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"DUI records seen
as key to prevention" (Tasha Williams, The
Salt Lake Tribune, June 27, 2003) -- A
Holladay woman wants state officials to put a
"positive eye of criticism" on Utah's
driving-under-the-influence records, documents she
thinks may reveal DUI prevention tactics. "We
should be really proud of our state that the people here
are really willing to examine their system," Mary
Phillips said. "It takes a lot of courage."
After an alcohol- and drug-impaired teen killed her
15-year-old daughter in a 1995 automobile accident,
Phillips, public policy director for DUI Hope and an
ex-president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, began the
enormous task of determining what DUI information state
officials know. ID# 6960
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"Change ahead for
drug cases" (Rachel Graves, The Houston
Chronicle, June 27, 2003) -- Thousands
of low-level drug offenders in Texas will now go to
treatment programs instead of state jails, a fundamental
change in prosecution that was sparked by inequities in
sentencing in Harris County. The Houston Chronicle
reported in December that local prosecutors sent 35,000
small-time drug offenders to state jails or prisons in
the past five years, a wildly disproportionate number
for the county's population. During hearings in Austin
this spring, state lawmakers grilled a Harris County
prosecutor over the imbalance. ID# 6973
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"Unprecedented
crackdown targets drunk drivers" (Reuters,
CNN News
June 25, 2003) -- WASHINGTON
(Reuters) -- Police will begin an unprecedented
crackdown on drunk driving nationally Friday, starting a
full week before the three-day July Fourth holiday. More
than 120 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes
over a two-day Independence Day holiday period in 2001,
the latest government figures show. But traffic deaths
spike when holidays fall on three-day weekends. To
counter this, traffic safety authorities are relying on
a 17-day law enforcement campaign beginning well ahead
of the holiday. ID# 6956
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"Arundel just says
no to anti-drug program" (Julie Bykowicz,
The Chicago Tribune,
June 30, 2003) -- So
ended Anne Arundel County's DARE anti-drug program, the
largest in the state, which is being eliminated as of
tomorrow. It reached more than 24,000 children this
school year -- triple the number of any other Maryland
county -- but fell victim to budget cutbacks and a
nationwide reassessment of DARE's effectiveness. In the
fall in the Baltimore-Washington area, only Baltimore
County, Washington and small portions of Carroll and
Harford counties will teach DARE, short for Drug Abuse
Resistance Education. Howard, Montgomery and Prince
George's counties cut the program recently, and
Baltimore City hasn't used it for years. ID# 6954
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"Fourth fines come
at triple the cost" (Deepa Bharath,
The Los Angeles Times,
June 28, 2003) -- WEST
NEWPORT Partyers in this beach community who get
cited on the Fourth of July will have to pay triple the
usual fine, Newport Beach Police said Friday.The Police
Department's move to tighten enforcement and deploy 30%
more officers than last year feeds off encouragement
provided by the City Council, which passed legislations
to curb rowdiness in West Newport, including one
designating the area bordered by Coast Highway, Newport
Boulevard, 32nd Street, the ocean and 54th Street as a
"safety enhancement zone."Every year, police
issue hundreds of citations on Independence Day, Newport
Beach Police Sgt. Steve Shulman said. ID#
6942
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"Students protest
beer company advertising" (Todd Zwillich,
Reuters Health,
June 27, 2003) -- WASHINGTON
(Reuters Health) - About 75 high school students staged
a protest in front of the beer industry's Washington
lobbying headquarters Friday, accusing manufacturers of
continuing to target children with alcohol
advertisements. Toting signs depicting beer
advertisements and statistics on rampant underage
drinking, the teens chanted "don't target us"
as they marched in front of the offices of the Beer
Institute. The organization represents the makers of
approximately 92 percent of the beer sold in the U.S.
"My generation is tired of being targeted,"
said Jeremy Hostin, an 18-year-old from Liberty. Mo.
Hostin is part of a group called Reducing Underage
Drinking Through Coalitions that is run by the American
Medical Association and partly funded by the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation. ID# 6941
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"The Century
Council, American School Counselor Association Announce
Program to Fight Underage Drinking Among High School
Seniors" (Yahoo News,
June 30, 2003) -- ST.
LOUIS, June 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Century Council
joined forces with the American School Counselor
Association (ASCA) today at the national 2003 ASCA
Conference to launch Alcohol 101 for High School
Seniors, a new CD-ROM and companion Educator's Guide
designed to assist in educating high school seniors
about the importance of making responsible decisions
about alcohol. High school students, particularly
seniors, are constantly facing decisions about alcohol.
Recognizing this situation, the Council, a
not-for-profit organization funded by America's leading
distillers and dedicated to fighting drunk driving and
underage drinking, and ASCA, a worldwide nonprofit
organization supporting the efforts of school
counselors, partnered to create and distribute the
program to assist educators in preparing students to
make informed choices about alcohol. ID# 6946
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"School drug
penalties may change" (Brian Whitson,
The Daily Press,
June 28, 2003) -- JAMES
CITY -- Williamsburg-James City County school officials
are considering a softer approach to drug possession and
will vote Tuesday night on whether to ease the penalties
for students caught possessing drugs and alcohol on
school property. Under the proposed policy, first-time
offenders would be suspended for 11 days as opposed to
the current policy that calls for automatic expulsion. A
second offense of possession would result in expulsion.
