The study appears in the First Look online version of American Journal of Public Health.Researchers say the increased popularity of the hookah – a water pipe used for smoking cigarettes cheap cigarette online – may be caused by the social nature of the behavior coupled with the misguided belief that it is less harmful than cigarettes.This rise is particularly alarming because its happening in California, a state that leads the nation in buy cigarette online control, said Wael Al-Delaimy, MD, PhD, associate professor and chief of the Division of Global Health in the UCSD Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. While cigarette smoking cigarettes has decreased nationwide and in California, reports of ever using hookah have increased, especially among adolescent and young adults.Most users report smoking cigarettes hookah with many friends, according to Al-Delaimy. Though public indoor cigarette smoking cigarettes is banned throughout California, hookah use is permitted in designated lounges. This may create the impression that hookah is a safer alternative to cigarettes, which is simply not true.The UCSD research team used data from the state-wide California Tobacco Surveys that are led and directed by Al-Delaimy. This data on hookah is the largest representative sample on hookah use collected at different points in time from the same source population.Study results showed that from 2005 to 2008, hookah use among all adults increased by more than 40 percent; and by 2008, hookah use in California was much higher among young adults – 24.5 percent among men, 10 percent among women – than it was among all adults – 11.2 percent among men, 2.8 percent among women.Al-Delaimys team also found that hookah smoking cigarettes among men and women was more common among non-Hispanic Whites, with at least some college education. Unlike cigarette smoking cigarettes – where those with higher education smoke cigarettes less – hookah use is higher among those who are more educated.More specific studies are warranted but we urge policymakers to consider laws that would ban hookah lounges, thus eliminating the implication that hookah smoking cigarettes is safer and more socially acceptable than cigarette smoking cigarettes, said Al-Delaimy. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount-Cigarettes-Planet.Com Cigarettes News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/ucsd_researchers_alarmed_at_rise_in_hookah_use_among_california_youth.html 2011-08-29 12:33:00 Chancery Judge Jaye Bradley on Wednesday ordered Brown & Williamson to pay the state $8.1 million in cigarettes online settlement money owed for the sale of more than 600 million Star cigarettes store that went unreported.The 1998 online cigarettes settlement required the company, which later merged with R.J. Reynolds, to pay the state for all of the discount cigarette online sold here, but Brown & Williamson failed to do so. Attorney General Jim Hood filed the suit demanding the company pay the state the money plus interest.The state argued the company made the cigarettes but shipped them to Star cigarettes, a third party manufacturer, for sale in the state of Mississippi.There is no dispute that during the time period of 1999 through 2002, B&W manufactured and shipped to Star more than 7.5 billion cigarettes, Bradley wrote in her ruling. Further, there is no dispute that during the relevant time period at least 600 million Star cheap cigarettes were sold in Mississippi. However, B&W did not include these Star buy cigarettes within their calculations for payments made to Mississippi pursuant to the settlement agreement.Bradley also ordered the company to pay all court costs and attorney fees. She has not yet decided punitive damages.The Court agreed with our position that B&W could not use such trickery to avoid paying Mississippi for those cigarettes, Attorney General Jim Hood said in a statement released Wednesday.Star sold the buy cigarette online using such brand names as Gunsmoke cigarettes and Vegas, research showed. The company that manufactured their cigarettes, Brown & Williamson, were a part of the master tobacco settlement agreement that encompassed 46 states.The state argued they were due a total of $3.6 million plus interest for the years it went unpaid, bringing the total amount due to an estimated $8.1 million at the end of June. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/state_awarded__8_1m_in_cigarettes_money.html 2011-08-28 12:30:00 A Mississippi judge has ruled that R.J. Reynolds shortchanged the state of Mississippi millions of dollars when it failed to report profits from the sale of 7.8 billion cheap cigarette online made for Star Tobacco.Chancery Judge Jaye Bradley on Wednesday awarded the state $3.8 million for the underpayments, plus $4.3 million in interest, for a total of $8.1 million.The state argued that from 1999 to 2002 R.J Reynolds excluded 7.8 billion cheap cigarettes from a 1997 lawsuit settlement that were manufactured by its subsidiary Brown and Williamson for Star Tobacco & Pharmaceuticals, an independent buy cigarette online company.The cigarettes were then packaged and sold to U.S. customers by Star Tobacco.There is no dispute as to whether the Star buy cigarettes were manufactured by Brown and Williamson or that the discount cigarettes were for domestic consumption, Bradley wrote in Wednesdays decision.Therefore, the court finds that Star cigarettes for sale should have been counted and used in the agreed formula when Brown and Williamson was calculating the proper amount of compensation owed to Mississippi beginning the last quarter of 1999 through 2002.Mississippi sued cigarette makers in the mid-1990s to try to recover public costs of tobacco-related illnesses. The two sides settled the massive lawsuit in 1997.Attorney General Jim Hood said the original cigarettes online settlement in 1997 requires companies to pay Mississippi for every cigarette they make and ship. Hood said Brown and Williamson made cigarettes but shipped them to a third party manufacturer, Star. Star tobacco then sold those cigarettes to consumers in Mississippi.The court agreed with our position that B&W could not use such trickery to avoid paying Mississippi for those cigarettes, Hood said in a statement Wednesday.R.J. Reynolds attorneys had argued that Brown and Williamson made cigarettes for the independent tobacco manufacturer then packaged and sold the cigarettes in Mississippi. They argued those sales were not directed at customers whose health could be affected and those cigarettes should be exempted from the settlement formula.Since income from manufacturing Star cigarettes was excluded by Brown and Williamson in calculating the master tobacco settlement formula used to establish how much each state receives, Bradley appointed a special master to make those determinations.The exact amount of the benefit has not been ascertained, but is believed to be in the millions, Bradley wrote in the order.R.J. Reynolds, an indirect subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc., and Brown and Williamson, along with tobacco giants Philip Morris and Lorillard Tobacco Co. were included in a 46-state master tobacco agreement in 1997 that was led by Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore. Mississippi had its own, separate settlement with cigarette makers.The states had argued the cigarettes produced by the tobacco industry contributed to health problems among the population, which in turn resulted in significant costs to the states public health systems.Mississippis settlement was expected to be about $3.6 billion over 25 years, depending on the amount of cigarettes the companies sell in the state each year.Mississippi generally receives $90 million to $100 million each year from the settlement.Hood sued in 2010 alleging that the miscalculations resulted in artificially low payments in Mississippi for 2001 and for every year thereafter in which Mississippi was entitled to a net operating profits adjustment.Star sold the cigarettes using such brand names as Gunsmoke cigarettes and Vegas, research showed, between 1999 and 2002. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes Online News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/jackson_co__judge_rules_in_cigarettes_settlement.html 2011-07-22 16:06:00 Gov. Cuomo has launched his long-awaited crackdown on cigarette tax evasion on the states Indian reservations.It has been our consistent position that cigarettes store should be taxed under the law and the courts have repeatedly agreed, Cuomo said in a statement.Cuomo quietly began collecting the tax on smokes three weeks ago, after a state court in Buffalo gave the governor the go-ahead.State and federal agents have since seized 19,744 cartons of discount cigarette online and 24,882 cigars.The estimated tax value of the seized products is about $1.2 million, Cuomo officials said. Another $289,000 in taxes would have been evaded if the tobacco products had been illegally sold in New York City. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes Online News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/gov__cuomo_enforces_taxes_on_cigarette_sales.html 2011-07-21 16:05:00 New York States anti-smoking cigarettes laws just got a lot tougher. Teenagers, who are already prohibited from buying cigarettes, will now find non-tobacco items unavailable to them, too.Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed into law sweeping legislation banning the sale of hookah pipes, shisha (the substance smoked in the hookah) and other types of smoking cigarettes paraphernalia to anyone under the age of 18. Smoking has caused serious health repercussions for users of all ages and underage smokers are especially vulnerable to these dangers, Cuomo said as he signed the bill on July 15.The legislation was sponsored in the state Senate by Republican-Conservative Marty Golden and in the Assembly by Democrat Alec Brook-Krasny in response to complaints from Community Board 10 and civic activists in Bay Ridge about hordes of teens hanging out in the numerous hookah cafes in the neighborhood and smoking cigarettes.While the shisha is not a tobacco product, parents whose kids hang out at hookah cafes have told local officials theyre not convinced that the substance is not dangerous to their kids health.Brook-Krasny said hes convinced that shisha is just as dangerous.No matter if you are smoking cigarettes tobacco, shisha, or herbal cigarettes, this habit is extremely hazardous to the health of all smokers, he said.We have made great strides in educating young people about the dangers of cigarettes. However, in our community, hookah and water pipes are a dangerous and unfortunately available alternative means for smoking cigarettes tobacco and this bill will help block access for minors to these products and keep the health of more New Yorkers safe, Brook-Krasny said.Hookah cafes are popular in the Middle East. Bay Ridge has a growing population of immigrants from that part of the world. As the Arabic community within Bay Ridge has increased, so too have the number of hookah cafes. At last count, there were 19 hookah cafes in Bay Ridge, according to Community Board 10 officials.But there is a legitimate concern for the health and well being of young people smoking cigarettes in hookah cafes, Golden said. It is a fact that smoking cigarettes can seriously damage ones body and health. By widening the ban on certain smoking cigarettes products, this new law will help prevent minors from purchasing these items and keep them from caving in to the pressure to smoke, protecting them today and in the future, Golden said.The new law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2012.Board 10 Leader Lauds New Hookah Ban LawThe new law signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo banning the sale of hookah-related items to minors was a big victory for Community Board 10, according to the boards leader.Board 10 Chair Joanne Seminara said her board was the first to sound the alarm over young people smoking cigarettes shisha in hookah cafes in Bay Ridge.They listened to the concerns of residents and took those concerns to the attention of our elected officials, Seminara said.In fact, it was at a community board meeting earlier this year that Linda Lupia, an aide to Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, stood up and announced that her boss would sponsor a bill in the Assembly to stop the sale of hookah, water pipes, shisha and other items to minors.Brook-Krasny worked with state Sen. Marty Golden, the Senate sponsor of the legislation, to get the bills passed. Board 10s Health and Welfare Committee, led by Judith Grimaldi, had done a great deal of research into the potential dangers of hookah and shisha, Seminara said.We had a fantastic committee. Judie did a great job. The committee did a lot of research. We discovered that its not just fruit that is being smoke cigarettes in the pipes. It has tobacco, Seminara said.The passage of the new law is very gratifying, she said. The board should be proud. They broke new ground on this issue. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount-Cigarettes-Planet.Com Cigarettes News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/cuomo_signs_law_to_ban_hookah_from_kids.html 2011-07-20 16:05:00 For the second time in 10 days, a disabled individual in Ken-Ton has perished in a fire, and discount cigarette online may have caused both blazes, authorities said Wednesday.Donald Dake, 62, of the KenDev Studio apartments in the heart of Kenmores Delaware Avenue commercial district, was found dead in his apartment at about 12:25 a.m. Wednesday.Village police say he relied on an oxygen mask to help him breathe, and that he may have fallen out of his bed while smoking cigarettes a cigarette.The oxygen tank didnt explode, but it probably fueled the fire, and we found cigarette butts in the area, so it appears smoking cigarettes and oxygen caused the fire, Kenmore Police Officer Michael Wells said.A week ago Monday, Suzanne DiSalvo, 53, who used a wheelchair, perished in her Town of Tonawanda home on the 200 block of Parkhurst Boulevard. Town police say there are indications that cigarettes online or an electrical malfunction may have started that blaze.There was some evidence of cigarette smoking cigarettes in and around the body, but whether that was the cause still remains to be determined, town Police Lt. Nicholas A. Bado said of the Parkhurst fire.In the latest fire, residents in the six-story, 156-unit apartment building at 3015 Delaware Ave. were evacuated, though the blaze was contained to Dakes first-floor residence, where it caused an estimated $65,000 damage.Dake, a Vietnam veteran, suffered from chronic lung ailments and required oxygen to assist in his breathing, according to Wells.He had moved into his one-room apartment about six months ago, said Scott Hunt, president of Kenmore Development, which owns the building.The last thing you want is for one of your residents to die, Hunt said.Because of the late hour, Kenmore Volunteer Fire Company firefighters had to pry open a number of apartment doors to summon people out of the building when they did not respond to calls to evacuate, Hunt said.An autopsy to determine the exact cause of Dakes death will be conducted by the Erie County medical examiner, Wells said.Village firefighters were assisted by Kenilworth volunteers. River Road volunteer firefighters were placed on stand-by.Both fatal fires are considered to be accidental, though the official causes are pending.DiSalvo, who was pronounced dead at the scene of the July 11 fire at 272 Parkhurst, suffered from multiple sclerosis, according to her neighbors.Several neighbors had called 911 shortly after 5 p.m. to report the blaze, which started in and heavily damaged a rear room of the home she shared with her family. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/smoking_cited_in_two_fatal_ken_ton_fires.html 2011-07-19 16:03:00 Nearly 3,000 fewer New Yorkers died of cancer last year compared to a decade ago, according to the states new draft cancer plan.The draft report obtained by the Associated Press also shows nearly 7,000 more cases of cancer were diagnosed last year compared to a decade earlier, led by prostate cancer and breast cancer. The state Health Department attributes the trends mainly to early and better detection through screenings and advanced treatment, which along with goals to reduce smoking cigarettes, indoor tanning and obesity are meant to keep cutting the death rate.Data show that 65 percent of all individuals diagnosed with cancer in the years from 2004-2008 survived, the report said, citing National Cancer Institute statistics with particular gains among children. Five- and 10-year survival rates for all children younger than age 15 diagnosed with cancer improved from 61 percent in the late 70s to 88.5 percent by 2002.The New York findings show a 7 percent decrease in cancer deaths statewide in a decade to an estimated 34,540 last year, while diagnoses increased 7 percent, to 103,340.National data suggest a 14 percent increase in new diagnoses and 7 percent rise in deaths at the same time. The National Cancer Institute reports an estimated 1,344,164 new cancer cases and 533,080 recorded deaths from the disease in 2000. The American Cancer Society estimated, based on preliminary data, 1,529,560 new diagnoses and 569,490 deaths in 2010. Though deaths increased, those data show a lower mortality rate from the disease because the U.S. population grew by 27 million.New Yorks 2011-2016 Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan calls for evidence-based environmental health initiatives to reduce exposure to carcinogens, while noting some traditional health culprits including asbestos, mold, carbon monoxide, radon, lead paint, radiation, pesticides and unsafe drinking water. It also stresses the need for continued reductions in smoking cigarettes and tanning, and eating more fruits and vegetables.But some vocal critics say the report that will direct the states efforts for the next five years ignores some of the biggest threats, failing to warn against common environmental threats including dioxins in food and the air New Yorkers breathe.Its underdeveloped in this proposal, said Dr. David Carpenter, director of the state University at Albanys Institute for Health and the Environment and a former Health Department official. Dioxin doesnt appear in this document.The National Cancer Institutes 2009-2010 cancer trends progress report concluded the most common route for human exposure to dioxins is eating, particularly animal fats from meat, full-fat dairy products and fatty fish. The chemicals are produced from incomplete combustion, in burning waste, from industrial processes like metal refining and paper bleaching, and as contaminants in some insecticides, herbicides, wood preservatives, and in cigarette smoke. Releases have decreased 80 to 90 percent over 30 years from stricter regulation, and levels in the general U.S. population are low, though dioxins break down slowly, the NCI reported.One dioxin is a known cause of cancer in people, and others are classified as probable human carcinogens based on animal studies, Carpenter said.State Health Department spokeswoman Diane Mathis emphasized the cancer plan is a draft, and the environmental and health section will be among the areas that will be expanded. A revised draft is planned for the end of summer, and the NCI has been identified as an important information source that will be incorporated appropriately, she said.Donald Hassig, director of the Cancer Action NY and an advocate for cracking down on carcinogens in what he calls politically well-protected commercial interests, said he twice took signs into a supermarket in northern New York warning of carcinogens in animal fats and was asked both times to leave, the second time by police. He also wrote to Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah with concerns about the draft report.Mathis noted that Hassig is part of the cancer consortium, made up of nearly 200 health care providers, officials and advocates, who were invited to file responses to the departments draft report using a standard form, but he had not responded that way.Its a very collaborative stakeholder process, she said. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount-Cigarettes-Planet.Com Cigarettes News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/ny_cancer_plan_notes_more_diagnoses__fewer_deaths.html 2011-07-18 14:56:00 Take a deep breath, Wisconsin. Notice anything? Youre breathing air that has been free of smoke cigarettes for one year.The statewide workplace smoking cigarettes ban was signed May 18, 2009, by then-Gov. Jim Doyle on and went into effect July 5, 2010.Smokers and nonsmokers are healthier because of it. No one has to sit in a smoke-filled room just to enjoy a meal or a drink. No one walks out of a tavern and has to wash their clothes because they reek of smoke. Servers dont have to breathe in secondhand smoke cigarettes for hours just to make a living.Its a better place for everyone. And it looks like things will stay this way.During the campaigns last year, then-candidate Scott Walker said he would sign a bill to repeal the indoor smoking cigarettes ban if he was elected governor. Now that hes in office, he thankfully has changed his tune.Walker announced last week that voters have convinced him that the ban works.The argument in favor of repealing the smoking cigarettes ban is that businesses should be free to decide whether to allow a legal activity inside their facility.Before the ban, some municipalities, such as Appleton and Madison, banned indoor smoking cigarettes while their neighbors still allowed it. That put some businesses at an unfair disadvantage.Now, the playing field is level. Were one of 30 states with a ban.The health benefits are measurable. A University of Wisconsin cancer center study showed air quality in bars and restaurants improved 92 percent after the ban. A researcher says that means many employees and patrons will avoid serious illness and potentially death as a result of the clearing of the air.Lets keep on enjoying that clean air. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes Online News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/benefits_of_statewide_ban_are_obvious.html 2011-07-16 14:51:00 John Belsky has been smoking cigarettes since he was 18.So the 70-year-old Janesville man wasnt happy when Wisconsins smoke-free law went into effect a year ago today and he had to start leaving his bar stool and stepping outside for a smoke.Id rather just stay inside. But rules are rules, and laws are laws, Belsky said while taking a drag from a cigarette.East Point Sportz Pub bartender Dan Schultz, on the other hand, is enjoying the smoking cigarettes ban. I think its fantastic, he said.He no longer undresses in his garage at the end of his shift to avoid taking the smell of smoke cigarettes into his home.Schultz said he feels healthier since the smoking cigarettes ban went into effect. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/mixed_reaction_to_year_old_smoking_ban.html 2011-07-15 14:49:00 Even though some bars are marking the states smoking cigarettes ban one-year anniversary with a party, the Tavern League of Wisconsin is still fighting against it.We have people who have lost their livelihoods, lost their retirement because of this smoking cigarettes ban, said Tavern League Executive Director, Pete Madland.Some Republicans agree with the Tavern League and say they would like to change the law. They would like to give bar owners more leeway, especially when it comes to patios.In November, Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said, The dynamics of the building works, or whether an outdoor area is, I think there is something along those lines.During his gubernatorial campaign, Scott Walker was opposed to the ban, saying that it infringed on peoples rights. He says he has changed his mind.I was not in favor of the original bill, although travelling around the state, its clear it works. Therefore I dont support repealing it.The tavern league hopes the governor changes his mind again.A statewide ban would work if we tweak it, that would be wonderful. An exemption for businesses with class B licenses would be a solution, Madland said.Most restaurants and bars fall into the Class B category, but the Governor says thats unlikely.There may be a discussion in the legislature on that, but right now, from what Ive heard from people around the state is that they enjoy it, they appreciate it, Walker said.The group SmokeFree Wisconsin says they conducted a poll and 75 percent of Wisconsinites support the smoking cigarettes ban. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/smoking_ban_reaches_one_year_anniversary.html 2011-07-14 14:42:00 Over the past few years, teenagers from across the San Gabriel Valley have been lobbying their cities for tougher regulations on tobacco sales.Theyve formed groups such as Azusa Youth Against Smoking, Glendora Youth Against Smoking and the Alliance to Keep Youth Tobacco Free.They attend city council meetings - presenting studies about tobacco sales to minors and pleading council members to help keep tobacco products away from children.They put together Facebook pages, go to community events and set up booths, pass out fliers and survey residents on how they feel about youth access to tobacco.If these groups seem like the outgrowth of a grass-roots effort against tobacco use, they arent. And some city officials worry they are exaggerating their findings.All of the community groups are funded by grants from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Healths Tobacco Control and Prevention Program.Linda Aragon, director of the program, said the grants of $100,000 per year are made available through Proposition 99, a tobacco tax enacted in 1988.The goal is to convince city councils to pass ordinances requiring businesses that sell tobacco to have special licenses that cost a fee. The money collected from the fees would be used pay for more police enforcement against stores that sell tobacco to kids under 18.In terms of addressing youth access to tobacco, we have eight community-based organizations working on this issue, Aragon said. If theres not a local coalition, they develop a local coalition to address the issue.In the San Gabriel Valley, two organizations are largely responsible for that effort.The Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, a Filipino- American advocacy organization, helped put together the Alliance to Keep Youth Tobacco Free, which operates in El Monte and West Covina. Dakota Communications, a Los Angeles-based public relations firm, organized the Azusa Youth Against Smoking and the Glendora Youth Against Smoking.Aragon said she believes the community-based approach is more effective than if the Department of Public Health were to issue advisories and recommendations to local cities.Their community is coming up to them and showing there is an alarming problem, she said. I think its a way to engage the community.Fran Delach, city manager of Azusa, which has been targeted by the program, isnt so sure. He said city officials were never told Azusa Youth Against Smoking was backed by a county department.This mercenary-type tactic that was being used was, I think, wrong, he said. Its not a problem that the issue be brought forward. I just think the whole way it was done was in poor taste or in poor ethics. Diego Gomez, a community organizer with the Azusa group, said hes not sure why city officials didnt make the connection.Thats the first thing we say. On all the paperwork we have, it says we are funded by Prop. 99, he said.Delach also had a problem with an undercover operation the group conducted that showed 44 percent of Azusa retailers were willing to sell tobacco products to minors - the highest percentage among surveyed San Gabriel Valley cities. The next highest city was Glendora, where 34 percent of retailers were willing to sell tobacco to minors, according to the organizations surveys. The figure in West Covina came in at 28 percent and in El Monte it was 20 percent.But Delach didnt trust those figures. So he asked the Police Department to conduct its own study. Its findings were substantially lower.I believe it was around 20 percent, Delach said. It was a huge difference. When the dust all settled, we dont think the problem was nearly as serious as the group claimed.Even so, the community groups presentations to the Azusa City Council might just be working. Theyve swayed Mayor Joe Rocha. He said he supports the idea of requiring a $50 license to sell tobacco products in the city.They are people and kids who I know and trust who came forward with that information, he said. They found an uncomfortable percentage of retailers selling to minors.Another mayor who may be coming around is Andre Quintero of El Monte. He said hes met with members of the Alliance to Keep Youth Tobacco Free and found some of their evidence compelling.All I know for sure is that the American Cancer Society has determined were F-rated when it comes to tobacco policies, he said. Doug Tessitor, mayor of Glendora, wasnt familiar with Glendora Youth Against Smoking, despite their lobbying efforts. He said he didnt quite see the point of what theyre doing.I think its admirable that youth are trying to address this problem - if it is a problem, he said. Even 20 percent is too high, but I dont know why adding additional laws would change that significantly. If that isnt being enforced what makes them think this would be?Aragon said many cities have successfully adopted licensing for tobacco sales. In Burbank, sales to minors dropped from 26 to 4 percent after licenses were required, she said.So far, 23 of the 88 cities in L.A. County have followed suit. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/county_health_agency_funding_anti_cigarettes_youth_groups.html 2011-07-13 14:40:00 The U.S. Food Drug and Administration plans to use cigarette labels showing diseased lungs and tracheotomy holes to help people quit smoking cigarettes. British researchers suggest another strategy: Texting.A study, published in June and led by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, suggests receiving messages of encouragement and advice can double a smokers chances of quitting cigarettes for at least six months.Nearly 3,000 smokers who were trying to quit received several daily text messages for more than seven months. The texts ranged from cheerleading — This is it! QUIT DAY... — to inside information like Cravings last less than five minutes on average.When smokers worried about a moment of weakness, they could text lapse and get a new series of messages.A control group of about the same size also received regular texts but their messages had nothing to do with smoking cigarettes. In both groups, smokers were free to use other aids to help them quit.About 11 percent of the smokers who received texts encouraging them to quit were cigarette free after six months with their abstinence verified by saliva tests. That was more than double the success rate of about 5 percent in the control group, leading researchers to suggest cellphones have a place alongside nicotine gum and other tools in the fight to kick butts.Sandra Tovar wont argue with them. Shes a smoking cigarettes cessation facilitator who leads classes for tobacco users through the Ventura County Public Health Department. People in the classes dont receive text messages but they can call for support to the hotline 1-800-NOBUTTS (662-8887).That would be great, she said of whether text messaging might eventually be added to the classes. ... Its innovative. Its cost effective and it works. Everyone uses the cellphone.Last month, the FDA unveiled graphic new messages that will be placed on cigarette packages in a year to hammer home the risks of smoking cigarettes. Tovar thinks the new labels may scare away would-be smokers but wont have nearly as much impact on people already hooked.Scare tactics dont work, she said. Whats more effective is to help the smokers believe that they can live a tobacco-free life.Even with the text encouragement, little more than 1 out of 10 smokers were able to quit in the study. To Dr. Ronald C. Thurston, a Camarillo pyschiatrist who deals with addiction, the numbers mean one thing:Its very hard to quit smoking cigarettes, he said, suggesting the best tact is to use more than one strategy and registering little surprise that text-message pats on the back help. Encouragement always improves the odds.Helping smokers is only the start of the behaviors that could be affected by texting, said Karen North, a clinical psychologist and director of USC masters degree and research program on social media. Personal trainers are starting to launch text systems that allow them to send messages to clients letting them know its time for a fruit and cheese break. She thinks Twitter has applications too but wonders if a message sent out to hundreds or thousands of people carries the same weight as a one-to-one missive.You may not feel as personally responsible or personally connected, she said.Start to tell Ken Salinas, an on-and-off smoker for 30 years, about the text message research and he interrupts.How long is this going to take? said the Oxnard resident, asserting his conviction that cellphone technology has no chance at helping him quit Because I know myself. I hate text messages.Other smokers say the same thing. They dont text. Quitting comes down to mind over matter and nothing else. But Angelica Felix, a pharmacy tech from Woodland Hills who has smoked intermittently for 15 years, is trying to quit. Again.I think it would help, she said of the texting. Its just someone encouraging you, another form of saying, Just quit. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • CigarettesHouse.Com Tobacco News    • CigarettesPro.com Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/text_messages_may_help_smokers_kick_butts.html 2011-07-12 14:39:00 A fire that destroyed part of a north Redding motel Sunday afternoon was caused by a cigarette butt, fire officials said.The fire at Americas Best Value Inn & Suites on North Market Street started from a cigarette butt that was thrown into a bucket, said Craig Wittner, a fire inspector with the Redding Fire Department.The blaze, which started just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday, destroyed seven units of the motel, a two-car garage, a laundry room and three vehicles, said Nimisa Patel, 23, the owners daughter. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • CigarettesPro.com Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/redding_motel_fire_started_by_cigarette_butt.html 2011-07-11 14:38:00 Smoking really isnt that big a problem in Orange County. Less than 11 percent of adults in the county smoke, well below the state average of 13.1 percent, which is an all-time low. The national average is about 21 percent.But youd think a lot of the people who do smoke cigarettes in O.C. would have taken advantage of a free program offering free drugs that have been proven to help smokers quit. Did we mention that the program was free?And yet only 53 people called the Health Care Agencys quit line (1-866-NEW-LUNG) and entered the free-drugs program. The total cost for the pilot program was $41,435, or $781.79 per person enrolled.The indifference could have had something to do with the fact that one the drugs offered, varenicline (sold under the brand name Chantix) and buproprion (sold as Zyban) have side effects that seem to be more dangerous than smoking cigarettes itself. The drugs have been associated with depression and even suicidal thoughts among users. A new study published last week revealed that Chantix users also may have a higher risk of developing heart problems.Smokers who wanted the drugs first had to call the quit line, then sign up for counseling at one of three clinics in the county. Forty-three received Chantix.The four-month pilot program has now ended, but not because of concerns about Chantixs side effects, the county says. The program was created by a boost in funding from O.C.s share of the national tobacco settlement, but because of reduced smoking cigarettes rates, that same pool of money isnt available to continue the pilot program, says Amy Buch, division manager with HCAs Public Health Services Health Promotion Division.Its too soon to know how effective the drug program was, Buch said. The county measures success by 90-day quit rates, and those numbers will be available soon.Another program offers smokers a months supply of nicotine patches, and that program will continue, Buch said. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cheap Cigarettes News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/only_53_took_county___s_free_quit_smoking_drugs.html 2011-07-10 10:14:00 With Fathers Day approaching, it might be a good time to help dad indulge in the time-honored experience of puffing on an expertly rolled cigar. While popular sentiment and government bans sometimes make it necessary to take pains to enjoy a good smoke, the experience can still be rewarding.Consider the quiet joy that can be found during a long walk down a country road alone, save for ones favorite cigar. Dont know enough about cigars to feel confident buying them? The Capital District shops noted here have friendly, knowledgeable staffers ready to help shoppers make the right choice, no matter what their level of tobacco knowledge.Selecting the right cigarCigar-smoking cigarettes is highly individual and subjective, says Scott Bendett, founder and proprietor of Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe in Albany. Its a matter of taste.If you dont know what youre looking for, Bendett or a staff member can make suggestions. Habana Premium features numerous brands, a walk-in humidor and cigars flavored with vanilla, rum, cappuccino, honey and mandarin.We love talking with gift shoppers to help them make a good selection, says Rich Albers, assistant manager at Park Lane Tobacconist in Clifton Park. Theres no reason to feel intimidated.According to Albers, things to consider include how long the person has been smoking cigarettes; if they prefer a mild or robust cigar, in a large or small size; and if they have a brand preference.The occasional smoker generally wants a milder cigar, says John Zyniecki, coproprietor of EdLeez Tobacco in Albany. The regular smoker usually likes a more flavorful cigar.When buying cigars for a special occasion, Zyniecki says most shoppers choose a limited cigar, such as an Opus X. Ranging in price from $15 to $20 per cigar, these are typically the items most smokers appreciate but do not regularly buy for themselves and are made in limited quantities. Brands such as Ashton, Arturo Fuente, CAO, Camacho, Davidoff, Cusano and Macanudo also make high-end cigars.Cigar talkThe cigar world has a vocabulary all its own, and a good tobacconist should be able to explain the points of a cigars three main components: wrapper, filler and binder. While some machine-made cigars are very good, the handmade versions will always be the most sought-after among cigar cognoscenti. Master blenders use leaves from different regions, harvests and countries to create flavors and other characteristics for various tastes.A handmade