Monday, October 31, 2011

Study identifies safety issues for hospital patients who go outside to smoke

Study identifies safety issues for hospital patients who go outside to smoke - Winnipeg Free Press

Patients often can be seen congregating outside the doors of a hospital even when it's -30 or -40 C, Schultz observed.
"This is somebody who's sick enough to be in the hospital. That's concerning because that means they're off the unit, and they're also exposed to this kind of weather condition," she said, adding that intravenous lines can freeze at low temperatures and need to be restarted.
Some hospitals are in parts of town that are not always particularly safe, she said, and patients build little networks so they can go outside in a group, especially in the evening so they won't be outside alone.

And there is if I'm not mistaken a real reason for patients to band together and take care of each other.
If you go to Smoker's Club you can find pages of stories just like this................
I don't blame patients for not wanting to trust the hospital with their own safety since apparently it's fine if smoker's have none.
What a world.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Goodwin looks to rewrite smoking ordinance Commission candidate proposes four changes

Bowling Green Daily News:

Goodwin has four specific changes he’d make to the smoking ordinance, the first being exempting the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.

Those groups’ objections to the ordinance have been well-documented.

Secondly, Goodwin would allow for hotels to have 20 percent of rooms designated for smoking.

Goodwin also believes any business with fewer than four employees should be exempt.

Lastly, Goodwin believes all businesses that allow only patrons 21 and older should be exempted.

Mark Bradford said he’d be open to the idea of some type of exemption process for specific businesses.

For Robin Baldwin, she feels as if the people have already spoken.

“The people in the community had their say, and they chose at least three candidates who said, ‘I’m going to vote for a smoking ban,’ ” Baldwin said.

A Nov. 8 victory for Goodwin could go a long way in showing whether the issue of indoor smoking still exists to where it can decide a campaign.

“I’m going to tell you now, I want to address and it and write it right,” Goodwin said.

Hmm
I like this but I think it should go further even than that,allow the owners to decide.
People always vote with their cash.

HB 282 (Dead)

HB 282


(1)  The provisions of this section shall apply to any food establishment that is required to obtain a permit from the State Department of Health under Section 41-3-15(4)(f), that operates primarily in an enclosed facility and that has five (5) or more seats for customers.
     (2)  Any food establishment to which this section applies shall not be allowed to serve food to any person who is obese, based on criteria prescribed by the State Department of Health after consultation with the Mississippi Council on Obesity Prevention and Management established under Section 41-101-1 or its successor.  The State Department of Health shall prepare written materials that describe and explain the criteria for determining whether a person is obese, and shall provide those materials to all food establishments to which this section applies.  A food establishment shall be entitled to rely on the criteria for obesity in those written materials when determining whether or not it is allowed to serve food to any person.
     (3)  The State Department of Health shall monitor the food establishments to which this section applies for compliance with the provisions of this section, and may revoke the permit of any food establishment that repeatedly violates the provisions of this section.
     
I'm glad this one is dead,but before anyone thinks I'm putting this here to be a jerk and dissect ancient history you would need to understand how shocking this read was for me.
I rage against this sort of thing on a regular basis,because it bothers me in so many ways,it shows how demonizing people begins and what it looks like at it's inception.
I wonder what the world would be like if we were all just people again.

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Nanny States of America, Part 3

The Nanny States of America, Part 3:

In Canada, if you walk into a bar, and order a $3.50 beer, the bartender opens that beer for you… ok there is a city tax of 7%, a sin tax of 12%, federal tax of 9%, and goods and services tax of 21%. (Percentage numbers based on taxes in Oakville, ON Canada in 1997). 

Now let’s look at the math, 7+12+9+21=49% tax on that one $3.50 beer, $1.72 in just taxes and that one beer is now $5.22. Now that is if each tax is based the original $3.50. If they can do this on a beer… how long do you think it will be before a simple can of snus or a pack of smokes is carrying 49% tax on them on top of the current outrageous sin, state, federal and local taxes that are on them now? 

In some states this tax can be as high as 90% of the retail cost as it is. Now add to that another 49% to 50% worth of taxes and you are looking at tobacco users footing the bill for a health care system that has already proved failed.  That is if they spend the money where they say and as we have seen in the last article how well they manage the money they say they are using. 


