Restaurant owner says he will fight 15 smoking citations

Restaurant owner says he will fight 15 smoking citations

Alamogordo man owes $6,800 in fines

ALAMOGORDO — An Alamogordo restaurant and bar owner has pleaded not guilty to more than a dozen charges of violating the state’s new smoking ban, and he vows to continue letting his customers light up.

Earlier this month, Henry Smith — owner of the Grubstake Steakhouse — was cited 15 times in a week for violating the smoking ban, which took effect in June and prohibits smoking in bars, restaurants, stores and most other indoor workplaces.

Smith appeared in Magistrate Court on Friday and entered his plea.

Smith said he has no space where smoking is not permitted at his business, and that it’s his choice to do so. He argued that the smoking ban is confusing and self-contradicting and that Otero County sheriff’s deputies don’t even understand it.

According to Smith, one section of the act mentions posting smoke-free signs in areas were smoking is prohibited and smoking permitted signs in those areas where smoking is allowed.


“I chose to make the entire building a smoke place, and under the law we can do that,” Smith said.

Smith also accuses sheriff’s deputies of violating his constitutional and civil rights. He said by coming onto his property without a warrant and carrying firearms into his bar, the deputies themselves are breaking the law.

Smith told the Alamogordo Daily News that he’s circulating a petition against the sheriff’s department.

Otero County Undersheriff Norbert Sanchez told the Albuquerque Journal in a copyright story published Saturday that he expects deputies to continue dropping by Smith’s restaurant — which he described as a public place — to enforce the law, whether they receive complaints or not.

“We don’t have any choice but to continue to enforce the act,” Sanchez said.

Cheryl Ferguson, spokeswoman for New Mexicans Concerned About Tobacco, said Smith is misinterpreting the law. She said none of the law’s exemptions — such as private residences, cigar bars, casinos, bingo parlors and private clubs — apply to Smith’s restaurant.

Edwina Reeves, coordinator of the Otero County Tobacco Education Coalition, said local businesses are all complying with the state law, if reluctantly in some cases.

“People say, ‘I didn’t like it, but the law is the law, and if we have to abide by it, so should (Smith),’ ” she said.

In a 2002 referendum, Alamogordo residents voted down a municipal proposal to ban smoking in public places.

The Journal reported that Smith faces a fine of $500 for each offense after the second in a 12-month period. Currently, he’s facing $6,800 in fines for the 15 citations.
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/69528.html

Smoking ban blamed for factory closure

Smoking ban blamed for factory closure
by Sion Barry, Western Mail

A CENTURY-OLD cigar factory responsible for the production of Hamlet cigars is to close with the loss of nearly 200 jobs, it was confirmed yesterday.

Tobacco giant Gallaher blamed the smoking ban for the closure of its JR Freeman factory in Grangetown, Cardiff, which will close in 2009 with the loss of 184 jobs.

Workers’ union Unite said last night the news was “ a real blow” and said it would be meeting with the company on Monday to urge them to reconsider.

Gallaher says it has been experiencing declining sales in the UK for years and that this has been accelerated by the smoking ban.

The company sold 18.8 billion cigarettes in the UK in 2006, a 3.4% fall, but it declared global tobacco sales for that year worth £8.4bn, with profits of £565m, a 9.6% increase on 2005.




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In April this year, Gallaher was acquired by Japan Tobacco, one of the world’s three biggest tobacco companies, for £7.5bn.


Japan Tobacco forecasts it will produce 548 billion cigarettes by the end of March 2008 and currently has a 7.5% share of the world’s tobacco market, up from 5.2% in 1998.


Its sales from tobacco, food and pharmaceuticals for the first quarter of the financial year ending in 2008 amounted to £5.2bn.


The JR Freeman factory has been producing Hamlet cigars, touted as “the mild cigar”, for 43 years. Though sales are continually declining, 2004 figures showed that around 470 million Hamlets were sold a year.


Its popular television adverts, featuring the slogan “Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet” accompanied by Bach’s Air on the G String, starred the likes of comedy actors Gregor Fisher and Russ Abbott, and former cricketer Ian Botham lighting a cigar and forgetting their woes.


Gallaher said yesterday that since 1999, sales of its cigars had dropped by 50% and production will now move to Northern Ireland, where 95 jobs will be created, probably at the company’s factory at Ballymena, in County Antrim, which employs more than 900 workers.


A company spokesman said, “The decision is a result of a continuing decline in the UK cigar market, and has been accelerated by the smoking ban. It is a commercial decision [to move production to Northern Ireland].


“Obviously the proposal is regrettable and the changes do not reflect the performance of the workforce in Cardiff.


“Commercially it is not viable to keep the Cardiff factory open.”


Staff at the JR Freeman factory, which moved to Cardiff from London in 1908 and relocated to a new factory in nearby Penarth Road in the early 1960s, were briefed on the situation yesterday.

Joan Gallagher, secretary of Grangetown Community Concern, said whole generations worked at the factory, which had in the past employed busloads of workers travelling from the Valleys. “It is a great blow to the area, it has been a big employer for many years,” she said. “Whole families have worked there, particularly women.”

Martin Mansfield, Unite’s regional officer, said last night, “This is a real blow for the workforce who still believe this factory has a viable future in Cardiff.

“Unite will be working to save this factory and keep job losses to an absolute minimum.”

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_headline=smoking-ban-blamed-for-factory-closure%26method=full%26objectid=19859823%26siteid=50082-name_page.html

Smoking ban to expand

Smoking ban to expand
FIREFIGHTERS warn us to ‘put it out’ due to the devastating effects of carelessly discarded cigarettes – and now they could be told the same thing.

A recommendation has been put forward to ban fire officers and personnel from smoking on and off all Authority-owned premises during working hours.

If approved at a meeting of the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service today, an outright smoking ban could be introduced next year.

A spokesman for the fire service said: “Smoking is already banned in the stations, but we do have places where existing smokers and members of staff can go to smoke.

“We still have a huge number of fires caused by smoking materials, so this is about practising what we preach.
“It is no means certain that it will go through.”


If the plan is approved by the Authority, the smoking ban will be implemented from July 1, 2008 to give existing smokers time to get used to the rule. Smokers will be given advice and support to help quit.


A report says: “It is the intention to make all Authority owned-managed premises and grounds smoke free and to prohibit all employees from smoking while at work.

http://ichuddersfield.icnetwork.co.uk/examiner/news/regional/tm_headline=smoking-ban-to-expand%26method=full%26objectid=19862067%26siteid=50060-name_page.html

Ban on smoking at the wheel

Ban on smoking at the wheel
By PETE BELL
September 28, 2007

PEOPLE caught smoking while driving could be prosecuted for failure to be in proper control of their vehicles according to the new highway code.

The drivers' guide - the first revision for eight years - was unveiled today by the Government.

Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick described the new code as "a crucial tool for all road users" but the AA said it would be harder to decipher.

