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2003 (October, November, December) |
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2003 (July, August, September) |
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Spring
2003 (April, May, June) |
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Winter
2003 (January, February, March) |
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Fall
2002 (October, November, December) |
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Summer
2002 (July, August, September) |
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Spring
2002 (March, April, May, June) |
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"News laws / 2004 Parents allowing teen drinking
parties could go to jail"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 31, 2003)
-- A new California law allows parents to be jailed for
knowingly allowing their homes to be used for teenage
drinking that subsequently leads to a traffic
accident. Beginning on Thursday, AB 1301 will
permit parents or legal guardians to be incarcerated for
up to one year and fined up to $1,000. The bill is an
attempt to close what Assemblyman Joe Simitian, D-Palo
Alto, considers a loophole in existing state law. ID#
7549
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"Tobacco Curbs Broadened in Pasadena"
(Los Angeles Times, Dec 30, 2003)
-- Pasadena officials are pushing tougher tobacco
restrictions, including banning smoking in public parks,
in what they describe as an attempt to protect residents
from secondhand smoke and to prevent kids from becoming
smokers. New regulations in Pasadena, which is
among several cities nationwide pursuing similar rules,
will bar tobacco stores from opening within 1,000 feet
of schools, parks and other locations frequented by
children. In addition, any store that sells tobacco will
have to obtain a $135 yearly license, which could be
revoked if the store violated the license laws. ID#
7548
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"DRUNKEN DRIVERS"
(Chicago Tribune, Dec 29, 2003)
-- Here are states ranked by the percentage change in
alcohol-related fatality rate between 1998 and 2002,
according to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration. The rate is calculated as deaths per 100
million vehicle miles traveled. ID# 7545
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"Giving Holiday Imbibers a Break"
(Los Angeles Times, Dec 27, 2003)
-- MEXICO CITY — The first
man caught in the drunk-driving dragnet was a
32-year-old Spaniard who had been guiding his car down
this city's Avenida Reforma, apparently confident that
as long as he kept going straight, no one would stop
him. After being pulled over at a checkpoint
staffed by police, doctors and human rights monitors,
Juan Jose Martinez puckered up to a Breathalyzer
machine, put in place by a city program that is slowly
changing attitudes about drinking and
driving. ID# 7547
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"Butte judge blazes trail in DUI cases"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 26, 2003)
-- Day after day, Judge
Darrell Stevens saw the same people coming into his
courtroom charged with the same offense -- driving under
the influence. "I'd put them on probation.
They'd violate and we'd go through the whole thing
again," said the Butte Superior Court judge.
"I thought, this is insane. Something has to be
done." ID# 7544
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"17 States See Rise in Alcohol-Related Traffic
Deaths"
(Join Together Online, Dec 23, 2003)
-- A state-by-state report from the U.S.
Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) finds that alcohol-related
traffic deaths decreased in 32 states during the last
five years, but increased in 17 others, according to a
Dec. 18 press release. The report looks at traffic
deaths linked to alcohol from 1982 to 2002. It also
includes alcohol-related traffic fatalities on the
county level for 2002. ID# 7546
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"Stopping drunken drivers"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 23, 2003)
-- Re "A mother's question for drunk drivers 'When
will they ever learn?' " Dec. 7 Diana Griego
Erwin's column on California's drunken driving campaign
correctly identified hard-core drunken drivers and
repeat offenders as the source of today's drunken
driving problem but mistakenly identified roadblocks as
the solution. ID# 7542
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"Wine producers, wholesalers fight over online wine"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 23, 2003) --
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - California vintners are hoping
mail-order and online sales will deliver new profits
this season, with more states than ever allowing
consumers to have wine shipped to them direct from the
producer. "There'll be lots of wine in people's
stockings, I hope," said Tom Shelton, president of
Joseph Phelps Vineyards in St. Helena. "I think
we've made extraordinary progress this year."
ID# 7538
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"Mexico City confronts first holiday season with
Breathalyzer"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 21, 2003) --
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Police are coming down hard on
drunken drivers in Mexico City this holiday season, but
not on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. The two
exempted days may seem like good news for the
over-indulgent, but they add a fresh layer to the
controversy that has surrounded the use of checkpoints
and breath tests since they were introduced in the
capital in September. ID# 7532
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"Diana Griego Erwin When the driver really isn't
drunk, Roseville officers are delighted"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 21, 2003) -- They
stride purposefully toward their cars, waists heavy with
the tools of the trade hanging from thick leather belts
like modern-day gunslingers. They are Roseville's
finest, but tonight, a weekend night, they all are
members of a holiday "Saturation Patrol"
looking for intoxicated drivers. There's the usual
banter over who will nab an impaired motorist first.
Really, though, they'd be just as happy to find the
streets quiet tonight as a relentless mist falls over
the city. ID# 7533
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"Mind Your 'Cheer'"
(Washington Post, Dec 21, 2003) -- Tis the
season to be jolly. But precisely how jolly?
Having spent decades on a university campus (no, it
didn't take me that long to graduate; I was on the
faculty), I have heard quite a bit about what the
students call "partying hearty" or "hard
partying." ID# 7535
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"Teen drug use falls, government survey shows"
(Reuters Health, Dec 19, 2003) -- WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - An annual survey by the U.S. government
showed a marked decline in the number of American
teen-agers using illegal drugs, officials said on
Friday. Drug use fell by 11 percent among students
between the ages of 13 and 18 over the past two years,
according to the survey. ID# 7530
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"Youth Drug Use Declines, But Alcohol, Future
Trends are Concerns"
(Join Together Online, Dec 19, 2003) -- The
federal government's $180 million youth anti-drug media
campaign may be paying dividends in terms of reduced
youth marijuana use, according to data released today
from the 2003 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey.
