New laws banning shop tobacco displays in Scotland will increase black market trade, an industry survey has claimed. The Tobacco Retailers Alliance study said 56% of shopkeepers believed the move would increase contraband sales. The study by the alliance, which has 26,000 UK members, came after MSPs passed the law in January.

Ministers said the move would break the link between youth smoking and related long-term problems by making tobacco less attractive.

The measure is part of the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services Act, which also bans cigarette vending machines and introduces a registration scheme for retailers.

The survey by the Tobacco Retailers Alliance, which strongly opposed the display ban, also claimed 49% of shopkeepers said they are aware of smuggled tobacco being sold in their area, while 38% knew of smugglers supplying under-age smokers.

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The group’s Scottish spokeswoman, Fiona Barrett, said: “It’s through friends or family that the majority of under-age smokers get their tobacco, so if the government made it a crime for people over 18 to buy tobacco to give to those under 18, while at the same time putting more focus on tackling tobacco smuggling, youth smoking rates would be reduced.”

But Sheila Duffy, of anti-smoking group Ash Scotland, said “The tobacco industry has tried to divert attention away from the important health issues at stake by exaggerating fears based on unfounded claims.

“There is no reason to think that adult smokers who currently buy their product legally from responsible retailers will suddenly switch to illegal sources because the product is no longer on display.”

The display ban comes into force next year for large retailers and in 2013 for small shops.

Specialist tobacconists are exempt from the ban, while displays will be permitted in cash and carry and duty-free stores if they are confined to a secluded area.

MSPs have already banned smoking in public places and raised the age for buying cigarettes to 18.

News from: bbc.co.uk

With their enticing cool and minty flavor, menthol cigarettes have emerged as one of the most controversial products made by the tobacco industry. Kids are particularly drawn to them, with nearly 45 percent of smokers aged 12 to 17 using menthol cigarettes, according to a 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Most black teenaged smokers — and 82.7 percent of black adult smokers — favor menthols, the same survey found.

“The manufacturers would have you believe there is not a scintilla of evidence that menthol is no more dangerous than other cigarettes to the individual smoker, but we do not agree,” said Ellen Vargyas, general counsel for the American Legacy Foundation, a smoking prevention and cessation organization in Washington, D.C., founded with funding from the landmark Master Settlement Agreement between the tobacco industry and state governments. “Over 80 percent of African-American smokers smoke menthol, and African-America smokers have the highest rates of lung cancer. We also know African-Americans with lung cancer are more likely to die from lung cancer.”

In addition, the popularity of menthols among younger, newer smokers suggests that maybe the minty taste does encourage people to start, perhaps by masking the harsh taste of regular cigarettes, she added.

“We know the younger you are and the newer the smoker you are, the more likely you are to smoke menthol,” said Vargyas. “There is a very strong correlation between being a teenaged smoker and menthol cigarettes.”

That’s no coincidence, say smoking opponents: The tobacco industry has long targeted youth and minorities for menthol cigarette marketing, even manipulating menthol content in different brands in an effort to recruit new smokers among youth, according to the National Cancer Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health.

The debate over how menthols should be regulated lit up again last month, during the second round of hearings held by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee.

The advisory committee was established by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in June 2009. The legislation gave the FDA unprecedented power to restrict the marketing of tobacco products.

While the law bans cigarette makers from adding candy or fruit-like flavors such as clove, cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa or strawberry to cigarettes, legislators hedged when it came to menthols, the most popular flavoring by far.

Although menthol was not banned from cigarettes, the law stressed that nothing prevented it from regulating menthol as well. In fact, the act required the FDA advisory committee to consider menthol cigarettes impact on public health — including its use among children and minorities– as its first order of business.

During the first round of hearings in March, the advisory committee sought answers about the addictiveness of menthol cigarettes, whether they are more harmful than regular cigarettes and whether the flavor encourages kids in particular to take up smoking.

Anti-smoking advocates say there is no evidence that menthols — which account for an estimated 33.9 percent of the U.S. cigarette market — are less deadly than any other cigarette. Research from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, in fact, suggests that they are more addictive, making it harder for smokers to quit, particularly blacks and Latinos.