Increasing in size by about 50 per cent and containing 29 more rules, it has a new safety code for novice drivers.

It tells those new to the road "If you are driving with passengers, you are responsible for their safety. Don't let them distract you or encourage you to take risks" and "Never show off or try to compete with other drivers, particularly if they are driving badly."

The code has also been updated to include new legislation that has been introduced on vehicle emissions and smoking in vehicles that are work places, as well as the provision of new stopping/directing powers to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and Highways Agency traffic officers.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: "The Official Highway Code is for life, not just for passing your driving test. It is a crucial tool for all road users...and applies to every stage of your life. Road safety is a responsibility we all share and everyone should have a copy of the code to keep their knowledge up to date.

"However, we know that the first few months after passing your driving test can be a risky time. This is reflected in the latest code which offers practical safety advice and reminders of the rules new drivers must abide by."

Andrew Howard, head of road safety for AA public affairs, said: "The Highway Code, the definitive guide to safe and lawful road use has grown since 1931 from 18 to 135 pages, reflecting the complexities of modern motoring and spelling out in detail the rules of the road.

"But, after an eight-year gap since the last edition, it would have been helpful to have had the changes marked out, as they were in the draft, and allow experienced drivers to skim through this 307-point version.

"A major change is the code's inclusion of smoking at the wheel as behaviour that police may interpret as a distraction and failure to be in proper control of the vehicle. This addition will polarise drivers' opinions both for and against."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007450191,00.html

SMOKING BAN HITS CLIFTON SOCIAL CLUB

SMOKING BAN HITS CLIFTON SOCIAL CLUB

The future of a Clifton social club is in doubt after its owners admitted it has been badly hit by the July 1 smoking ban.

Sun Valley bingo hall and social club in Green Lane, said smokers were prepared to go outside to light up during the summer, but they feared they would stay away on cold winter nights.

The Noble Organisation said a decision would be made in the coming weeks.

The club is the on the first floor of the larger Sun Valley complex. The adult gambling centre on the ground floor will be unaffected by any changes.

Tony Gibbons, managing director of Noble's leisure division said: "It is difficult.The social club has been very badly affected by the smoking ban and other changes to the law relating to gambling.

"People have been happy to sit outside when the weather is good but they might not in January or February.

"It would be inappropriate to comment any further. Some of the staff have been with us since the place opened and we are looking at everything possible."

Another problem for the club is a ban on a certain type of high pay-out fruit machine.

The club was opened by Barry Noble in 1980 and was part of the Sun Valley Leisure Centre. It briefly included two cinemas but they closed in 1982.

Since then it has played host to regular cabaret acts and bingo nights.

Pat Tomlinson, a former regular at the club, said many residents in Clifton were upset at the possibility of it closing.

She said: "They will have to put something else to replace it because it is huge. I can't imagine them pulling it down
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=195917

Sienna's pal Rhys gets kicked out of club for flouting smoking ban

Sienna's pal Rhys gets kicked out of club for flouting smoking ban

Hellraiser Rhys Ifans was kicked out of a London club last night after sparking up a cigarette.

The 40-year-old actor was guest of honour with his “friend” Sienna Miller at the launch of Soho's new underground nightspot Maya last night.
The pair were with two other friends, enjoying a magnum of Dom Perignon when Ifans decided to light up.

An onlooker said: "Sienna and Rhys were having a great time, they appeared very close and were necking the champagne they had been given by the club hosts.

"However, when Rhys lit his fag the hostess immediately asked him to leave and the foursome hotfooted it out of the back door."

Other guests at the launch included Sienna's stepmother Kelly Hoppen, and Nicky Clarke.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=484227&in_page_id=1773

Drink spiking fears

Drink spiking fears
by Gemma Hockey



POLICE are today urging victims of drink spiking to come forward after fears that the smoking ban may be putting more women at risk.
An email was sent around the island yesterday warning of how one girl had been targeted in Town.
It follows calls to the Guernsey Press from another woman who said she too had fallen prey while drinking with friends in Bar One, earlier this month.
Some licensees believe women leaving their drinks unattended to pop outside for a cigarette are adding to the danger.
And with the start of the new party season just a few weeks away, police are calling on everyone to be more vigilant.
Crime prevention officer PC Bernie English said measures to prevent drink spiking could not be taken unless victims came forward.
‘It’s very rare and we have only had one reported case that I can think of in the last couple of months.
‘But if it does happen it’s unlikely that people would let us know,’ he said.
He said a campaign to warn people of the dangers of drink spiking, which was launched in December 2004, was ongoing.
‘We’ve had this issue many times in the last two or three years and we are still sending out posters to bars and clubs advising people to look after their drink,’ he said.
‘It’s difficult. If we are notified we can react to the problem but if we are not notified it’s very difficult for us to recognise that it’s happening,’ he said.
Bar One Licensee Glen Pontin said his wife, Suzanne, was rushed to hospital two years ago after her drink was spiked and as a result was extremely vigilant when it came to his bar.
‘My wife had just one-and-a-half glasses of wine and I had to call an ambulance because she collapsed,’ he said.
‘I would never have believed that this was happening until it happened to us.
‘I hope it’s not going on but if I ever caught someone I would be extremely angry,’ he said.
Mr Pontin said he believed women were more susceptible to having their drink

spiked since the introduction of the smoking ban last July.
‘Now with the smoking ban people are having to leave their drinks while they go outside and it’s very difficult to keep an eye on some one else’s drink when you’re chatting to other people and looking after your own,’ he said.
‘The police don’t allow people outside with drinks so people are having to leave their drinks unattended while they go outside for a cigarette.’
He praised the increased level of police presence in Town at the weekend.
‘It was brilliant they had sniffer dogs and the police were everywhere throughout the night.
‘It means that people think before they do anything and if anyone was to do anything they are either very brave or stupid,’ he said.
Anti-smoking ban campaigner and Guernsey Licensed Victuallers’ Association president Peter Leigh said it was inevitable that people’s drinks would be spiked as a result of the new law.
‘It was something we mentioned during our campaign against the ban that surely this would lead to people having their drinks spiked because people are not allowed to take their drinks outside with them when they go for a cigarette,’ he said.
‘I know it happens to ladies in the UK when men want to get something out of drugging a woman but it seems people just spike drinks for the sake of it here.’
He said he had heard of one or two women’s drinks being spiked recently in Town.
‘It’s ridiculous to have to leave your drink alone to go out for a outside for a cigarette,’ he said.
‘We don’t get don’t get that type of thing happening here because we’re a local pub and we have a smoking area where people can take their drinks outside,’ said the Hampshire Lodge landlord.
‘But there are still people who just go outside and leave their drinks on the table,’ he said.
Drinks are generally spiked for three main reasons: bullying a person who would usually abstain from substance misuse; enabling theft, principally mobile phones and cash; or date rape or sexual assault.

http://www.thisisguernsey.com/code/shownewsarticle.pl?ArticleID=002736

N.J. School District Mulls Ban On Candy Cigarettes

N.J. School District Mulls Ban On Candy Cigarettes
(AP) ROOSEVELT, N.Y. The central New Jersey township of Woodbridge is considering making it even harder for children to obtain candy and toy cigarettes.

In what's believed to be the first ordinance of its kind in New Jersey, the township has already barred vendors it licenses for public events from selling toys or candy in the shape of tobacco products.

Now, it may ban all shops from selling such goods, including chocolate cigars and bubble gum shredded to resemble chewing tobacco.

"We'll see if we can legally do it," Councilman Charles Kenny, a proponent of the ban, told The Star-Ledger of Newark in Wednesday's editions.

A similar ban was enacted by North Dakota in 1953, but it was lifted in 1967. The U.S. House of Representatives considered a measure against candy shaped like tobacco products in 1990, but it was not approved, the newspaper reported.

Ireland has outlawed candy cigarettes, and they have been restricted in parts of Canada and Australia. New Zealand banned toy cigarettes.

"Candy cigarettes are bad for kids," Joel Spivak, spokesman for the nonprofit Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told the newspaper. "This is potentially dangerous behavior. Several studies have shown that kids who play with candy cigarettes are more likely to become smokers when they get older."

Woodbridge has over 99,000 residents, making it the state's fifth-largest municipality.

http://wcbstv.com/local/local_story_269122431.html

Belmont finalizes rules on smoking ban

Belmont finalizes rules on smoking ban
The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 09/26/2007 09:51:31 AM PDT


BELMONT, Calif.—An aggressive anti-smoking ban that will limit smoking even within certain apartments will take effect Nov. 8, said city council members who finalized the rule.
The measure had already been approved once by city officials. Tuesday's vote made it official, clarified exactly where people can smoke indoors and outdoors and set a timeline for implementation.

"We are not going to become the smoking cops, we are going to take an educational approach to this," said City Manager Jack Crist.

The ordinance passed 3-2, with opponents arguing it was too restrictive and complicated.

It forbids smoking outside buildings within 20 feet of common areas, doors, and areas used by children. It also forbids smoking in apartments, townhouses and condominiums that share a common floor or ceiling.

Anti-smoking advocates said this move made the city the first to stop people from smoking inside their own homes. Apartment complexes and condos will have 14 months to incorporate the new rules into lease agreements.

Lighting up would still be possible on city streets and sidewalks, single-family homes and designated outdoor smoking areas.

City officials are expected to pass a final resolution, without public comment, on Oct. 9. The measure will go into effect within 30 days of that approval.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_7004614

HK restaurants hard hit by smoking ban

Interesting that both experts at the bottom,call for indoor smoking rooms,mainly,i suggest,because of the economic affects of the ban-maybe an angle,capitalism against the ban!

HK restaurants hard hit by smoking ban
By Louise Ho (China Daily)
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/26/content_6134942.htm
HONG KONG: The smoking ban introduced on January 1 has resulted in reduced profits and fewer customers for 40 percent of restaurants here, a survey has revealed.

Commissioned by the Hong Kong Catering Industry Association (HKCIA) and conducted by Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the survey spoke to the owners and managers of 560 restaurants, cafes and related establishments, in which there is now a total ban on smoking.

Forty percent of respondents said sales revenue for the first six months was down on the same period last year. The same percentage said they had had fewer customers.

Establishments offering a combination of catering and karaoke were the worst hit, the survey found.

Of those, 75 percent said they had witnessed a decline in sales revenue, while 100 percent said they had had fewer customers.

Anthony Lock, managing director of karaoke group California Red Ltd, said yesterday that as a result of the ban, business was down 20 percent compared with the first half of 2006.

His venues were attracting fewer big spenders and more families, he said.

About 70 percent of the regular high-fliers - people who spend an average of HK$200 ($25) a night - were smokers, Lock said.

They drink more and stay longer than non-smoking customers, he said.

Most families visit during the promotional "breakfast karaoke" period and spend an average of just HK$30 per person, Lock said.

Smoking customers now prefer to go to Macao or the mainland, he said.

To help boost business, he said the karaoke industry had introduced a number of new ideas, including breakfast karaoke and offering a range of hymns for selection.

He said since the introduction of the ban, people tended to stay for only a couple of hours in the karaoke room and just an hour in the restaurant.

Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, the chairman of the HKCIA, said yesterday that under the current economic conditions, had the ban not been introduced, most eateries would have expected to achieve sales revenue growth of between 10 and 20 percent.

He urged the government to allow such premises to provide smoking rooms as well as non-smoking areas.

The head of the Action Group on Anti-smoking, Kwok Ka-ki, said studies carried out in California and New York had shown that smoking bans actually led to an increase in customer numbers.

However, he said smoking rooms should be allowed if they were suitably ventilated to protect the health of non-smoking patrons and staff.

Bhutan's total tobacco ban a breath of fresh air

Bhutan's total tobacco ban a breath of fresh air
Linda Creighton | U.S. News & World Report
September 25, 2007
Article tools
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Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Furl Google Newsvine Reddit Spurl Yahoo Print Single page view Reprints Reader feedback Text size: If your nicotine patch isn't cooling your ardor for cigarettes, or you're tired of smelling stale tobacco smoke in rental cars, there's a spot at the top of the world for you. Bhutan, already one of the world's most beautiful places, is the first country in the world to institute a complete ban on smoking.

Reaching 24,500 feet high in the Himalayas, the Kingdom of Bhutan was almost completely isolated until 40 years ago, with no roads, schools, electricity, phones, radios or cars. Since then, this Switzerland-size country has stepped gingerly into the modern world, restricting tourists and fiercely protecting the nation's environmental and cultural purity.

Bhutan's determination to choose its own path into the modern world has won it recognition as a model of sustainable development and health care, including its no-thank-you to smoking.



The religious and cultural biases against tobacco use have made it easier for popular King Jigme Singye Wangchuk, a graduate of Oxford University, to institute a total tobacco ban.

With 20 percent of the government budget devoted to health and education, information about the dangers of smoking has had a wide impact despite the challenge of reaching an overwhelmingly rural population.

Still, there are problems. Though it is estimated that only 1 percent of the Bhutanese population smokes, respiratory illnesses are the primary cause of mortality in the country, where life expectancy for men is 61 and women is 64. And more than 25 percent of the world's smokers live right next door, in China.

Bhutan made a pre-emptive strike with 200 percent customs duties, a tax on tobacco sales, and a $232 fine -- more than two months' salary here -- for smoking in public. And criminal charges can be brought against foreigners who sell tobacco to Bhutanese.