Tobacco, Ecstasy and LSD use also showed substantial
declines. But the report's lead researcher says that
while there is plenty of good news this year, the survey
has some troubling warning signs about future drug-use
trends. ID# 7534
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"2 liquor licenses are suspended"
(Chicago Tribune, Dec 19, 2003) -- NORTH
AURORA -- The liquor licenses of two gas stations were
suspended for two weeks after clerks at each allegedly
sold alcohol to minors during police stings last month,
Village President Mark Ruby said. Ruby handed down
the suspensions this week in his role as the village's
liquor commissioner. The suspensions against Thornton
Oil, 418 S. Illinois Highway 31, and Speedway, 15 N.
Randall Rd. started Thursday and will be effective until
Jan. 1. ID# 7512
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"Elgin seeks to ban items in teen clubs"
(Chicago Tribune, Dec 19, 2003) -- Pacifiers,
glow sticks and similar accessories favored by
electronic music fans are drug paraphernalia, said Elgin
officials, who are taking the first step toward an
unusual law that would ban such items from nightclubs
catering to the under-21 crowd. On Wednesday, the
Elgin City Council backed an ordinance for underage
events at nightclubs such as The Mission, a downtown
club that most nights draws an adult crowd. The
regulations, which would be required of any
establishment intending to hold an event for people
younger than 21, would ban several club toys. ID#
7514
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"11 face charges in running North Side drug market"
(Chicago Tribune, Dec 19, 2003) -- Eleven
people were charged Thursday following a crackdown on a
North Side drug market that sold heroin and cocaine
within several hundred feet of two schools, authorities
said. Those charged either supplied or sold drugs
near Wilson Avenue and Sheridan Road, oftentimes while
children were in sight, Chicago police said. Officers
confiscated $139,000 in heroin and cocaine, $16,443 in
cash, a car and a handgun during the seven-month
investigation. ID# 7517
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"Air Force Academy won't expel cadet for taking
drink, officials say"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 18, 2003) -- AIR
FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - An Air Force Academy cadet
who turned herself in after taking a sip of whiskey
won't be expelled, as had been threatened, officials
said. Academy commanders had demanded that
Christina Fifer, a sophomore, reveal the name of a
senior female cadet who gave her the alcohol in
September, or face expulsion. Fifer, 19, turned herself
in three weeks after the incident - following the
school's honor code, which says cadets cannot lie, cheat
or steal or tolerate others who do. She refused to
identify the other cadet. ID# 7503
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"Selling smokes to teens tackled"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 18, 2003) -- Two
16-year-old girls found out this year how easy it is to
do something they shouldn't buy cigarettes.
Brittany Shugart, a Granite Bay High School student,
went to 11 stores in Natomas and purchased cigarettes
from four of them. Cami Stagg, a student at Folsom
High School, went to 12 stores in downtown Sacramento,
and six sold her cigarettes. The number of
cigarettes sold should have been zero under a law that
says no one younger than 18 should be allowed to
purchase cigarettes. ID# 7504
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"Attorneys general from 3 states urge filmmakers to
cut onscreen smoking"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 17, 2003) -- BALTIMORE
(AP) - Attorneys general met with Hollywood executives
Wednesday to encourage them to reduce the amount of
smoking in films, which they say can encourage young
people to smoke. The attorneys general from
Connecticut, Utah and Vermont met in Los Angeles with
directors and production executives from the seven major
studios. ID# 7505
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"Diageo to Put Nutrition Labels on Liquor"
(New York Times, Dec 18, 2003) -- Diageo,
the British liquor company whose brands include Johnnie
Walker, Guinness and Smirnoff, said yesterday that it
would put nutrition labels on its products to detail how
much alcohol and how many calories and carbohydrates are
in each bottle. Executives at Diageo North America
said the labels, which will be introduced next year,
would also list serving sizes and the amount of other
macronutrients, like sugar and fat. ID# 7506
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"65 Percent of Teens Get Alcohol From Family,
Friends, According to The Century Council"
(Yahoo News, Dec 18, 2003) -- The
Century Council wants parents across the country to make
a New Year's Resolution to keep their teens safe and
alcohol-free in 2004. The Council is providing tips to
parents in an effort to prevent underage drinking and to
highlight the strong influence that parents wield in
their teens decisions to say no to alcohol. Last year,
2,902 youths under the age of 21 died in alcohol-related
traffic fatalities, accounting for nearly 17 percent of
all alcohol- related traffic fatalities on our nation's
roads during 2002. These numbers do not include the
countless injuries, and liquor- law violations related
to underage consumption of alcohol. All of these tragic
deaths, injuries, and violations are avoidable. ID#
7507
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"Data Show Little Change in DUI Rates"
(Yahoo News, Dec 18, 2003) -- The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (news
- web sites)'s report, which was being released
Thursday, calculated the fatality rate per 100 million
miles driven. NHTSA considers a crash alcohol-related if
a driver had anything above a 0.01 blood-alcohol level,
which is far lower than the 0.08 legal limit in 45
states. South Carolina saw the greatest increase
in its death rate during the four-year period, followed
by Kansas, South Dakota, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. The
states with the highest numbers of alcohol-related
deaths per miles traveled were Montana, South Carolina,
South Dakota, Nevada and Louisiana. ID# 7508
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"Board Bans Hiring Smoking Deputies"
