Celebrate Good Times!

Here is a list of celebrations on Jan 2 for smokefree NC!

BUNCOMBE COUNTY
Activity: Bowling Event
When: Saturday, January 2, 2010 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
Where/Location: Star Lanes Bowling Center, 491 Kenilworth Road, Asheville, NC
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Contact information: Karen Caldwell (828) 250-5048 or karen.caldwell@buncombecounty.org
RSVPs: Requesting RSVP’s from public officials.

CRAVEN/PAMILCO COUNTIES
Activity: Pending
Coordinator: Nicole Jones
Organization: Craven/Pamlico County ASSIST Coalition
Contact Information: 252-636-4920 x 2019 or njones@cravencountync.gov

GUILFORD COUNTY
Activity: Bowling Event
When: Saturday, January 2, 2010
Where/Location: Gate City Lanes 5502 Hornaday Road
Greensboro NC 27409-2936
Time: All day (Coupon all day - buy one get one bowling) Party 3pm-8pm (tentative)
Contact information: Mary Gillett Office Phone: (336) 641-6000 or mgillet@co.guilford.nc.us

HI-TOP CONSORTIUM (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Swain, and Transylvania counties.)
Activity: Pending
Coordinator: Traci Clark, Hi-Top ASSIST Coordinator
Contact Information: 828-452-6675 or hitop9@verizon.net

MECKLENBURG COUNTY
Activity: South Park Mall and Eastland Mall Event. Free coffee and copies of the latest Tobacco Free Today magazine. Local elected officials will also be on site.
When: Saturday, January 2, 2010
Where/Location: South Park Mall and Eastland Mall Charlotte, NC
Time: South Park Mall 11am-1pm
Eastland Mall 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
(On Sun. Jan 3 Smoke-Free Mecklenburg is sponsoring the Charlotte Checkers hockey game. Four (4) videos that be shown during the game, a table with information, and local elected officials will do the puck drop. The game starts at 2:00pm. at Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC)
Contact information: Lovemore Masakadza Office Phone: (704) 336-4660 lovemore.masakadza@carolinashealthcare.org

NEW HANOVER COUNTY
Activity: Pending
Organization: New Hanover /Brunswick/Pender ASSIST Coalition
Phone: (910) 798-6658
Email Address: emorrissette@nhcgov.com

NORTHWEST TOBACCO PREVENTION COALITION (Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, Watuaga Wilkes counties)
Activity: Pending
Coordinator: Teri VanDyke, ASSIST Coordinator
Organization: Northwest Tobacco Prevention Coalition
Contact Information: (828) 264-2995 or teriv@apphealth.com

WAKE COUNTY
Activity: Lunch Celebration
When: Saturday, January 2, 2010
Where/Location: Abbey Road Tavern & Grille,1195 W Chatham St, Cary, NC,
(919) 481-4434‎
Time: 12-2PM (tentative)
Contact information: Ronda Sanders Phone: (919)431-4026, Mobile: (919) 623-2280,
Email Address: ronda.sanders@wakegov.com
RSVPs: forward RSVPs to the above email address.

Other Organizations:

CABARRUS COUNTY
Activity: TRU Crews will hand deliver Thank You Notes to business being smoke free. Youth will wear
TRU crew T-shirts and take pictures in front of restaurants and business.
When: Saturday, January 2, 2010 (January 3rd also delivery a date)
Where/Location: Area smoke free businesses
Time: TBA
Contact information: Barbara Sheppard bksheppard2cabarrushealth.org
RSVPs: Activity not open to the public

CATAWBA COUNTY
Activity: Fresh Air Flapjack Breakfast Fundraiser (to benefit ACS and Catawba County Health Partners’ Cancer Task Force)
When: Saturday January 2, 2010 (tentative)
Where/Location: Applebee’s Bar and Grill, Hickory, NC
Time: 7:00 am-10:00 am
Location: Applebee’s Bar and Grill, Hickory, NC
Contact Information: Lindsey Smith/Jason Abernathy at 828-695-5817 or LindseyS@catawbacountync.gov
RSVP: Must RSVP to Lindsey Smith. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

