HEADLINES

• Scotland: NHS Grampian considers total smoking ban
• USA: Most Texans favour statewide smoking ban
• USA: Massachusetts youths take on smoking loophole
• USA: NY attorney general sues websites selling cigarettes
• Israeli open spaces may become cigarette free
• Romanian officials detained for tobacco smuggling

• Scotland: NHS Grampian considers total smoking ban

  An outright smoking ban across NHS Grampian sites would cause “enormous problems”, according to the board’s medical director.

  Dr Roelf Dijkhuizen, who is reviewing the effectiveness of the board’s tobacco policy, said patients addicted to smoking could not be expected to “take their drip and go and stand at the bus station” to have a cigarette.

  He told a board members in Aberdeen yesterday the focus should be on providing more designated smoking areas.

  But Dr Dijkhuizen said it was not as simple as putting up additional shelters, which could cost up to £150,000.

  Chairman Dr David Cameron said while the “aspiration” was for premises to be smoke-free, the board’s role was to “encourage people not to smoke rather than ban them”.

  Source: The Press and Journal - 02 January 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/fbNAnn

• USA: Most Texans favour statewide smoking ban

  About 70 percent of Texas voters are in favor of a statewide smoking ban in indoor work and public places, including restaurants and bars, according to a new poll.

  San Antonio and about 30 other Texas cities already have enacted such smoke-free ordinances and a proposal to ban smoking statewide is moving through the Capitol.

  The statewide survey of 501 registered voters in the Lone Star State was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and conducted Jan. 12-16

  Source: San Antonia Business Journal - 02 January 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/dYGW6s

• USA: Massachusetts youths take on smoking loophole

  One by one, the teenagers in crisp white T-shirts took a seat before the Hopkinton Board of Selectmen. They had data. They had well-rehearsed pitches. And, they told the board, they wanted local support to close a loophole in state law that bars minors from purchasing cigarettes but not from possessing them.

  Part of a delegation of Hopkinton High students, Mitch Saeger , 18, cited a recent survey that found roughly a third of middle schoolers admitted to experimenting with smoking. Fellow senior Meredith Clark explained the background of their townwide group fighting substance abuse, beFree, while Mary Kate Shanahan provided the legal precedent for their campaign.

  Two towns, Ipswich and Bridgewater, already have local bans on underage possession of tobacco products.

  “We would like this bylaw change to go on the warrant for Town Meeting,’’ Shanahan said. “We would like the selectmen’s support.’’

  Massachusetts ranks 10th in the nation with a 16 percent teen smoking rate, according to the Department of Public Health.

  Source: The Boston Globe - 03 February 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/i2NjGs

• USA: NY attorney general sues websites selling cigarettes

  New York's attorney general on Thursday said he sued six websites for illegally selling cigarettes online to New Yorkers, potentially costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars of tax revenue.

  Websites that sell cigarettes rarely charge taxes and almost always undercut the prices charged in retail stores. New York state has some of the country's highest cigarette taxes.

  The state boosted the levy on cigarettes last year to $4.35 a pack from $2.75, which increased the per-pack price to $9 to $12 at stores in New York City.

  Schneiderman said that dodging the cigarette tax helps smokers avoid quitting.

  Source: Reuters - 03 February 2011
  Link: http://reut.rs/dZxRgG

• Israeli open spaces may become cigarette free

  The Israeli Health Ministry has decided it wants to increase tax on cigarettes to around 78% and to
  revoke the VAT exemption at duty-free stores.

  It is also considering prohibitions on smoking in open spaces, including airports, bus stations and public swimming pools.  

  Source: Laos News - 03 February 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/e6A7Sj

• Romanian officials detained for tobacco smuggling

  Anti-corruption prosecutors have detained dozens of customs officials and border police on suspicion of involvement in cigarette smuggling.

  Prosecutors say the 77 officials detained Thursday in northern Romania are suspected of cigarette smuggling and taking bribes.

  Source: Bloomberg - 03 February 2011
  Link: http://bloom.bg/feY2tB