(Los Angeles Times, Dec 18, 2003) -- Hoping
to stem escalating insurance costs, Riverside County has
banned the hiring of sheriff's deputies who smoke and
may expand the prohibition to all hires in county
government. Riverside County is the latest in a
growing number of municipalities across the nation to
hire only nonsmokers, arguing that they are less likely
to get cancer, heart disease and other ailments linked
to tobacco. ID# 7509
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"Federal appeals court OKs medical marijuana in
some cases"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 17, 2003) -- SAN
FRANCISCO (AP) - A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday
that a congressional act outlawing marijuana may not
apply to sick people with a doctor's recommendation in
states that have approved medical marijuana laws.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that
prosecuting these medical marijuana users under a 1970
federal law is unconstitutional if the marijuana isn't
sold, transported across state lines or used for
non-medicinal purposes. ID# 7499
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"Retailers Selling Fewer Cigarettes to Minors"
(Join Together Online, Dec 17, 2003) --
A new survey finds that most retailers nationwide are
complying with efforts aimed at reducing tobacco sales
to children under age 18, according to a Dec. 10 press
release from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA). According to the
report released by SAMHSA, the national retailer
violation rate declined to 14.1 percent in 2002 from
16.3 percent in 2001. In 1996, the violation rate was as
high as 40.1 percent. ID# 7500
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"Survey Finds Program Reduces Alcohol, Tobacco,
Marijuana Use among 7th and 8th Graders"
(Join Together Online, Dec 17, 2003) --
Thirty percent of middle school kids have tried alcohol,
tobacco or drugs. But many middle schools often have a
mix of children from different ethnic groups. Should
these schools have to use drug prevention programs that
are targeted to each individual group? According
to a study published in the December issue of Prevention
Science, middle schools with a mix of Euro- American,
Mexican-American and African-American children can use
one multicultural curriculum (keepin' it REAL) to help
prevent and delay first-time use of alcohol, tobacco and
drugs. Keepin' it REAL, developed by Penn State
University and Arizona State University, teaches kids
skills to "refuse, explain, avoid and leave,"
drug use in a way that reflects their traditions,
culture and values. ID# 7501
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"Boston Bar Workers Praise Smoking Ban"
(Join Together Online, Dec 16, 2003) --
A study presented at the National Conference on Tobacco
or Health finds that bar workers in Boston, Mass., are
breathing much easier thanks to the city's
workplace-smoking ban, enacted in May, the Boston Herald
reported Dec. 10. "I can definitely notice the
difference since the smoking ban," said Bekah
Arndt, 27, manager of the Milky Way bar in Jamaica Plain
and a dance student. "I don't get winded as easily.
I didn't know how much the smoke bothered me until I had
been out of it for a while." ID# 7502
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"Group wants no smoking at beaches"
(Los Angeles Times, Dec 16, 2003) -- COSTA
MESA — A Costa Mesa group wants coastal cities like
Newport Beach to ban smoking on beaches to crack down on
cigarette butts littering the sands. Earth
Resource Foundation wants cities to create laws against
smoking at the beach. Its main concern is litter, but
foundation officials are also concerned about the
effects of second-hand smoke. While Newport Beach
officials laud the efforts, they say it will be
extremely difficult to enforce. ID# 7495
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"'Alcohol Facts' Label Proposed for Beer, Wine, and
Liquor"
(Yahoo News, Dec 16, 2003) -- WASHINGTON,
Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- A proposal for a uniform
"Alcohol Facts" label was submitted today by
the National Consumers League (NCL), the Center for
Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), and others in a
petition to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade
Bureau. The petition urges the agency to require a new
label for alcoholic beverages that would give consumers
clear information about alcohol content, serving sizes,
calories, and ingredients. The groups argue that
"Alcohol Facts" labels will do for alcoholic
beverages what Nutrition Facts labels have done for
packaged food provide readable information that would
empower consumers to make informed decisions about the
products they consume. ID# 7496
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"NMSU says no to alcohol"
(El Paso Times, Dec 13, 2003) --LAS
CRUCES -- No alcohol sales will be allowed at New Mexico
State University's Corbett Center. NMSU's Board of
Regents on Friday narrowly voted to turn down the
proposal despite efforts by proponents, who said it was
the next logical step, given the ongoing sales at other
campus locations. "We shouldn't put the
alcohol here in front of the students," Regent
Robert Gallagher said. "Parents who will be sending
their kids to this university won't expect that, and we
shouldn't do it." ID# 7497
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"Smoking dangers"
(Chicago Tribune, Dec 13, 2003) -- Steve
Riedl, executive director of the Illinois Licensed
Beverage Association, says he hasn't seen any hard
documentation showing secondhand hand smoke is deadly
("Smoking's effects," Voice of the people,
Nov. 29). He need not look further than the Web site of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the lead
federal agency for protecting the health and safety of
Americans, which reports that 38,000 die annually from
heart disease, respiratory disease and lung cancer
caused by exposure to secondhand smoke in workplaces and
public places. ID# 7490
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"Study Youth Still Exposed to Tobacco Ads Despite
Restrictions" (Join Together Online, Dec
12, 2003) -- New
research from the American Legacy Foundation shows that
children and teens are routinely exposed to tobacco
advertisements and promotion despite the restrictions
included in the 1998 tobacco settlement with U.S.