MARTIN-TYRELL –WASHINGTON COUNTIES

Activity: Area restaurants, who wish to participate, will offer a random door prize or raffle a gift during their first day open following HB2. Restaurant participation is voluntary and as an incentive the restaurant name and gift offer will be listed in a funded newspaper advertisement.
When: Saturday January 2, 2010
Where/Location: List of restaurants TBA
Time: TBA
Contact information: John Fulk Phone: (252) 793-1630 or john.fulk@ncmail.net

SURRY COUNTY

Activity: TBA
When: Saturday January 2, 2010
Where/Location: TBA
Contact information: Donna Parks Phone: (336) 401-8413 or parksd@co.surry.nc.us

New Report Shows Room for Improvement in North Carolina Tobacco Prevention Funding

North Carolina’s tobacco prevention funding falls short of levels necessary to be effective, according to a new report released today by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and other health organizations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that North Carolina spend $106.8 million a year to have a successful, comprehensive tobacco prevention program. The state currently allocates only $20 million per year, which is 18.7 percent of the CDC-recommended level.

The report ranks North Carolina 24^th nationwide in tobacco prevention spending, up from 32^nd last year.

“North Carolina will not see a significant reduction in smoking rates until we make tobacco prevention a greater priority,” said David Goff, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention and professor of Public Health Sciences and Internal Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

“Many smokers want to quit, and prevention and cessation programs are proven to help them give up tobacco permanently,” Goff continued. “The $107 million recommended by the CDC is a tiny fraction of the billions of dollars North Carolina loses each year to smoking-related health care costs. Making a small investment now in tobacco prevention could save billions of dollars and thousands of lives.”

“Although we’re making progress with smoke-free workplace laws, higher tobacco excise taxes and enactment of federal legislation to regulate the tobacco industry, we must do more to give smokers the tools and resources they need to kick this deadly habit,” commented Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. “State lawmakers have more than enough resources to make a huge difference in their communities. Now they must back their promises with real and immediate results.”

North Carolina receives millions of dollars per year from the 1998 tobacco settlement fund, which was intended to be used to combat smoking. The state will collect $428 million in settlement funds and tobacco taxes this year, of which just 4.7 percent is devoted to tobacco prevention programs. Conversely, tobacco companies spend $535.9 million each year to market their products to North Carolinians.

In North Carolina, 1.5 million adults smoke, leading to nearly 12,000 preventable deaths a year caused by smoking, and more than 1,000 deaths among non-smokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke. This costs North Carolina taxpayers $2.46 billion in direct healthcare costs ($769 million in Medicaid expenses alone), and $3.3 billion in lost productivity annually.

Almost 12,000 North Carolina children become regular smokers each year, and 193,000 children alive today will die prematurely because of smoking.

The annual report on states’ funding of tobacco prevention programs, titled “A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 11 Years Later,” was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Equipment a good start; now bring back daily PE in NC

Here's a great post from one of our advocates!

Regarding the story, “Area schools eligible to apply for funding for PE equipment,” (AC-T, Oct. 13): I’m pleased to learn that Asheville area schools may soon get new equipment for physical education classes.

The latest statistics about childhood obesity are very alarming, and we need to be doing more to help kids be fit and healthy. Health experts say that children need quality physical education every day — at least 30 minutes a day for younger children and 45 minutes per day for high school students. But 62 percent of North Carolina students attend physical education classes only two days per week — or less. Meanwhile, our state has the 14th-highest childhood obesity rate in the nation. Having PE equipment won’t do any good if we don’t use it.

I appreciate Asheville school officials for trying to improve physical education. Now let’s hope they — along with state legislators — follow through and bring daily PE back to North Carolina schools.

Lee Storrow, Asheville

Youth wants to see more done to keep kids away from tobacco

Great New Letter from advocate Colleen Daly in the Asheville Citizen Times!

As someone who has seen the repercussions of tobacco use on both our youth and economy, I believe that raising the cigarette tax is clearly a win/win situation.

