1909 Chicago: The 'L' smoking war

1909 Chicago: The 'L' smoking war | WBEZ:

There was no trouble at first. The smokers simply went on smoking. A few conductors tried to enforce the new rule, but gave up in the face of the mass civil disobedience.

On November 5 the excrement hit the fan. That day "L" security guards removed two smokers from a train at the 44th Avenue (Kostner) station. Other passengers tried to stop the guards, and a near-riot ensued.

Three days later a grass-roots gathering of smokers held a protest rally in Oak Park. A crowd of over 500 people jammed a local hall and spilled into the street. A citizens' committee was organized to carry on the fight. They declared their purpose in populist rhetoric--"Neither Knight nor any other monopoly can deny the workingman his morning smoke."

The "Smoking War" became front-page news. All through November, newspapers detailed the actions of the pro-tobacco-choice forces, and the options they were weighing.

Times have changed so much.

This is the first I ever read about this.

Not that their protest changed anything,but it still makes my heart glad to know people stood up for themselves about this.

Study: Nicotine Replacement Therapies May Not Be Effective in Helping People Quit Smoking

Study: Nicotine Replacement Therapies May Not Be Effective in Helping People Quit Smoking - University of Massachusetts Boston:

In the prospective cohort study the researchers, including lead author Hillel Alpert, research scientist at HSPH, and co-author Lois Biener of UMass Boston’s Center for Survey Research, followed 787 adult smokers in Massachusetts who had recently quit smoking. The participants were surveyed over three time periods: 2001-2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2006. Participants were asked whether they had used a nicotine replacement therapy in the form of the nicotine patch (placed on the skin), nicotine gum, nicotine inhaler, or nasal spray to help them quit, and if so, what was the longest period of time they had used the product continuously. They also were asked if they had joined a quit-smoking program or received help from a doctor, counselor, or other professional.

The results showed that, for each time period, almost one-third of recent quitters reported to have relapsed. The researchers found no difference in relapse rate among those who used NRT for more than six weeks, with or without professional counseling. No difference in quitting success with use of NRT was found for either heavy or light smokers.

Why wait over 5 years to write and publish this study?

Oh right of course there's your larger demographic.

No need to worry if someone still buys the product,because it doesn't matter what you sell it for.

Am I the only one who finds it odd that these studies came out so close to each other?

Employers hope to curb health costs with nicotine tests

Employers hope to curb health costs with nicotine tests - San Francisco Luxury Living | San Francisco Luxury Living:

Employers as varied as Michigan-based benefits manager Weyco and Humana Inc. in Arizona to the Union Pacific Railroad and Alaska Airlines have followed the same path, although the policies have come under fire from civil libertarians and privacy advocates who contend companies are trying to ban workers’ use of a product in their private lives that is legal to use. About 20 percent of American adults are smokers, government surveys show.

Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania will begin nicotine tests for job applicants in February and also will implement higher insurance premiums in 2012.

“This is just the next step in creating a tobacco-free environment and it’s just an effort to focus on the well-being of our employees,” said Geisinger spokeswoman Marcy Marshall. All Geisinger facilities have been tobacco-free since 2007.

Critics argue that bans on tobacco could easily be followed by prohibitions on alcohol, cheeseburgers or high-risk sports off duty, all of which can also impact health costs. In fact, nearly 30 states have laws protecting smokers or users of “lawful products” from employer discrimination to at least some degree.

Not like I couldn't see this coming from a mile away.

I have been watching the bashing of large people for awhile now and truth be told if you really look not all of these people are so large.

If you want to see what these global health initiative types call obese you should look  here.

Many of these people look just like I do and my friends do.

It all goes to show you,you can't trust anyone about your health when there is money involved.

Is smoking your pipe important to you?

Is smoking your pipe important to you? - Neill's Blog - Pipe Blog:

The anti-smoking movement is large, well-funded, politically connected, effectively coordinated, and – most disturbing to me – ruthless in that they are willing to bend or twist the truth to achieve their aim: to end the use of tobacco in all forms in the United States, if not the world.

These people are not evil. They are your family. Your friends. Your teachers, students, colleagues, neighbors, employees, employers, doctors, accountants, and team mates. You go out with them, play cards with them, celebrate holidays together, work on charity drives with them, and sit next to them at church. In short, they are everywhere. And they see themselves cloaked in compassion, virtue, duty, and responsibility. They love us. They want to save us from ourselves, and they will not be dissuaded from their drive to do so.

Herein lies the problem. Self-righteousness and love can – and often do – combine to taint the actions of otherwise good people.

People who believe profoundly in their cause – like the anti-smoking movement does – will go to any lengths to achieve their aims. Because they believe smoking kills, they see it as evil. When it comes to stamping out evil, the end justifies the means.