states, according to a Dec. 11 press release from the
American Legacy Foundation. Under the settlement
agreement, tobacco companies pledged not to "take
any action, directly or indirectly, to target youth in
the advertising, promotion, or marketing of tobacco
products." ID# 7491
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"Publishing names may not be a deterrent" (Los
Angeles Times, Dec 14, 2003) -- I
kind of felt like taking a day off my column and sure
enough our readers came through. You see, when I
asked for opinions about the weekly list of names we
publish of those arrested on suspicion of drunken
driving, well, let's just say there was no shortage of
opinions. So, instead of me blathering on more
about the topic, I'm going to step back and let the
readers do most of the talking. ID# 7492
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"Thanks to Cable, Liquor Ads Find a TV Audience"
(New York Times, Dec 15, 2003) -- Amost
two years ago, an experiment to allow American liquor
marketers access to the biggest, most powerful
advertising medium of all - national broadcast network
television - ended in acrimony. Since then, those
advertisers have pieced together an alternative, virtual
TV network, enabling them to expose consumers to more
pitches for vodka, gin and whiskey than ever
before. ID# 7493
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"Protecting them from themselves"
(Los Angeles Times, Dec 12, 2003) -- The
Laguna Beach Unified School District and the Police
Department have held a meeting with parents to forge a
team to make sure that teenage partying is legal and not
fatal. The consequences of how the kids party, with
whom, what and where were laid out for the
parents. "Kids will party," said Capt.
Danell Adams of the Laguna Beach Police Department.
"We have to recognize that. But someone has to be
responsible. ID# 7485
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"City Considers
Tobacco Sales Licenses"
(Yahoo News, Dec 11, 2003) -- A
public meeting was held in Sacramento Wednesday night to
discuss the idea of a tobacco sales license aimed at
curbing the sale of tobacco to minors. The license would
cost $350. Anti-smoking groups say it's the only way to
deal with the growing number of teen smokers, but store
owners say they'll be hurt. ID# 7486
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"Brown Jug aims to
turn ID busts into life lessons"
(Anchorage Daily News, Dec 8, 2003) -- One
evening last fall, a man tried to buy wine coolers,
vodka and Mike's Hard Lemonade for a couple of
15-year-old girls. The head of security at Brown Jug
made a citizen's arrest, handcuffing the buyer. Police
came. The man was busted, and so were the girls. That
may seem a fitting end to the store's role. But Brown
Jug, one of the state's biggest liquor retailers, has a
reputation for being extra aggressive in preventing
sales to kids as well as adults who buy for them. ID#
7484
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"Wal-Mart now closer to liquor license"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 11, 2003) -- Wal-Mart
is a step closer to obtaining a beer and liquor license
for its new store in Country Club Centre. The
Arden Arcade Community Planning Advisory Council voted
7-2 on Dec. 4 to recommend that Wal-Mart be granted the
license, with the condition that alcohol be sold in its
original packaging. Mariam Montesinos, a lawyer
representing Wal-Mart, said at the meeting that Wal-Mart
would not sell beer but only wine and wine coolers,
which would be sold on five shelves near register
clerks. ID# 7480
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"Infineon Raceway to hold annual Holiday Sobriety
Challenge"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 10, 2003) -- SONOMA--
Northern California mayors and police chiefs will be
drinking and driving at Infineon Raceway, all with the
blessing and endorsement of the California Highway
Patrol. The facility will host the 7th annual
"Holiday Sobriety Challenge" on Friday, Dec.
19, from11 a.m.-2 p.m.The event features a controlled
wine and beer tasting experiment that graphically
illustrates how alcohol consumption affects driving
performance, even at levels well below the legal limit
(.08-percent). ID# 7481
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"DUI listings not a real deterrent"
(Los Angeles Times, Dec 11, 2003) --
Weighing in on the DUI issue again, I take readers back
to December 2001 when the Daily Pilot published the two
letters of mine that follow. Under the headline of
"Why print DUI arrests, but no other
offenses?" I wrote the following "Would
the Daily Pilot please offer some thoughtful explanation
that would justify the practice of systematically
publishing the names of persons arrested for driving
under the influence, and little or no exposure to those
arrested for other offenses. "Your almanac
section of the paper tells us only that they are
innocent until proven guilty, but we already knew that.
I would hope that your reasons don't include some
third-grade psychobabble that the public exposure could
motivate them to curtail their alcohol abuse. It may or
may not. ID# 7483
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"Ecstasy Outdated as Young Britons Find New Dance
Drugs"
(Join Together Online, Dec 10, 2003) --
New statistics from Britain's Home Office finds that the
popularity of ecstasy as a dance drug is waning as
teenagers turn to legal prescription drugs, the Guardian
reported Dec. 5. According to the British Crime Survey,
ecstasy use among 16- to 24-year-olds in England and
Wales dropped 21 percent last year. Use of amphetamines,
also popular among young people attending all-night
parties and dance events, also is on the decline. ID#
7482
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"Smoking cannabis causes damage to lungs"
(Reuters Health, Dec 10, 2003) -- LONDON
(Reuters) - Smoking cannabis is not the harmless
recreational activity it may seem to some--because it
can cause lung damage, researchers said on Friday.