The proposal also would require first-time offenders -
and their parents - to participate in a substance abuse
intervention program and exclude them from
extracurricular activities, not including graduation,
for 45 days. Failure to comply would result in a 45-day
suspension. ID# 6947
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"Global Tobacco
Treaty Opens for Signature at UN in New York" (Yahoo
News,
June 30, 2003) -- BOSTON,
June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control (FCTC), the world's first public health
treaty, opens for signature at the United Nations in New
York today. Infact and other members of the Network for
Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) are
applauding the commitment of the 40 countries that
already signed the treaty at World Health Organization
(WHO) headquarters in Geneva earlier this month, and
urging the US to ratify the groundbreaking treaty
quickly. The WHO-initiated treaty bans tobacco
advertising, promotion and sponsorship with exceptions
only for constitutional reasons, and protects public
health policy from tobacco industry interference. The
FCTC, which sets precedents for international regulation
of other industries that threaten health, the
environment and human rights, enters into force and
becomes international law after 40 countries ratify it. ID#
6948
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"Cigarette Tax Increases Take Effect in 6 States
July 1; Cigarette Taxes Continue to Help States Reduce
Smoking, Raise Revenue" (Yahoo News,
June 26, 2003) -- WASHINGTON,
June 26 /U.S. Newswire/ -- On July 1, cigarette tax
increases will take effect in six more states - Georgia,
Hawaii, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming.
This will bring to 29, along with the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico, the number of states that have
increased cigarette taxes since January 1, 2002 (several
of these states have increased their cigarette taxes
more than once). On July 31, Delaware will become the
30th state to increase its cigarette tax. ID# 6936
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"The California
Pharmacists Association Plays a Key Role in California
Pharmacies Becoming Tobacco Free" (Yahoo
News,
June 26, 2003) -- SACRAMENTO,
Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 26, 2003-- The California
Pharmacists Association (CPhA) announced today that
nearly 1000 California pharmacies, including all 37
Northern California Leader Pharmacies, are now tobacco
free. These pharmacies have taken part in Prescription
for Change (PfC), a project of the California Medical
Association Foundation, whose goal is to eliminate
tobacco promotions and sales in California pharmacies.
"The California Pharmacists Association has been
very supportive of the Prescription for Change project
since its inception," said Carlo Michelotti, CEO of
the California Pharmacists Association. ID# 6935
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"Drunk Driving
Mobilization Largest Ever; Truckers to Assist Michigan
Law Enforcement Officers During Upcoming Drunk Driving
Crackdown" (Yahoo News,
June 26, 2003) -- OAK
PARK, Mich., June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- When officers from
545 law enforcement agencies in Michigan head out for
patrol June 27-July 13 during the national You Drink
& Drive. You Lose. mobilization, they won't be
alone. They will be joined by more than 900 truckers
from five Michigan companies who will help identify
possible drunk drivers, increasing the odds that those
driving drunk or impaired will be stopped and arrested.
Lieutenant Colonel Peter Munoz, Commander of the
Michigan State Police Uniform Services Bureau,
introduced the new initiative today at a news conference
at the Michigan State Police Metro North Post. ID#
6934
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"Roadblocks
Ineffective Tool in Combating Drunk Driving" (Yahoo
News,
June 26, 2003) -- WASHINGTON,
June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Senate Commerce, Science,
and Transportation Committee debates reauthorization of
federal highway safety programs, the American Beverage
Institute (ABI) urges removing federal mandates on
states to implement ineffective roadblock campaigns. The
proposed roadblock campaigns are aggressive, but fail to
arrest drunk drivers, instead targeting social drinkers
in a program designed to get everyone to "drink
less." "Roadblocks target, harass, and
threaten the privacy of responsible, law- abiding
citizens while ignoring drivers with high blood alcohol
concentrations (BACs) and repeat offenders," John
Doyle, Executive Director of ABI, said. ID# 6933
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"AAA Texas Offers
Free Tipsy Tow Service for Independence Day Weekend" (Yahoo
News,
June 27, 2003) -- HOUSTON--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--June 27, 2003--AAA Texas is offering its free
Tipsy Tow service to drivers who drink during the Fourth
of July holiday weekend. The service is available from 6
PM on Thursday, July 3rd, until midnight Sunday, July
6th, throughout Texas. The Tipsy Tow program, now in its
17th year, is designed to provide drivers with a way to
get home safely if they have been drinking. The first
ten miles are free. ID# 6932
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"White House moves
to influence urban drug policies" (Todd
Zwillich, Reuters Health,
June 26, 2003) -- WASHINGTON
(Reuters Health) - The White House will soon begin
working directly with drug officials in large U.S.
cities in an effort to influence their substance abuse
programs and lower drug addiction rates, President
Bush's drug czar announced Thursday. The move is
intended to expose local officials to the latest proven
methods of cutting illegal drug use and to increase the
efficiency with which they use federal anti-drug funds,
said John P. Walters, director of the White House Office
of National Drug Control Policy.. ID# 6931
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"`Smoking
kills,' warn new cigarette labels" (The
Chicago Tribune,
June 27, 2003) -- PARIS,
FRANCE -- Warning labels on cigarette packs have not
significantly dented the French passion for smoking. But
new regulations requiring much larger labels are
confronting smokers with the message "SMOKING
KILLS. "The labels -- warning of heart attacks,
lung cancer, impotence, aging skin and harm to children
-- began appearing this week and are the result of tough
anti-smoking regulations adopted in the European Union
to discourage tobacco consumption. ID# 6929
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"Alcohol costs us
heavily" (The Age,
June 25, 2003) -- Boozing
is leaving Australian taxpayers with a
multi-billion-dollar hangover. The economic and social
costs of alcohol misuse are enormous, with 10 per cent
of the population drinking at risky levels, a Federal
Government report has found. Excessive drinking is
blamed for liver disease, car accidents, fires and
crime, costing taxpayers $7.6 billion in 1998-99. Of
that, an estimated $2 billion is from loss of life, pain
and suffering, with more than 2000 deaths blamed on
alcohol in that year alone, the National Alcohol
Strategy report said. ID# 6924
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"Most Euros in Germany Carry Cocaine Traces" (Reuters,
June 24, 2003) - BERLIN
(Reuters) - Almost all euro banknotes circulating in
Germany contain traces of cocaine, scientists said on
Wednesday, as notes rolled up by users to snort the
illegal drug contaminate the cash system. "Nine out
of 10 banknotes show clearly measurable amounts of
cocaine," Fritz Soergel from the Institute for
Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research in Nuremberg told
Reuters on Wednesday. Some 600 euro notes were examined
in the study. The study could not provide conclusive
evidence on levels of cocaine usage in Germany and the
euro zone but Soergel said there was a clear correlation
between the findings and levels of recorded cocaine
abuse in European countries. ID# 6937
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"ST. PAUL Council
gets earful about 2 a.m. bars" (Robert
Ingrassia,
The Pioneer Press,
June 24, 2003) -- St.
