Below is a listing of the latest news on legislative issues and anti-smoking movements affecting your personal freedom and rights to enjoy cigars. Get Involved, Learn about the Issues, and Take Action!
Purdue designates 22 smoking areas
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| May 25th, 2010, 02:11 PM | Indiana |
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Fewer smoke rings will soon be wafting out of Purdue University.
A campus policy approved last year that limits cigarette, cigar or other types of tobacco puffing to only designated areas goes into effect on July 1. Those smoke havens were announced Monday.
Officials initially had pushed for a complete university smoking ban as a way to improve health and reduce costs associated with tobacco use. But an outcry from the campus' smokers led to a ban with a more limited scope.
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Is a wider smoking ban possible in Delaware County?
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| May 16th, 2010, 02:11 PM | Indiana |
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MUNCIE -- Will local government beef up Muncie and Delaware County's smoking ban?
Officials with the Delaware County Health Department have been discussing the possibility of extending the ban on cigarette smoking in most public workplaces enacted in 2006. But extending the ban to bars -- currently exempted from the ban -- could be met with skepticism by the Delaware County commissioners, who must ultimately approve any countywide ban.
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Smoking ban killed, comes right back to life
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| March 3rd, 2010, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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INDIANAPOLIS | A statewide indoor smoking ban approved last week by the Indiana House was temporarily snuffed out Tuesday by the state Senate.
Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne, ruled the smoking ban should not have been added to Senate Bill 175 because it was not germane to the underlying legislation, as required by the Indiana Constitution. Senate Bill 175 makes changes to state health reporting requirements.
State Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis, removed the smoking ban from the measure during a House-Senate conference committee.
"We can't keep it in this bill," Miller said.
But state Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, sponsor of the smoking ban, said he won't be deterred.
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House votes to ban most indoor smoking
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| February 25th, 2010, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana House voted Wednesday to ban nearly all indoor smoking throughout the state, but the measure must still leap several hurdles before Hoosier smokers will have to put out their cigarettes.
State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, won House approval by voice vote to add the smoking ban to Senate Bill 175. Under his proposal, only gaming facilities would be excluded from the statewide smoking ban.
"Everyone in here has to know about the dreaded disease of secondhand smoke. Everyone in here is fully aware that we are way behind the curve in dealing with this issue," Brown said addressing lawmakers in the House.
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Diluted smoking ban clears House
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| February 3rd, 2010, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana House passed a watered-down statewide smoking ban Tuesday by 73-26 vote.
“This is not even close to a comprehensive ban anymore,” said Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington. “But the least we can do is help this bill limp its way across the hall and see what the Senate might do.”
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Brown vows to keep up fight to ban smoking
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| January 29th, 2010, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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Rep. Charlie Brown of Gary says he won't give up on his bill to ban smoking statewide, even if his colleagues continue to water it down with amendments.
"Major pieces of legislation you have to do incrementally," Brown said, "and that's the effort here, just to incrementally nudge, cajole Indiana into the 21st century."
Brown, a Democrat, withdrew the bill from second reading Monday after exemptions were added for bars, taverns, private clubs, fraternal organizations and tobacco shops. Brown's original proposal included an exemption for casinos.
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Brown withdraws smoke-ban bill
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| January 26th, 2010, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Rather than watch it die a death of a thousand cuts, State Rep. Charlie Brown of Gary angrily withdrew a bill Monday that would have banned smoking in public places all over Indiana.
Whether or not he'll call it back before this year's session ends isn't clear.
"I'll have to do some real soul searching on that," Brown, a Democrat, said.
As written, the bill would ban smoking in all public places except casinos, an exception Brown said he made to avoid becoming a target of gaming lobbyists. However, the bill was amended three times Monday, with Brown offering the first.
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Bar Owner Takes Issue With Proposed Smoking Ordinance
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| January 25th, 2010, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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What seemed to be a dead issue during the last legislative session has come back to life.
