Snuffed out
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
TOPEKA — A bill to impose a statewide smoking ban appears to be on the sidelines for the rest of the 2009 Kansas legislative session.
The House Health and Human Services Committee took less than five minutes Wednesday to vote to table the issue until it receives more information. However, because Friday is the last day for committees to meet this year, it is unlikely the panel will take up the measure again.
The bill would ban smoking in most public places. It also prohibits smoking in bars, restaurants, workplaces and government buildings, and within 10 feet of any doorway, open window or air intake of any place where smoking is banned.
Senators passed the bill 26-13 earlier in the session.
mythoughts (anonymous) says...
Chickens.
March 18, 2009 at 3:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Bjnemp (anonymous) says...
Emporians will follow suit on April 7th and permanently "table" our proposed excessively restrictive smoking ban.
Vote "NO" on April 7 as our Kansas Health and Human Services Committee just did. I trust their judgement far more than I do that of the CAE, Theresa the Tyrant, or Crackinsack.
March 18, 2009 at 3:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kitty93 (anonymous) says...
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There needs to be a smoking ban! Second-hand smoke hurts people who are NOT smoking too! Smoking in public should be reckless behavior because it puts OTHER PEOPLE'S lives in danger! Plus many people, myself included, are ALLERGIC to cigarette smoke! plz vote YES for the smoking ban! if it ever gets back...
March 18, 2009 at 3:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
I wonder why the Gazette did NOT report that the bill that passed the senate had 2 ammendments tacked onto it before it passed. One was EXEMPTING STATE OWNED CASINOS.
Now why would a bill supposedly about Public Health exempt state owned casinos?
Could it be there is proof that non-smoking casinos are not profitable?
The hell with business owners in Emporia, we don't care if their business fails, but our state business can go ahead and allow smoking because it is a necessary evil.
NOW THAT'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!
March 18, 2009 at 3:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Bjnemp (anonymous) says...
Kitty: There is already a state-wide and local smoking ban in effect. Please list for me where, other than a few bars and even fewer restaurants, smoking is permitted? Exactly where are you being exposed to all this "dangerous" smoke? Do you spend all your time in bars?
Ignore the lies and false hysteria. Vote "NO" on April 7.
March 18, 2009 at 3:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Sorry kitty93,
If you are allergic to cigarette smoke stay out of the fewer than 20 businesses that allow smoking. They are not places you HAVE to go to. And I am getting just a little tired of people LYING about the second hand smoke in my bar being dangerous. It implies that it is dangerous to come into my business and that borders on slander, or libel, or some other fancy legal word. What would be the right word Irish?
Steve
March 18, 2009 at 3:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Bjnemp (anonymous) says...
rbow: Ignorance? Desperate? Deceitful? Pick one.
March 18, 2009 at 4 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Happiness09 (anonymous) says...
Tabled much too the dismay of crack. HA!
March 18, 2009 at 4:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
brokenarrow (anonymous) says...
Well, at least the Senate got it right . . . . .
VOTE YES ON APRIL 7TH!!!!
May the silent majority rule!
March 18, 2009 at 4:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
brokenarrow;
No the senate passed it This was killed in the house, no thanks to Hill or Mast.
March 18, 2009 at 4:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
nevertheless , it was tabled.
Vote No
March 18, 2009 at 4:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
That's right, it was tabled. I'd guess they must have new information. Now on to Emporia. Vote NO, NO, NO.
And kitty, stay out of the bars. There are dozens and dozens of places you can go in Emporia that are smoke free. No need to be such a drama queen, just stay out of the bars.
March 18, 2009 at 5 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MisterO (anonymous) says...
create posted, "That's right, it was tabled. I'd guess they must have new information. Now on to Emporia. Vote NO, NO, NO.
And kitty, stay out of the bars. There are dozens and dozens of places you can go in Emporia that are smoke free. No need to be such a drama queen, just stay out of the bars."
Let's not forget that there are at least two nonsmoking bars that would probably appreciate Kitty's business. There are several nonsmoking restaurants that serve alcohol that would also probably appreciate kitty's business.