Paul Backers and
opponents of later bar hours in St. Paul squared off
Wednesday at City Hall, giving City Council members a
snootful of opinions about a proposal to allow 2 a.m.
last calls. Several bar owners joined the St. Paul
Convention and Visitors Bureau in urging the council to
pass an ordinance that would permit an additional hour
of alcohol sales. "I don't believe the sky is going
to fall because we go to 2 a.m.," said Patrick
Fleury, owner of ShamRocks Bar & Grill and president
of the St. Paul Hospitality Association. Supporters said
St. Paul's tourism industry could suffer if the later
bar hours did not pass. Minneapolis, taking advantage of
a new state law, adopted the 2 a.m. closing time last
week. ID# 6918
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"Tobacco-vendor ordinance adopted" (Hal
Dardick,
The Chicago Tribune,
June 26, 2003) --MONTGOMERY -- In two months all
tobacco vendors in the village will have to have a
license, after the Village Board this week adopted an
ordinance regulating tobacco products. The ordinance for
the first time requires tobacco vendors to be licensed,
which will cost $50 a year, unless the vendor also has a
liquor license, in which case there will be no
additional cost. With the ordinance the village will be
able to issue tickets to vendors who sell to minors or
to minors caught with tobacco. Currently police charge
tobacco offenders under state laws, which require an
appearance by the defendant in state court. ID#
6915
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"Saliva Swab May
Determine If Drivers Are Drug Impaired" (Tasha
Williams,
The Salt Lake Tribune,
June 17, 2003) -- "Shy-bladder
syndrome" won't spare impaired motorists from
taking drug tests, if a Utah police sergeant has his
way. Sgt. Dennis Simonson of the Logan Police Department
requested a $5,800 grant from the Commission on Criminal
and Juvenile Justice to launch the first pilot study in
the country using roadside saliva detection devices. The
new tool, RapiScan, which is manufactured by Cozart,
detects drugs in a driver's system using a saliva swab.
Saliva is an immediate sample of what is circulating in
a person's bloodstream, said Michael Beaubien, Cozart
vice president for North American operations. ID#
6913
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"Formula One Backs Off Tobacco Ban" (Yahoo
News,
June 25, 2003) -- PARIS
- Formula One's governing body is backing off plans to
ban tobacco sponsorship throughout the sport. FIA
said Wednesday it will now only "recommend"
that the sport refrain from tobacco advertising starting
in the 2007 season. The European Union (news - web
sites) imposed a ban on tobacco advertising for
2005, but FIA took the union to court in April in an
effort to push back the date. No settlement has been
reached.. ID# 6919
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"Formula One sets
date for tobacco ban" (Yahoo News,
June 25, 2003) -- PARIS
(AFP) - Formula One authorities said they planned to bar
tobacco sponsorship after the 2006 world championship
season. The International Automobile Federation (FIA)
have been haggling with the European Commission (news
- web sites) for 10 years on plans to outlaw
tobacco advertising. The EU wants tobacco advertising
banned from 2006 but the FIA world motor sport council
proposed Wednesday that promoters, circuit owners, event
organisers, teams and drivers should cease all forms of
tobacco sponsorship from October 1, 2006, when the
season finishes. FIA president Max Mosley said in March
a ban from the end of the 2005 season could result in
there being only a handful of F1 Grand Prix in Europe in
future. ID# 6908
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"Forty countries
sign anti-smoking treaty" (Reuters Health,
June 24, 2003) -- GENEVA,
Switzerland (Reuters) - Forty countries have already
signed a recently agreed anti-smoking pact, a
significant step toward ensuring the landmark global
treaty comes into force, the World Health Organization
(WHO) said Tuesday. The pact, which was concluded in
March after four years of hard negotiations, needs to be
signed and then ratified by 40 states for it to become
law in those countries. The treaty was opened for
signature on June 16 and within the first week 40 states
and the European Commission had signed the document, WHO
spokesman Iain Simpson told a news conference. ID#
6906
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"The AMA's fight
against alcohol advertising" (Raymond
Scalettar, MD,
The Chicago Tribune,
June 25, 2003) -- Washington
-- The article "AMA still against liquor ads;
Ex-chairman had lobbied for change" (Business, June
19) requires clarification. As a former chairman of the
American Medical Association Board of Trustees, I was
not hired by the Distilled Spirits Council to lobby for
change in AMA's advertising policy. Indeed, I did not
even know this was on the agenda until I received my AMA
packet of materials. I was hired by the council one year
ago to engage in a broad range of educational and
responsibility activities to the medical community.
ID# 6904
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"Advocacy groups
demand limits on beer advertising" (Brian
Steinberg and Suzanne Vranica,
The Repository,
June 24, 2003) -- NEW
YORK Turn that music down! The parties and fun
behavior depicted in a series of popular beer ads have
grown too loud for several advocacy organizations, who
complain that brewers are pushing too hard to attract
young drinkers by promoting over-the-top, racy
commercials. Sex seems to be on everyones mind in
the beer business these days, says George Hacker,
director of the Alcohol Policies Project at the Center
for Science in the Public Interest. Its the
particular portrayal of essentially drunken, riotous
behavior by young people that is so problematic.