A law in Indiana that would keep smokers from lighting up in bars and restaurants across the Hoosier state overcame a major obstacle last week.
The bill, which would exempt casinos, passed through committee Wednesday by a vote of 7-5 and will move on to a second reading on the State House floor.
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Tobacco Group Opposed to Provisions in Senate Bill
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| January 25th, 2010, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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The Campaign for a Tobacco-Free Indiana is concerned about provisions in a Senate bill moving through the statehouse.
Chair Tim Filler says those concerns relate to a provision in Senate Bill 298 that abolishes the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Agency and its executive board.
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Smoking Ban Bill Could Fail in Indiana House
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| January 25th, 2010, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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A bill that would ban smoking in most public places in Indiana is in danger of failing in the Indiana House.
The bill by Democratic Rep. Charlie Brown of Gary would ban smoking in public places statewide except casinos and pari-mutuel horse racing venues.
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Cigar Store Owners Express Concern Over Proposed Indiana Smoking Bans
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| January 24th, 2010, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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Three bills aimed at banning smoking throughout Indiana are causing concern to members of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association because smoking bans put their businesses and thousands of jobs at stake as well as millions of dollars in tax revenues.
Indianapolis, Indiana (PRWEB) January 24, 2010 -- Three bills aimed at banning smoking throughout Indiana are causing concern to members of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association because smoking bans put their businesses and thousands of jobs at stake as well as millions of dollars in tax revenues.
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Indiana House Panel Backs Statewide Smoking Ban
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| January 20th, 2010, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indiana House committee has advanced a bill that would ban smoking in most public places statewide.
The bill endorsed by the House Public Policy Committee in a 7-5 vote on Wednesday would exempt casinos and pari-mutuel horse racing tracks from the ban. The bill now moves to the full House.
The House passed a similar bill last year, but it failed in the Senate and died during late-session negotiations.
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Statewide smoking ban discussed
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| January 19th, 2010, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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Legislation that would create a statewide smoking ban goes before a House committee tomorrow.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Indiana now has the second highest smoking rate in the country and adult smoking rates are on the rise. With no statewide smoking ban on the books, Coordinator of the Tobacco Free Partnership of Tippecanoe County Tristan Kirby said it is a challenge to get people to kick the habit.
"To be able to move out of those ranks, we'll have to become a healthier state by passing smoke-free air laws, increasing our tobacco taxes, and also help decrease the adult smoking rate," Kirby said.
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Tobacco Ban in effect in Huntington
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| January 4th, 2010, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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Another county in northeast Indiana has adopted a public smoking and tobacco ban. It took effect January 1st primarily for four buildings in Huntington County.
It will directly impact smokers when they visit some agencies in Huntington County.
"We passed an ordinance to ban smoking in any county owned buildings or county owned vehicles," said Huntington County Commissioner Kathy Branham.
That was passed during the early summer of 2009 and applies to buildings operated by the County, primarily including the Huntington County Courthouse, The Courthouse Annex, the Huntington County Sheriff's Department and Jail , and the Huntington County Highway Department.
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Stronger smoking ban gets new life
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| November 10th, 2009, 01:11 PM | Indiana |
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After a setback last month that put its future in question, a proposal to ban smoking in most Indianapolis workplaces will return to the City-County Council in a few weeks.
A 16-12 council vote Monday brought the measure out of limbo, reinvigorating a heated, months-long battle pitting public health against personal freedoms. The proposed ban, which would strengthen an existing ordinance to include venues such as bars and bowling alleys, is scheduled to go before the council at its Nov. 30 meeting.
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Smoking ban backers, opponents vow to keep battling
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| October 27th, 2009, 02:11 PM | Indiana |
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Supporters of a stricter ban on smoking in Indianapolis workplaces said the City-County Council's decision Monday night to table the proposal will not kill efforts to get legislation passed.
Ben Hunter, a Republican council member who co-sponsored the bill with Democrat Angie Mansfield, said he hopes Indiana lawmakers will pass a statewide ban.