During the hearings, tobacco industry representatives defended their products, saying menthols are no more harmful than other cigarettes and should not be singled out for a ban.

“We don’t think there is any evidence or even any suggestion that youth would choose not to smoke if menthol products weren’t available,” said Bill True, senior vice president of research and development for Lorillard Tobacco Co., the makers of Newport’s. “Kids don’t smoke because there are menthol cigarettes. Kids smoke for a variety of reasons which are probably quite complex.”

“Cigarettes do pose significant dangers to an individual’s health,” True added. “In dealing with regulating the product, we believe the FDA should be looking at those things that are the most significant.”

On that point, anti-smoking advocates agree. Cigarettes are by their very nature a deadly product, and legislation to sharply regulate their manufacture, sale and marketing can’t come a moment too soon, said Vargyas.

Mitch Zeller, vice president for policy and strategic communications at Pinney Associates in Washington, D.C. and the director of the FDA’s Office of Tobacco Programs during the Clinton Administration, noted that there were some limitations to the family smoking prevention laws reach. While the FDA has far more power over the industry than before, it cannot ban all cigarettes outright, nor can it force cigarette companies to reduce nicotine levels to zero, he said.

However, he said, the legislation requires tobacco companies to disclose comprehensive information about the contents and manufacturing process for tobacco products. The tobacco companies, he added, have been less than forthcoming with their data about the marketing and manufacture of menthols.

“The industry presentation on the issues that matter the most — those related to marketing that influences kids and any issue related to the initiation of smoking — was non-responsive,” Zeller said. “The advisory committee is in need of more information to do its job.”

The FDA advisory committee has nine members and includes physicians, scientists and public health experts; the tobacco industry is represented by three non-voting members. The committee has until March 2011 to report its menthol findings to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The World Trade Organization (WTO) will issue a ruling on a dispute between Indonesia and the United States over a U.S. ban on clove-flavored cigarettes, Reuters reports. Indonesia alleges the U.S. is abusing health regulations as it bans clove cigarettes while allowing U.S. tobacco manufacturers to continue marketing menthol cigarettes.

In response, the U.S. maintains flavored tobacco attracts young people to smoking, and that the ban applies uniformly to clove cigarettes from all countries.

The WTO’s dispute settlement body agreed to establish a panel to rule on the dispute.

Indonesia said its clove cigarettes have been shut out of the U.S. since September 2009, and that it had been trying to resolve the issue. It said it could not wait for the U.S. to complete its review of menthol cigarettes, which is not expected until March 2011.

The U.S. imported $15.2 million of clove cigarettes, nearly all from Indonesia, in 2008, accounting for less than 0.1 percent of cigarette consumption at the time. Indonesia claims that menthol cigarettes now make up 28 percent of U.S. cigarette consumption.

Source: www.nacsonline.com.

The Tobacco act had forced the stores in Nanaimo to take the small flavored cigars and cigarettes off their display cases. Some retailers put the large flavored cigars in their place, as the law does not cover them. Terry McNabb, owner of the Subway Convenience Store on Departure Bay Road, revealed that it is a misuse of time and money. He revealed that the producers have put in more tobacco in cigars, in order to make them bigger. Also, they removed the filters and put flavors like grape and cherry in them.

McNabb revealed that he was aware that a ban is going to be imposed and, therefore, he had chucked out the stock a month ago.

Employee of Occidental Liquor Store on Selby Street, Jeannie McCormick, said that the flavored cigarillos are being sent back to the Companies and flavored cigars are taking their place.

She said that they were asked to get rid of the cigars with filters.

Gary Holub, a Spokesman with Health Canada disclosed that the law applies to small flavored cigars, flavored blunts and cigarettes. She stated that the law has ordered the store owners to keep this product out of the shelf because they were attracting the youth.

topnews.ae

With the potential restriction of menthol cigarette maker Lorillard Inc. is now protesting in defense of its Newport Brand, which it holds 35 percent share of the U.S. market. Launching a campaign, in the form of a Web site called Understanding Menthol, the company provides its position on the possible ban, along with the science that is under review by a federal advisory committee, and the consequences of a potential ban on menthol cigarettes. Studies, going against menthol, have cited that its usage only entices people to start smoking, which can result in health issues.

