Nightlife Changed by Smoking Ban

While at the Oasis bar in downtown Rapid City on Friday night, Jeff Hoffman did something he wouldn't have had to do just over a year ago: Go outside to smoke. In the year since South Dakota voters overwhelmingly approved expanding a ban on smoking cheap tobacco in public places to bars, restaurants and casinos, the nightlife experience for smokers and nonsmokers alike has been transformed. Whether it has been changed for the better or worse depends on whom you ask. "I'm a grown man. I should be able to make my own decisions," said Hoffman, who isn't a fan of the ban. "If they're still selling cigarettes, we should be able to smoke them in establishments that designate smoking."

Smoking Banned in Public Areas

Orland is working on a new smoking ban in its parks and outside business doorways and restaurants, but there are some kinks to be unknotted before it's approved by the City Council. A contingent of Orland High School students belonging to Students Working Against Tobacco pushed for the ban again Monday night, saying it is aimed at protecting children, teens and adults from secondhand smoke. They came armed with posters, chaperones and information to lobby for smoke-free playgrounds, ball fields, picnic areas and store fronts. Most council members agreed such a ban would benefit public health, but they did not like the proposed fines listed in a sample law the students provided when they first sought the ban on Oct. 17. Proposed fines of $250 to $1,000 for so-called civil actions surprised the council and were thought to be too high.

Safety Issues for Hospital Patients

Hospitals across Canada have strict no-smoking policies, but how are patients addicted to nicotine faring in these circumstances? Researchers tried to find some answers by questioning patients, health-care professionals and other staff at two large acute-care hospitals -- the University of Alberta Hospital and Winnipeg's Health Science Centre. Smoke-free policies often prohibit smoking near entrances, in parking lots or anywhere on hospital grounds. The researchers found non-compliance, as well as inadequate treatment for tobacco dependence. "Just because you put this kind of policy into place doesn't mean people are just going to quit smoking," said co-author Annette Schultz, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba's faculty of nursing. She's also an ex-smoker who has worked in primary-care settings. The paper appeared Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Group Questions Smoking Ban Injunction

Health groups Thursday expressed disappointment over the injunction issued by a Mandaluyong court Wednesday against the anti-smoking policy of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). “We respect the authority of our honorable courts to decide on legal matters mainly because they are the proper venue for this. However, the life and health of our people should not be held hostage to legal battles nor technicalities of the law," Dr. Oscar D. Tinio, president of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), said. The Mandaluyong City Regional Trial Court Branch 213 issued a writ of preliminary injunction against the MMDA from implementing its smoking ban. The six-page order handed down by Judge Carlos Valenzuela stated that the MMDA, headed by Chairman Francis Tolentino, is prevented from enforcing the no-smoking campaign on open areas not covered by the definition of public places in Republic Act 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003.

Cigarette Sales, Price Hikes

FMCG companies in India have been grappling with high input costs and margin pressures over the last several quarters. There are also worries that consumers may resort to downtrading or cut back on spending if the overall economic uncertainties continue and RBI hikes interest rates further. However, there will be no such concerns for ITC when it reports second quarter results on Monday. Its bread and butter cigarettes segment continues to surge ahead as consumers smoke tobacco away, despite price hikes and pictoral warnings. The company has raised prices of its Navy Cut and Classic brands by 10%, and analysts expect there will be more price hikes in coming quarters. "The company has not raised prices enough to compensate for the VAT increase in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh in the second quarter," say Amnish Aggarwal and Harit Kapoor of Motilal Oswal Securities.