No tobacco means better campus overall

Surgeon General’s Warning: Tobacco use at Dixie State College is detrimental to users’ and non-users’ educational experience.
There is quite a buzz around DSC if the campus should be tobacco-free and rightfully so. Speaking of the word “right,” a major debate topic from tobacco users is that a ban on tobacco is against their individual rights. Good point, but what are your rights, and what laws are currently associated with tobacco?

According to Utah state law, an owner, agent or operator of government or public facilities, buildings, educational institutions and areas has the right to establish policies prohibiting tobacco; even “anywhere outdoors on the premises.”
The main debate shouldn’t be if a tobacco-free policy is constitutional or against personal rights, but if DSC should implement such a policy. If you have currently attempted to get involved on campus instead of just going from class to home, then you would know efforts are currently underway to pass such a policy. But DSC isn’t breaking ground with these efforts. Hundreds of other campuses have already instituted 100 percent tobacco-free policies.

According to a Sept. 1, 2011, CNN report, more than 500 American campuses have tobacco-free policies in action as of July 2011. This shows tobacco is unwanted in an educational setting. It has no place for it. It is distracting, smelly, gross and mentally degrading.
Don’t get me wrong. I am a hate-the-game-not-the-player kind of guy. I denounce tobacco, not the user.
Save using tobacco for when you are at home or away from campus. If you can’t go a couple of hours without tobacco, then get some help because such an overpowering addiction is damaging for your life; any serious addiction is. I would imagine such an addiction would distract a student’s ability to learn and a teacher’s ability to effectively assist in the learning process.

The solution to help DSC student and teacher tobacco users quit: a tobacco-free policy in coordination with cession efforts from health professionals. I recently sat and talked with student Sen. Joe Pate, a senior nursing major from Provo, about the policy and what the college has to offer for tobacco users.
He said people from Southwest Utah Public Health and the Health and Wellness Center are willing to help with the tobacco-free efforts. People who want to quit can call the Utah quit line to get enrolled into a program and receive eight weeks of nicotine supplements. Also, the Health and Wellness Center will provide cessation supplements and courses. The services require a $10 co-pay, which is a small investment for one who seeks help.

“Everything is in place for students to quit,” Pate said. “I hope that in the near future we can help the Health and Wellness Center have more of a presence on campus so that students can have better awareness of what they have to offer; not just cigarettes-cessation.”
DSC should follow the example of many major American educational institutions and adapt the policy, but only if it will help all students and faculty, not just non-users.
Let us all be proud of DSC in every way possible. Image is everything. So why not give DSC a clean, helpful and health conscious vibe we all can brag about? A tobacco-free Dixie is the way to be.

American Tobacco unveils summer festival lineup

American Tobacco's annual summer festival, On the Lawn, unveiled its music and movie lineup Wednesday.

The free series, which runs April 27 to Oct. 5, includes:

Back Porch Music on the Lawn, which will feature acts from the legendary Red Clay Ramblers to developing superstars The Old Ceremony
Movies on the Lawn, a series of music-themed documentaries selected by the Full Frame Film Festival
Pops for Pops on Father’s Day
Three WNCU Jazz on the Lawn concerts
Special performance by the American Dance Festival

Campaign launched in Suffolk against illegal tobacco

A NEW CAMPAIGN has been launched in Suffolk this week to prevent children being targeted for sales of illegal tobacco.

Illegal tobacco, which comes in the form of smuggled or counterfeit cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco, is sold at around half the price of legal tobacco.

According to research obtained by Suffolk County Council, almost a third of people in Suffolk have been offered illegal tobacco, and 14 per cent admit to buying it.

The month-long campaign against illegeal tobacco will see the council working alongside Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), NHS, East of England Trading Standards Association and other local councils to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal tobacco in Suffolk.

Local campaigners, including Smokefree East of England and Suffolk Trading Standards will be taking to the streets in Ipswich and Lowestoft this month to promote this important message in the local community.

Children’s centres, NHS stop smoking services and other participating groups across the county are also campaigning to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal tobacco with those they come into contact with on a day-to-day basis.