cigar is based on the blenders experience, Bendett says. Its a work of art.A cigars wrapper or outer covering is made from a tobacco leaf thats often different from the filler and binder, and provides most of its flavor. With cigars, appearances matter and can provide the first clues as to what may be in store for a smoker. Wrapper color can range from light tan (claro) to an almost black-brown (maduro), with many variations. Wrapper color however, should be rich, even and smooth with a slight shine from the oil that naturally occurs in the leaf. This is usually more obvious on cigars with darker wrappers.When examining a box of cigars, color should be consistent. Wrappers should also be free of leaf veins, cracks or tears.Filler makes up the majority of the cigars interior, and the best come from Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Long-filler cigars demand a premium over medium- and short-filled versions. Long-filler cigars burn more smoothly and must be puffed to keep from going out. Short-filler cigars burn quickly, as the tobacco length resembles that found in cigarettes.Once filler is shaped and blended, the binder is added and the cigar is rolled. It is then put into a mold until ready to be wrapped. Usually the thicker tops of the tobacco plant are used as binder, with the better ones coming from Cuba, Connecticut, Mexico and Ecuador. Recently, Java and Sumatra binders have become sought-after, as theyre durable and flexible.A cigar with a light-colored outer wrapper typically means it will be mild. Terms used to describe cigars are difficult to define because they often mean different things to different people. Mild to one smoker may translate as weak to another. While some seek a robust or full-bodied cigar, others may find such traits overpowering.Shape of things to comeThe variation on cigar size is almost limitless. The most popular shapes are robusto, toro and Churchill.Cigars are measured by length and width. Length is done in inches; width is measured in ring gauges. One ring is 1/64th of an inch.A typical robusto is a 50-ring gauge and 5 inches in length. A manufacturer may create a gran robusto, which will be longer or wider. A toro reaches 6 inches and is usually a 50-ring gauge. Churchills are narrower at 48-ring gauge, but stretch to 7 or 71/4 inches in length. Other popular sizes include corona (the larger version of robusto), panetela (a long, thin cigar) and lonsdale (longer than corona, but shorter than panetela). One manufacturers petit corona will probably overlap with anothers robusto. The torpedo is slightly irregular in composition, about 6 inches long, pointed at one end and a bit fatter in its center (about 54-ring gauge).While many cigar makers boast Cuban seed tobacco as an ingredient, it is difficult to verify, and most smokers agree better tobacco now comes from the Dominican Republic. Tobacco is a product of the soil and other agricultural conditions, notes Bendett. Dominican agricultural practices and conditions enable tobacco to age better and retain its flavors very well.Dominican tobacco typically starts off mild, but builds in intensity as smoked. The taste tends to hit the entire palate and stimulate all receptors in the smokers mouth while the aroma can be sweet and floral. Nicaraguan soil is low in acid and produces a harsher tobacco. Cuban products are illegal in the united States.Lots of customers compare the costs of cigars with prices offered by Internet merchants, says Bendett. This is especially true for New York smokers, because we live in a high-tax state for tobacco products. With Internet purchases, you have no knowledgeable guide and cant get a sense of the cigars condition. You have no idea how theyve been stored or handled.Most cigar shops also sell other merchandise that can make good gifts, such as cutters, humidors, cases, lighters, pipes, pipe tobacco and high-end cigarettes. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cheap Cigarettes News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesBox.Com Cigarettes News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/a_puff_of_flavor.html 2011-07-09 10:12:00 Although Astoria Park lies within the boundaries of the 114th Police Precinct, the NYPD will not butt in on anyone smoking cigarettes in park space.Just so you know, the police department is not enforcing [the new law], 114th Precinct Commanding Officer Deputy Inspector Stephen Cirabisi said at the May meeting of the precinct community council. If we see someone, we will instruct them to stop and contact the Parks Department. [The new law] falls under [Parks] jurisdiction and theyll be doing the enforcement.The law expanding the citys Smoke Free Air Act to include a ban on smoking cigarettes in city parks, beaches, marinas, boardwalks, pools, recreation centers, buildings and facilities under the jurisdiction of the city Department of Parks and Recreation went into effect on May 23.The ban also extends to smoking cigarettes in pedestrian plazas as designated by the Department of Transportation but does not affect smoking cigarettes on the sidewalks immediately along parks, squares, or public places or any pedestrian route through any park strip, median or mall that is adjacent to vehicular traffic. It also does not restrict smoking cigarettes in Parks Department parking lots and to actors in theatrical performances in Parks facilities.The city Department of Parks and Recreation has more than 1,700 parks, nearly 1,000 playgrounds, 800 athletic fields and 13 golf courses on 29,000 acres of land, including 14 miles of beaches and less than 200 enforcement officers. There is a $50 fine for a violation and tickets can be challenged in court.Astoria Park is almost 60 acres in size and includes a pool, outdoor tennis courts, a track, a bandstand, multiple trails, basketball courts and playgrounds. Positioned along the edge of the East River, Astoria Park offers scenic views that make its benches a popular destination all year round.At 330 feet in length, the main pool is the largest in New York City. Astoria Pool, which has not yet opened for the summer, draws visitors from all over the city.The new law will be enforced mostly by New Yorkers themselves, stated a February press release by the City Council. We expect New Yorkers will ask people to follow the law and stop smoking cigarettes. If someone refuses to stop smoking cigarettes in a park, beach or other area where it is prohibited, New Yorkers are encouraged to inform a Parks Department employee or a Parks Enforcement Officer if one is available. Otherwise, complaints can be made by calling 311.[The] Parks Department doesnt have enough people to enforce [the new law], Cirabisi said. People will have to be considerate and use common sense. Well have to see how it goes.Police Officers Curtis Grimes and Andrew Pizzino were the recipients of April Cop-of-the-Month honors.On Saturday, April 30 at about 6 p.m., Grimes responded to a 911 call at the Express clothing store, 31-01 Steinway St. Three females acting in concert to pick pockets were observed stealing a pocketbook. Grimes arrested all three, and they were charged with grand larceny.On Friday, April 29 at about 8:50 a.m., Pizzino was driving a squad car in the vicinity of 34th Avenue and 33rd Street when he heard a woman screaming and saw her chasing a male black down the street. He got out of his car and joined the chase, capturing the individual. A second suspect was also captured and the womans stolen iPhone was recovered. Both individuals were charged with grand larceny. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes Online News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesBox.Com Cigarettes News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/police_won___t_enforce_parks_smoking_ban.html 2011-07-08 10:12:00 Team Bloomberg sees the bill as an attempt to make an end-run around the citys tough indoor smoking cigarettes law.Current law allows smoking cigarettes in tobacco shops, but prohibits it in places where food and booze are served.But the bill, crafted specifically for Nat Sherman by applying to stores only in existence prior to 1947, would allow the shop to obtain a liquor license.Under the plan, Nat Sherman would create a cigar bar where members would pay at least $1,000 a year in dues to be able to kick back in a private room and enjoy stogies and booze.Assembly bill sponsor Jonathan Bing (D-Manhattan) said the change would be a boon for the city and state.Its allowing a business to increase tax revenue and have more employees, Bing said.People already go into Nat Sherman on E. 42nd Street and Fifth Ave. to smoke, he said. This would enhance that experience, Bing argued.At the time the city enacted its smoking cigarettes ban in 2003, some cigar bars were exempted under a grandfather clause.Bing and Senate bill sponsor Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) say Nat Sherman missed out on the exemption because it was in the process of moving its store across Fifth Ave.The city has twice rejected Nat Shermans request for a waiver.The Bloomberg administration in a memo to lawmakers says it strongly opposes the bill, arguing it goes against efforts to protect people against exposure to secondhand smoke.Anti-smoking cigarettes activists also ripped the legislation.No special interest should be put ahead [of] every New Yorkers right to a safe, healthy work environment, the American Cancer Society said in a memo of opposition.Meanwhile, the state Senate Thursday night gave final passage to a bill to ban smoking cigarettes in outdoor spaces for ticketing, boarding or platforms of MTA-operated train stations like Metro North and the Long Island Rail Road. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesBox.Com Cigarettes News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/cigar_store_gets_thumbs_down_from_team_bloomberg.html 2011-07-07 10:10:00 Now that Seneca entrepreneurs may not be able to sell name-brand cigarettes tax-free, Seneca Nation officials are seeing a new era for Seneca businessmen.A state appellate court ruled Tuesday against the nations bid to stop state attempts at tax collections of buy cigarette online sold to non-Indians on American Indian territory. It is the latest in a line of rulings against the nation in state tax collection attempts made for years.Despite the ruling, Seneca President Robert Odawi Porter said he sees a new era for Senecas, one that involves selling brands manufactured on native territory, thereby sidestepping the state tax to be collected by wholesalers when they deliver product to Native retailers. Although Porter said the nation will seek review of the appellate decision allowing for the collections, he said non-taxable native brands will be sold instead of paying the state tax for premium cigarette brands.New York will never collect a cent of revenue from tobacco sales occurring in our territories, and revenue projections so indicating are foolishness, he said about state reports of how much is expected to be made from the tax collections. According to state budget department staff, $130 million was included in the states 2011-12 budget in tax collections from the sales to non-Indians on American Indian land.Today marks the beginning of a new era in the nations tobacco trade and exercise of our sovereignty, Porter said.He said Senecas are manufacturing cheap cigarette online on Seneca land, and the nations government will work with them to ensure that our tobacco economy is sustained and regulated.We will continue to block the states longstanding crusade to confiscate our national wealth, sacrifice native and non-native jobs and interfere with our way of life, Porter said.He said that while the state may be able to stop premium brands from coming to the territory without taxation, it cannot tax the brands made in our territory or any of the Six Nations (of New York state.) We will never stop fighting the states predatory actions, Porter said.The state Taxation and Finance Departments website reports collection procedures will be implemented immediately.Wholesale dealers (including agents) are required to collect the cigarette excise tax and prepaid sales tax on all cigarettes for sale sold for resale on an Indian reservation to non-Indians and non-members of an Indian nation or tribe, reports the site. All packs of cheap cigarettes sold by wholesale dealers to Indian nations and tribes and reservation cigarette sellers are required to have New York tax stamps affixed to them.Spokespeople in the state Attorney Generals office refused comment, and those from the governors office could not be reached to comment Tuesday. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/senecas_prepare_for_new_era.html 2011-07-06 10:09:00 Amid the furious bill-passing last week, the state Legislature voted in favor of strong lungs and passed a smoking cigarettes ban for Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road outdoor platforms. The ban would become effective 90 days after the governors signature, which the bill deserves.The New York state Department of Health estimates that secondhand smoke cigarettes is responsible for the deaths of 2,500 New Yorkers each year. The U.S. surgeon general has declared there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Those who breathe in secondhand tobacco smoke cigarettes are exposed to 7,000 toxic chemicals and 69 known carcinogens. Secondhand smokes harmful effects are magnified in confined spaces, like a station platform crammed with morning commuters.New Yorks commuters deserve protection from the health hazards of secondhand smoke, said Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, primary sponsor of the legislation.Smoking is banned on New York City subway stations and inside Metro-North and LIRR stations and enclosed platforms. NJ Transit banned smoking cigarettes on its platforms in 2006. Next month, smokers wont be allowed to puff in White Plains parks, playgrounds and other locations. Such a ban already exists in local municipalities like Mount Vernon, Scarsdale, Elmsford, and in big cities like Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. College campuses, including Rockland Community College, have stopped students, staff and visitors from lighting up.The station smoking cigarettes ban includes outdoor ticketing and boarding areas, as well as platforms for trains operated by the MTA or its subsidiaries. This ban will be enforced by the MTA, with violators subject to a $100 fine.Nonsmokers shouldnt have to share tobacco-tainted air. Smokers, take note, theres plenty of support to quit. Check with your local county health department. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesPro.com Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/breathing_room_for_rail_commuters.html 2011-07-05 14:28:00 Jerry Weingart has been waiting more than a decade for the companies he believes killed his wife to be brought to justice. But at 89, the Boynton Beach man doesnt have the stamina to spend the whole day in court.Holding a cane, he listened Wednesday morning while one of his attorneys explained to a jury why three cigarette-makers should be held responsible for his wifes death. But he headed home before tobacco attorneys launched their full counterattack.Like two other tobacco trials that have been held in Palm Beach County, millions are at stake.The cases are among roughly 8,000 that were spawned statewide when the Florida Supreme Court in 2006 threw out a $145 billion jury verdict in a class-action lawsuit. While upholding the jurys findings that cigarette-makers lied about the dangers of smoking cigarettes, the high court ruled that each smoker had to prove how they were uniquely harmed by cigarettes .Weingarts attorneys said they are seeking damages for the years smoking cigarettes took off Claire Weingarts life. Instead of spending their golden years together, Jerry Weingart became widower in 1997 when his wife of 54 years died at age 73, attorney Hardee Bass told jurors.A heavy smoker for roughly 50 years, she never stopped smoking cigarettes even when lung cancer spread to her brain, Bass said. She began smoking cigarettes in the 1940s when no one suspected smoking cigarettes posed any health risks. She was powerless to stop because cigarette-makers R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris and Lorillard - the companies that produced her brands of choice - turned her into an addict, he said.This case is about a promise the cigarette industry made to a generation of people - the World War II generation, Bass said during opening arguments. Its about the lies they told a generation of smokers. Its about the truth they hid from a generation of smokers.Using company documents, he showed how the companies orchestrated a misinformation campaign to counter growing evidence that smoking cigarettes kills. Claire Weingart was an industry success story, he said.Tobacco industry attorneys countered that there is no evidence Weingart was influenced by the documents. Attorney Kenneth Reilly acknowledged that tobacco chiefs made some wrong-headed decisions. But, he said, there is no evidence Weingart knew about the statements or used them to justify her decision to keep smoking cigarettes. Like millions of other smokers, she could have quit.The trial is expected to last about two weeks. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount-Cigarettes-Planet.Com Cigarettes News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/millions_at_stake_in_third_palm_beach_county_cigarettes_trial.html 2011-07-04 21:22:00 Wisconsins public indoor smoking cigarettes ban took effect a year ago on Tuesday.Governor Scott Walker has criticized the ban in the past – but today, he said he wont try to change it.When he ran for office last year, the Republican Walker said it hurt the rights of private business owners – but he never did promise to repeal the ban.Health advocates say its done a great job of improving Wisconsins indoor air quality.The law limits smoking cigarettes in all businesses and government facilities where the general public is allowed.Walker said Thursday he has listened to people throughout Wisconsin about the subject – and its become clear to him that the smoking cigarettes ban works. And therefore, the governor said he would not support a repeal of it. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesPro.com Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/gov__walker_criticized_indoor_smoking_ban.html 2011-07-03 01:49:00 A sixth attempt to limit secondhand smoke cigarettes in public places died this week in the Texas Legislature, causing disappointment for smoke-free advocates and relief for some business owners and patrons.Texas House Bill 46 and its sister legislation, Senate Bill 28, which would have eliminated smoking cigarettes in most indoor public places, did not make it to a vote by the time the special session ended Wednesday.State Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, introduced the measure as a way to cut state Medicaid costs associated with treating medical problems caused by secondhand smoke, including low birth weight, asthma and coronary heart disease.According to a memo provided by Crownovers office, John S. OBrien, the director of the legislative budget board, estimated a statewide smoking cigarettes ban could save the state $13 million in costs for Medicaid and the state employee healthcare system in the 2012-13 fiscal year. He also estimated it would save an additional $18 million that the federal government contributes to Medicaid. The total Medicaid budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year is $40.6 billion.Several local bar managers, owners and patrons said they would not support a law that would limit smoking cigarettes to only outdoor areas of bars.Some nonsmokers at Smokin Aces, 2518 E. Business Highway 83 in Mission, on Tuesday night said they respected the right to smoke cigarettes in bars. They said smoking cigarettes should be prohibited in restaurants but permitted in bars.Its not respectful of everyones wishes to have a statewide smoking cigarettes ban, said nonsmoker Bob Jones, who was visiting Texas from Arizona, which has a statewide ban.Gilbert Garcia, general manager of Smokin Aces, said that if such a ban were to be implemented, he would be prepared to limit smoking cigarettes to the outdoor patio.It wouldnt affect us that much. (We would) probably get in more people, he said, explaining that many people come to his venue for the entertainment.Some Rio Grande Valley cities have smoking cigarettes restrictions, but they are not as strict as Crownovers proposal.In McAllen, for example, smoking cigarettes is permitted in establishments that gain 70 percent or more of their revenue from alcohol sales. But Crownover proposes limiting smoking cigarettes in bars to outdoor areas. Other restricted indoor areas would include shopping malls, restaurants and government offices.McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez, who supported the restrictions in his city, thinks bars should be exempted from a statewide ban because nonsmokers can avoid them.We have to respect the rights of those who wish to smoke, Cortez said.David Aguilar, another manager at Smokin Aces, said city governments should be the ones to adopt smoking cigarettes regulations because residents have more input locally.Jeff Lord, the president of the Upper Valley chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association, said he would prefer for smoking cigarettes limitations to be everywhere or nowhere to give bars and restaurants an even playing field. Lord, a managing partner at Chilis Grill and Bar at 501 U.S. 83 in McAllen, said some McAllen venues lost business when the smoking cigarettes restrictions passed in 2007 because smoking cigarettes customers opted to eat in surrounding cities.A statewide ban would avoid that problem, Crownover said. She pointed out that in the smoke-free city of Austin, bars that formerly had individual nonsmoking cigarettes policies do not have to compete with an establishment across the street that allows smoking cigarettes.Jerry Martell — owner of Sophies SS Saloon at 6801 S. 10th St., south of McAllen — said forcing him to make his bar nonsmoking cigarettes would infringe on his and his customers rights. Martell pointed out that only adults are permitted in bars and they should be able to choose to smoke.If they want to smoke, so be it, he said.Crownover argued that adults who visit bars have the right not to be subjected to carcinogens in the air.Dont you understand that benzene harms adults as well as children? she said of a chemical in cigarette smoke. TRY, TRY AGAINCrownover has worked for six years to pass smoke-free legislation and said she is optimistic it eventually will become law.Its an education issue where at first people dont see the necessity, but I see great movement in support of the bill because they realize how well it works, that it really doesnt infringe on anybodys rights, she said.Crownover said it is not fair that restaurant and bar employees have to endure secondhand smoke.Sandra Garza, program director of Serving Children and Adolescents in Need, a part of the Starr County Community Coalition, expressed a similar opinion when she advocated for smoking cigarettes restrictions in Rio Grande City. Garza achieved her goal in March when the City Commission adopted an ordinance restricting smoking cigarettes in public places. In May, the City Commission adopted another smoking cigarettes ordinance that is stricter than the original. Rio Grande City, like McAllen, exempts bars from its ban.Garza, who also has traveled to Austin to campaign for a statewide ban, said she pushed hard for children and for employees like a pregnant woman she noticed working at a Chilis Grill and Bar.Local bans seem to be working, but Texans will have to wait another two years for the next legislative session to see if lawmakers will restrict smoking cigarettes throughout the state. Until then, advocates like Crownover and Smoke Free Texas will keep working.Claudia Rodas, co-chairwoman of the Smoke Free Texas coalition, released a statement reiterating that point.Put simply, the coalition and our supporters are not going away, nor is this issue, according to the statement. We will not give up until a smoke-free workplace law is passed in Texas. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes Online News    • Cheap Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/legislature_again_flicks_away_smoking_ban.html 2011-07-02 01:48:00 Current and former heavy smokers can now be screened more effectively for lung cancer. Results from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) revealed that detecting small lung cancers with computed tomography (CT) reduces lung cancer specific mortality by 20 percent.Prior to the trial, lung cancer, often diagnosed in the later stages of the disease, had shown no benefit from screening because screening with standard chest X-rays did not detect cancers early enough. The trial, funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is the driving force behind a new program offered at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.MD Andersons Lung Cancer Screening Program teams experts in thoracic surgery, radiology, pulmonary and clinical cancer prevention who have developed a step-by-step program to better detect, treat and educate high-risk individuals against lung cancer.Our program is unique because we do more than a comprehensive lung CT screening exam, said Therese Bevers, M.D., medical director of MD Andersons Cancer Prevention Center. We offer preventive options to help reduce their risk for cancer. Based on the findings from the screening lung CT, we guide people through the diagnostic evaluation and, if needed, treatment.MD Anderson is offering screening to current or former smokers 50 years of age or older who have smoked the equivalent of one pack of cheap smokes a day for at least 20 years. In addition to screening, the program offers access to other services through the Cancer Prevention Center, including risk assessment counseling for those found to not have lung cancer and low-cost cheap cigarettes cessation programs to help smokers quit.MD Andersons program is based on initial findings reported last fall from the NLST. The findings, scheduled to be published in the June 29 New England Journal of Medicine, revealed a 20 percent reduction in lung cancer deaths for participants who received the low-dose helical CT scan compared with those undergoing a standard chest X-ray.Clinical Trial Results Add WeightMD Anderson was one of 33 sites involved in the national trial and one of 10 sites that collected biomarkers to use in NLST secondary trials. More than 780 MD Anderson participants were enrolled in the trial. The trial randomized 53,000 current or former smokers - ages 55 to 74 - into two screening groups to compare and examine lung cancer mortality.This is a major finding for lung cancer patients and health care policy in the United States, said Reginald Munden, M.D., a professor in Department of Diagnostic Radiology and lead investigator at MD Anderson on the trial. The goal of our lung cancer screening program is to improve the health of lung cancer patients.Munden hopes the trial results will pique the interest of current smokers to join a smoking cigarettes-cessation program. Because many former smokers are at a high risk for developing lung cancer, MD Anderson hopes to draw that population to the screening program as well. We had a tremendous amount of interest in the trial when it first opened, and we anticipate there will be more people asking to be screened with the release of the trial findings, said Munden.The Costs of Saving LivesAs promising as the findings are, not all smokers and former smokers are recommended for lung cancer screening. There are certain risks associated with screening, including radiation exposure and false positives that may require additional testing and discomfort.Now that we have scientific proof that screening a specific high-risk group can reduce mortality in lung cancer patients, the benefits of the screening outweigh the risks for those people, said Bevers, who was MD Anderson co-investigator on the national trial.Cost can be a barrier to screening, because insurance companies do not cover the expense of lung cancer screening. Previous studies did not prove a benefit to X-ray screening. With the challenging economy and rising costs of medical care, the out-of pocket expense may deter some from getting screened, and the screening results could lead to further tests that may involve additional costs. MD Anderson is charging $400 for a lung cancer screening, but experts consider this worth it if it will reduce the number of lung cancer deaths. There are more costs associated with treating lung cancer, said Munden.The trial also includes a cost-effective analysis. Researchers are comparing the cost of lung cancer care to the cost of covering lung cancer screening. If the analysis demonstrates a reduction in the cost of lung cancer care, then the adaptation will be rapid, said Munden.Results from the cost analysis are expected to be released later this year.For more information about lung cancer screening, please visit the Cancer Prevention Center website. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesBox.Com Cigarettes News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/ut_md_anderson_debuts_lung_cancer_screening_program.html 2011-07-01 01:42:00 As Middle Tennessee State University continues to position itself for the future and approaches its Centennial celebration, it will join approximately 250 institutions of higher education across the country by declaring itself a cigarettes-free campus.Based on a recommendation by the Universitys Environmental Health and Safety Committee, President Sidney A. McPhee recently revised the current smoking cigarettes policy to create a cigarettes-free campus, effective Jan. 1, 2012.The new policy will prohibit the use of all forms of discount cigarettes products anywhere on University grounds.Numerous reasons support enacting this policy. Most importantly, MTSU is committed to providing a healthy living, working and learning environment for its students, faculty and staff.The new policy will reduce harm from secondhand smoke cigarettes and provide an atmosphere that encourages cigarettes-free lifestyles.The health risks of cigarettes are well-known.The Surgeon Generals Report in 2006, which recognized no risk-free level of secondhand smoke cigarettes exposure, was a watershed document for conversations surrounding the creation of smoke-free and cigarettes-free public spaces.cigarettes use is the leading cause of premature illness and death, but science also shows that the devastating effects of buy cigarettes use can be reversed in time.It is anticipated that a cigarettes-free campus will help motivate students and employees to quit using cigarettes, potentially adding to the quality and duration of their lives and creating a protected space for non-users to avoid environmental cheap cigarettes exposure.A second reason for the policy change is MTSUs commitment to preparing graduates who are in demand by local, regional, national and global companies and organizations.As health care costs escalate, more companies are asking about online cigarettes use of current and potential employees.cigarettes-free employees are often preferred because of lower insurance costs, reduced absenteeism and greater productivity.A cigarettes-free campus will make it easier for MTSU students to remain or become cigarettes-free during their time as students and as they transition into professional careers, increasing their likelihood of securing employment.Becoming a cigarettes-free campus will also add to the overall campus aesthetic.Brand new buildings, pedestrian walkways and landscaping have enhanced the beauty of the MTSU campus, but the litter of cigarette butts and smokeless cheap cigarettes containers often can be an unfortunate distraction from the campuss appearance.Creating a cigarettes-free campus is one more stride that MTSU is taking to aid in the ongoing greening of the University that is desired by both students and employees.The decision to go cigarettes-free was not a hurried one. Great care was taken to gather input from a variety of campus constituents and entities.The MTSU Faculty Senate passed a resolution supporting a smoke-free campus in November 2007.The American Democracy Project, an MTSU student organization, polled students in the 2009-10 academic year on their support for a new cigarettes online policy, revealing that a majority of those polled supported a smoke-free or cigarettes-free campus.University deans and directors, library administrators, athletics, the Division of Student Affairs and other departments also added their voices in support of a policy change in spring 2011 before the Environmental Health and Safety Committee made its formal recommendation.While no change is easy or without challenges, the transition to a cigarettes-free campus will be worth the short-term obstacles. It is the mission of the University to foster an environment conducive to learning and personal development, and good health is essential to fully meeting ones academic and professional potential. By making the campus cigarettes-free and providing comprehensive cessation resources, MTSU is proactively addressing the No. 1 health risk in the United States and creating a more vibrant environment for its next 100 years. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • CigarettesHouse.Com Tobacco News    • Discount Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Discount-Cigarettes-Planet.Com Cigarettes News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/chance_to_clear_the_air.html 2011-06-30 01:41:00 Secondary students surveyed in Armstrong County said they used less drugs than their peers across the state.In several categories, the prevalence of drug use among Armstrong County students was significantly lower than state averages, according to the results of the 2009 Pennsylvania Youth Survey.The survey is administered every two years by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.About 350 students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 in four Armstrong County school districts — Armstrong, Apollo-Ridge, Freeport Area and Leechburg Area — reportedly participated. Across the state, about 35,000 students took the survey.No other local school districts were known to have participated in 2009. The survey results were obtained through Right to Know requests.Alcohol was the most common substance used — 29 percent of Armstrong Countys students reported drinking alcohol. That was 20 percentage points lower than the number of students statewide who had tried alcohol.Cigarettes, smokeless cigarettes and marijuana were other substances in which Armstrong County students reported significantly lower usage than state averages.The only category in which both a substantive number of students reported trying the drug and local use was similar to the state average was inhalants. About 11 percent of Armstrong County students reported having used inhalants.Inhalant use was more common among sixth- and eighth-graders than older students, which the commission noted is typical because they are a more easily obtained drug.As for illicit drugs — including cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, methamphetamine, ecstasy and steroids — both county and state children reported very low usage.For all seven categories, less than 1 percent of local students reported trying these harder drugs.In addition to reporting less drug use than their peers statewide, Armstrong County students in 2009 reported less drug use than their predecessors in 2007.Use of alcohol, cigarettes, smokeless cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, ecstasy and steroids all had been cut in half or more.Use of inhalants had increased, by about 1 percentage point. Methamphetamine use had risen from zero in 2007 to 0.6 percent in 2009.Local school officials lauded anti-drug programming and communal efforts for helping keep drug use to a minimum.We at Apollo-Ridge are able to work cooperatively with parents, community members and local agencies to educate our students on the dangers associated with the use of these substances, said Matthew Curci, director of curriculum at Apollo-Ridge. That collaboration can go a long way in helping students make healthy decisions.Curci pointed to programs promoting healthy choices including the national Red Ribbon Campaign, mock accidents that showcase the risks of drunken driving, the anti-smoking cigarettes Kick Butts Day and collaborations with the ARIN Intermediate Unit.All of these are in addition to the health and physical education programs (that are) part of the regular curriculum, encouraging students to participate in healthy, active lifestyles, Curci said.Todd OShell, a spokesman for Freeport Area School District, said the district also uses its health curriculum and programs to stress the hazards of drug use. OShell said Freeport Area utilizes partnerships with local law enforcement and community programs, such as the Butler County Reality Tour and Ford City District Judge J. Gary DeComos Drugs Kill Dreams initiative.Additionally, a strong family base that has a close relationship and communication with our schools staff has been a growing support system for our efforts to promote clean, healthy lifestyles, OShell said.Administrators from Armstrong and Leechburg Area school districts did not respond to requests for comment.The survey also asked students if they had displayed antisocial behaviors within the previous 30 days. Behaviors surveyed included attacking someone, attempting to steal a car, being arrested, being drunk or high at school, getting suspended and bringing a weapon to school.The most common response in Armstrong County was attacking someone, with almost 8 percent of students reporting yes.All seven behavior categories fell below the state average.The Commission on Crime and Delinquency will administer the Pennsylvania Youth Survey again this fall. A districts participation is voluntary, but the survey can help districts secure grant money for prevention programs and target efforts to reduce drug and alcohol use. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Cigarettes & Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesBox.Com Cigarettes News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/drugs_losing_hold_on_armstrong_kids__survey_shows.html 2011-06-29 01:00:00 Ohios adult smoking cigarettes rate for 2010 has increased 2.2 percent from 2009, according to the Centers for Disease Control.Funding for cigarettes prevention and cessation progragms being cut from the state budget is to blame for the increase, which ends a long trend of declining discount cigarettes use.Since May 2008, only a small amount of funding has been set aside for cheap cigarettes prevention and cessation. Currently, there is no money in the state budget set aside for these programs. Other cigarettes news and tobacco market events you can find at links bellow:    • Best-Buy-Cigarettes.Com Tobacco News    • Online Cigarettes Tobacco News    • CigarettesOn.Com Tobacco News http://www.cigshop.net/tobacco-news/ohio_s_smoking_rate_increases_after_steady_decline.html