“We believe our customers need to be aware of this review process and the real-world consequences of whatever recommendation the panel makes to the FDA,” William True, senior vice president of research and development for Lorillard, said in a written statement to The Associated Press.
The company has also started issuing letters to smokers of the Newport brand to notify them of claims made by a U.S, Food and Drug Administration that cigarettes containing menthol have public health impacts. Lorillard Inc., also plans to utilize social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to keep in contact with users on the impending problem.
Adding menthol has served as a major factor in the growth of tobacco companies as the market continues to shrink.
According to Lorillard, they are under the belief that scientific evidence isn’t sufficient enough in showing that menthol cigarettes have greater health risks than cigarettes that don’t utilize the substance. They also believe that the ban will force users to find it from other means, such as the black market, which won’t meet basic product standards and create more potential harm for smokers.

From hiphopwired.com, June 30, 2010, By Justin T. Stewart

Anti-tobacco advocates are bracing for a counterattack from tobacco firms after Ontario and the federal government moved Tuesday to ban kiddy-friendly flavoured cigarillos. “Our work on this front is far from over. Some tobacco companies seem to be intent on manoeuvring around our health protection laws,” Ontario Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best warned in London, where she announced the ban. The ban takes effect July 1 and prohibits the sale and distribution of flavoured cigarillos, with the exception of menthol flavour.

The province also is requiring unflavoured cigarillos to be sold in packages of at least 20, the same as cigarettes, in an effort to make the little cigars unaffordable for young people.

Packaged like crayons and candy, the little cigars come in chocolate, grape, strawberry, cherry, bubblegum, pina colada and other flavours. Some retail for less than $2. Best said the products were clearly aimed at youth and children.

By changing the wrapping from paper to a tobacco product, the industry was able to have the flavoured cigarillos classified as a cigar, avoiding the packaging and warning requirements of cigarettes. Best said the Ontario law allows the government to change the definition of cigarillos if the tobacco industry changes the product to sidestep the legislation.

“My staff and I at the Ministry of Health Promotion are working diligently to ensure our efforts to protect young people are not thwarted by actions taken by tobacco companies to circumvent federal and provincial laws,” she said.

Middlesex-London medical officer of health Graham Pollett said the flavoured cigarillos appeal to young people who might think they are less dangerous than cigarettes. That is not the case, he said, warning the next tobacco product that will likely be launched in Ontario is snus.

Developed in Sweden, snus is moist tobacco contained in a small pouch placed under the lip. Although it is banned in most of Europe, snus is being marketed in the United States. Companies importing the product suggest it is a safer alternative to smoking.

An Imperial Tobacco spokesperson said his company supports the Ontario law’s intent.

“We believe kids should not be smoking at all, this is for adults that make a choice knowing the risks,” Eric Gagnon said.

But the ban will only add to the problem of contraband cigarettes, he said.

“Kids will still have access to those products cheaper than today,” Gagnon predicted.

Best said the province is concerned about illegal cigarettes and contraband tobacco. “It is a very complex issue which the government is dealing with.”

From lfpress.com, By JOHN MINER, June 30, 2010

Indonesian tobacco growers and their regional counterparts ended a two-day meeting, dubbed the first Asia Tobacco Forum, in Jakarta on Tuesday by revealing a plan that basically consisted of doing what they have already been doing — pleading with national governments not to adopt the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Countries that adopt the framework would, among other things, commit themselves to ban flavored cigarettes, which include clove-favored cigarettes, or kretek, the mainstay of the Indonesian tobacco industry.

Meanwhile, the domestic tobacco industry is fighting on another front.

The World Trade Organization on Tuesday began hearing an Indonesian trade dispute with the United States over the latter’s ban of flavored cigarettes.

Indonesia claims the ban is discriminatory because menthol cigarettes, most of which are produced in the US, were not banned.

Citing numerous studies, the US says flavored cigarettes encourage teens and children to begin smoking, and make it harder to quit.

The stakes are high for tobacco farmers and cigarette producers in Indonesia, where a toddler recently gained international renown for his clove cigarette habit.

The industry employes an estimated 6 million people, including tobacco farmers, production workers and vendors.