Elspeth Gibson, chair of the Suffolk Tobacco Control Alliance, said: “The criminal gangs that sell smuggled cigarettes are not concerned with who buys them, and do not care who they sell to.

“Unfortunately, this often includes children and young people who are under age. As well as causing criminals to prey upon our children, purchasing illegal tobacco brings other crime to our communities and undermines legitimate businesses.”

Innokin Recommends New Electronic Cigarette to Smokers

Innokin recommends e cigarettes to smokers and says:" By purchasing just one e-cig, smokers can take the steps to eliminate harmful toxins of tobacco smoking and start saving money automatically." Innokin also indicates that its new e cigarette will come to the market soon.

Innokin technology is the premier electronic cigarette manufacturer insisting on independent research and development, developing self-own electronic cigarette brands with the best quality. Innokin is the first to adopt pen clip cap, puff accounter, pass-through and magnet technology to combine battery with tank atomizer for ecigs. Innokin is also amongst the first to pioneer the tank e-cigarette design with ON/OFF battery switch, clear tank and battery capacity display via green, yellow and red LED lights, which have become the industry standard.

Innokin says that by purchasing just one e cigarette smokers can take the steps to improve their health in no time. Electronic cigarettes have changed the lives of millions of smokers worldwide. What is incredible about e-cigarettes is that smokers only have to buy one electronic cigarette to make a tremendous difference on their lives, the lives of others and the environment.

Unlike traditional cigarettes that are expensive and sold by the pack, smokers only have to buy one electronic cigarette, which is completely reusable. By purchasing just one e-cig, smokers can immediate take the steps to eliminate harmful toxins and start saving money automatically. For those who are looking for the solution to smoking, the e-cig is a good solution.

Electronic cigarettes were first manufactured in China. After receiving wide recognition from experts in the smoking cessation field, many experts began to recommend e-cigarettes. Although these smokeless smoking devices still deliver nicotine to smokers through an atomizer, they are completely smoke-free. Researchers have confirmed that smokers who stop smoking regular cigarettes will be on the road to complete recovery. That is because smokers' lungs have a self-healing mechanism that automatically starts repairing the damage.

When smokers find out that they can take the steps to reverse the damage that smoke has done to their lungs, most smokers buy one reusable e-cigarette. To get started, many smokers buy a starter kit that includes one e-cig, an atomizer, a charger, one or more batteries, refill cartridges and other things. Although purchasing a starter kit costs more than a package of cigarettes, it is a worthwhile investment. In addition, smokers who buy electronic cigarettes never have to buy a regular pack of cigarettes again. Most smokers save thousands of dollars over the years.

They say that good things come in small packages. Well, that is definitely true for e-cigarettes. Unlike any other smoking cessation devices, one e-cig can have a huge impact on a smokers' life for many years to come. In addition to taking the steps to get healthy, smokers are also helping the environment by eliminating harmful second-hand smoke. What is great about electronic cigarettes is they can truly be used anywhere. Since e-cigs do not produce harmful smoke, smokers can use them anywhere.

E-cigarettes are truly a solution to a great problem that has plagued this world for a long time. Smokers who want to get rid of tobacco smoking should give electronic smoking a try. Whether they do it for themselves or someone they love, buying just one e-cig can make a tremendous difference. By taking the steps to buy an electronic cigarette, smokers will be helping themselves, others and the environment.

Religious Marijuana Lawsuit Gets New Life in 9th Cir.

A Native American group will get its day in court, as the Ninth Circuit has revived part of a lawsuit that seeks permission to smoke marijuana for religious purposes.

The Oklevueha Native American Church of Hawaii sued the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration after agents seized a $7,000 shipment of marijuana addressed to the church's founder in 2009, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The church's lawsuit demanded the return of, or reimbursement for, the seized pot, which was intended for use during religious ceremonies. The church also sought a declaratory judgment affirming the legality of its members' religious marijuana use.

The federal Controlled Substances Act allows the religious use of peyote, which church members also use -- but it does not create an exemption for religious marijuana. That's why the church wants a court to declare religious pot use is OK, to protect its members from possible legal action.

A lower court dismissed the church's religious marijuana lawsuit, and the church appealed. On Monday, the Ninth Circuit revived the suit, but only on one issue: the declaratory judgment.

Because church members were never prosecuted for their religious pot use, the lower court had held there was no controversy for a court to consider.

But the Ninth Circuit disagreed. "The seizure of Plaintiffs' marijuana that has already occurred creates a justiciable case and controversy about plaintiffs' constitutional and statutory entitlement to use marijuana for religious purposes," the court's opinion states, according to the Journal.

The Ninth Circuit's opinion sends the case back to the lower court, which will now reconsider the declaratory judgment issue.

As for the church's demand for the return of their religious marijuana, the Ninth Circuit seemed to agree with the lower court: The pot was destroyed, so it can't be returned. Reimbursement is also not an option under federal law, the lower court held.

State's foster homes may be next to go smoke-free

The “no-smoking” sign will be on for homes with foster children, if a bill in the Minnesota Legislature is passed.

The legislation would follow the lead of St. Louis, Lake and Beltrami counties, which already require foster homes to be smoke-free, said Jill Doberstein, Duluth-based program manager for tobacco control with the American Lung Association in Minnesota.

State Rep. Tom Huntley, DFL-Duluth, a sponsor of the bill, said it was introduced too late in the current session to be passed as stand-alone legislation. There’s still a chance it could be passed this year as part of an amendment to another bill, he said. Otherwise, there will be an effort to pass it next year.

“I think the general public, when this is explained to them, would support it,” Huntley said.

If the legislation became law, it would make Minnesota the 18th state to have a ban on smoking in foster homes for children, Doberstein said. St. Louis County, like some of those states, also prohibits smoking in vehicles used to transport foster children. The Minnesota legislation doesn’t go that far but could be amended to add vehicles, Doberstein said.

Before he was a St. Louis County commissioner, Steve O’Neil and his wife, Angie Miller, lobbied for the county ban, which Doberstein said went into effect in 2002. O’Neil and Miller drew from their own experiences as foster parents in advocating for smoke-free foster homes.

“When you get licensed to go into foster care, you have to go through all kinds of hoops and inspections,” O’Neil said. “So, for example, you can’t have peeling paint, because we would not expose children to lead paint.

We would not expose children to asbestos; you’re tested for that. All of which make perfect sense, right? So why would we want kids to be exposed to secondhand smoke all day while they were there, 24/7, for months?”

Randy Ruth, president of the Minnesota Foster Care Association, said the organization has addressed the issue in the past, but not this time around. The majority of foster parents probably would be on board with the legislation, he said.

“There’s always going to be that lifelong smoker that thinks it’s an invasion of their privacy,” said Ruth of Burnsville, Minn., who with his wife has cared for foster children for more than 40 years. “Personally, I would not object to it because I’m a lifelong nonsmoker.”

David Sutton, a spokesman for Philip Morris USA, said the nation’s largest tobacco company doesn’t plan any lobbying on the legislation. Philip Morris acknowledges that “secondhand smoke can cause conditions such as asthma, respiratory infections, cough, wheeze, middle ear infections and sudden infant death syndrome,” Sutton said in an e-mail.

The tobacco company believes adults should avoid smoking around children, Sutton said, and that smoking should be banned in “areas occupied primarily by children, such as playgrounds, schools and day-care facilities.”

But it opposes what it calls “complete bans,” including in homes.

“In private residences and in other private places, the individual owner should determine the smoking policy,” Sutton said in his e-mail.

The state has a role to play when it comes to foster homes, Huntley said.

“We’re in charge of these kids, and we have to decide what kind of life they’re going to live in the foster care system,” he said. “And I think we have a responsibility to make sure they’re living in a healthy environment.”

The state’s taxpayers have a financial interest, O’Neil added.

“There are 8,000 kids in foster care in Minnesota, and they’re all insured by the state of Minnesota, more or less,” he said. “We’re paying their health-care costs. Do we want to subject them to secondhand smoke?”

The American Lung Association has polled foster-care providers in Aitkin and Isanti counties and so far found none who object to the proposal, Doberstein said. Even those who do smoke said they already go outside to smoke, and they still could do that if the bill becomes law.

St. Louis County didn’t see a decline in the number of foster parents as a result of its ban, O’Neil said.