Hacker, who also serves on the Coalition for the
Prevention of Alcohol Problems, in late May sent a
letter to Adolph Coors on behalf of that organization. ID#
6903
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"Delaware bill
would penalize smoking violators, not establishments" (Joe
Rogalsky, NewsZap
June 23, 2003) -- DOVER
- Though an attempt to weaken the state's smoking ban
failed earlier this year, some lawmakers continue to try
to alter the prohibition against lighting up in most
indoor public places. Last week, the state House of
Representatives passed a measure 38-0 that would require
the state to hand out fines to individuals illegally
smoking instead of the owners of the establishments
where violations occur. Supporters praise the measure as
equitable. Opponents, including Gov. Ruth Ann Minner,
say the bill would make the smoking ban almost
"impossible to enforce." ID# 6890
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"Hookah called a
pleasing smoke--or a smoke screen" (Lisa
Black,
The Chicago
Tribune,
June 24, 2003) -- Despite
notorious links to the drug culture, the hookah is
enjoying a whiff of mainstream popularity as college
students flock to new cafes, where it's become trendy to
spend the evening puffing on the exotic water pipes.
Concerns about the danger of smoking have not dampened
the appeal of restaurants like Evanston's Cafe Hookah,
which offers dozens of fruity tobacco blends in a
rekindling of a centuries-old Middle Eastern tradition.
"It's neat because it's ancient," said Luke
Griffiths, 20, a Northwestern University student from
Athens, Ill. ID#
6891
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"Judge Won't Block
Internet Cigarette Ban" (The New York
Times,
June 23, 2003) -- BUFFALO,
N.Y. (AP) -- A judge refused Monday to temporarily block
the state's ban on Internet cigarette sales while
several online retailers challenge the law in court. The
law, passed in 2000 but not enforced until last week,
prohibits Internet and mail-order sales of cigarettes to
private individuals in the state who are not licensed by
New York to receive them. Attorneys for the state said
the law, passed as a public health statute, is intended
to keep cigarettes out of the hands of children. ID#
6893
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"Judges OK ban on
trappings of raves" (Gwen Filosa,
The Times Picayune,
June 21, 2003) -- New
OrleansSaying a federal judge overstepped his bounds
by blocking the government's ban on glow sticks and
pacifiers during raves at the State Palace Theater, an
appeals court Friday tossed out a decision that sided
with the American Civil Liberties Union. U.S. District
Judge Thomas Porteous can't stop federal prosecutors
from enforcing a condition of a plea bargain made in the
criminal case against the rave promoters, a unanimous
three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals ruled. The court sent the case back to Porteous
to be dismissed and took a swipe at the ACLU.
"Concerning the First Amendment, they have not
explained the significance of vapor rub," Judge
Rhesa Hawkins Barksdale noted, referring to the
mentholated product that Ecstasy users sometimes inhale
for an added sensation during raves. ID# 6894
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"Sweden Bans Import
of Alcohol Ice Pops" (Tommy Grandell, Yahoo
News,
June 24, 2003) -- STOCKHOLM,
Sweden - Vodka-flavored ice pops won't be available on
store shelves in Sweden after regulators said Tuesday
they were worried that young kids might eat them. The
pops made by Hilvaranbeek, Netherlands-based
Evolution Enterprise (news - web sites)
are water-based and come in three flavors tequila,
vodka and a cocktail blend. But the company said it
doesn't target the treats, called Freaky Ice, toward
anyone who isn't of legal drinking age. "We don't
want to go to supermarkets, we don't want to sell them
in gas stations," a company spokeswoman who refused
to give her name said. ID# 6895
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"Health-Care Costs
Offset Tobacco Tax Revenue" (The Los
Angeles Times,
June 22, 2003) -- Re
"Addicted to Tobacco," by Tommy J. Payne,
Commentary, June 18 What a piece of trash! Here is the
executive vice president for external relations of R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco Holdings saying, in effect, "Naner,
naner, naner. We have the product you local, state and
federal governments need because it generates over $30
billion a year in tax revenues. By the way, please don't
restrict our ability to make this carcinogen more
'palatable' to the smokers, and please don't limit our
ability to market and promote our poisonous products to
adults who choose to smoke them." ID# 6888
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"AMA makes an
unlikely toast to health" (Charles M.
Madigan and Theresa Walla,
The Chicago
Tribune,
June 22, 2003) -- Light
to moderate drinking has health benefits, say some
doctors and, obviously, all liquor purveyors. Hooch
bottles should actually carry a notice that pounding
back a mild alcoholic beverage is just dandy, some
suggest. The American Medical Association's house of
delegates is considering the proposal to lighten up on
booze, with an eye on a growing body of studies showing
that light-to-moderate drinking reduces the risk of
stroke or heart disease and also can cut the risk of
diabetes in women. Also, the Distilled Spirits Council
of the United States has hired a former AMA chairman to
act as its lobbyist in the matter, which means the
subject is going to be getting a bit of attention. ID#
6879
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"Underage drinking" (Calvin
Bell,
The Chicago
Tribune,
June 21, 2003) -- Springfield
-- I'm writing to comment about "Parents uncork
teen alcohol debate; Is supervised drinking a safety
issue or a flouting of law?" (Page 1, June 14). I'm
absolutely amazed that people would allow underage and
illegal consumption of alcohol in their homes. The old
argument that kids are going to do it so they might as
well do it at home is inane. What about complying with
the law? Consumption of alcohol by a person less than 21
years of age is a crime. ID# 6880
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"Liquor ads" (Peter
Cressy,
The Chicago
Tribune,
June 21, 2003) -- Washington
-- As the president of the Distilled Spirits Council, I
want to make clear why the spirits industry opposes the
American Medical Association policy that calls for a ban
on all beer, wine and spirits advertising ("AMA
urged to ease liquor stance; Distillers, some physicians
push to end ad ban," News, June 16).A ban on
advertising does not serve AMA's stated purpose to
reduce underage drinking. The preponderance of
scientific, peer-reviewed research concludes that
advertising has no causal impact on a youth's decision
to drink. Scientific research shows that parents and
peers are the primary influence on a youth's decision to
drink. ID# 6881
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"Alcohol facts" (David
J. Hanson,
The Chicago
Tribune,
June 21, 2003) -- Chapel
Hill, N.C. -- As the American Medical Association
debates its policy opposing liquor advertising, it's
important to recognize three facts. First, the moderate
consumption of alcohol (beer, wine or distilled spirits)
is associated with better health and greater longevity
than is either abstention or the abuse of alcohol.