An interesting take from a smokeless tobacco user.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Dwindling number of places where smokers can light up

POINT OF VIEW: Dwindling number of places where smokers can light up - The Sarnia Observer - Ontario, CA:


Some members of the committee also said the outdoor smoking ban may be going a little too far.
Sarnia Coun. Bev MacDougall said smokers are already a highly restricted bunch of folks.
"We can't take away the right to exist gainfully in society," she said.
It's never easy to balance the desire to promote and protect the public health, with the need to maintain and protect the rights of individuals.
But, it's probably easier than being a smoker these days.
As Plympton-Wyoming Mayor Lonny Napper, a smoker, told the committee, it may soon be easier to just pass a law telling them where they're still allowed to light up.

:(
That's not good blogging,but it's the truth.
The more you separate people and the more they are able to see each other as something different the more difficult it becomes to exist in society.
Divide and conquer seems to be the best strategy tobacco control ever thought of.
Harassing and making people feel ashamed,alone and unwanted has done wonders for pushing along the healthist agenda.
Think you are safe because you don't smoke?

Friday, October 21, 2011

Haven't patients suffered enough without this hospital smoking ban?

Ian O'Doherty: Haven't patients suffered enough without this hospital smoking ban? - Ian O'Doherty, Columnists - Independent.ie:


Before he died, my father spent a few years in and out of James's Hospital.
He used to say that the worst thing was the boredom, the endless tedium punctuated only by the ticking of the clock in his ward that used to drive him mad.
A voracious reader, he admitted that there are only so many books you can read in one day and while his body was failing, his mind was, on the whole, still active -- and that's where the ciggie break came in.
He admitted to me on one occasion that going for a smoke was the highlight of his day -- not for the hit of the tobacco but because for him and all the other long-term patients, going for a smoke was a social occasion, a chance to get out of the bed, get out of the ward and have a chat and a fag with some of the others and, to be honest, I could completely see where he was coming from.
Because when my Da and his fellow incumbents met up for a smoke, they were no longer just patients with a numbered bracelet on their wrist, they were men again, individuals in their own right.

Such a satisfying read.
My crappy blogging will never do it justice but it should be read.
The writer touches on such a striking note,this thing we all forget smoker's are people too.
No matter what the anti's say or how they try to spin it,we all of us are people still and deserve some compassion and we deserve to have our dignity intact when we are ill.
Being well isn't just what we or eat or drink or smoke or don't smoke do our mindset has a whole lot to do with it as well.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Ban has no effect on smokers - The Irish Times -

Ban has no effect on smokers - The Irish Times - Wed, Oct 19, 2011:

The smoking ban was introduced in March 2004 by then minister for health Micheál Martin. Its aim was to protect people from second-hand smoke but it had also been hoped that the ban would provide an incentive to help smokers quit.
This has not proven to be the case.
“We really haven’t shifted prevalence of smoking by any appreciable extent beyond what it was prior to the implementation of the ban; we are at about 28 to 30 per cent,” Dr Holohan said.
And of course that isn't the only message that's being spread.
 He also said there was a need to look at the inter-relationship between different lifestyle factors, including tobacco use, alcohol consumption and obesity, and their effects on health.
“People who smoke just don’t smoke, they are also people who are overweight and they are also people who are high consumers of alcohol and we need to understand the interaction of those,” Dr Holohan said.
There was no point in sending out messages about tobacco one day, alcohol the next and obesity on the third day. “We need a much more integrated positive message in relation to health.
“It shouldn’t always be about ‘don’t do this’ and ‘don’t do that’.”
Sounds all well and good,well from their viewpoint in any case. But the thing smokers always told the other people who supported the banning of smoking in public places has come to pass.
They are coming for all of us,it makes me wonder how long before the cacophony of angry voices being raised calling for bans to be repealed won't just be from the smokers.
Because now the people who dislike the overweight and the people who dislike smokers have decided to join forces.
Dr Holohan also raised concerns about the marketing of food and unhealthy products to children.
How long before they join with the greenies and the clean air people.One wonders what sort of focus they would spread with the sort of money and backing that would supply.
That damn slope keeps getting slipperier every single day.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Wales needs 20,000 smokers a year to quit to meet ambitious targets

Wales needs 20,000 smokers a year to quit to meet ambitious targets - Wales News - News - WalesOnline:

WALES needs to persuade 20,000 smokers a year to quit if it is to meet an ambitious target to slash smoking rates.
The Welsh Government wants to cut the number of adult smokers from the current 23% to just 16% by 2020.
But there are concerns about whether Wales’ smoking cessation services can help such numbers tackle their addictions.
The number of adults smoking has fallen only slightly in the last seven years, from 26% in 2004, despite the introduction of the ban on smoking in public places.