"We've at least raised the debate," Hunter said. "Hopefully, [state legislators] will champion the cause."
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Bars, Customers Decry Proposed Smoking Ban
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| October 26th, 2009, 02:11 PM | Indiana |
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The days of lighting up could be numbered inside Indianapolis bars, pending the outcome of an upcoming City-County Council vote on a toughened smoking ban.
The council is set to take up the strengthened ordinance at a Monday night meeting, 6News' Julie Pursley reported.
Bars, such as the Sugar Shack Saloon on the city's east side, have had their customers sign petitions that contend they are trying to "protect their rights."
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Why Indy seems slow to ban smoking
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| October 6th, 2009, 06:22 AM | Indiana |
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As the City-County Council takes up a proposal to close loopholes in its anti-smoking ordinance, it seems like Indianapolis is one of the last large cities to ban smoking.
It isn’t, of course. Cincinnati, Detroit and Milwaukee continue to allow considerable latitude. Yet—still close to home—Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, are smoke-free in work places, restaurants and freestanding bars, according to Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. So is Louisville, the largest city in the tobacco haven of Kentucky.
If Indianapolis is considered a model on fronts ranging from downtown revitalization to fiscal responsibility, why is it so late to ban smoking?
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Smoking Ban Controversy at Marion County City-Council Meeting
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| October 6th, 2009, 06:22 AM | Indiana |
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WATCH THE VIDEO. The proposed smoking ban expansion in Marion County has far reaching ramifications and opponents have already begun to spark up debate.
The proposed ban is a comprehensive one, smoking in bars restaurants, clubs and bowling alleys would be off limits, something that's been thoroughly considered by council members who are introducing it.
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Marion County looks to expand smoking ban
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| October 1st, 2009, 06:22 AM | Indiana |
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Indianapolis - There are new efforts to ban smoking in all workplaces in Marion County, but not everyone is on board with the idea.
City-County Councilor Angie Mansfield (D) and Councilor Ben Hunter (R) say it's time that the city snuff out smoking in all workplaces.
Chris Matzenbacher, who lives in Chesterfield, is not happy about expanding the smoking ban.
"If you can drink a beer, you should be able to smoke a cigarette," he argued. "I go into adult places so I can drink, smoke and eat. I think they're going to lose all construction workers."
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Elkhart reconsiders smoking ban
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| July 20th, 2009, 06:22 AM | Indiana |
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The city of Elkhart is considering extinguishing its smoking ban.
The city council introduced an ordinance Monday night that would amend the two-month-old smoking ban. The amendment would permit smoking in bars that exclusively serve adults 21 and older. Smoking would still be prohibited in other restaurants and public buildings.
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Cigar Club Opens In Old Schoolhouse
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| July 7th, 2009, 04:11 AM | Indiana |
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FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter), JUL 7 - A schoolhouse built in the 1890's is reopening with a new goal.
The building was moved a quarter of a mile in March of 2008, to make room for the Orchard Crossing Shopping Center.
The new tenant is the "Esquire Cigar Club."
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Westfield considers strict smoking ban
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| May 11th, 2009, 02:17 PM | Indiana |
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Westfield, MAY 11 - A controversial issue is under consideration in another central Indiana city. Westfield is considering a proposal to crack down on smoking, and it would require bars, restaurants and offices to go smoke-free.
Westfield Mayor Andy Cook is anticipating opposition, but says he wants to start off with a strong ordinance out of the gate. Under the proposal, Westfield would join Bloomington and Zionsville, two communities that have passed very strict no-smoking laws.
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Statewide smoking ban now appears dead
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| April 23rd, 2009, 06:17 AM | Indiana |
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INDIANAPOLIS, APR 23 -- A local lawmaker's bid to ban smoking in most indoor public places statewide got relit briefly Wednesday, but now appears to be snuffed out.
State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, inserted language banning smoking everywhere except casinos and other gambling establishments into a bill dealing with mental health issues.