Second, federally sponsored research clearly
demonstrates a continuing decline in both deaths from
alcohol abuse in the general population and in underage
alcohol consumption. ID# 6882
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"UN Sees Rapid Rise
in Amphetamine Use Worldwide" (Reuters,
The New York Times,
June 20, 2003) -- BANGKOK
(Reuters) - Around 1,000 drug barons, mostly in
Southeast Asia, are flooding global markets with
synthetic drugs such as ecstasy and speed as they switch
from heroin and cocaine production, a top United Nations
anti-drugs official said. Sandro Calvani, head of the
U.N. anti-drug office for Asia and the Pacific, told
Reuters the world's primary source of amphetamine-type
stimulants -- known by enforcers as ATS -- was Southeast
Asia. He said Myanmar was the biggest producer of speed,
which was smuggled mainly to China, Thailand, Australia,
Japan and Korea. Indonesia was a haven for ecstasy
makers, although not as big a producer as the
Netherlands. ID# 6883
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"Drug law reform
falters" (Elizabeth Benjamin,
The Albany Times Union,
June 20, 2003) -- Albany
--A Rockefeller Drug Law reform agreement appeared
remote Thursday night, much to the dismay of hip-hop
mogul Russell Simmons and others who thought they had
reached a deal with the governor and state legislative
leaders in a seven-hour negotiating session the night
before. Republican Gov. George Pataki, Senate Majority
Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, and Assembly Speaker
Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said they had made progress
during the marathon meeting with Simmons that began
Wednesday evening and dragged on past 1 a.m. Thursday. ID#
6884
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"Canadian
no-smoking law beneficial, study shows" (Juhie
Bhatia, Reuters Health,
June 22, 2003) -- TORONTO
(Reuters Health) - Canada's first bylaw banning smoking
in public places has not had the negative social or
economic impact predicted by opponents, researchers
reported this week. The researchers, attending the
Canadian Pediatric Society's 80th annual meeting in
Calgary, Alberta, revealed that the legislation has
greater public support and hasn't hurt local businesses
since its implementation. The CRD Clean Air Bylaw
prohibits smoking on all public premises, including
restaurants, bars, clubs, bingo halls and casinos. It
was implemented in British Columbia's Capital Regional
District (CRD) on January 1, 1999. ID# 6886
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"St. Pete OKs
Alcohol Sales For Sunday Morning" (Carlos
Moncada,
The Tampa Bay
Tribune,
June 20, 2003) -- ST.
PETERSBURG - The city council on Thursday night
lifted a 27-year-old ban on alcohol sales on Sunday
morning, becoming the first Tampa Bay community to relax
its ``blue law'' that restricts the sale of beer, wine
and spirits on the Sabbath. With little public
opposition or debate among council members, the council
voted 5-2 to change the time that alcohol can be sold on
Sunday from 1 p.m. to 11 a.m. The ordinance amendment
also allows for the sale of package hard liquor on
Sunday. Mayor Rick Baker said just before the vote that
he would not veto the measure, although he said he would
not have proposed it, either. ID# 6876
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"AMA still against
liquor ads" (Bruce Japsen,
The Chicago
Tribune,
June 19, 2003) -- The
American Medical Association on Wednesday decided not to
water down its stance against liquor advertising. That
was not exactly what distilled spirits makers wanted
after their trade group paid former AMA Chairman Dr.
Raymond Scalettar and a former AMA public relations
executive to help plead the medical benefits of alcohol
at the medical group's annual meeting. "I am not
aware of anybody who wants to change this policy except
for Dr. Scalettar," said Dr. Ronald Davis, an AMA
board member and director of the Center for Health
Promotion and Disease Prevention at Henry Ford Health
System in Detroit. ID# 6875
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"Study rejects
smoking-ban cost concerns" (Andre Picard, The
Globe and Mail,
June 19, 2003) -- Ottawa's
antismoking bylaws -- among the toughest in the country
because they ban smoking in public places such as bars
and restaurants -- have had no discernible impact on
sales of food or liquor, a study shows. Researchers
found that contrary to fears in the hospitality
industry, sales at restaurants and bars in the country's
capital did not decline after the smoking ban was
implemented in August, 2001. But the research reveals
sales of food and drink had been slipping steadily for
years and have been stagnant since early 2000. ID#
6865
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"Court Rejects
Challenge to Loitering Law" (Charles
Lane,The Washington Post,
June 16, 2003) -- The
Supreme Court upheld a controversial anti-crime policy
in Richmond's public housing projects today, ruling
unanimously that putting the streets and sidewalks of
the complexes off-limits to nonresidents does not
violate the constitutional right to free speech.