The smoking ban is part of the king's plan for "gross national happiness," which he says is more important than the gross national product.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/lifestyle/orl-bhutannosmoke07sep25,0,1037495.story

City expands smoking ban to bus stops, public parks

City expands smoking ban to bus stops, public parks
Final version of new Oakland law considered a victory for public health advocates
By Kelly Rayburn
STAFF WRITER

The City Council broadly expanded Oakland's secondhand smoke law early Wednesday, voting to ban smoking at bus stops, in public parks, outdoor eating areas and in service lines.
Approval of the new ordinance came only after it was weakened considerably last week. The council's Public Safety Committee on Sept. 11 voted to remove provisions that would have banned smoking in all new apartment and condominium complexes and would have declared secondhand smoke in all multi-unit housing a "nuisance," making it easier for people to sue their neighbors for puffing nearby.

Still, the final version was powerful enough that it delivered a victory for public-health advocates (and dealt a blow to smokers) when it was approved.

The vote came at about 1:45 a.m. at the end of a marathon council meeting.

"I'm pleased that we've made some progress," said Councilmember Nancy Nadel, the ordinance's strongest supporter. "I hope that in the future, we can look at multi-unit protection for people."

The ordinance will also compel landlords to disclose whether their units are smoke-free, outlaw smoking at child-care centers and on golf courses and ban smoking within 10 feet of bars and nightclubs, which were exempted from a previous city ordinance forcing smokers to light up 25 feet from doors and windows of buildings used by the public.

Voting to approve the ordinance were Councilmembers Nadel, Jean Quan, Patricia Kernighan, Henry Chang Jr. and Council President Ignacio


De La Fuente. Larry Reid and Desley Brooks abstained. Councilmember Jane Brunner was absent.
Reid initially indicated he would support the proposal if the landlord disclosure provision was removed but in the end criticized it, saying it was another law the city would not be able to enforce.

"Do you think OPD is going to respond to a complaint of someone smoking or are they going to respond to someone whose life is in danger?" he asked.

At a Sept. 11 Public Safety Committee meeting, Reid said it would make more sense for city officials to focus on Oakland's homicide problem than on secondhand smoke.

"I'm saying, 'Don't do something just to get your name in the paper. Do something that's real, that's logical, that makes some sense,'" he said Wednesday.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_6958041?source=rss&nclick_check=1

Lambeth Council issues first fines under smoking ban

Lambeth Council issues first fines under smoking ban law
Publisher: Jon Land
Published: 24/09/2007 - 15:52:11 PM Printable version

Lambeth Council issues first
fines under smoking ban law Lambeth Council has handed out its first fines under new laws that ban smoking in public places.

The council has issued £200 fixed penalty notices to two premises after they persistently defied new rules on smoking.

The council has so far focused its efforts on working with businesses and the public to help them understand the new legislation, but will now get tough on the small minority of businesses who flout the law.

In the first case, officers approached Chelsea Motor Company, a mechanics at 137a Wandsworth Road.

The premises had failed to display “no smoking” signs as it is required to by law, and officers found a member of staff smoking on site.

Officers advised the owner of his obligations, and sent the premises a warning letter, but when they returned two weeks later, signs were still not in place and the premises smelled of cigarette smoke.

New Image Barbers, 108c Streatham High Road, has also been issued a fixed penalty notice after it failed to display no-smoking signs.

Officers visited the shop twice to give verbal and written warnings, before issuing the penalty on the third visit.

Councillor Lib Peck, Cabinet member for environment and culture on the council, said: “The law was created to protect people from the damaging effects of smoking in public places and premises owners have a key responsibility to make sure the law is upheld.

“Despite warnings, these businesses failed to take their responsibility seriously.

"The council took a softly-softly approach in the first couple of months of the smoking ban, concentrating our efforts on working with businesses to help them comply with the law, but businesses have now had plenty of time to get used to the legislation and we are now getting tough.”

Despite the fines, the council says the overwhelming majority of businesses in Lambeth are complying with the new laws.
http://www.24dash.com/news/2/27877/index.htm

pubs affected by ban in Reading

Pub hangover
PUB profits are going up in smoke since the smoking ban was introduced.

Many of the town’s independent drinking establishments have reported losses of tens of thousands of pounds since the change in the law introduced on July 1

They say customers are staying at home or going to pubs with gardens.

Paul Foster, landlord of the Brewery Tap in Castle Street, which has put in a planning application for a balcony for smokers, said: “We have had a bad summer in terms of weather, but the smoking ban has caused this hit on profits.

“Lots of people haven’t been out for months – they stay at home with a bottle of wine instead.”

The landlord The Rising Sun in Forbury Road, Iain Hilton, said: “We noticed a significant drop in daytime drinkers and we haven’t had the promised influx of non-smokers that the Government talked about.

“The small businesses suffer the most from the ban because big chain pubs have spare money to cope.

Landlords are also worried by the potential for a further drop in trade as the weather gets colder.

Mr Hilton said: “Smokers are not going to want to stand outside.”

However, it has not been all bad news for the town centre.

Steve Green, general manager of the Allied Arms in St Mary’s Butts, runs one of the few pubs to see a rise in trade.

Mr Green said: “We have had a rise of about 10 per cent profits compared with last year. We are a garden-orientated pub, so more people are coming because they can smoke.

"It is lucky we have the garden space, but everyone is going to take a hit over the winter.”

The Back of Beyond, a Wetherspoon pub in King’s Road, took the step to go non-smoking in March 2005, so landlord Jason Lord knows what other businesses are going through.

He said: “It was quieter in the afternoons to begin with but after about six months people who didn’t smoke started coming out more, and our food sales have increased significantly.

“I’m confident that the pubs will recover from the smoking ban and people will soon be back drinking in them.”
http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/2015/2015429/pub_hangover?rss=yes

Smokers take a stand at the Dog and Partridge

Christopher Booker's notebook
By Christopher Booker, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 1:00am BST 23/09/2007
Smokers take a stand at the Dog and Partridge

Antone wanting an image of one of the deepest cultural divides in Britain today might visit the Dog and Partridge in the Norfolk vlllage of East Wretham. There is still a faint smell of tobacco smoke in the air, there are ashtrays on the bar, and behind it a notice proclaims "Please note that we allow friends to smoke in our house. If this distresses you, then please exercise your freedom of choice to leave our house."

When the smoking ban was introduced on July 1, the pub's landlord, Martin Turver, was so affronted by what he regarded as an interference with civil liberties that he ignored it.

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"Most of our customers are smokers," says Mr Turver. "We believe strongly in freedom of choice, and anyone who dislikes the smell of smoke is free to stay away from our house."

If Mr Turver's response to the ban has typified an approach to the world that for centuries most Englishmen would have regarded as their birthright, a different attitude is typified by the officials of Breckland council.

Three weeks ago, at 10.30 on a Friday evening, a man and a woman entered the bar, accompanied by a uniformed policeman, and, without announcing who they were, went round asking customers for their names and addresses.

One customer, having enjoyed several drinks, questioned what they were doing in fairly robust terms. When Mr Turver politely asked the same question he was, he says, pushed aside.

The following Monday the council issued a press statement that although it had offered the pub "advice, guidance leaflets and smoke-free surgeries… we have evidence that smoking is continuing at the Dog and Partridge".

