No Secondhand Smoke in San Rafael, Tobacco-Free Policy

In San Rafael, California it now illegal to smoke cigarettes in multi family homes including duplexes and condominiums. Reuters reported that the 57,000 populated town of San Rafael in Northern California has created the ban, voting unanimously and hope to set an example. Mayor Gary Phillips said before they voted to Reuters, "We are happy to blaze a trail. We're most happy to be in the forefront of the issue because we think it will greatly benefit our residents and those visiting San Rafael, and we think it will set the tone for other cities as well." Some, such as Stanford University history of science professor, Robert Proctor believe that the ban will spread to other cities. He said to Reuters, "We're on the downslope of a big curve. Smoking peaked in 1981 with 630 billion cigarettes sold in the United States. Now it's down to 350 billion. And that number will keep on going down until smoking is a distant memory."

The Philly's Tobacco Policy

Officials at the Philadelphia Health Department don't want you to smoke Cigaronne cigarettes online. They do want your opinion on a series of proposals designed to curb tobacco use in the city and protect people from secondhand smoke.

The city is staging community discussions to gauge public opinion on nine ideas. So far, most of the ideas are not official proposals--just conversation starters.
No. 3 on the list is promoting smoke-free homes. For example, the city has the authority to prohibit smoking in public housing.

Faculty Senate begins smoking debate

Efforts to make the University tobacco and smoke free or ban Astra smoking within 75 feet of buildings were debated Monday by the Faculty Senate. The two resolutions will be voted on at the May 4 meeting.

Michael Russo, LSU Libraries senator, presented the resolution to make the University tobacco and smoke free along with a petition signed by about 1,900 people. Russo said it was mostly students who signed the petition.

"As soon as those doors slide open, secondhand smoke goes rushing in," mass communication professor Judith Sylvester said about smoking by the Middleton Library entrance.

Secondhand Smoke Doubles Risk of Having Diabetes

Exposure to secondhand Style smoke for more than four hours a day nearly doubles the risk of developing type-2 diabetes, scientists believe.

A study of 10,038 people between 40 and 69 years old found that the risk of developing diabetes increased as the length of daily exposure to a smokey environment increased.

Smoking Banned in Apartments

The elderly residents at the Danville Development Corp. properties will no longer have to deal with secondhand smoke.

Residents are no longer allowed to smoke Vogue anywhere in the building, even in their own apartments. Instead, each property has built or will build a covered outdoor smoking area. The cost of each structure varies on location, but it costs several thousand dollars for each property.

Children Exposed to Cigarettes Smoke

Children who lived in apartments with non-smokers had higher levels of a tobacco by product in their blood than children from smoke-free single-family homes, according to a new study that suggests multiunit housing is a significant source of second-hand smoke.