Richmond's authorities, supported in the case by public
housing officials elsewhere who are also looking for new
ways to contain drug-related crime, said their policy
was a creative means to stop violence in low-income
housing -- most of which, they said, was caused by
outsiders. ID# 6863
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"Tobacco Company
Chided for War Freebies" (Nancy
Zuckerbrod, Yahoo News,
June 17, 2003) -- WASHINGTON
- The nation's leading snuff maker flouted military
policy and tried to attract new customers by sending
free samples to Marines stationed in Iraq (news -
web sites), two lawmakers contend. Reps. Henry
Waxman, D-Calif., and Bill Janklow, R-S.D., said the
giveaway and subsequent marketing by U.S. Smokeless
Tobacco Co. amounted to an irresponsible attempt to
return to the days in which service members were given
free cigarettes in their ration kits, which ended in
1975. "It appears that U.S. Smokeless Tobacco is
seeking to revive the disastrous policy of distributing
free tobacco products to men and women in the armed
services," the lawmakers wrote in a letter sent to
the company Tuesday. ID# 6855
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"Cigarette machine
curbs in works" (Mark Shuman, The
Chicago Tribune,
June 17, 2003) -- DES
PLAINES -- The city is moving to crack down on tobacco
purchases by minors. Aldermen voted 8-0 Monday to get an
ordinance drafted that would require about 100
businesses to place electronic regulating devices on
self-service cigarette vending machines. The devices,
which cost about $150, require store and restaurant
employees to turn the vending machines on and off by
remote control after determining the age of buyers. ID#
6854
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"Bill to ban
smoking is filtered some more" (David
Kinney, The Star Ledger,
June 17, 2003) -- It
began as a New York City-style push to ban smoking in
virtually every public place in New Jersey bars,
restaurants, museums, office buildings, ballparks. But
that was before the casinos, restaurant operators, bar
owners, cigarette makers and their lobbyists showed up
in force. "It's like a toothless tiger now,"
one of the ban's proponents, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora
(D-Mercer), said yesterday after an Assembly committee
amended the proposal to allow smoking in bars and in
designated areas in restaurants and casinos. The action
followed a Senate committee's vote last week to exempt
casinos and small, owner-operated bars from its version
of the smoking prohibition bill. ID# 6851
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"Legislature
approves statewide smoking restrictions" (Bob
Johnson, The Times Daily
June 16, 2003) -- State
Sen. Vivian Figures was finally successful Monday night
after trying for six years to pass a bill that restricts
smoking in Alabama buildings.The House passed the bill
80-0 Monday night. It does not allow smoking in most
public buildings, such as hospitals, schools, theaters,
museums and day care centers, except in private offices.
The bill is weaker than the one Figures' originally
introduced, but she said she sees it as a positive first
step.The bill now goes to Gov. Bob Riley for his
signature."I know the effects of second-hand smoke.
That's why I feel so passionate on this issue,"
said Figures, who said she suffers from chronic
bronchitis and asthma. ID# 6857
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"Police to offer
drug test kits to parents" (Kara Richardson, The
Lansing State Journal,
June 11, 2003) -- Lansing
police will provide mid-Michigan parents with drug tests
they can give to their children. Sgt. Linda
Doherty-Wright will provide the kits through a statewide
early intervention program called Law Enforcement
Against Drugs. "Nobody wants to think that their
kid is using (drugs) but there's so much more peer
pressure out there and drugs are more readily accessible
nowadays," Doherty-Wright said. "Kids just
make some bad choices sometimes." The urine tests
can screen for drugs including cocaine, marijuana,
Ecstasy, methamphetamine, morphine and PCP. There is a
separate test for alcohol. ID# 6852
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"Tobacco firms
under fire again for "light" label" (Yahoo
News,
June 16, 2003) -- OTTAWA
(AFP) - An anti-tobacco coalition filed a consumer fraud
complaint with the federal government against
manufacturers of "light" and "mild"
labeled cigarettes, saying the labels deceive consumers.
David Sweanor with the Non-Smokers' Rights Association
told reporters here Monday that smokers who buy
"mild" or "light" cigarettes
"believe they are getting less tar, less nicotine.
They're not." Another lawyer in the anti-tobacco
coalition, David Hill, added that for consumers who buy
"light" and "mild" cigarettes the
result "is virtually the same as in the regular
product. ID# 6843
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"FAA tightens
screws on pilot drinking" (Sylvia Adcock, The
Chicago Tribune,
June 17, 2003) -- Dozens
of pilots have shown up to fly commercial airliners
legally intoxicated in the past year and a half,
prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to toughen
its stance toward pilots who drink and fly. The
crackdown comes as new figures show that last year, the
number of pilots who failed the FAA's Breathalyzer tests
before flying doubled from the previous year. Since
January 2002, 35 pilots have failed alcohol tests at the
airport, a number that includes a handful of
high-profile cases in which federal security screeners
noticed alcohol on a pilot's breath and called
authorities. On April 22, an American Eagle pilot was
strapped into the cockpit preparing to take off from
Grand Rapids, Mich., at 545 a.m. with enough alcohol in
his system to make him too drunk to drive a car in every
state, according to an airport police report. He
registered 0.12 percent blood-alcohol content on the
Breathalyzer after he was confronted by airport police
and federal screeners. ID# 6842
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"Nations flock to
sign U.N. anti-tobacco treaty" (Robert
Evans, Reuters Health,
June 16, 2003) -- GENEVA
(Reuters) - A total of 28 countries from around the
world plus the European Commission lined up on Monday to
endorse a landmark global anti-smoking treaty on
the first day it was open for signature. Officials
behind the pact, which emerged in March after four years
of hard negotiations at the World Health Organisation
(WHO), said commitment appeared to be so high that the
pact could be in force by the end of the year. "I
urge countries throughout the world to follow the
example of those here today -- to swiftly sign and then
ratify this treaty," WHO Director-General Gro
Harlem Brundtland, who steps down next month, said in a
statement.. ID# 6841
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"Parents uncork
teen alcohol debate" (Bonnie Miller Rubin, The
Chicago Tribune,
June 14, 2003) -- When
Colleen Galatz's two sons were in high school, her home
was the place where all the kids congregated. Perhaps it
was her well-stocked pantry or fondness for loud music.