All other pubs in the area had complied with the legislation, and the "continued non-compliance" of the Dog and Partridge was "unfair to all law-abiding publicans in Breckland".

On Friday Mr Turver was arrested, interviewed at the local police station and charged with three offences. He had failed to prevent a customer being drunk and disorderly. He had obstructed the "licensing officer" in the execution of his duty (at last Mr Turver learned the identity of the official who had gone round his bar asking for names and addresses).

The third charge, in response to a complaint by the official, was that Mr Turver had "assaulted" him (a charge somewhat at odds with Mr Turver's own account of what happened).

No mention of smoking, although by happy coincidence Mr Turver received a letter from the council the same morning saying he had been observed smoking in his bar and imposing a £50 penalty.

Doubtless there are many in these enlightened times who would side with Breckland council and argue that Mr Turver brought trouble on his own head.

There are others, however, who would ask why it was necessary for the officials to behave in a potentially provocative and surreptitious fashion, likely to invite a strong verbal response from at least one customer late on a Friday evening, and why they needed the support of a uniformed policeman.

They might add that, too often these days, it seems, when the political class that now rules our lives chooses to exercise its power, the police see their role as not to hold the ring but merely to act rather too enthusiastically in its support.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/23/nbook123.xml

PC candidates back smokers' rights lobby

PC candidates back smokers' rights lobby
Don Lajoie, Windsor Star
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=49956db0-9136-43a0-9ccd-c88c0f111375
A lobby group for smokers' rights is claiming support from half a dozen provincial Conservative candidates, including one running in Windsor West.

Ontario's tough anti-smoking laws are hypocritical, Lisa Lumley said Thursday at a press conference held in Windsor by MyChoice.ca.

Lumley, a non-smoker who is running against Liberal MPP Sandra Pupatello, noted that while Ontario's casinos are allowed to build shelters for their smokers, bar owners must still send their customers outdoors to satisfy their nicotine craving.


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Font: ****"Don't be hypocritical about this and do for one and not for the other," she said, adding the law has had a devastating effect on the local charity bingo industry.

"Why are nursing homes sending people, who have been smoking for 50 or 60 years, outside?," Lumley said. "Give them some dignity in their latter years."

MyChoice.ca -- a non-profit organization funded by the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers' Council -- is surveying and recruiting provincial election candidates to their cause in a bid to change Ontario's anti-smoking laws and make "smoker's rights" a campaign issue.

A week into the lobbying effort, president Nancy Daigneault said the organization has already gained the support of about a half dozen Conservative candidates, including MPPs Frank Klees and Toby Barrett.

She said MyChoice.ca has gathered 43,000 letters to send to the premier's office, MPPs and opposition leaders as part of its latest campaign.

The organization commissioned a poll of 507 non-smokers in Ontario. Seventy-one per cent believe the adult decision to smoke should be respected and 83 per cent agree that designated smoking areas should be provided so long as non-smokers' rights are respected, Daigneault said.

A further 80 per cent felt there should be no health care discrimination against those who smoke.

Daigneault said the poll shows non-smokers agree with her group's "fair play" code and its goal of achieving "a co-operative and civil way" to deal with the issue of smoking in public places.

"In an election the government cannot prevent people from having their say," she said. "We have 43,000 letters. In a close election that could be important. We want to know what the candidates think.... We're making it an issue."

Daigneault was joined by local supporters, including Liz Burns of the Highway Tavern and Sheryl Davies of the Arts Council of Windsor.

"At the arts council we feel the depletion of the bingo (revenues)," said Davies. "For local groups it's hard to meet our mandate.... Something needs to be done."

Burns said all hospitality businesses, and not just casinos, should be allowed to have separate smoking areas.

Belmont smoking ban gets grace period

Belmont smoking ban gets grace period
Section on apartments, condos won't take effect for 14 months
By Will Oremus, MEDIANEWS STAFF

The most controversial part of Belmont's historic smoking ordinance won't take effect for more than a year, City Manager Jack Crist said Wednesday.
The bulk of the comprehensive ordinance, including restrictions on smoking in parks and workplaces, will become active 30 days after the law's passage last week.

But the part that prohibits people from smoking in their own apartments and condominiums will come with a

14-month grace period.

When the City Council passed the law 3-2 on Sept. 11, Mayor Coralin Feierbach and others were under the impression the grace period would apply only to a stipulation requiring landlords to write the smoking law into leases.

Upon review, City Attorney Marc Zafferano said that would be unfair to those who own and live in condominiums. So the ordinance is being adjusted to give residents of multiunit hous-

ing complexes time to prepare.

"When I found out, I said, 'Oh, that's good, because that will give people some time to arrange their lives, maybe negotiate with neighbors,'" Feierbach said.

The ordinance will make it illegal to smoke inside or within 20 feet of an entrance to any multistory, multiunit housing complex. It will be enforced only in response to complaints filed by residents, and authorities will try to broker agreements before handing out tickets to offenders.

E-mail Will Oremus at woremus@dailynewsgroup.com.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_6957807

Smoking ban hits sales at Pubs’n’Bars

Smoking ban hits sales at Pubs’n’Bars
(21 September 2007 13:48)

Pubs’n’Bars has become the first pub company to admit that July’s English smoking ban could have had a negative impact on financial performance.

The majority of pub operators have cited the poor summer weather as the major factor behind slower trading this year, insisting the smoking ban has had little impact.



But Pubs ‘n’ Bars chairman Seamus Murphy today broke away from the pack, admitting that the smoking ban “has initially had a negative effect on turnover” although he added that “ it is difficult to quantify as last year the weather was significantly better”.

“Turnover has decreased by approximately 4% since the beginning of July,” he said. “However it is impossible to distinguish between the impact of the smoking ban and the wettest summer since records began.”

Before the smoking ban became law the company posted a sales increase in the six months ending 30 June from £7.6m this time last year to £8.8m this year but pre-tax profits fell to £541,819 from £548,005 a year ago.

Pubs’n’Bars owns and operates 98 community pubs (65 managed and 33 tenanted), mostly in the south of England, which it describes as “locals” with “character” with the majority of customers come from the immediate area.

http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2007/09/21/316150/smoking-ban-hits-sales-at-pubsnbars.html

Smoking Is Healthier Than Fascism

Smoking Is Healthier Than Fascism

Sorry for a few cut and paste articles,but these writers can word it far better than me,and sometimes come from a completely different angle-i also think it is important to show that all around the world,people are speaking up against this new "Health Facism." There is so much rubbish and propaganda concerning smoking,health,drinking etc. that I fear as well as losing our own personal freedoms,we could end up with losing all control over our lives and our destiny.

Global warming will at some stage be used as a means to tax air travel-which will again put travel out of reach of most people apart from the wealthy,another freedom lost maybe or saving the planet-i'm not sure these days,all i can do is try to find all sides of the aurguments and make my own mind up-Talking of which,heres the piece,Cheers Desperado for the Link.