Around Rp 180 trillion ($20 billion) worth of cigarettes are produced each year, including $564 million of exports in 2009.

The industry claims millions of jobs could be at stake over the WHO framework and the US ban on clove cigarettes.

Sudaryanto, the chairman of the Indonesian Tobacco Alliance (Amti), said the framework presented a tremendous challenge to the Indonesian tobacco industry.

Ninety-three percent of cigarettes produced in Indonesia are kretek.

“Although Indonesia has not signed the FCTC, we will still be impacted since it will eliminate our ability to export kreteks to any country adopting the framework,” he said.

A total of 168 countries have signed the WHO framework, and are ready to debate its adoption at the domestic level.

Roger Quarles, the president of the International Tobacco Growers Association, on Tuesday vowed to take the fight to the health, agriculture and industry ministries in each country ahead of the next WHO meeting on tobacco in Uruguay scheduled for November.

Fuad Baradja, head of the education unit at the Indonesian Smoking Control Foundation (LM3), said national governments should not buy cigarette producers’ argument that adopting a ban on flavored cigarettes would devastate the industry.

“Cigarettes will always be around. There will never be a total ban on cigarettes. This particular ban is intended to discourage younger smokers,” he said.

Fuad said Indonesia needed to ratify the WHO ban on flavored cigarettes to slow the accelerating rate of smoking in the country as cigarette companies become more creative in seeking new customers.

“Flavored cigarettes are more and more creative. There are cappuccino flavors, different kinds of fruit flavors. All these flavors disguise the natural flavor of the cigarette itself,” he said.

Louise Baker, technical officer at the WHO office in Jakarta, said there was no justification for producing flavored cigarettes, which she said served only to make smoking more attractive to teenagers.

“It’s really concerning seeing a 14-year-old girl buying chocolate-flavored cigarettes, because the flavor is familiar to her. Several years later, she would be already addicted to the smoke,” she said.

Baker said the WHO was concerned about the fate of the workers and farmers that might be affected, and she urged the government to create a program to slowly shift farmers from growing tobacco to other crops and to retrain tobacco industry workers.

Yos Ginting, a director at cigarette company PT HM Sampoerna, declined to comment on the magnitude of the challenges facing his industry.

Sampoerna, as a member of Amti, would adhere to any decisions made by the organization, Yos said.

From thejakartaglobe.com, By Arti Ekawati & Faisal Maliki Baskoro, June 23, 2010

Domestic and international tobacco growers are gathering in Jakarta today for a two-day meeting aimed at formulating a strategy to fight against the adoption of a ban on flavored cigarettes under the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The Indonesian Tobacco Alliance (Amti) and the International Tobacco Growers Association, a US-based nonprofit growers association, on Sunday urged the Indonesian government and the governments of neighboring countries not to adopt Articles 9 and 10 of the framework that effectively ban flavored tobacco products.

Sudaryanto, the chairman of Amti, which organized the meeting, said banning flavored cigarettes could cost Indonesian growers up to $450 million per year and threaten millions of jobs.

He said an independent US ban on flavored cigarettes in place since last year had already cost growers here $270 million.

“If other countries across the globe take the same step, then we will bear bigger losses than that,” Sudaryanto said during an interview with the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.

“[Today] we will hold a meeting among tobacco growers and buyers in Asia, along with the ITGA, to discuss the plan to ban flavored cigarettes. Our goal is to urge the Indonesian government and other governments to think about the workers involved in the tobacco industry.”

Growers from countries such as Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines are expected to attend the event.

Indonesia produces about 250 billion cigarettes a year, and some 93 percent are clove cigarettes, or kretek . Exports of clove cigarettes to the United States were estimated to be $450 million to $500 million a year prior to the ban.

The US Food and Drug Administration banned flavored cigarettes in September, saying they encouraged younger people to smoke.

The Indonesian government has filed a formal trade dispute with the World Trade Organization in April, claiming the ban was protectionist because it did not include menthol cigarettes, most of which are produced in the United States.

There are 1.5 million clove farmers across the country and 3.5 tobacco farmers, based on Amti’s data.

ITGA president Roger Quarles said banning flavored cigarettes would cause the industry enormous pain.