Regularly smoking three or four joints a week, even for
less than six years, can impair lung function and rob
the body of antioxidants that protect cells against
damage, which can lead to heart disease and
cancer. "Smoking cannabis on a regular basis
actually depletes your lung of protective antioxidant
substances...and this may have chronic long-term
implications for young individuals," said Dr. Sarah
Nuttall of the University of Birmingham in central
England. ID# 7477
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"Holiday Alcohol Enforcement Underway"
(Yahoo News, Dec 8, 2003) -- SACRAMENTO,
Calif., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- While law enforcement
serve non-alcoholic drinks to lunch patrons Tuesday in
Old Sacramento as part of California's Drunk and Drugged
Driving (3D) Prevention Month, the Department of
Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) will be serving up a
Holiday message of its own to liquor licensees --
"obey the law when selling and serving
alcohol." Acting Director Jerry R. Jolly said
ABC is working through the Holidays to make sure alcohol
retailers comply this Holiday season. ID# 7465
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"SUVs and drunken drivers"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 9, 2003) -- Re
"Students mourn 'beautiful woman'/The suspected
driver has a lengthy record of DUI convictions and petty
crimes," Dec. 4 Another person is killed by a
driver under the influence of alcohol and The Bee
reports that the driver was driving a Ford Explorer
rather than finding out the brand of beverage led to the
death of this student. What is it that makes the
alcohol beverage industry off limits to the product
liability lawsuits that have affected so many other
companies? Where are the lawyers that are looking for
the next big class-action lawsuit? ID # 7466
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"Diana Griego Erwin A mother's question for drunk
drivers 'When will they ever learn?'"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 9, 2003) -- That's
California's sobering slogan in its ongoing public
awareness campaign to try to get motorists to think
before they climb behind the wheel impaired by drugs or
alcohol. While drunken-driving fatalities and injuries
dropped significantly in the early 1990s,
alcohol-related accidents have risen 32 percent since
1998. Last year, the upward trend meant 1,416
people were killed in alcohol-related accidents,
compared with 1,308 in 2001. ID# 7467
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"Liquor and beer ads are not the problem"
(Chicago Tribune, Dec 8, 2003) -- Hardly
a week passes without a reminder that the state tobacco
lawsuits have had an enduring and corrupting effect on
the rule of law. The legal travesty du jour involves yet
another "sin" industry. This time the trial
lawyers are hounding the purveyors of alcoholic
beverages because of ads ostensibly targeted,
"deliberately and recklessly," at underage
consumers. ID# 7469
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"Putting a cork in underage merriment"
(Chicago Tribune, Dec 7, 2003) -- With
batches of eggnog, cider and other alcoholic drinks
being passed around during the holidays, kids might be
tempted to sneak a taste. Well-meaning grandparents also
might offer kids "just a sip" the way adults
did when they were children.Either way, the pressure to
eat, drink and be merry like adults is something that
parents must prepare their children for before the
holidays begin, said Gilbert J. Botvin, a professor of
public health and psychiatry at Weill Medical College of
Cornell University and director of Cornell's Institute
for Prevention Research. ID# 7470
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"Oakland Cafes Distribute Medical Marijuana"
(Join Together Online, Dec 8, 2003) -- They
may not be identifiable by signs, but several
medical-marijuana cafes have opened in Oakland, Calif.,
in the past few years, the Baltimore Sun reported Nov.
28.In 1996, voters in the state legalized the use of
marijuana for medical purposes, even though the drug is
considered illegal under federal laws. Since that time,
federal drug agents have closed down several
medical-marijuana clubs. Oakland's medical-marijuana
cafes have kept a low profile to avoid similar
prosecution. Some have bouncers guarding their
entrances, while others camouflage themselves as typical
cafes serving coffee and other menu items. A separate
upstairs or downstairs area is reserved for smoking by
medical-marijuana users. ID# 7472
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"Influence of DUI list an important topic"
(Los Angeles Times, Dec 7, 2003) -- TONY
DODERO It's a phone call that we get every once and
awhile, but it's never a good one. I got one again
recently. Someone, usually a friend of the paper,
gets picked up by local police on suspicion of drunken
driving and wants to know if we could do them a favor
and take them off "the list." The list
is the Daily Pilot's weekly tally of people arrested by
the Costa Mesa and Newport Beach police departments on
suspicion of driving under the influence. ID# 7473
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"Draining Beer-Flooded Campuses"
(Washington Post, Dec 9, 2003) -- Brandon
Busteed still remembers vividly the low point in his
quest to reduce college drinking. It was the night of
Feb. 5, 1998. Curled up in a ball, he was weeping on the
floor of his girlfriend's Duke University dorm
room. He was sober, of course. This had nothing to
do with a late-night bender. His tears were from
embarrassment and frustration. His plan to provide a
healthy and exciting alternative to the traditional
drunken post-basketball bonfire celebration at Duke had
fizzled in a spectacular way. He was convinced that his
reputation as a student leader was shot and his effort
to drain the 20-proof poisons from college life was a
failure. ID# 7474
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"Ban tobacco, medical journal demands"
(Reuters Health, Dec 5, 2003) -- LONDON
(Reuters) - The British government should ban tobacco, a
leading medical journal said Friday."If tobacco
were an illegal substance, possession of cigarettes
would become a crime, and the number of smokers
would drastically fall," The Lancet said in an
editorial. "We call on Tony Blair's government to
ban tobacco."The journal said that because 80
percent of people in the United Kingdom are non-smokers,
the majority should be given the right to enjoy freedom
from exposure to proven carcinogens. ID# 7465
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"Medical Journal Calls for Tobacco Ban in England"
(Join Together Online, Dec 5, 2003) --
The medical journal The Lancet is urging officials in
Britain to make tobacco illegal and its possession a
crime, the Independent reported Dec. 5. The
medical journal said tough action is needed to stop the
growing number of health problems and deaths related to
smoking. While the government is considering an
indoor-smoking ban, the Lancet said banning public
smoking fails to address the availability and
acceptability of smoking. ID# 7471
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"Wal-Mart requests license to sell wine"
(Reuters Health, Dec 4, 2003) --
Heavyweight chain store Wal-Mart will request a wine and
beer liquor license for its new store in the Country
Club Centre on Watt Avenue. The Arden-Arcade
Community Planning Advisory Council will discuss the
request at 7 p.m. today at the Arden-Dimick Library, 891
Watt Ave. ID# 7468
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"Outside Panel to Review Campaign for Alcohol"
(New York Times, Dec 5, 2003) -- Another
large marketer of alcoholic beverages has agreed to
having its advertising reviewed by outsiders as part of
efforts to defuse the growing criticism of the
industry's sales tactics. Allied Domecq Spirits
North America in Westport, Conn., a unit of Allied
Domecq that sells brands like Beefeater gin and
Stolichnaya vodka, said yesterday that it had formed an
outside review board to help ensure its advertising is
responsible and aimed only at consumers of legal
drinking age. The panel, made up of three executives,
will also examine any complaints against the company in
areas like inappropriately targeting under-age drinkers.