Smoking Is Healthier Than Fascism
Smoking Ban Is About Government Control; Believe it or not, the state really doesn't care about your health
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2007/300107smokingfascism.htm
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The regulation of the personal habit of smoking, including new legislative moves in San Francisco to ban cigarettes in private homes, and its enforcement by an eager cadre of state snoops and snitches, represents nothing more than a move on behalf of big brother towards the complete subjugation and shackling of the individual. To this end, smoking is healthier than fascism.

Two new developments today have once again brought this issue into focus and the true agenda behind it needs to be exposed.

In France, a nation once noted as being rich in tobacco connoisseurs, 175,000 "cigarette police" have been given the task of randomly snooping around offices, schools, factories and any other "public spaces" in order to sniff out flouters of a new total ban on smoking.

In San Francisco California, a city ordinance described as "the most stringent tobacco regulation in America" would ban smoking everywhere, including private homes and apartments, sparing only large detached family homes - and if they squeeze this one through expect those homes to be targeted next.

This is not a debate about the dangers of passive smoking, we all know smoking is bad for us and those around us. On an individual level, freedom includes the right to do dumb things and whether others should be subject to our vices comes down to two questions, is fascism more unhealthy for a society than passive smoking and does the government really care about your health?

Dare I suggest that western governments raining down depleted uranium in all corners of the world, spraying chemtrails in our skies, playing Dr. Frankenstein with our food, drugging us into oblivion with psychotropic poison pills, shooting x-rays to expose our naked bodies, and injecting us with toxic vaccines really care about our physical well-being?

Do an elite that openly advocate culling the majority of the world's population really want to put a stop to cancer?

The answer is no, so why the transatlantic obsession to have us stub out our cigarettes?

It's all about control, it's all about letting you know who the bosses are. If the government can regulate personal habits and behavior, what's next? If the state is so concerned about our good health as they would have you believe, why not use the latest scientific advancements to remove that nasty aggressive gene that causes so much unhappiness? Well, you're causing those around you distress and harming their health so why not? Are your political opinions a mental illness? Are they harming society? Perhaps we should ban certain types of "free" speech that is offensive to others.


You see where this is all heading - how long before our wall mounted personal x-ray body scanners are accompanied by special smoke detectors that inform on you to the local Stasi if you dare to light up?

Smoking may be very unhealthy but I'd certainly rather be around a bunch of smokers than a bunch of Fascists.

If you have never smoked and couldn't give a damn if it gets banned then consider the fact that cell phones are emerging as the new kid on the bloc as far as cancer's best friend goes. British expert Professor Lawrie Challis said last week that mobile phones could turn out to be as harmful as cigarettes. How would you react if the government suddenly announced that your Blackberry was off limits because the anti-cell phone lobby got a bill through?

We live in a paranoid world overpopulated by ninnying jellyfish who dare not dip their toe in the water in case there's a law against it, it might upset someone, or it might be bad for their health.



Writer Alan Caruba adds the following, "There are few, if any, people that do not know there is an element of risk involved in the decision to smoke. There is risk involved when any American gets into his car and goes anywhere."
"Driving kills over 40,000 Americans every year. It is the price we pay for the mobility and other benefits cars and vehicles provide. There is, in fact, risk in every human activity including the enjoyment of alcoholic beverages and even the simple act of eating."

Here are some more examples of fascism being unhealthier than smoking.

- In Omaha Nebraska, city police are encouraging residents to call 911 if they see a smoker in a non-smoking area. So when your wife is being raped by an illegal immigrant or a gang banger, be assured that the cops have a good reason for their absence - Joe Bloggs just lit up a Marlboro and he's going to get Tasered.

- Bangor City Council approved a measure that criminalizes smoking in your own car with a child present.

- In Okemos Michigan, an insurance business boss ordered all his employees to take urine tests to determine if they had smoked, even in their own homes. Smokers were warned that they would be fired.

- In New York, Mayor Bloomberg's tobacco stormtroopers raided the offices of Vanity Fair no less than three times, attempting to catch noted journalist Graydon Carter smoking. All they found was an unused clean ash tray but Carter was fined and given a warning nonetheless. Numerous other instances of infamous "ash tray raids" have occurred in New York City.

- In Scotland, social services are drawing up a master list of smokers and warning residents against smoking in their own homes unless they wish to risk being cut off from government services.

Many of the people reading this will have had relatives die directly due to smoking. I am not advocating smoking, I am simply advocating the fact that I'd rather live in a society of smokers than a society of control freak fascists who slavishly seize upon any action of the individual in order to create yet another pretext for creating a Stasi system of informants, locking us all up and building the infrastructure of the prison planet.

Hogan to appeal if found guilty of smoking ban breach

Hogan to appeal if found guilty of smoking ban breach

By Katie Coyne
Bolton licensee won't go down without a fight
Smoke ban rebel Nick Hogan has vowed to appeal if he is found guilty at his impending trial – and compared discrimination against smokers to racism and homophobia.
Hogan’s trial date has been set for November 12, and the licensee has already pleaded not guilty to five counts of failing to prevent people from smoking in his pubs the Swan and Barristers in Bolton.
He also entered the plea not guilty to four counts of obstructing council officers.

Asked whether Hogan would appeal against Bolton magistrates court if it found him guilty, he said “absolutely”.
He said: “Why doesn’t the government ban the product? Because it gives it billions in revenue. If I treated a gay person or a black person in this way I would quite rightly have my arse kicked all over town.”
He added: “Pubs are places where people meet and greet and socialise and to go around to any section or any minority group and say ‘can you please go outside’ is fundamentally wrong.”
Hogan said the government should “compromise” and have “smoking pubs and non-smoking pubs like they do in the majority of pubs in Europe.”
http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=56988&c=1

SMOKING BAN HITS IMPERIAL

SMOKING BAN HITS IMPERIAL
Imperial Tobacco, which has a major factory in Nottingham, today said cigarette sales had slipped as smokers curbed their habit following the UK-wide smoking ban.

The group, which makes the UK's two top selling cigarette brands - Lambert & Butler and Richmond - improved its UK market share during the last year, but saw volumes decline following the introduction of the ban in Wales, Northern Ireland and England.

Imperial, which is in the process of acquiring Spanish rival Altadis, said it expected this impact to decline over time, reflecting similar trends in Ireland, where the ban has been in place for three years, and Scotland.

Imperial employs around 1,000 people at its landmark cigarette manufacturing plant at Lenton in Nottingham.

The company said its overall performance was in line with its expectations for the year to September 30, with volumes and margins both higher following strong performances from JPS, international brand West and premium brand Davidoff.

Market share continued to grow in Germany, despite a declining tobacco market, while profitability across western Europe improved after it hiked cigarette prices.

Cigarette prices lifted in Europe following the end of a price war in Spain last year, and a more stable pricing environment across the rest of the region.

A good performance from Commonwealth Brands - the fourth largest US tobacco firm and maker of US Gold - helped lift operating margins following its acquisition in February.