“This will not only impact Indonesia, but also world’s cigarette industries,” Quarles said.

From thejakartaglobe.com, by Arti Ekawati, June 21, 2010

Nathan Porter sucks in a mixture of tobacco, molasses and strawberries through a water pipe and into his lungs. The owner of the Huka Bar & Grill exhales and the smoke smells faintly of fruit, then disappears.
“We can get all these lit up,” he gestures to the dozens of hookah pipes sitting at each table in the large room, “but you’re not going to see this cloud of smoke.”
It’s his 5-year-old business that is now up in the air. More than a year after the state banned smoking in bars, public health officials now say hookah clubs violate the law’s intent.

Leaders of the state’s 12 local health departments want legislators to clarify whether they intended to include tobacco smoked through water pipes, along with cigarettes and cigars, when they amended the state’s indoor air act to protect people from second-hand smoke.
“Health officers believe that hookah smoking likely poses a second-hand smoke risk, as does regular tobacco smoking,” says Gary Edwards, executive director of the Salt Lake Valley Health Department. “And if that’s the case, then we believe that it should fall under the same requirements that regular tobacco smoking does.”
Effective in January 2009, the state banned smoking in bars and clubs. The law defines smoking as “any lighted tobacco product in any form.”
Porter maintains his business doesn’t violate the law. The flavor of tobacco and flavorings, called shisha, is not taxed by the state as tobacco is, he said. Nor is it lit.
Instead, it sits on a screen below pieces of heated charcoal. A hose is attached to the lower body of the pipe, filled with water. As a smoker inhales through the hose, heated air is drawn down over the tobacco.
“I wasn’t looking for a loophole,” Porter explains of his reason for opening the bar. “I was looking for a niche.”
He and his family opened the bar in 2005, before the smoking ban was passed. Porter said he met with the Salt Lake Valley Health Department last year, and the department decided the club didn’t flout the law.
Health officials are raising concerns now due to questions from the public and because of the growing interest in hookah bars. They appear to appeal to young adults, especially near colleges and universities.
An applicant recently asked to open a hookah bar in Provo, prompting the Utah County Board of Health this week to draft a resolution declaring them illegal. Health officials raised fears that hookahs and their flavored tobaccos, which range from apple-cinnamon to chocolate, will appeal to teens and young adults, and get them hooked on nicotine.
“We think this should be [regulated] under the Indoor Clean Air Act,” said Joseph Miner, Utah County’s health department director.
The unanimous decision to draft the resolution ignores advice from the Utah County Attorney’s Office, which said Utah County shouldn’t regulate the bars if Salt Lake County has chosen not to.
But Utah County Commissioner Gary J. Anderson, also a member of health board, said he doesn’t see any difference between cigarettes and hookahs.
“If someone came in and said they wanted to open a cigarette bar, would we let them proceed?” he asked rhetorically.
Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, who advocates for anti-smoking legislation, said he wants to know more about hookah bars, based on a dozen calls he has received in the past two weeks from people wondering about them.
As chairman of the interim Health and Human Services committee, he said the topic will likely be on the agenda next month. Also, attorneys for the state health department are exploring whether it can make a rule to include water pipes in the definition of smoking.
“My question is, how is the atmosphere?” Ray said. “What’s the air like in the building?”
Porter welcomes the chance to explain his business, since adding hookahs to the law would put him out of business. If changes are made, he hopes they would apply to new applicants only.
He said his was the first hookah bar to open in the state — and it is believed to be the only one now open. It has never allowed indoor cigarette smoking.
“I don’t smoke. I don’t like to be around it,” said Porter, adding that most of his relatives who run the bar with him are members of the LDS Church, which advises its members to not smoke.
The American Lung Association and the World Health Organization have raised concerns about the health effects of water pipe smoking on the smoker, saying it carries similar risks of addiction, cancers and heart disease as cigarette smoking.
There is little evidence about the second-hand smoke risks from hookahs. Unlike cigarettes, which emit unfiltered smoke from the tip, the only smoke produced by hookahs is exhaled by the smoker, Porter notes, adding that the hookah smoke is filtered by the smoker’s lungs and the water in the pipe.
“Not all the smoke is the same,” he added, pointing out that cigarettes include hundreds of ingredients, compared to four in shisha.
But other recent studies on hookahs and second-hand smoke say a one-hour water pipe session generates ambient carcinogens and toxicants equal to two to 10 cigarette smokers.
“There is therefore good reason to include water pipe tobacco smoking in public smoking bans,” according to the authors of an article published in the international journal Atmospheric Environment this year.
Porter’s customers disagree, motioning to the smoke-free air.
“If you don’t want to smoke, don’t come here,” said Dianne Allen, who was visiting from Washington state. “It’s like, if you don’t want to exercise, don’t go to a gym.”

From sltrib.com, June 18, 2010

At least four groups are now questioning the credibility of a federal advisory panel created to study tobacco product safety, challenging two members with financial ties to drug firms that make smoking cessation products. At issue: Will the duo push to ban menthol ciggys and favor smokeless products?
The issue hit this week when the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, filed a complaint against the FDA’s tobacco advisory panel for conflicts of interest since they have voting members who consult for pharmaceutical companies that work on nicotine delivery products to quit smoking.
The concern is that two members, Jack Henningfield and Neal Benowitz, have an incentive to favor smoking cessation products because they’ve advised drug firms on those products.

“This creates an obvious incentive for these members to ban menthol in cigarettes and create a multi-billion dollar market for more nicotine patches and gum potentially paid for by taxpayers,” says a critic. The menthol issue the advisory committee is considering is huge: Menthol cigarettes make up about one third of the cigarette market and eliminating them would likely shift users to smokeless products, say industry officials.

The FDA has rejected previous conflict charges and Benowitz told the New York Times this week: “My involvement with pharmaceutical companies is aimed at reducing the risk of smoking, quitting smoking. The aim of the committee is also to reduce the adverse health consequences of tobacco use.”

Besides the left-leaning CREW, the three other opposition groups are the Altria Group, the American Council on Science and Health, and the right-leaning Americans for Limited Government.

Bill Wilson of Americans for Limited Government said that having his and CREW oppose the two appointees on the panel shows how much of a concern there is.

“The odds may be greater of drawing a royal flush in poker than us agreeing on anything but we both know you the FDA shouldn’t have a stacked deck when playing with the taxpayers’ money,” he said. “However, two groups as disparate as ours, Americans for Limited Government, and CREW agree the FDA tobacco panel can’t possibly have a legitimate review of the science surrounding menthol’s use in cigarettes with multiple conflicts of interest by many of the panelists.”

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers, June 10, 2010, usnews.com

Exactly one year ago this month, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama. This act gives the Food and Drug Administration unprecedented authority to regulate tobacco like any other consumer product. Big Tobacco has been the most unregulated consumer product on the market, but this new law removed those special protections. Why should we care? Because every day, 3,500 kids try a cigarette for the first time.

A year later, we are starting to see results of the act.

Candy flavorings that appeal to youths are no longer allowed to be added to cigarettes.

Mild, light and low-tar adjectives are banned.

Tobacco sponsorship of sporting events has been banned.

Locally, the North Texas community is taking action with the North Texas Coalition Against Tobacco to educate about the dangers of tobacco use.

This coalition also encourages smoke-free ordinances to be adopted by cities in our area.

I want to thank Congress, Obama and the public health community for standing up to Big Tobacco and fighting to make this landmark legislation.

June 8, 2010, by dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com

The Roanoke City Council will consider a no smoking, dipping or chewing ordinance on all city owned property at the Feb. 8 council meeting.

Mayor Mike Fisher said he had received a letter from the State Department of Public Health applauding the city for steps it had taken and mentioned some cities are making everything 100 percent tobacco free.

The mayor said he called people around town asking their thoughts about this. He said he would like to make all city property smoke free without smoking designated areas.

There had been an incident or two at high school games where there was smoking but the State Board of Education prohibits smoking where any students are, he said.

Councilman Mack Arthur Bell said his understanding is that second-hand smoke is about as dangerous as the person smoking. He added to each his own but said a ban would solve that problem.

Councilwoman Tammi T. Holley asked if smokeless tobacco would be included in any ban–that she had seen people spitting in bottles. Fisher said one can’t be banned without doing the other.

Councilman Russ Cummings said he did understand the health hazards and has been approached recently about making restaurants smoke free. This is a polarizing issue, he said, and he is with Councilman Joseph Roberson on thinking about this before acting.

Bell said that, regarding restaurants, it should be up to them.

Fisher said he would have city attorney Clay Tinney draw up an ordinance. Holley said to also include the other forms of tobacco.

Fisher also asked them to consider prohibiting texting while driving. Chief Adam Melton said nothing in Alabama prohibits it right now. Roberson said messaging on military bases is prohibited–phones have to be hands free.

Melton said under current Alabama traffic accident reports it just says “driver not in control”–not if he was texting, so it is difficult to determine how many accidents result from texting. The mayor said he would bring this up in a couple of weeks. Melton said a recent study it was stated texting caused more traffic accidents than driving under the influence.

Harlin honored

The mayor recognized Randolph Medical Center administrator Tim Harlin for all he has meant to the hospital during his time here. Harlin will be leaving in March for a new position in Minnesota.

The document states that on behalf of the city council and the citizens of Roanoke “I would like to extend my deepest appreciation for your service rendered at Randolph Medical Center. Randolph Medical Center has been faced with many challenges during your administration and those challenges were always met with dedication and determination.

“You strived to improve patient care, offer new services, implement new technology, and worked diligently to restore the reputation of quality care that this community had always depended on. Without your leadership and dedicated management team, these accomplishments would not have been possible.”

Harlin thanked them for the resolution and said it had been his privilege to serve as administrator.

He said everything is going smoothly and new physicians have been hired in the psychiatric area. He is spending a lot of time working on recruiting physicians and believes he has snagged an opthamologist and is talking to primary care physicians.

In other business the council passed ordinance #954 authorizing the mayor to apply for a $2,500 grant for electronic equipment in police cars. No match is required. The grant would take care of all the police cars. The resolution will be provided to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs through which the money will be funneled.

Bell said he would like all bids related to the city to come directly to the city clerk’s office for all departments and opened in the council meeting. When asked, he said he was not referring to any particular situation.

Holley said the recent striping in her district makes a world of difference for drivers. The mayor said he had also received comments about it.

Streets Department Supervisor Donnie Cash said Emergency Management director Donnie Knight called and said the state was trying to gather information about damage resulting from the winter freeze.

“We got it up, along with the utilities department, in hope of getting some money out of it. Streets were damaged by the freeze and we hope to get some money from that,” Cash said.

He told the council he appreciated them allowing him to replace a Bush Hog for $10,862 he had budgeted. He asked for the old one to be declared surplus property so it can be sold, which the council did.

Cash said they are running out of room at the landfill for C&D; pulpwood is up in value and he asked if the land can be clear cut so the new cells can go there. He told the council as long as it is authorized by the council and bids taken it is legal. To Holley’s question about potential erosion he said that is something to look at. Bell said he would have to get with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to make sure that doesn’t happen. The council approved Cash’s request.

Wendell Williams has asked the city to sell dirt from where the city digs dirt. The city sold dirt to the county health department during construction there for 50 cents per cubic yard. Since it is not prime dirt Williams asked it be sold for less and he would pick it up with his own equipment. Cash is checking with the Alabama League of Municipalities to make sure they can sell it to a private individual and he will bring it back to the council.

Keith Richardson, who oversees vehicle maintenance, made a proposal to cut maintenance costs by buying filters, fluids etc. in bulk. He estimated a cost savings of almost half on items such as $1,600 on filters and $1,358 on fluids. Some machines still under warranty require a certain brand or the warranty is null and void, he said.

If the city buys the items now they will save over the year. The council was concerned about the items being under lock and key and he said due to not having enough storage some would have to be placed under lock and key in Purchasing Agent Tim Jacob’s office.

Melton said only Richardson performs maintenance on his cars.

The council voted to buy the materials in bulk at an amount of $8,264 for all vehicles down to lawn mowers and motor graders at an annual savings of almost $3,000. The money will come from the general fund account and be purchased locally at the best price. Then, Revenue Officer Pat Truitt will take the purchases from the various department’s budgets.

by Penny L. Pool, Therandolphleader