North Carolina is in desperate need of funds. Raising the tax prevents kids from starting to smoke and provides incentives for adults to quit while providing greater revenue for beneficial programs under the state's jurisdiction.

North Carolina has the fourth-lowest cigarette tax in the United States. According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, a dollar increase in taxes will generate up to $329 million in the first year and significantly reduce expenditures within the health care system. Within five years, $2.1 billion could be saved from health care expenditures related to preventable illnesses and deaths caused by tobacco products.

Although it is illegal, minors are targeted every day by the tobacco industry. By raising the cigarette tax we can reduce teen smoking by 17 percent and saves thousands of lives in North Carolina. As a young person, I see many of my peers fall victim to big tobacco. I hope that my legislators will work to help them.

Colleen Daly, Asheville

Daly is the 2009 Southern Regional Youth Advocate of the Year for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

Changes are Coming!

Hello everyone,

Now that we have seen the passage of HB2, you might think this blog has no purpose. Wrong! There are many important health issues, and the Heart Association and You're the Cure Advocates will continue to fight the good fight. As you can see, we've changed our address to www.yourethecurenc.blogspot.com. We will make more changes in the coming weeks, but first here is a letter to the editor from one of our advocates, Yolanda Dickerson!

Healthy Revenue

At just 35 cents per pack, North Carolina's cigarette tax is the third lowest in the nation. Bringing it in line with other states would generate significant tax revenue and reduce health care spending as smokers drop the habit and become healthier.

With benefits like that, raising cigarette taxes would be a good idea any time, but the current budget deficits make it even more important. We must find a way to reduce costs and raise revenue, or we face deep cuts in important state programs. Public health programs alone are targeted for $38 million in cuts.

Raising North Carolina's cigarette excise tax by just $1 per pack would reduce youth smoking by an estimated 17 percent, thus preventing addiction among 89,500 young people. An estimated 59,500 adults would stop smoking and 44,400 lives could be saved if taxes go up a dollar.

Legislators face many tough decisions as they attempt to address the budget shortfall, but raising cigarette taxes is a no-brainer. By taking one simple, common sense action, North Carolina can increase revenue, cut spending and improve public health. Increasing cigarette taxes is a win-win-win proposition.

Yolanda Dickerson

Wendell

http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters/story/1554401.html

Signing of the Bill

Governor Perdue has scheduled the bill signing for HB 2 on Tuesday May 19th at 11:30 am at the NC Capitol in the old House Chambers!

It passed!

HB2 just passed the House. This is a historic step for North Carolina! This is a great step that will protect restaurant and bar employees and patrons. While the bill did not include protection for all workers in places like bowling alleys or convenient stores, we will continue to work at a local level to protect all workers!

HB 2 Passes Senate Without Amendments!

Here's an update from the NC Alliance for Health.

HB 2, Prohibit Smoking in Public and Workplaces, passed third and final reading by the NC State Senate by a vote of 30 to 18. As you may recall from action last week in the Senate Health Care Committee, the bill was scaled back from a comprehensive worksites bill (that would cover all worksites) to a restaurants and bars only bill with some restoration of local control.

Despite the scaled back version of the bill, most see this as an HISTORIC vote for North Carolina and a step toward protecting public health. In its current form, the bill will make all restaurants and bars in North Carolina smoke-free – a huge victory in a tobacco state like North Carolina.

One amendment was offered and defeated during third reading debate:

· Sen. Phil Berger (R- ) offered an amendment that would have vastly broadened the definition of “private club” to include any organization that holds “a permit to sell alcoholic beverages and may or may not serve food for pay to anyone who is a member or member’s guest.” This amendment would have eliminated the restriction that “private clubs” exempted from the bill include only those that were private, non-profit 501c3 organizations (such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars or Elks Lodges), opening the exemption as a possibly larger loop-hole in the bill. This amendment would have allowed bars and/or restaurants to become private membership clubs by charging a nominal fee to become members. Other states with such exemptions have seen bars charge $1 “membership fees” to meet the terms of a “private membership club” so that they could permit smoking and skirt the law. This amendment was defeated by the close vote of 25 to 23. To see the vote count on this amendment, go to HB 2 Senate Amendment 3.
HB 2 will now return to the House where the House can either agree to the Senate’s version of the bill (known as concurrence) or disagree (knows as non-concurrence) and appoint a conference committee. Stay tuned for next steps for HB 2 in additional updates this week.