Brown's late session conference committee gambit apparently failed, however, as the Senate Republican member of the committee refused to agree to the amended bill.
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Indiana Lawmaker Indicates Secondhand Smoke Is OK In Casinos
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| April 23rd, 2009, 06:16 AM | Indiana |
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APR 23 - Indiana Representative Charlie Brown believes that secondhand smoke is dangerous in all indoor public areas accept casinos. That is what many anti-smoking activists are saying after Brown's latest smoking ban proposal.
Brown is seeking to amend another of his Bills to include a smoking ban in public places. He has agreed, however, to exclude casinos from the ban because lobbyists for the casinos have convinced him that the casinos would lose customers due to the ban.
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City Seeks To Eliminate Smoking Ban Exemptions
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| April 10th, 2009, 08:13 AM | Indiana |
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FRANKLIN, Ind., APR 10 -- The city of Franklin is considering toughening its smoking ban because of businesses that are skirting the current law.
The city's smoking ordinance, passed in 2006, does not apply to bars and private clubs, which is why some officials are seeking a new measure to clear the air, 6News' Julie Pursley reported.
The 2006 ordinance prohibited smoking in most public places, but a measure to be introduced Monday night would ban lighting up in all public places, including private clubs.
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Hancock County smoking ban in effect
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| March 25th, 2009, 11:27 AM | Indiana |
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MAR 25 - Hancock County - As of Wednesday, if you want to smoke in Hancock County, you'll have to take it outside. Hancock County joins a growing list of Indiana communities that have enacted smoking bans.
A new ordinance bans smoking in all businesses, including bars and private clubs and even the American Legion where Ray Vise has smoked for years.
"What all vets fought for is freedom and they're taking it away," said Vise.
Hancock Post 119 put up new signs and stacked the ashtrays behind the counter, but reluctantly. Bartender Becky Wooten worries the ban will keep people away.
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Star indulges tyranny of anti-smoking health police
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| February 22nd, 2009, 01:43 PM | Indiana |
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FEB 22 - The Star's Feb. 18 editorial supporting a statewide smoking ban in virtually all workplaces is one more signal of how far wrong the paper has gone ("Workers deserve tougher smoke ban"). Like most self-appointed health police, the anti-smoking crowd ignores every other criterion in order to promote its objective -- the end of smoking.
The health police ignore economics, blithely brushing aside concerns over lost income for bars and casinos by saying, in effect, "They'll get used to it." But even more troubling is that The Star is ignoring the right that each of us has to enjoy, or not enjoy, a legal product. The Star also ignores the rights of business owners to operate their businesses to maximize revenue.
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House panel OKs smoking ban that displeases most
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| February 12th, 2009, 08:31 PM | Indiana |
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FEB 12 - An Indiana House panel tried to make everyone in the statewide smoking-ban debate happy Wednesday by approving a heavily amended bill that excluded bars and casinos.
As a result, few were pleased with the bill that's now headed to the House floor.
Proponents said the measure was considerably watered down, and they were especially angered by an amendment that would prevent local communities from enacting stronger regulations unless they act quickly and put their measures into effect by January.
They also pointed out that more than 30 communities across the state already have some form of a smoking ban in place, including some that are stricter than what passed out of the House committee on a 7-5 party-line vote.
In short, they said, the reconstituted bill wouldn't do much to change the smoking picture in Indiana, while two dozen states have adopted outright bans.
Casino industry interests did not like its latest version, either.
The bill exempts casinos, though it requires them to designate about 20 percent of their gaming positions for nonsmokers.
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Lutz votes against workplace smoke ban
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| February 12th, 2009, 08:26 PM | Indiana |
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ANDERSON, FEB 12 — A smoking ban in most workplaces narrowly passed out of a House panel on Wednesday after lawmakers exempted bars and casinos.
The measure, which carried several amendments, passed in a 7-5 vote from the House Public Policy Committee with Rep. Jack Lutz, R-Anderson, opposing the ban.