ID# 7463
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"Highway safety chief says new effort needed to
curb drunken driving"
(Sacramento Bee, Dec 2, 2003) -- WASHINGTON
(AP) - Efforts to curb drunken driving, which have
stalled in recent years, need to be jump-started, the
government's top highway safety official says.
Among Dr. Jeffrey Runge's suggestions more prosecutors
and courts dedicated to drunken driving cases.
Runge, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, told The Associated Press on Tuesday
that the country needs to overhaul the way it fights
drunken driving. ID# 7460
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"State police focus on drunken driving"
(Chicago Tribune, Dec 3, 2003) -- Seeing
is believing. At least that's what the state police who
patrol Illinois toll roads are counting on in a new
anti-drunken driving campaign that uses high-tech
goggles and a golf cart to illustrate the effects of
operating a vehicle while under the influence. The
Partnership to Reduce Intoxicated Student Motorists, or
PRISM, uses so-called fatal vision goggles on
participants to simulate intoxication with a
blood-alcohol level of 0.16, twice the legal limit.
Participants are then directed to drive a golf court on
a course to see how much their skills are
impaired. ID# 7461
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"Study Fewer Alcohol Ads Would Lower Underage
Drinking"
(Join Together Online, Dec 2, 2003) -- New
research concludes that eliminating alcohol advertising
would lower underage drinking and binge drinking,
according to the National Bureau of Economic
Research. The Alcohol Advertising and Alcohol
Consumption by Adolescents Working Paper, by authors
Henry Saffer and Dhaval Dave, also said that doubling
the prices of alcoholic products would lower underage
drinking by 28 percent and reduce underage binge
drinking by 51 percent. ID# 7455
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"Holiday DUI
Arrests Rise 15%"
(Los Angeles Times, Dec 1, 2003) -- While
on the lookout this Thanksgiving weekend for motorists
not wearing seat belts, the California Highway Patrol
made 15% more DUI arrests compared to last year, the
agency said. From Wednesday 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. this
morning, CHP tallied 1,667 DUI arrested across the
state, with the largest concentration in the Los Angeles
area, with 349. Last year during the same period, CHP
made 1,444 DUI arrests, with the largest number again
coming in the Southland, with 328. ID# 7456
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"Survey Finds Drug
Use Common Among Teens" (Los Angeles Times,
Dec 2, 2003) -- Marin County teenagers have
easy access to drugs, alcohol and tobacco, according to
a survey of high school students. The survey of
588 high school students by the Youth Health Advisory
Council found that 49% buy drugs, often from
classmates. ID# 7457
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"ALCOHOL INDUSTRY SUED FOR MARKETING TO CHILDREN"
(Ad Age, Nov 24, 2003) -- WASHINGTON
(AdAge.com) -- In a legal strategy similar to how state
attorneys general successfully pursued tobacco
companies, a class action lawsuit has been filed to
recover "billions of dollars in ill-gotten
profits" from alcohol makers that falsely denied
their ads targeted underage drinkers. ID#
7453
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"The right to be intolerant of smoke"
(Chicago Tribune, Nov 26, 2003) -- Middlebury,
Conn. -- I read with interest columnist Steve Chapman's
"Smoking ban has a strong air of intolerance"
(Commentary, Nov. 16). I agree that smoking bans
are intolerant of smokers who would expose others to
potentially harmful secondhand smoke. There is, however,
no reason that the public or workers in high
passive-smoke-exposure environments such as restaurants
or bars should have to tolerate being exposed. ID#
7446
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"Ohio State University Bans TV Alcohol Ads"
(Join Together Online, Nov 26, 2003) --
Starting next year, there will be no alcohol
advertisements during local broadcasts of Ohio State
University games, the Cincinnati Post reported Nov.