And...there are plenty of empty storefronts downtown. Feel free to open another nonsmoking establishment. If you feel there is such a large market for one, you should have no trouble establishing a successful business.
March 18, 2009 at 8:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Pingeon (anonymous) says...
rbow - As if you didn't already know.... I told you! :)
At least the House recognizes there are MUCH bigger problems going on with the state right now than to worry about this.
I also find it absolutely maddening they exempt casinos, which are state owned, because they know it will drive down business (which drives down tax collections). However, all the bars are not ok to smoke in.
March 18, 2009 at 9 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
kitty93;
Are you allergic to all smoke or just cigarette smoke ? The reason I ask, is the biomass smoke has much of the same toxins in the smoke as cigerate smoke has in it. So if you are allergic to cigarette smoke, it would stand to reason you would be allergic to biomass smoke also . So should there be a ban on the burning of wood in fireplaces, etc, burning of pasture land or farm land, leaves, grass, trash and yard waste at the land fill, etc. these are all biomass materials, what say you to banning the smoke from these also ?
March 18, 2009 at 11:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
For what it is worth emailed some info on the chemicals found in biomass smoke and the health effects of biomass smoke to Mast, Hill, Barnett a short time ago, but did not receive any response from any of them on this particular email I sent to them.
March 18, 2009 at 11:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eatasheep69 (anonymous) says...
How does one get those green signs that says "Vote Yes" to put in my yard? I want one. I'm voting YES!
March 19, 2009 at 6:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ElectricHealth (anonymous) says...
I just feel the free-market should decide. Govt interference never ends up being the answer. Businesses should decide and live or die by their decisions.
Has anyone here heard of electronic cigarettes? They seem to be a really valid answer to all these issues. You can smoke them anywhere and there's no cancer causing ingredients. They look and feel and hit like a real cig though. No odor or stinky butts or ashes. Just the nicotine in a water vapor like smoke.
When I saw this thing I had to have one. The holy grail of smoking? No cancer! Wow!. Science is cool. :)
Take a sec and check it out. Really cool stuff. There's a video demo on the main page.
http://www.greensmoke.com/electric
March 19, 2009 at 7:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
driveonby (anonymous) says...
Spoke to editor of Hutch News yesterday. He said he would not say who is paying for the bi-weekly, full page ad in the News, or the bigger than half page ad in the Hutch News Bee. All radio stations here are flooded with anti ads. In the effort of full disclosure and transparency, I have been looking into exactly WHERE the money is coming from to fund this political agenda. Looks like the Kansas Health Foundation, out of Wichita pours in the dollars for the cool looking "smokeispoisonous" ads. This one cost $5,800.00 per month. I haven't gotten the price, yet, for the Bee ad. I don't know if these are in every newspaper, statewide. It seems they are definitely in the papers where the lobbying is going on. The Kansas Health Foundation receives huge donations, yearly, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, partner to Johnson and Johnson, distributors of Nocorette, Nicoderm, and Chantix. I am working with State Legislators, to get the exact dollar amount, of ALL funds, whether tax payer money, or private foundation donations, to local and state health department employees. For some reason, these ladies do not want to talk about all the radio, and newspaper ads. Although these funds ARE used for lobbying in local communities. We are talking 10's of millions of dollars here. The Reno County Health Department received a "recognition grant of $25,000.00 last year from the KHF. When they were asked about all funds by a Hutch News reporter, all they would talk about was a grant back in 2001. HUMMMMM. Transparent? Any citizen has the right, perhaps even the responsibility, to go to the Health Department, and whatever other entity, that is using public, or private funds in a political agenda, and asks for ALL info on financing. Seems to me that these millions, are an unfair advantage for the politically motivated, and grant funded crowd. These groups should be proud of their prowess in obtaining grants. nfortunately, newspapers and radio stations sometimes have the appearance of setting editorial policy, including the support of local candidates, by how much money they receive in ad dollars.
March 19, 2009 at 10:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )