Tag: smoking bans

FDA issues long-awaited proposal to ban menthol cigarettes

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday issued a long-awaited proposal to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, a major victory for anti-smoking advocates but one that could dent sales at tobacco companies.

The proposal, which comes a year after the agency announced the plan, still needs to be finalized and can take years to implement as it is likely to face stiff opposition from the tobacco industry.

“The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra

For decades, menthol cigarettes have been in the crosshairs of anti-smoking groups who have argued that they contribute to disproportionate health burdens on Black communities and play a role in luring young people into smoking.

Menthol cigarettes, banned in many states including California and Massachusetts, account for more than a third of the industry’s overall market share in the United States, even as overall smoking rates have been declining in the country.

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New Zealand BANS smoking: Radical new laws will stop young people from EVER buying cigarettes as nation goes ‘smoke-free’

New Zealand is banning young people from ever being allowed to buy cigarettes in a rolling scheme that aims to make the entire country smoke-free.

People aged 14 and under in 2027 will never be allowed to purchase cigarettes in their lifetime in the Pacific country of five million, under Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s radical new laws.

Each year the age limit will be increased until it is illegal for the entire nation.

‘We want to make sure young people never start smoking so we will make it an offence to sell or supply smoked tobacco products to new cohorts of youth,’ associate health minister Ayesha Verrall said on Thursday. 

However, the new law will not impact vaping, with Dr Verrall saying tobacco smoking is more harmful and remains a leading cause of preventable deaths in New Zealand, killing up to 5,000 people each year. 

The measures will make New Zealand’s retail tobacco industry one of the most restricted in the world, just behind Bhutan where cigarette sales are banned outright. 

Official in New Zealand, where packets of 20 Marlboro cigarettes cost around NZ$33 (£17), have not said how they plan to police the ban, nor which retailers would be barred from selling tobacco products. More detail is expected to be provided when legislation is brought before parliament next year. 

At the moment, tobacco retailers face fines of between NZ$500 and NZ$1,000 for selling cigarettes to minors. 

Although many experts have welcomed the move, others have warned that it could cause a ‘gradual prohibition’ and create a black market for tobacco, prompting a crime wave.

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Gretchen Whitmer Requires Masks in Michigan Smoking Lounges ‘at All Times’

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) administration issued a new order Monday requiring masks in smoking lounges.

The Center Square reported the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued the surprise edict:

Michigan cigar and vaping lounges were caught off guard Monday afternoon by a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services memo effectively prohibiting smoking in their facilities.

The enforcement, according to the memo, was prompted by MDHHS efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19. All smoking lounges in the state must require face masks be worn at all times. …

The memo, signed by MDHHS Departmental Analyst Jason Osoff, Policy Enforcement & Monitoring/Tobacco Section, states the department’s emergency powers grants it the authority to implement and enforce measures designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As of Wednesday morning, the order was not listed on the MDHHS website.

According to the news site, violations of Whitmer’s order are considered a misdemeanor, carry a $200 fine, and could include a $1,000 fine per day.

Whitmer’s agency is also targeting businesses for violations.

“Businesses that permit smoking on their premises may also be cited for violations of the order,” it said.

Whitmer allows the removal of a mask for eating or drinking, according to a February 4 edict, but participants in “in gatherings for any exercise activities, group fitness, or organized sports” must wear one.

The latest order pointed out smoking is not included in the exemptions.

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San Francisco bans smoking tobacco inside your apartment, marijuana is totally fine though.

Officials in San Francisco have banned all tobacco smoking inside apartments, citing concerns about secondhand smoke. Don’t worry though the ban only includes tobacco products, smoking pot in your home is still allowed.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 Tuesday to approve the ordinance making San Francisco the largest city in the country to ban tobacco smoking inside apartments.

Apparently, the reason marijuana smoking isn’t banned is that such a ban would not provide any space for people to actually legally smoke pot, as it’s still illegal under state law to smoke pot in public places.

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