This doesn't make sense when you figure in the economic losses from tobacco taxes.
I can't pretend to be well versed enough in this to spout statistics and numbers but every smoker that quits costs the government something.
I'm frankly always surprised that this topic keeps rearing it's ugly head.

I'm not even sure exactly what sort of economic number juggling has shown a positive outcome for governments attempting to stamp out smoking on a huge basis but I wouldn't believe the outcome has changed much from the first time I read this.

"A $1 increase in cigarette excise taxes could affect an
estimated 74,700 to 96,800 jobs"

A nifty little report from the United States own general accounting office came up with that number.
I have tried to figure out what the losses on a worldwide scale would be today but math isn't my strong suit.

Mount Airy News - Museum hosts lecture on tobacco and culture

Mount Airy News - Museum hosts lecture on tobacco and culture:

“Tobacco was the backbone, not just of the economy, but of culture and society,” he remarked.
Yeargin also talked about different types of tobacco and techniques that were developed over the years. He then spoke about the tobacco industry in Surry County and what it still means today. According to Yeargin, there were 21 plants for tobacco production in Surry County in 1893, and that grew to 45 in 1927, which employed 2,875 people here.
An article that didn't upset me for once.
I enjoyed every word. :)

Saturday, October 15, 2011

OUDaily.com | OU law student, presidential candidate opposes smoking ban

OUDaily.com | OU law student, presidential candidate opposes smoking ban:

“[Let’s say] you don’t smoke. What happens when the government takes away one of the liberties that you do enjoy?” Harris asked. “Are you going to ask people to stand up for you while you remained silent when others were tyrannized?”Harris said he has been trying to work with the OU chapter of the Young Americans for Liberty organization to fight the ban. Caleb Groves, a member of the OU group, said he shares many of Harris’ values.
Groves, international and area studies junior, said he worked for Harris during his U.S. congressional campaign and has decided to volunteer for him once again now that he is running for president.
“Since we are a brand new organization there hasn’t been much for RJ and me to do, but he is going to be attending our meetings, and he will be the guest speaker for our meeting this Friday,” Groves said.
Spurred by smoking’s legality and big government, Groves said his group is hoping to stage a protest on the South Oval.

I really did like this, although I didn't agree with everything in it.
But for me someone calling the loss of liberty to people's attention is welcome and sorely needed.
I wish more people were like this kid,then maybe this mess we have now wouldn't be such a total cluster.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Should smoking be prohibited in Kirkland parks?

Should smoking be prohibited in Kirkland parks? - Kirkland Reporter:

An online survey will be available through Oct. 28 that gauges public interest in whether the city should enact legislation that would prohibit the use of smoke and smokeless tobacco in city owned and maintained parks, open space, and other public recreation areas.
To take the survey, go to www.kirklandwa.gov/tobaccosurvey.


I think it's odd to put up a survey to ask people what they think about it,that in itself is unusual but  I'm more than a little bit skeptical that the results will be used to truthfully promote the will of the people.

This link shows what the survey looks like
link

I'm more than a little surprised they ask if you are a smoker though,you would think that wouldn't matter.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Flames fanned by smoke ban - Local - Blackpool Gazette

Flames fanned by smoke ban - Local - Blackpool Gazette:

A BAN on smoking outdoors has prompted anger.
Blackpool Council has put signs up outside the Solaris centre on South Promenade to say smoking is prohibited in all areas of the site including the grounds.
Smoking rights campaigner Hamish Howitt has branded the move a step too far and warned people could also be banned from lighting up in other public areas in future.
He said: “The smoking ban has already killed off the pub trade. If it spreads to open spaces it will kill off tourism in a working class place like Blackpool.
“If the council is banning smoking outside, it might as well ban cars and lorries because the damage from traffic fumes is much greater.”

Oh good an outdoor smoking ban.
I don't live in Blackpool obviously but this infuriates me.
If you can't smoke outdoors and you can't smoke indoors then where in the hell can you smoke?
If something is legal then why go to all of this trouble to ostracize and demoralize the smokers?

I think the anti's knew something we didn't.
They knew with all the sureness in the world that if they made us baby killers and made us the bogiemen that society would surely shun us.
If their shameful practice didn't work they made sure their propaganda and junk science surely would.
I assume they thought with enough pressure and enough hatred we would stop and some have (convinced by science that is woefully lacking and painful to read if you have a halfway analytical mind and a halfwits understanding of causation and effect and how one proves such a thing) but many have not.