More likely, it was because teenagers knew that's where
they could drink alcohol. Galatz insists she was not
trying to be their pal or seek their approval. Her
motive, she said, was simple safety."I know what I
did in high school, and I didn't want my kids sneaking
around doing the same things," said Galatz, whose
sons, now 19 and 24, attended Homewood-Flossmoor High
School. "They weren't in a car or in the forest
preserves, but under my roof--where I could see
them." ID# 6836
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"AMA urged to ease
liquor stance" (Bruce Japsen, The Chicago
Tribune,
June 16, 2003) -- The
liquor industry and even some doctors want the American
Medical Association to water down its stance against
liquor advertising.Citing a growing body of medical
evidence showing the health benefits of
light-to-moderate drinking, several physicians told the
AMA on Sunday that it should rethink its policy against
radio and television advertising for hard liquor. The
proposal before the national doctors group's
policy-making body comes in the wake of AMA criticism
last year of NBC's decision to be the first national
broadcast network to run liquor advertisements, ending a
decades-long ban. ID#
6835
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"State announces
driver safety program for farm workers" (Erin Walsh, The
Sacramento Bee,
June 13, 2003) -- FRESNO,
Calif. (AP) - A new state program announced Thursday
aims to educate farm workers in the San Joaquin Valley
about the dangers of driving without seatbelts or under
the influence of alcohol and drugs. The state Office of
Traffic Safety is funding the bilingual "Farm
Workers Transportation Safety Program" through a $1
million federal grant to the California Department of
Transportation. The program will target an estimated
400,000 growers, labor contractors and farm workers in
Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties. ID# 6819
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"Study shows
anti-drug ads targeting teens make an impact" (The
Sacramento Bee,
June 13, 2003) -- WASHINGTON
(AP) - If kids watch them often enough, ads warning
about the dangers of smoking pot or taking Ecstacy can
persuade them to stay away from drugs, according to a
study released by an advocacy group Thursday. A survey
of teens conducted for the Partnership for a Drug Free
America found kids who see or hear anti-drug ads at
least once a day are less likely to do drugs than
youngsters who don't see or hear ads frequently. Teens
who got a daily dose of the anti-drug message were
nearly 40 percent less likely to try methamphetamine and
about 30 percent less likely to use Ecstacy, the study
found. ID# 6820
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"U.S. Border Towns
Eye Canadian Pot Plan" (The
New York Times,
June 13, 2003) --
SWANTON, Vt. (AP) -- Some
of Nicole Cook's classmates in this town less than 10
miles from the Canadian border already head north on
weekends because it's legal for 18-year-olds to drink in
Quebec. And as the Canadian government debates whether
to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of
marijuana, Cook worries such a move would encourage more
teens to head north. ``I think it's a massive danger
because I've heard of so many people and I know of so
many people that have gone to Canada and done that and
come back and gotten in car accidents and stuff,'' said
Cook, 17, a student at Missisquoi Valley Union High
School. ID# 6821
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"Online and
Mail-Order Sales of Tobacco Face a State Ban" (Patrick
Healy, The
New York Times, June 13,
2003) -- New
York smokers already exiled from restaurants,
nightclubs, office lounges and taxis are about to lose
one more perch the Internet. Under a state law that goes
into effect Wednesday, New York residents will no longer
be able to buy cigarettes from online or mail-order
dealers. Tobacco distributors face heavy fines if they
sell cigarettes to anyone in New York State except
licensed dealers. Antismoking groups said the ban,
instituted after a three-year legal battle, marks a
victory. ID# 6822
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"Cigarette Ad
Spending Jumps, FTC Says" (The New York
Times, June 13, 2003) -- WASHINGTON
(AP) -- Cigarette manufacturers are spending more to
advertise and promote their products, but selling fewer
cigarettes. The largest companies spent a record $11.2
billion on advertising and promotions nationwide in
2001, the last year for which such figures were
available, according to a study released Thursday by the
Federal Trade Commission. That was a 17 percent increase
from 2000, when the industry spent $9.6 billion. Despite
the increase, cigarette sales to retailers and
wholesalers dropped 3.8 percent from 2000, according to
the commission. The manufacturers spent most of their
money -- $4.8 billion -- on free cigarettes or
merchandise given out with purchases. ID# 6823
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"Businesses Benefit
From Smoking Ban" (Mort Paulson, The
Washington Post
June 13, 2003) -- A
ban on smoking in Montgomery County eating and drinking
places would have a "devastating economic
impact" on bars and restaurants and cause some to
fail, writes Melvin R. Thompson, a spokesperson for the
Maryland and Montgomery County restaurant associations
["Measure Would Do More Harm Than Good,"
Montgomery Extra, June 5]. Yet Thompson doesn't cite a
single example of a bar or restaurant failing anyplace
in the United States because of smoking restrictions.
More than half of Montgomery's 1,403 restaurants have
outlawed smoking voluntarily. ID# 6824
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"Miami targets
eateries selling drugs, women" (Carolyn
Salazar, The Miami Herald,
June 13, 2003) -- ''These
are not your regular lounges,'' said Mario Garcia, a
police major in Miami's South District. ``These are
cafeterias that are operating as nightclubs, bars or,
excuse my language, bordellos because there is lots of
prostitution going on.'' On Thursday, Miami city
commissioners voted unanimously to crack down on these
so-called cafeterias by tightening the city's liquor
laws and closing loopholes. No one spoke in opposition.
The ordinance restricts the sale of alcohol in
cafeterias and coffee shops from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on
weekdays and Saturday, and from noon to 10 p.m. on
Sundays. ID# 6825
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"Restaurant draws
ire of residents" (Joshua
Pelzer, The Los
Angeles Times,
June 12, 2003) -- GLENDALE
CITY HALL Residents tried with no avail to thwart a
restaurant from going up in their neighborhood that they
say will create traffic and safety nightmares. The City
Council voted Tuesday to have city staff prepare a
report to grant a conditional-use permit for a
14,000-square-foot restaurant that will serve alcohol
and offer dancing at 1236 S. Central Ave. The permit
would allow the venue to operate based on conditions set
by the city. The Renaissance Restaurant project was
denied by the city's zoning board in March because of an
over-concentration of liquor licenses in an area with a
high crime rate.
ID# 6809
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"Tobacco giants,
state face off before judge" (Denny Walsh, The
Sacramento Bee,
June 12, 2003) -- Two
tobacco giants asked a Sacramento federal judge
Wednesday to ban California's anti-smoking
advertisements "vilifying" the industry, while
the Davis administration asked that the lawsuit be
tossed out. The ads are "wrong, and we shouldn't
have it in the United States," tobacco attorney H.
Joseph Escher III proclaimed. "The government has
gone overboard in its zealotry to stamp out smoking.
