Subscribe to Cigar Rights of America RSS feeds and get the most up-to-date cigar-related legislative news for Arkansas. http://www.cigarrights.org/xml/news/news_AR.xml http://www.cigarrights.org/favicon.ico http://www.cigarrights.org/images/CRA08small.jpg en-us HARRISON, Ark, FEB 27 -- Arkansas' tobacco tax increase is starting to register with nicotine addicts who are stocking up on cigarettes to satisfy their future cravings. "It's been great; sales have increased a whole lot," said Judy Biggs, manager of Tobacco World. At Tobacco World, people are buying them by the cartons. "We got people ordering ten boxes to beat the price," said Biggs. Store managers can't complain about the sweet sales but some smokers are fuming. "What gets me, when I started smoking, it was promoted throughout the country," said longtime smoker Roger Lidey. http://www.ky3.com/news/local/40414937.html Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:27 -0800 Arkansas FEB 26 - Arkansas smokers are stocking up on cartons of cigarettes just days before a $.56 per pack increase March 1, 2009. The Arkansas tax will also increase other tobacco products by 36%. On April 1, 2009 the federal government will increase its cigarette tax by $.62 per pack. Many retailers are worried tobacco users will go across stateliness to buy cheaper cigarettes. Arkansas law allows people to possess one carton, plus one pack of cigarettes that don't have any Arkansas cigarette tax. http://www.kspr.com/news/local/40389767.html Thu, 26 Feb 2009 9:17 -0800 Arkansas FEB 7 - Gov. Mike Beebe said Friday, a day after the House of Representatives passed his proposal for a cigarette and tobacco tax increase, that it'll be a "difficult task" to win approval in the state Senate. An occasional cigar smoker, Beebe said he'll be one of those paying more. So far, not enough members of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee publicly support the bill to ensure that it will get out of the committee and to the Senate for a vote. Senate President Pro Tempore Bob Johnson, D-Bigelow, said he expects the committee eventually will endorse it. But the governor said it's too early for him to say whether he's confident the $86 million-a-year tax for a trauma system and other health-related programs will clear the committee. "We haven't started working it yet," Beebe said. "I'll do whatever [Johnson] wants me to do." It passed the House on Thursday, 75-24, The governor is a former cigarette and pipe smoker who says he now limits his tobacco to a cigar every now and then. http://www.nwanews.com/adg/national/251627/ Sat, 7 Feb 2009 12:02 -0800 Arkansas LITTLE ROCK, MAR 7 -- Margaret Walker's angst is rising with the fall in business she says has been all too evident at the eastern Arkansas tobacco store she and her husband run since increases in state tobacco taxes went into effect last week. Newspaper ads Mississippi tobacco stores are running inviting Arkansans to “drive a little and save a lot” just add to her anxiety, Walker said, because she feels customers are driving across the border to take them up on their offer of cheaper tobacco products. Larry Cobb, retail operating supervisor of Forrest City-based Tobacco Superstores Inc. knows firsthand. His company owns some of the Mississippi tobacco outlets doing the advertising. http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2009/03/07/news/030809lrarktobaccotax.txt Sat, 7 Mar 2009 04:13 -0800 Arkansas Stuttgart, Ark., JUN 4 - Senator Mark Pryor spoke in support Wednesday of a bill to give the government some control over the tobacco industry. The 84-11 Senate vote Tuesday to consider the bill came a month after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a similar measure giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products. “I think it will pass the Senate easily,” Pryor said. http://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/state_news/x313673301/Pryor-supports-tougher-regulations Thu, 4 June 2009 07:16 -0800 Arkansas Despite being housed in a city park, visitors of the Little Rock Zoo can still light up. Smoking is allowed in sections of the popular attraction. However, there have been unsuccessful attempts by members of the Zoo Board to stop people from smoking on zoo grounds. There are nine members on the board. Last month, three of them voted to ban smoking at the zoo. The problem with that is that three other board members voted against it. Another member was absent, and there is a vacancy on the board. Without a majority vote for the ban, people can continue to light-up. http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=104391&catid=2 11 May 2010 11:11 -0800 Akansas Little Rock's mayor wants the ban on smoking in city parks extended to the city's zoo and has asked the city manager to see if that's possible. City Manager Bruce Moore signed off in July on a smoke-free policy for city parks. The policy, which is a request, not a law, took effect Oct. 1. http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=105115 20 May 2010 11:11 -0800 Arkansas We told you last week that supporters of an expansion of the Clean Indoor Air Act are readying for another fight. Talk Business has learned that no later than next Monday, proponents of removing exemptions to the "no smoking in businesses" law may file legislation. State Sen. Tracy Steele, a lead sponsor of the act from 2006, says he'll carry the bill and expects to file it "no later than Monday." http://talkbusiness.net/article/CLEAN-AIR-SUPPORTERS-LIGHTING-UP-THE-DEBATE/1439/ 31 Jan 2011 11:11 -0800 Arkansas FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A Fayetteville alderman wants to ban smoking in the city's bars. Adella Gray wants to eliminate an exemption that some bars have to the city's smoking ban that was approved by voters in 2004. She told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette she expects the City Council to discuss the proposal at its May 3 meeting. http://www.wreg.com/news/sns-ap-ar--smokingban-fayetteville,0,3801479.story 28 Feb 2011 11:11 -0800 Arkansas Members of the Fayetteville Council of Neighborhoods last week weighed in on a proposal that would ban smoking in all of the city’s bars. The measure, sponsored by Ward 1 alderwoman Adella Gray, would be a change to the current law which allows smoking in bars. If passed, the proposal would affect about 30 local establishments. Tyler Clark, project coordinator at Northwest Arkansas Tobacco-Free Coalition, argued in favor of the proposal and said that in order to protect the health of its workers and residents, the city needs a total ban on smoking in bars. http://www.fayettevilleflyer.com/2011/04/05/group-discusses-proposed-smoking-ban-for-fayetteville-bars/ 5 Apr 2011 11:11 -0800 Arkansas When the Fayetteville City Council adopted a public workplace smoking ban in 2003, only two types of businesses were exempted: bars and retail tobacco stores. If a proposed amendment to that ordinance is passed on June 7, Fayetteville bar owners will have about seven months to remove all ashtrays and make adjustments in preparation for a law that would ban smoking inside every bar in town. http://www.fayettevilleflyer.com/2011/05/20/public-comments-nearly-split-during-smoking-ban-discussion/ 20 May 2011 11:11 -0800 Arkansas FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - The Fayetteville City Council has failed to expand a ban on public smoking to include bars. The Northwest Arkansas Times reports that the council voted 5-3 Tuesday to add bars to the locations where smoking is prohibited. Six votes were needed to expand the anti-smoking ordinance that was approved by voters in 2004. http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=14864018 8 Jun 2011 11:11 -0800 Arkansas After listening to four and a half hours of public comment, the eight members of the City Council were finally able to weigh in and vote on a proposal to ban smoking in all Fayetteville bars. And that was just one of the meetings where public discussion was heard. Although a majority of aldermen voted in favor of the amendment, our prediction that the measure would fail to receive the six necessary votes to pass turned out to be true. http://www.fayettevilleflyer.com/2011/06/08/smoking-ban-2011-how-it-went-down/ 8 Jun 2011 11:11 -0800 Arkansas