Lutz, a smoker, said he did not think government should be making such choices for adults, or intruding into business.
Among the amendments were those for casinos designating 20 percent of their gaming positions as non-smoking, and allowing local communities to impose more restrictive laws by 2010. The measure now goes on to the full House.
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Panel hears bill on Indiana public smoking ban
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| February 5th, 2009, 01:05 PM | Indiana |
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FEB 5 - A bill that would impose a statewide ban on smoking in enclosed public places in Indiana ignited sometimes emotional debate before an Indiana House committee.
The lengthy hearing Wednesday before the House Public Policy Committee pitted health advocates, business leaders and people who said their lives have been torn by secondhand smoke against opponents of the bill - primarily bar owners and casino advocates.
Proponents said the bill would save lives by protecting more people from the ills of secondhand smoke and would lower health care costs. Bar owners and those who testified on behalf of casinos said it would hurt their businesses and prohibit adults from using a legal product in their venues.
The committee could vote on the bill authored by Democratic Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, next week, and if endorsed it would be sent to the full House for consideration. The ban would apply to any enclosed places where the public is allowed, including restaurants, bars, bowling alleys and casinos.
Brown has backing from a coalition called the Indiana Campaign for Smokefree Air, a group of more than 30 organizations that include the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association , American Lung Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
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Statehouse smoking ban hearing packed
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| February 4th, 2009, 01:50 PM | Indiana |
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FEB 4 - Speakers for and against the state's proposed comprehensive smoke-free workplace bill packed a hearing at the Statehouse today, sharing their thoughts on why or why not Indiana should ban tobacco smoke in every workplace.
Public health advocates argued every employee in the state, including those in casinos and bars, has a right to breathe smoke-free air, while businesspeople from those industries contended the bill would cut unfairly into their revenue.
By the end of 2009, 28 states and Washington, D.C., will have enacted similar laws. Many European countries — including Ireland, which is famous for its pubs culture — have also done so.
For three and a half hours, the House Public Policy Committee listened to testimony about how passing such a bill might affect Indiana.
“I love my job, but the smoking is horrendous in there,” said Karen Walter, a casino worker in Southern Indiana who supports the bill. “We don't feel we have to risk our lives to do our jobs.”
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State health group seeks tougher smoking law
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| January 30th, 2009, 02:05 PM | Indiana |
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MARTINSVILLE, JAN 30 - The Indiana Public Health Association would like Morgan County to adopt a tougher ordinance regulating smoking in public places.
Brittany Kennedy, a local public health consultant for the IPHA, gave a presentation about the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke Thursday night at the Morgan County Board of Public Health meeting. She urged the board to consider tightening up its restrictions.
The current ordinance only bans smoking in public restaurants and doesn't apply to bars, private clubs, workplaces, stores or other places the public goes. It also allows public restaurants to have designated smoking rooms and to allow smoking outside the restaurant.
“Exposure of adults to second-hand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer,” Kennedy said. “The scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.”
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Baffled by smoking ban
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| January 26th, 2009, 10:46 AM | Indiana |
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JAN 26 - Having just transferred from a small liberal arts college where smoking was a favorite pastime of a majority of the students, I was shocked to discover that IU is attempting to become a tobacco-free campus. Being new here, however, I have to ask: What exactly are the reasons for this ban?
Cigarette butts littering the ground? The health and well-being of students who choose not to smoke? If indeed these are at the heart of the issue, then my response is this: preposterous!
Anyone who smokes (myself included) knows that it is no difficult act to stub a cigarette and throw the butt in a trash can or ashtray. If they don't, it's a matter of littering, not tobacco use. Problem one solved.
Anyone who knows anything about the fluidity of air and the atmosphere around us will tell you that tobacco smoke loosed into the wind disperses quickly and easily, leaving perhaps one tobacco smoke part per million parts of air. Furthermore, anyone who knows anything about air pollution and negative effects on respiratory health will tell you that the exhaust from a car is far worse for a passerby than the exhalations of a smoker.
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