Teen supports House Bill 2 in battle against teen smoking

Here's a great letter to the editor from one of our advocates with the Heart Association. Colleen also just won the South Regional Award from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. Congrats Colleen!

As House Bill 2 goes to the General Assembly for debate, I hope our representatives will consider the dangers secondhand smoke pose to the health of their constituents and the effect House Bill 2 has on youth.

House Bill 2 not only significantly reduces most people's exposure to secondhand smoke, but can also act as a preventive measure for adolescents.

According to a May 2008 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, teens living in cities with restrictions on smoking in public places were 40 percent less likely to pick up the habit.

By preventing teenagers from beginning to smoke, we can also prevent them from obtaining life-threatening illnesses.

The Centers for Disease Control stated that if current smoking patterns persist, more than 5 million of today's teens will die prematurely because of smoking-related diseases.

As a senior in high school, I have seen the ramifications of tobacco use on my peers. I support House Bill 2 strongly because I don't want to continue watching my friends fall to this habit. I hope my senator will strive to protect them as well.

Colleen Daly, Asheville

HB 2 to be Heard in Senate Health Committee This Week

We are working hard to restore HB 2 to its' original form and hope that when it is heard in the Senate Health Committee this week, it will be stronger. Help us ensure that we protect all workers from secondhand smoke exposure by sending a message now to your Senator asking him or her to support a strong HB 2. Visit www.smokefreenc.org to send your email right now!

Passage of HB2

HB2 passed in a vote of 72 to 45. While this should be a time to rejoice, the news is bittersweet. Several amendments were introduced which significantly weaken the bill and don't protect workers in North Carolina. You can find more information at http://www.rtpnet.org/alliance/pdfs/2009/Alliance_SmokeFreeWorkplaceRelease_4.2.09.pdf.

As this bill moves to the Senate, we will continue to keep you updated.

Word on the Street

Word on the street is that the House will be voting on HB 2 today. I'm listening into the House Floor from my dorm room in Chapel Hill. Right now they have been in a recess for a long time while they vote on the Board of Governors for UNC. You can access the audio at this link.

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/

Where are you listening in from?

Update 5:24 PM- The bill has been introduced and it is being debated on the floor!

Update 5:28 PM Rep Hugh Holliman is introducing the bill. He is arguing that this bill is about protecting the health of citizens in North Carolina.
"We will have people argue this health issue is a property rights issue, a business issue, an individual rights issue. It is none of those. It is a health issue."

Update 5:32 PM Both Rep Glazier and Rep Weiss have spoken in favor of the bill. They are both sponsors of the bill, so we haven't heard from any opposition yet.

Update 5:44 PM Rep. Barnhart is telling the story of his father in law who passed away from lung cancer. He never smoked but worked in an office where smoking was allowed.
"We’re fighting for the personal freedom to live. The personal freedom to breathe. The personal freedom to make a living for your family without sacrificing everything else... I can’t do anything to bring my sweetheart's daddy back. But what I can do is work hard to prevent anyone else from living through it."

Update 6:10 PM Cary Allred is arguing against the bill. He has proposed an amendment that would not allow any workplace to allow smoking and hire people under the age of 18.

Update 6:52 PM I haven't been able to pay as much attention as I would like. When I checked a couple minutes ago Rep Pearl Burris-Floyd was speaking in support of HB2.

Update 7:08 PM Debate is still going on. No floor vote yet.

FDA Regulation of Tobacco

So this is what I put in my blank space...what will you put in yours?