"While we may be unpopular, this is what the First
Amendment is for; it is designed to protect unpopular
groups." "I hear the passion," rejoined
state Deputy Attorney General Karen Leaf. "But it's
a legal issue, not a moral one, and the law does not
preclude this public health campaign." ID#
6808
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"Philip Morris
Continues Efforts to Buy Bad Public Policy with
Political Contributions, Says Campaign for Tobacco-Free
Kids" (Yahoo News,
June 12, 2003) --WASHINGTON,
June 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following statement by
William V. Corr, executive director of Campaign for
Tobacco-Free Kids, on Philip Morris was released today
"A story in today's issue of The Washington Post
exposes Philip Morris' continuing efforts to use huge
political contributions to buy bad public policy that
protects the company's bottom line rather than the
public's health. In this case, the story details the
efforts of U.S. House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) to
insert a provision in a bill creating the Department of
Homeland Security that would enhance Philip Morris'
profits by reducing the sale of counterfeit cigarettes. ID#
6812
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"Senate plan banks
on sin taxes" (David Rice, The
Winston-Salem Journal,
June 12, 2003) -- RALEIGH-Leaders
in the N.C. Senate offered a proposal yesterday that
relies on increases in so-called sin taxes -taxes on
cigarettes and alcohol - to balance the state budget in
2004-05. But leaders in the House, which is split evenly
between 60 Democrats and 60 Republicans, continued to
say they don't have the votes to raise any taxes or
approve a state lottery...The tax package would raise
the state cigarette tax by 25 cents a pack on major
brands and double the beer tax, which is now 5 cents a
can. ID# 6811
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"Soccer-Romanian FA
faces complaint over alcohol ads" (Yahoo
News,
June 12, 2003) --
BUCHAREST, June 12 (Reuters) - Romania's media
watchdog CNA will file a complaint to international
soccer governing bodies FIFA and UEFA over flagrant
advertising abuses by the Romanian Football Federation (FRF),
the CNA said on Thursday. "During last weekend's
European qualifier against Bosnia (& Montenegro) the
FRF allowed advertising firms to place banners promoting
alcohol consumption in the stadium," CNA president
Ralu Filip said. This should have forced the Romanian
state television to stop the live broadcast of the game
held in the southeastern city of Craiova, in line with
current rules, he added. ID#
6810
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"Take it outside" (Crystal
Yednak, The
Chicago Tribune,
June 11, 2003) -- BOSTON
-- Cigarette smoke now triggers curious looks from
people gathered in bars around their pints.If someone
lights up in violation of the city's new smoking ban,
"you look around to see who's smoking," said
Jeff Korzon, 33, a financial analyst in Boston. A month
into the smoke ban, life in Boston is already different.
While places such as California have had smoking bans
for years, Chicago is not sunny, mild California. The
reaction in Boston may provide better insight into what
could happen if the Chicago City Council does move ahead
with the smoking ban they've been tossing around for
several months now. ID# 6802
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"Kane allows wait
staff under 21 to serve alcohol" (William
Presecky, The Chicago Tribune,
June 11, 2003) -- After
months of starts and stops, the Kane County Board
narrowly approved Tuesday a measure allowing restaurant
wait staff as young as 18 to serve alcoholic beverages
at eateries in unincorporated areas.A procedural gaffe
last month invalidated what appeared to be approval of
the measure and necessitated Tuesday's board action. The
board approved the change 13-9, one vote more than was
needed for passage.The amendment to the county's
liquor-control ordinance lowers the age from 21 for food
servers to bring alcoholic beverages to tables in
establishments where the sale of food is the primary
business. ID# 6801
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"Governor will
crack down on illegal tobacco sales to minors" (The
Sacramento Bee ,
June 10, 2003) -- SACRAMENTO
(AP) - Because of an increase in illegal tobacco sales
to minors that may threaten California's share of some
federal funds, Gov. Gray Davis will issue an executive
order aimed at cutting those sales, a Davis spokesman
said Monday. Davis will issue the order Tuesday,
spokesman Russ Lopez said. "We're finding that
these illegal sales are increasing. People are still
selling to minors," said Lopez. ID# 6793
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"'Club'
keeps tobacco from minors" (Dave Moller,
The Union,
June 4, 2003) -- Many
merchants in Nevada County are diligent about not
selling tobacco products to those under 18. After all,
it's the law. There are also those who are not so
diligent, and six stores were busted by the state last
summer for selling tobacco to minors, said Patti Carter,
the county's tobacco education prevention coordinator.
To help bring merchants into compliance and to support
efforts to stop youth tobacco use, Carter will start an
organization called the Caring Retailers Club in the
coming weeks. By signing a pledge, retailers will show
their commitment to youth health and good choices,
Carter said. ID# 6775
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"Pushing
Accountability on Hollywood" (Ronald
Brownstein,
The Los Angeles Times,
June 9, 2003) -- SAN
FRANCISCO Why are Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts
stonewalling thousands of middle and high school
students writing to ask them to stop glamorizing smoking
in their films?Probably because that's how the
entertainment industry almost always reacts when
challenged on the social effect of its products,
especially on children. As a group, the big
entertainment interests movie studios, record
companies, television networks have pushed away
parents demanding greater accountability as if they were
so many stalkers trying to crash the red carpet at a
premiere. ID# 6776
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"Binge and Revelry,
Then Pomp and Circumstance" (Michael J.
Grabell,
The New York Times
June 8, 2003) -- SEASIDE
HEIGHTSELLEN GIESER was having one of those
discussions with her daughter. Don't drink and drive. Be
responsible. And if things get out of hand, call the
police... Each year at this time, this Ocean County town
of 3,000 residents swells to 40,000 as teenagers flock
here in a tradition of binge and revelry before the pomp
and circumstance. Many come for a last hurrah with high
school friends before heading off to college, and
usually, that includes refrigerators full of alcohol.
The Seaside Heights police prepare for the worst, from
fights to overdoses to sexual assaults. Mostly, they
manage to keep it under control. ID# 6777
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"Underage Smoking's
Low-Key Opponent" ( | | |