I find it sad that people didn't know with the success of the anti-smoking brigade that more stuff would be coming down the pike for them.
Welcome to the world where people tax fats to change behavior.
After alcohol ,salt and cars I wonder what's next.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Anti-smokers suffer major setback

Anti-smokers suffer major setback | MALAYA Business Insight News Online:

THE temporary restraining order on the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s "no smoking" policy has raised concern not only in the National Capital Region but also in the international community.
The Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) has expressed concern over legal challenges being faced by agencies tasked to adhere to the country’s commitment in the World Health Organization-Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC).

Anything that upsets the anti-smokers has to be good.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Fin

And the Debate was Over | Frank Davis:

I'm not even going to link anything here,Frank's posts deserve to be read and thought about.

This sort of thing pisses me off though,I started using an e cigarette because my money was damaging the lives of other smokers,my friends and family and people I never even met.
Every cent I poured into the system contributed to the crushing of a group of people using an entirely legal substance and I couldn't live with the idea of it.
I still can't.
Frank says something very wise when he says that  some vapers are antismokers,I just hope I never become one of them.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Official: Smokers Actually Visit Bars Less Often Now

Official: Smokers Actually Visit Bars Less Often Now - Health News Story - WLWT Cincinnati:

The graph now shows that 40 percent of current smokers who were surveyed say they visit bars less often, while about 7 percent of non-smokers say they go more often.
Republican Sen. Bill Seitz, of Cincinnati, and the ban's opponents have seized on the report, saying it's flawed and its executive summary omitted certain figures.
The Ohio Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Oct. 19 in a constitutional challenge to the ban brought by bar and restaurant owners.
Wow now there's a shocking revelation.
(sarcasm implied) 

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Council puts the butt out on smoking ban proposal

Council puts the butt out on smoking ban proposal

Deputy mayor Luke Charbonneau was concerned by the presentation as he felt Weppler was using a "sneaky" incremental approach in order to achieve the goal of making smoking illegal everywhere.
"What is the endgame of all this?" he asked. "You came to us a couple of years ago and you asked us to pass a bylaw to ban smoking in all of our playing fields. We didn't do that. We passed the resolution. Now you're back to us a couple years later and you're asking us to ban it on the beaches, and we've got this thing asking the county to ban it in entrances and exits to the municipally-owned areas and on private property.

"It seems apparent to me, given your logic in here, that next you'll be asking us to ban it on all municipally-owned property, followed thereafter by all private property. It seems to me that your goal is to ban smoking. And I'm confused as to why the Health Unit has decided to first come to the municpalities and ask us bit by bit, year over year to gradually increase the area whereby smoking is forbidden, when the obvious goal is to ban smoking. Why wouldn't you go to the province and ask them to ban smoking? It's a provincial election, I'm sure there'd be lots of guys out there willing to listen to you." "
Charbonneau closed by saying he was uncomfortable with the notion of reducing people's rights.
"I think we should be looking at finding ways to enable people to do more things, and I don't think the public wants us to be nickel-and-diming them with more and more bylaw enforcement on their doorstep telling them what they should and shouldn't consume," he said.
Reading that coming from someone in any kind of power is almost surprising.
Gives me a little ray of hope though when people think some things just go way too far.
The bad news and there is always bad news I think is that they or some of them at least think they could support some of it as a policy but not an actual law.

Wonder how that will work.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Tobacco Denormalization and Stigma

Tobacco Denormalization and Stigma « Neuroethics at the Core:

The new CAMH policy appears to be following a recent global political trend called tobacco denormalization. The goal of tobacco denormalization programs is to promote the idea that tobacco use is not a mainstream activity within society. CAMH is but one of many psychiatric facilities world-wide that have implemented denormalization programs. Yet, as a recent Globe and Mail article covering the story noted, since CAMH “is the country’s largest mental-health centre, other institutions will undoubtedly be watching to see how the new policy unfolds.”

Denormalization is an awful evil policy.
Nothing like lying and attempting to shame people out of a behavior simply because you don't like it.
The longer I look at these stories the more I find myself wondering exactly what the difference is between the scientific community and the church.
I find this so frustrating,how can you combat something where people pretend to have the moral high ground?

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Delaware County bar owners say business down since smoking ban

Delaware County bar owners say business down since smoking ban | The Star Press | thestarpress.com:


Munson, predicting a scenario where county commissioners would one day tell citizens they couldn't smoke in their own homes, said county officials had "accomplished their mission."
"They've changed some behavior," he said, in a fashion that has been "fairly devastating to tavern owners."
Lawyers M. Edward Krause III, representing the county commissioners, and Don Dunnuck, a county commissioner who as an attorney represents the health board, said Munson had no grounds upon which to ask for the temporary injunction.
"Courts have ruled... there is no fundamental right to smoke," Dunnuck said.


Imagine that?
Business owners banding together to try and stop regulations from killing their businesses and jobs in the community.
I love seeing stuff like this,it's a shame it takes this much regulation to get people to stand up and say no we've had enough.


I wish things weren't the way they are now,because this issue was meant to divide us as human beings from one another and oddly it seems like it has always been this way.
Pipe smokers think they are different from cigar smokers who think they are different from cigarette smokers who think they're different from people who use smokeless tobacco.
It really is mind boggling to me that we never banded together and supported each other,it only makes the worst regulations seem like a worse travesty because maybe if we had the outcome might have been harder to achieve.
Once you separate entire groups of people and start allowing them to see other human beings as being alien and different it is all too easy to disassociate yourselves from them and allow things to happen to them that you would never want to have happen to you.
I have to stop there because the thought seems like it will never happen,but I hope I'm wrong.


I hope in my lifetime I see a huge wave of not smokers or drinkers or fat people but just  a huge wave of people standing up and saying no to things like this so we can stop being separate and start being human beings once again.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Alexandria hospital to ban odor of smoke on workers' clothes

Alexandria hospital to ban odor of smoke on workers' clothes | The Town Talk | thetowntalk.com:

 The policy will prohibit the use of tobacco products by employees while on their shifts, including when they are on breaks. It also will not allow employees to work if their clothing smells like smoke.
"About a month or two ago we sent a letter to all of our associates to their homes," hospital administrator Lisa R. Lauve said. "We sent a letter notifying them that they had a year to make whatever adjustments they needed to make to be able to comply with the policy that would not allow them to smoke during the hours that they work."
Hospital officials are aiming to reduce patients' and employees' exposure to toxins that linger in fabrics from a recently burned cigarette, also known as third-hand smoke, Lauve said. 


Sometimes it's hard to find the words to explain how frustrating this all is.
Junk science has an amazing ability to create policies for no reason.
It feels like this is never going to end,but it has to history tells us it has to end.
People forget how much history there is in these sorts of prohibitions and conditions on how we live our lives.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Court officials look askance at BNCA circular (Bhutan)

Court officials look askance at BNCA circular - Kuensel Online:

Now, having to escort the confiscated products would be an additional expenditure to the government, as some courts have only 32 to 40 packets of chewing (baba) tobacco. “The government will have to bear the travel allowance of driver, staff and also fuel allowance from many courts,” he said. “If BNCA did a round, it will cut costs.”
BNCA’s executive director Kinley Dorji said the circular was in accordance with section 46 of the Tobacco Act that mandates a proper disposal of the seized products. “We’ve asked the court officials to reach the products individually to prevent the products from being lost on the way,” he said. “We can’t dispose it anywhere we like, or burn it, because of environmental issues. So we need to dispose it properly,” he said.
One judge pointed out that, instead of burning it, BNCA could take it to the border towns and auction it.

Ahh the costs of enforcing a total Prohibition are sitting hard on our good friends in Bhutan.
You know these things never seem to occur to politicians and governments when they implement these sorts of things and yet here it is in black and white.

Hernando School Board may adopt comprehensive smoking ban - St. Petersburg Times

Hernando School Board may adopt comprehensive smoking ban - St. Petersburg Times:

"The main reason, Clifford said, is to set a good example for students. Told of the proposal to go completely tobacco free, Clifford was supportive, although with a reservation.


"I think that would be hard to enforce because I'm not going to be walking in the parking lot to see if my staff members are smoking in their cars," he said. "I need to be in the classrooms.""

Ahh America land if the free and home of the brave.
We must protect the children,they can never see or smell smoke,but pollution is fine.
This is just more frustrating every time I read the news.

The only sort of solace I have is knowing at some point this has to stop if for no other reason then it is no longer cost effective to punish over 14% of the population for using a legal product.

I see we're not there quite yet though.