The FDA is clearly the best administration to regulate tobacco. It has the ability to enforce stricter packaging restrictions that will make comsumers more aware of the dangerous chemicals present in tobacco products. But one of the most important parts of this piece of legislation is that it will hold the tobacco industries accountable for marketing to children. When 90% of current smokers began smoking before they turned 18, it is clear that tobacco use must be reduced among this young demographic to ensure their safety. It is time for the FDA to regulate tobacco products...not the tobacco companies.

Find out at...
http://heartprescription.org/

Get Out the Vote.

Hey Y'all...Colleen Again. I just wanted to encourage you to get your friends to call or send an email to your representatives in the General Assembly. It's great that we take the initiative to do so ourselves...but think about if each of us asked one more person to do the same. We would be able to have a much greater impact. Please consider sending a facebook message or email or just talk to the people you know will support this legislation and get out the vote...so to speak.

Use this link to email your legislators
http://www.capitolconnect.com/yourethecure/letter.aspx?AlertID=12468

and this one to encourage your friends to do the same
http://www.capitolconnect.com/yourethecure/tellafriend.aspx

Important Vote Expected Tuesday

Everyone,

Have you visited www.smokefreenc.org and sent your message to your lawmakers in support of HB2? We have updated the site and now is the time to send those messages!

We expect that House Bill 2 will be voted on in the House Judiciary 1 Committee on Tuesday March 24. Want to come and watch the vote? The Committee meets at 10:00 am in Room 1228 of the Legislative Building. Join us if you can.

Want to know what else you can do? Make a phone call to your legislator and tell him/her to support HB 2 - now is the time for a big push to make sure this legislation gets through the House of Representatives - your phone call can make the difference.

Tell your Representative to vote yes for HB 2 with no amendments to weaken the bill - everyone has the right to breathe smoke-free indoor air!

Thanks for your support!

HB 2 to Be Heard in J-1 Today!

HB 2 will be heard in the House Judiciary One Committee this morning! The bill will be debated at 10 AM. If you have the time, send an e-mail to members of the committee. Tell them you support HB2 and want to see all workers protected from secondhand smoke.

Members of J-1

Chairman Rep. Ross (D-Wake) SPONSOR Deborah.Ross@ncleg.net
Vice Chairman Rep. Goodwin (D-Richmond) SPONSOR Melanie.Goodwin@ncleg.net
Vice Chairman Rep. Stam (R-Wake) Paul.Stam@ncleg.net
Vice Chairman Rep. Stiller (R-Brunswick) Bonner.Stiller@ncleg.net
Members Rep. M. Alexander (D-Mecklenburg) SPONSOR Martha.Alexander@ncleg.net

Rep. Blust (R-Guilford) John.Blust@ncleg.net

Rep. Bryant (R-Nash) Angela.Bryant@ncleg.net

Rep. Hall (D-Durham) SPONSOR Larry.Hall@ncleg.net

Rep. Harrison (D-Guilford) SPONSOR Pricey.Harrison@ncleg.net

Rep. Insko (D-Orange) SPONSOR Verla.Insko@ncleg.net

Rep. Martin (D-Wake) SPONSOR Grier.Martin@ncleg.net

Rep. Mobley (D-Hertford) Annie.Mobley@ncleg.net

Rep. Neumann (R-Gaston) SPONSOR Wil.Neumann@ncleg.net

Rep. Stevens (R-Alleghany, Surry) Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.net

Rep. West (R-Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon) Roger.West@ncleg.net

Got Rights?

Hey Y'all! It's Colleen. I have been talking with many people regarding this piece of legislation and have noticed that many people who oppose it are concerned about how smokers' rights are being handled and whether the government should have any power over the issue at all. So I just wanted to contribute my two cents regarding this issue.

The fact of the matter is that under this piece of legislation Everyone's rights are maintained equally under the law. The government holds the right to protect the general well being of the public with law that limits specific actions. For example, the government can regulate speed limits, conditions under which food can be cooked, and ban actions that harm others such as fighting. It is clear that like speeding, old mayonnaise, and fighting second hand smoke can severely harm your health. Smokers still maintain the right to smoke in the privacy of their homes or unopened cars without harming people who did not choose to do so.