The company, which also produces Golden Virginia rolling tobacco, said it continued to look for opportunities to expand its geographic reach. During the last year it launched the Davidoff brand in several new markets.

In July, the group announced its proposed £11 billion acquisition of Gauloises and Fortuna cigarette group Altadis. It said it expected to receive approval from the Spanish regulator in the next few weeks after which the offer will be open for approval from Altadis shareholders.

Imperial's investors gave their backing to the deal in August, while the company has also received anti-trust clearance in the US, although it still needs the go-ahead from European regulators.

If the deal is successful it will consolidate its position as the world's fourth largest tobacco group, strengthening its position in Germany, France and Italy, while enabling it to close the gap on its three biggest rivals ? Philip Morris, British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco.

Imperial demerged from Hanson in 1996 and listed on the London stock market as a FTSE 100 company. Its products are sold in more than 130 countries worldwide. It employs around 14,500 staff and operates 32 manufacturing sites around the world.

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/

Santa Cruz lifts smoking ban for medical marijuana festival

Santa Cruz lifts smoking ban for medical marijuana festival
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 09/19/2007 07:06:53 AM PDT


SANTA CRUZ, Calif.—The city park smoking ban is being suspended temporarily so medical pot patients can light up during next week's Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana annual festival.
The smoking ban, in effect for two years, will be lifted from noon to 5 p.m. at the Sept. 29 San Lorenzo Park event, city leaders said.

"I think there's a solid basis for supporting this group. They're pretty selfless folks. It's not like they're out there profiting off other people's medical needs," Councilman Mike Rotkin said.

Rotkin and Mayor Emily Reilly co-authored the resolution to lift the smoking ban, which was unanimously approved by the City Council.

Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana is a 200-member cooperative started in 1993 for seriously ill medical marijuana patients to grow and share pot to ease various symptoms.

The alliance has held a festival for 14 years to raise awareness and funds for medical marijuana issues and celebrate the community's support for the cooperative.

The marijuana smoking takes place inside a tent.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_6936833?nclick_check=1

Don't treat patients until they kick habit: top doctor

Don't treat patients until they kick habit: top doctor
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/health/article2974173.ece
By Claire Regan

A leading Ulster cardiologist sparked controversy today by saying that smokers should not receive certain treatments on the NHS, including a heart by-pass, if they refuse to kick the habit beforehand.


Dr Mahendra Varma, a consultant at the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen, spoke of his frustration at the heavy pressure smoking-related illnesses, such as stroke and heart disease, place on the province's cash-strapped health service.

He said that smokers should have to give up their addiction at least three to six months before undergoing a major procedure, to increase the chances of a good recovery afterwards.

The past president of the Irish Cardiac Society added, however, that he had never come across a smoker in need of such treatment who did not want to give up.

"There is a significant waiting list for cardiac by-pass operations - at least six months which is not good enough," he said.

" Operations such as this are more difficult to perform on people who smoke. They are more prone to infections, they take much longer to recover, they have to spend longer in ICU afterwards and they have a higher mortality rate. The chance of post-surgery complication is very high.

" We do not live in a Utopian society, the Health Service does not have a lot of money."

Dr Varma, who is vice-president of the Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Association (NICHSA), stressed that he was not saying that anybody should be denied treatment.

"Smokers must give up cigarettes three to six months before an operation such as a by-pass if they are to have a good chance of recovery. There is good help available, such as at the smoking cessation clinic we have at the Erne, but it lies in the hands of the individual as well," he added.

Highlighting the pressure smoking-related illnesses place on the health service, Dr Varma said eight people die from one here every day.

Referring to UK-wide levels, he said: "It is the equivalent of a jumbo jet crashing every day at Heathrow airport with everyone on board dying. If that was happening, the Government would be up in arms. There would be a hue and cry."

Neil Rafferty, a spokesman for pro-smoking group Forest, said he was " disgusted" by the comments. "Smokers pay their taxes and national insurance the same as everybody else, they deserve the same NHS treatment whether they continue to smoke or not," he said.

"Where do you draw the line? Should this also apply to people with a bad diet? Or should a doctor refuse to treat a driver who has been seriously injured in a car accident because they were speeding? Once you start to apply thinking like this, there are very few patients who would be entitled to treatment."

The debate over healthcare for smokers comes after stroke sufferers and their carers presented Health Minister Michael McGimpsey with a report highlighting their dissatisfaction with NHS services for sufferers.

Smoke ban hits wet sales in bars

Smoke ban hits wet sales in bars
19 September, 2007
http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=56979
By James Wilmore

Theme survey shows a third of style bars reporting a drop in sales

Wet sales have fallen in a third of style bars since the smoking ban, a survey by The Publican’s sister magazine Theme has revealed.

The worrying figures – one of the biggest surveys since the ban took effect – show the bar sector is suffering heavily under the legislation, while the story could be even worse for pubs.

More than 1,000 representatives from the bar sector responded to Theme’s survey conducted six weeks after the ban. Twenty three per cent said wet sales were down between one and 15 per cent.

Six per cent said wet sales had slid between 15 and 25 per cent, while four per cent revealed wet sales had dropped off more than a quarter.

Nearly a third described the ban as having a minor negative impact on their business and a further six per cent said it had had a major negative impact. A fifth said they believed the post-ban trading environment was a long-term trend.

Mark Brumby, an analyst at Blue Oar Securities, said the findings were worse than his industry-wide forecast – which included pubs – of a drop in revenue of between three and five per cent.


Prior to the ban he predicted style bars would perform better than traditional pubs, as customers choose to go to these types of venues for different reasons than pubs. “Customers have stayed away,” he said. “It’s bad rather than good and that’s a fact.”

However, he warned the short term could have skewed the results – and forecast that the industry would take 18 months to recover from a post-ban dip in revenues of three per cent.


The report also revealed that bartenders feel exploited and believe they could be better off working in a junior position in a pub than taking on more responsibility, the Theme Industry report has revealed.

More than half of bar and restaurant workers earn less than £25,000 per year, the survey also showed.

Twelve per cent earn between £12,000 and £15,000, 18 per cent take home between £16,000 and £20,000 and 21 per cent earn between £21,000 and £25,000.

Dying patients return home to smoke

Dying patients return home to smoke

Dying patients spending their final days in a hospice have decided to return home after being banned from smoking.

When public smoking was banned in July, hospices had the option to retain some smoking bedrooms, reports the York Press.

But St Leonard's Hospice, in Tadcaster Road, York, opted to enforce the blanket ban - prompting a number of patients to return home.

Doctors and campaigners said they were outraged by the decision and called for the hospice's trustees to rethink the policy.

Dr Brian McGregor, vice chairman of the York Local Medical Committee, said: "The physician in me would never want to encourage smoking, but for somebody for whom medicine has failed, I can't see the logic in banning it.

"They are bed-bound, they are not able to enjoy food and drink and smoking is one of the few pleasures they have left.