22. "We can be accused of hypocrisy if we're
sending one message at one level and doing something
else at another," said Andy Geiger, the school's
athletic director. ID# 7447
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"Winning idea Drop beer ads in college sports"
(Chicago Tribune, Nov 23, 2003) --
Football coaches talk so much about "game
plans" that the term is part of our everyday
language. But the most successful coaches will tell you
that winning often requires making the proper
adjustments to your plans at halftime. It factors in the
latest and most relevant information about your
opponent. George Hacker is no football coach, but
he understands making real-time adjustments to his
master plan. ID# 7441
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"Prosecutors targeting pregnant drug users"
(Chicago Tribune, Nov 24, 2003) --
NEW YORK -- Stacey Gilligan is accused of drinking so
much vodka during her eighth month of pregnancy that her
baby was born drunk. Tayshea Aiwohi is charged
with consuming such huge amounts of crystal meth while
she was pregnant that her son died of methamphetamine
poisoning two days after his birth. ID#
7442
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"Federal anti-smoking programs may be working"
(Reuters Health, Nov 18, 2003) -- NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - Federal programs designed to
help states reduce smoking rates appear to be
encouraging residents to quit for good, researchers said
Tuesday. As evidence, they found that U.S. states
that adopted a federal anti-smoking program showed a
larger drop in the percentage of residents who smoke
than other states. And states that strengthened their
anti-smoking policies showed a significant decrease in
the number of cigarettes consumed per adult resident,
according to their report. ID# 7430
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"Students often overpour alcohol"
(Red & Black Online, Nov 18, 2003) --
LOS ANGELES -- A recent study by researchers at Duke
University Medical Center has shown that college
students drink more alcohol than they may realize.
"We asked students to pour different types of
drinks into cups of various sizes. We found that, in
most cases, students are way too liberal in their
definitions of single servings of alcohol," wrote
Dr. Aaron M. White, assistant research professor in the
department of psychiatry at Duke University Medical
Center, in an e-mail. ID# 7431
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"College Drinking Impacts Neighborhoods"
(Join Together Online, Nov 18, 2003) --
As more college students choose to live off campus,
tension is growing between homeowners and students
living in nearby rental properties, the Muncie Star
Press reported Nov. 16.In Muncie, Ind., for instance,
residents near Ball State University fear for their
safety with students partying in neighborhoods near
campus or returning home from all night drinking at a
local bar. Recently, a 21-year-old Ball State student
was shot and killed by police after trying to force his
way into the wrong house after a night of
drinking. ID# 7432
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"China could ban cigarette ads in wake of
anti-smoking treaty"
(Sacramento Bee, Nov 17, 2003) -- SHANGHAI,
China (AP) - China could ban cigarette ads once its
legislature ratifies a U.N. anti-smoking treaty next
spring, dealing a "heavy blow" to the industry
in the world's biggest tobacco market, an official
newspaper reported Monday. A ban on ads and
promotions and other severe anti-smoking measures would
follow ratification of the U.N. Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control by the National People's Congress,
China's legislature, at its annual session next spring,
the Shanghai Daily said. ID# 7428
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"Anti-smoking law is sure to save lives"
(Chicago Tribune, Nov 18, 2003) -- Chicago
-- The Illinois Coalition Against Tobacco commends the
Village of Wilmette for making history on Nov. 11
("Anti-smoking law is approved; Wilmette's
extensive ban will go into effect July 1," Metro,
Nov. 12). The village board approved a model clean
indoor air ordinance that demonstrated courage and
delivered a clear message The health of Wilmette
residents and their families is a top priority. ID#
7429
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"Anti-Overdose Drug Given to S.F. Addicts"
(Los Angeles Times, Nov 17, 2003) --
Marking a first for a public agency in California, the
San Francisco health department began dispensing a
controversial anti-overdose medication to heroin addicts
Saturday at a city-sponsored needle exchange
program. ID# 7425
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"France's Wine Industry Encourages Drinking and
Driving"
(Join Together Online, Nov 17, 2003) --
In an effort to counter a government campaign against
drinking and driving, French winemakers are unveiling
their own campaign saying that it's okay to have a drink
or two before driving, the Associated Press reported
Nov. 15. ID# 7424
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"Mother found guilty in hazing"
(Chicago Tribune, Nov 15, 2003) --
A woman was found guilty Thursday of allowing Glenbrook
North High School students to drink beer in her
Northbrook home in the hours before the teenagers
participated in a violent hazing in a forest
preserve. ID# 7423
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"High school student smoking rate drops, survey
shows"
(Reuters Health, Nov 13, 2003) --
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The percentage of U.S. high school
students who smoke cigarettes fell to just under 23
percent in 2002, but there was no significant drop in smoking
among middle school students, a survey released on
Thursday showed. ID# 7418
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"Former Coaches Ask Colleges to Reject TV Alcohol
Ads"
(Yahoo News, Nov 12, 2003) --
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Universities that make money from
alcohol advertisements aired during televised college
sporting events foster underage drinking on campus, even
as administrators work to discourage the practice,
former college coaches and a consumer advocacy group
said on Wednesday. ID# 7416
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"Marijuana Use Among Canadian Teens Reaches Record
High"
(Join Together Online, Nov 12, 2003) --
A Health Canada survey finds that more 12- to
19-year-old Canadians smoke marijuana regularly than use
tobacco, putting use of the drug at the highest level in
25 years, the Ottawa Citizen reported Oct. 29. ID#
7415
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"Anti-smoking programs underfunded, group says"
(Reuters Health, Nov 12, 2003) --
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - States that cashed in on a
landmark $246 billion settlement with tobacco companies
five years ago are spending little on programs to curb smoking,
an anti-smoking group charged on Wednesday. ID#
7413
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"BYOB isn't as easy as ABC"
(Los Angeles Times, Nov 12, 2003) --
Brooke Williamson had worked her way up through the
kitchens at Michael's and Boxer and she'd won
considerable acclaim as the chef at Zax, and now — at
25 — she was a partner in her own restaurant, Amuse
Café in Venice. Business was booming, the critics were
raving, and every night the room had both the loud buzz
of the hip "in" place and the reassuring
warmth of the neighborhood hangout. Then, without
warning, came The Call. It was an investigator
from the state department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
on the phone. Someone had complained that Williamson was
allowing customers to bring in — and drink — their
own wine and beer, even though her application for an
ABC license had not yet been approved. ID# 7410
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"Tobacco ads to be removed from school editions of
magazines"
(Sacramento Bee, Nov 10, 2003) --
NEW YORK (AP) - Several major tobacco companies have
reached an agreement with New York Attorney General
Eliot Spitzer to stop advertising in the school editions
of three news magazines, Spitzer's office said Monday.
Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc.
and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. will remove all tobacco
advertising from the school editions of Time, Newsweek
and U.S. News & World Report, a press release from
Spitzer's office said. ID# 7406
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"Police Leaders Say Officers Shouldn't Moonlight at
Bars"
(New York Times, Nov 11, 2003) --
New York City police officials came out strongly
yesterday against a proposal that would allow off-duty
officers to work extra jobs providing security outside
bars and nightclubs. The City Council initiative,
backed by rank-and-file officers, who stand to earn more
money, and by bar owners, who would pay them, is seen by
its supporters as a way to get more police officers on
the street without the city having to foot the bill. The
presence of a uniformed officer would discourage
fighting, public drinking and other problems, supporters
of the measure say. ID# 7407
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"Police plan sting"
(Sacramento Bee, Nov 9, 2003) --
Police officers soon will send teenagers to Elk Grove
stores to try to buy beer. The teens, ages 18 and
19, are part of an upcoming undercover sting program
aimed at stopping the sale of alcohol to minors.
The decoys all appear to look much younger than 21,
according to a Police Department press release. They
will try to purchase alcoholic beverages from local
stores licensed to sell them. ID# 7401
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"Success of Addicts Doing Treatment, Not Time,
Questioned"
(Los Angeles Times, Nov 10, 2003) --
Two years after implementation, the jury is still very
much out in Ventura County over whether a voter-approved
diversion program for nonviolent drug offenders is a
success. Under the provisions of Proposition 36,
just over 4,000 county drug offenders have been referred
to drug treatment and supervision rather than being sent
to jail. ID# 7402
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"Study Higher tobacco use by American Indian
students"
(Reuters Health, Nov 7, 2003) --
ATLANTA (Reuters) - High schoolers at American Indian
schools have higher rates of smoking and drug use
than other U.S. students, underscoring a need for more
health education and counseling programs in their
communities, federal health officials said on Thursday.
ID# 7398
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"School program cuts drug, tobacco use"
(Reuters Health, Nov 5, 2003) --
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research shows that
school programs can combat smoking and alcohol
and drug use, even among kids considered
high-risk. The study of South Dakota middle-schoolers
found that an established drug-prevention program called
Project ALERT cut the number of new smokers by 19
percent and reduced smoking by 23 percent among students
who had already taken up the habit. ID# 7393
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"Appeals Court Upholds Huge Fine Against Tobacco
Company"
(KXTV-Sacramento, Oct 31, 2003) --
The U.S. Second District Court of Appeals has upheld a
$14.8 million fine levied by the State of California
against R.J. Reynolds for distributing free cigarettes
at events where children were present. ID# 7389
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"Dutch May Ban Foreigners from Cannabis Coffee
Shops"
(Join Together Online, Oct 31, 2003) --
Responding to international pressure, the Netherlands is
considering a proposal that would prohibit foreigners
from patronizing the country's cannabis cafes, the Drug
War Chronicle reported Oct. 31. The issue was
raised by German Interior Minister Otto Schily, who said
many of Germany's citizens cross the border each day to
consume and purchase cannabis. Americans and Britons
also frequent the pot-selling "coffee
shops." ID# 7388
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"Britons are winning war on smoking"
(SocietyGuardian, Nov 3, 2003) --
The number of smokers in England and Wales has hit a
record low, with levels now plummeting by 170,000 people
each year, according to Cancer Research UK. A huge
drop over the past few years puts the current level of
those who smoke at one out of four people, outstripping
government targets for 2005 of 26 per cent. This means
that half a million fewer people are indulging in the
habit than in 2000. ID# 7387
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"NU code of conduct counts off campus too"
(Chicago Tribune, Nov 3, 2003) --
As a longtime Evanston resident who lives just blocks
from Northwestern University, Pat English said she hopes
two new policies aimed at bolstering students'
neighborly behavior will improve life on her
street. "We've seen beer bottles in our yard,
on the parkway ... loud music, loud voices, cursing,
screeching, screaming," said English, 58.
"We're hoping these policies are going to change
things." ID# 7381
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"Proposed smoking ban tougher than Skokie's"
(Chicago Tribune, Nov 3, 2003) --
A proposed ordinance in Wilmette banning smoking in
nearly all public places, including bars and
restaurants, would be more restrictive than a similar
ban in Skokie that is considered the strictest in the
state, officials said. Many local restaurant and
business owners have urged trustees to defeat the
measure when it comes up for a vote on Nov.
11. ID# 7382
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