The government also has the right to protect people in the workplace. Very strict conditions have been placed in the past on working environments. Workers cannot be subjected to dangerous chemicals or substances without safety devices. Unfortunately, such a device does not exist for secondhand smoke. It has been proven by studies conducted by the Project ASSIST coalition and other research agencies that ventilators and sectioned smoking sections do not eliminate the dangerous exposure to secondhand smoke. As the Surgeon General stated in 2006, there is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke. We need to remain consistent in our policies of protection workers by eliminating second-hand smoke in the workplace. As the economy worsens and jobs are lost, the options for job locations are diminishing. Workers simply can't decide not to work in a smoky environment anymore.

Everyone has the same rights. It is time for them to be protected. Allowing the consequences of someone else's choice to negatively affect the health of everyone is a blatant violation of our rights. Just as protesting is prohibited outside a school because it inhibits a child's ability and infringes on their right to learn, smoking must be prohibited in public places because it inhibits our ability and infringes on our right to live a long and healthy life.

Pictures From Lobby Day

Here are some pictures from the Heart Association's Lobby Day at the Capitol.

More Support this Year

Here's a great article on the support HB2 has!

http://jackbetts.blogspot.com/2009/02/where-theres-smoke-theres-votes.html

Reason #7

Over the next seven days, we'll look at seven reasons to support HB2 and S205 (which is the Senate companion bill).

Reason Number Seven to Support HB 2
When people live and work in smoke-free enviornments, healthcare costs decline.

A recent study in Pueblo, Colorado found the rate of heart attacks declined 41% after a smoke-free law went into effect. Not only did fewer people have heart attacks, but it also had a rippling effect on the decline of public and private health care costs. When people live in smoke-free enviornments, less people have illnesses as a result of secondhand smoke, and more people quit smoking all together. As a result, individuals and the state spend less on healthcare.
Tobacco use costs North Carolina taxpayers $2.46 billion in direct healthcare costs ($769 million in Medicaid expenses alone), and $3.3 billion in lost productivity annually.

News and Observer Calls for Smoke-free

Everyone - check out this editorial in the Raleigh News and Observer today: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/story/1414107.html

This is a great editorial and the News and Observer joins the other major newspapers in our state calling on our state lawmakers to make all indoor worksites and public places smoke-free!

We have news that House Bill 2 will be heard in the House Health Committee at Noon on Thursday February 26th - now is the time to let the House Health Committee members that we want to protect all workers in NC from secondhand smoke. Tell them to keep HB 2 strong and to vote yes. To contact the House Health Committee, visit http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/Committees/Committees.asp?sAction=ViewCommittee&sActionDetails=House%20Standing_26

We can do this - but we need everyone to speak up for smoke-free indoor air!

Introduction

Hey everyone,

Thanks for reading the blog. We have some pretty exciting things that are going to happen here over the next couple of months. This blog is going to be updated and moderated by Heart Association volunteers from across North Carolina. For now, get excited about the Heart Association's Lobby Day on March 3! Starting next Tuesday, I'm going to have a post every day, counting down the 7 reasons that HB2 is good for North Carolina. Keep on reading!

2009 is the Year for Smoke-free NC

This is the year North Carolina can make history - help us protect all our workers from exposure to deadly secondhand smoke. You can be a part of the cure - visit www.smokefreenc.org and send an e-mail to your lawmakers - tell them that all workers in our state deserve the right to breathe smoke-free indoor air while they are at work.

Do you know that just five minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke is the same as if you had smoked a cigarette? Think about it - what if you are exposed all day long while you are at work?

If we all use our voices and speak up for smoke-free we will join the 28 other states and D.C. that have protected their workers.

You are also invited to join the American Heart Association on March 3rd for the 2009 You're the Cure AHA State Lobby Day. To learn more contact Betsy Vetter, betsy.vetter@heart.org.

This is the year - let's make 2009 HB 2 protects us all from secondhand smoke!