Interesting reading.
I'm not so sure I ascribe as many nice attributes to the anti-smoking movement.

Bhutan Proposal to lighten penalties

kuenselonline » Blog Archive » Proposal to lighten penalties:

Highlights of the proposal

- Offence will be rated as misdemeanor and not felony

- Section 52 and 54 will be removed

- The word ‘smuggling’ will be removed

- Two clauses to be added in section 11

- The Parliament is to determine the quantity and type of tobacco products for 

personal consumption

- Dzongkhag, gewog and thromde tshogdes shall provide support and cooperation 

for co-ordination and conduct awareness programs on tobacco control

From the Readers Tobacco Amendment – too little too late

I had hopes that amending the tobacco control act would be something more spectacular than this.

Guess I was wrong.

Proposed Mobile smoking ban would allow bars to opt out

Proposed Mobile smoking ban would allow bars to opt out | al.com:

An ordinance soon to be considered by the Mobile City Council would bar smoking in virtually all public spaces and places of employment in the city. 

The most notable exception to the ban would be bars serving patrons age 21 or older. 

Bar owners could choose for themselves whether to allow smoking. Signs indicating whether smoking is OK would be required near the entrances. 

Smoking at restaurants would be permitted in outdoor spaces, provided that the outdoor space is 25 feet from the entrance. 

The ordinance is expected to appear on the council’s Jan. 10 agenda, but may not come to a vote until Jan. 17. 

Councilman William Carroll is sponsoring the ordinance, a draft of which was provided to the Press-Register. "Hardly anybody wants to eat their food around someone who is smoking anymore," he said. "Practically the whole country is trying to go smoke free." 

Carroll said that the ordinance is fair to smokers because it allows them a social outlet where they can smoke. 

Interesting and unusual.
I suspect many bars would choose to opt out since they make a great deal of money from smoking patrons.

I don't like smoking bans,I never have they started a society where rules and laws are made by the association or the agency that yells the loudest.

It is never made by taking the people who smoke into any kind of consideration at all.

Bits And Pieces

Things I found interesting today.

Shopkeeper hits out at cigarette plain packaging plan:

"The whole thing is ridiculous. It applies to tobacco as well and almost all my pipe smokers are over 50.

"The government is trying to denormalise something which is perfectly legal and age restricted.

"If you are over 18 and decide to smoke you should be entitled to go into a shop and buy cigarettes just like anything else.

"Where will all this end? Why can’t people be allowed to make up their minds? It is just a step too far."

Researchers create a healthier cigarette

Scientists have tried to make safer cigarettes in the past. Haemoglobin (which transports oxygen in red blood cells) and activated carbon have been shown to reduce free-radicals in cancer smoke by up to 90 percent, but because of the cost, the combination has not been successfully introduced to the market.

JoVE Content Director, Dr. Aaron Kolski-Andreaco, is very excited to be publishing this article as the journal's landmark 1500th article.

"Practically, this research could lead to an alternative type of cigarette filter with a free radical scavenging additive," said Kolski-Andreaco. "It could lead to a less harmful cigarette."

BBC Four The Smoking Years

Timeshift reveals the story of the creature that is 'the smoker'. How did this species arrive on our shores? Why did it become so sexy - and so dominant in our lives? Was there really a time when everywhere people could be found shrouded in a thick blue cloud?

Enlisting the help of Barry Cryer, Stuart Maconie and others, The Smoking Years tells the unnatural history of a quite remarkable - and now threatened - creature. 

SAVVY SMOKERS FIND WAY TO SNEAK AROUND SIN TAX…BY ROLLING THEIR OWN CIGARETTES

Regardless of which strategy Massachusetts legislators choose to employ, one thing seems clear: the matter is less about the health risks involved in smoking (remember, Massachusetts has long bee been a fierce champion of personal “choice”) than it is about holding on to million of dollars in tax revenue.

More Kansas businesses use "tobacco shop" exception

His building has been split in half.  On one side you’ll find Mike’s Steakhouse and on the other you’ll find Mike’s Smoke Shop.

“This is a separate address, it has a separate corporation, separate shareholders and ventilation system,” says owner Craig Gabel.

The law says it has to be separate and 65 percent of the gross profits have to come from tobacco sales.

Book Project Needs Your Support - Cigarettiquette

Finally a book to give a voice to the people who are passionate about breathing smoke!

Sandy Lynn Riefberg, 27, has written a book which explores cigarettes and smoking from the point of view of a smoker. She delves into all the benefits smokers gain from smoking as well as their feelings about smoking and the segregation of smokers in today's world.