"Smoking will not make any impact on their health now and I don't think we should be making them more unhappy by banning it."

But a spokesman for St Leonard's Hospice said the hospice had decided to impose the ban following lengthy consultations with staff, patients, visitors, service users and external organisations.

He said: "The decision was not made lightly but, as a healthcare organisation, we felt it appropriate to embrace the legislation.

"We are confident that our staff, patients and visitors will appreciate the change and will support us in its implementation."

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2514163.html?menu=news.quirkies

Smoking break ban at supermarkets

Smoking break ban at supermarkets
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4829220.stm
Morrisons staff will not be allowed to smoke during night-shifts
Night workers at a supermarket chain will be forced to go without a cigarette during 10-hour shifts once the smoking ban comes into force.
Staff at Morrisons stores, which bans staff leaving its premises during the night for safety reasons, will have nowhere to smoke after Sunday.

Currently there is a smoking room but this will be off limits once the Scottish Executive's ban starts.

The company said they would help their workers to quit the habit.

A Morrison spokeswoman said they would offer their staff free nicotine patches as well as other products.

She said: "Morrisons is committed to supporting colleagues who wish to give up smoking, and each store will be provided with information about the services, advice and support available.

"In addition, the company has agreed to further support those nightshift workers who wish to give up smoking by providing free cessation aids.

"For safety and security reasons our night staff have to remain within our premises during the hours when the store is closed. They must also obey the new legal requirement not to smoke inside our premises."

She added that no terms and conditions of employment were affected by the new legislation.

Day staff will be allowed to leave the stores during their breaks to smoke.

VALIANT EFFORTS TO STOP FANS SMOKING

VALIANT EFFORTS TO STOP FANS SMOKING
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk
Port Vale are continuing to enforce the national smoking ban after fans were caught lighting up at Vale Park.Stewards have intervened when supporters have been spotted smoking and have not suffered the same backlash as their counterparts at the Britannia Stadium

But Vale chairman Bill Bratt said he had sympathy with his Potteries rivals who have been forced to stop making the ban stick because of abuse from supporters who insisting on lighting up in the toilets.

And leading Vale fans fear crowds at Vale Park are down because some smokers were staying away from games.



Mr Bratt said: "We are still doing all we can to enforce the ban. This is national legislation so we have no choice but to do that.

"We can't just give up on it - but Stoke do attract larger gates so I feel sorry for their circumstances."

Mr Bratt admitted that some fans had tried to light up in the toilets but had agreed to put out their cigarettes when approached by ground stewards.

"I think everyone here has been sensible about it," he said. If people do stop smoking when asked that is the end of the matter and we don't eject them from the ground but I can see it could be a problem if anyone refused.

"Thankfully we are not having the difficulties Stoke seem to be facing. One of the problems is that the legislation is still so new but I'm sure things will settle down as it gets more established.

"Eventually it will go the same way as air travel. No-one ever thinks of lighting up on a plane anymore."

Fans also felt that despite some problems, scenes of intimidation and abuse at the Britannia Stadium had not been copied at Vale.

Vale statistician and life-long fan Phil Sherwin said: "I have seen some people having a quick drag outside the toilets in the Railway Paddock but when asked by the stewards they have stopped.

"With the state of some toilets at the Vale, I can't understand even the most committed smoker wanting to spend more than a few seconds there for a fag anyway."

Andy McCormack, editor of Vale fanzine Derek, I'm Gutted!!!, said: "I too have seen people having a crafty one in the Railway Stand and some fans have stopped coming to games because they are not allowed to smoke anymore.

"At Bournemouth they get round it by opening the gates at half-time for people to nip outside for a fag.

"The problem with doing that at the Vale is that they might not come back in if it was a poor game."

Meanwhile Stoke City stadium safety manager John Alcock has hit out at the Government for not considering how football clubs would enforce the new law.

He said: "If you run a pub or club it's easy to stop serving someone or to chuck them out. But we've got 15,000 football fans here.

"I have had a lot of complaints and I am struggling to give them proper answers.

"It is an ill thought-out law. I have contacted virtually every club in the country and they are all having a nightmare.

"I would just ask the fans to help out the club and pack it in just for a couple of hours, but it seems they are not willing to do that."

Are clubs right to uphold the smoking ban at sports stadia?

INTERQUITTY

INTERQUITTY
Passengers may be allowed to smoke on rail platforms again after rethink
By James Harper
http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/sunday/2007/09/16/interquitty-98487-19797365/
Smoking may be allowed on rail stations again under a rethink by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly.

Passengers have inundated her office with complaints that the ban is ridiculous in open air non-enclosed areas.

Miss Kelly has told officials to draw up plans for limited smoking zones on platforms provided there is no nuisance to fellow rail-users.

The move has been backed by former Health Secretary John Reid, whose moderate plan to curb smoking in public places was scrapped after he was moved in a Cabinet reshuffle.

He said: "I have always favoured a degree of choice for adults and have always thought we have to be careful not to ban smoking everywhere outside the home, which could mean more smoking at home, which is far more dangerous for children."

But the move will be resisted by current Health Secretary Alan Johnson and the issue is expected to cause a Cabinet split. One factor behind the review is a slump in business for station cafes with outside tables since the July 1 ban.

Both Miss Kelly and Network Rail chief John Armitt have had letters from MPs urging designated smoking areas in unenclosed station areas - as applies in other public places.

One, Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell, said: "I accept the ban should apply on enclosed stations. But it is unnecessary on stations which are open."

But a Department of Health spokesman said: "Our private polls show the majority oppose any weakening of the ban."

And Network Rail continues to support the ban and says it "puts the interests of all customers first".

news@sundaymirror.co.uk

Smoker refused operation on broken ankle

Smoker refused operation on broken ankle
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/14/nsmoker114.xml
A smoker is facing years of pain after an NHS hospital refused to set his broken ankle unless he gives up cigarettes.

John Nuttall, 57, needs the operation to fix the ankle he broke in three places two years ago and which was not healed by a plaster cast.

Doctors at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro have refused to operate to rebuild the ankle because they say Mr Nuttall's heavy smoking would reduce the chance of a full recovery.

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They have told him to give up smoking before they operate but the retired builder has been unable to break his habit.

Mr Nuttall says he is in constant pain from the grating of the broken bones against each other and has been prescribed daily doses of morphine.

He refused surgery when he first injured the ankle in a fall in 2005 because he was worried about catching MRSA in hospital. When he went back a few weeks later and the ankle had not set he said he was told he would have to give up smoking before doctors could operate.

Mr Nuttall, from Newlyn, west Cornwall, said: "I have begged them to operate but they won't. I have tried my hardest to give up smoking but I can't.

"I want to warn other smokers. We have paid our National Insurance stamps all our lives and now we are being shut out of the NHS."

A spokesman for the hospital trust said: "Smoking has a very big influence on the outcome of this type of surgery and the healing process would be hindered significantly."