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Smoking

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Senators Try Again to Ban Smoking with Kids in Car

This year, Sen. Bobby A. Zirkin, D-Baltimore County, is sponsoring legislation that would impose a fine of $50 on anyone caught driving or riding with children under 8.

By Amber Larkins for Capital News Service Sen. Jennie Forehand, D-Montgomery County, is passionate about Marylanders not smoking. She remembers coming to the Senate in 1979 and hiding all of the ashtrays under the radiator. “I was the laughingstock of everybody, but I made the point,” Forehand said. Last year, she proposed a ban on smoking in cars with young children, which passed in the Senate, but died in a House committee. This year, Sen. Bobby A. Zirkin, D-Baltimore County, is sponsoring legislation that would impose a fine of $50 on anyone caught driving or riding with children under 8. “A little kid in a baby seat doesn't have any option but to be there,” Zirkin said. “This is an important bill. During a hearing of the Senate …

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Speak Out: College Smoking Bans Spark Debate

Nationwide, more than 800 higher-learning institutions restrict tobacco use, including many nearby.

  Add George Washington University to the list of metro-area campuses--including Montgomery College and the University of Maryland--to snuff out smoking on campus as part of a nationwide movement, despite an outcry by some students. The GW campus was the scene of a smoke-in protest earlier this month after school officials decided to bar smoking from the DC campus, The Washington Post reported. Some GW students and faculty are blasting the decision, but school officials are unfazed. "No matter how much science we have to back up what we're saying, there will always be individuals who see this as a restriction on their freedom," GW anti-smoking advocate Julien Guttman told The Post. The school's efforts are the latest in a growing national …

Michael J. McFadden

9:04 am on Wednesday, November 28, 2012

" "No matter how much science we have to back up what we're saying, there will always be individuals who see this as a restriction on their freedom," GW anti-smoking advocate Julien Guttman told The Post. " Really? Science eh? How about naming and defending even a SINGLE scientific study showing actual harm to people from the durations and concentrations involved in outdoor exposure to tobacco …   more ›

Monday, November 19, 2012

VIDEO: Montgomery Looks to Broaden its Ban on Smoking

Councilwoman Nancy Floreen's proposal includes county-owned parks, golf courses and parking garages.

The Montgomery County Council will soon consider whether to expand the county's ban on smoking. Proposed by Councilwoman Nancy Floreen—who battled breast cancer last year—the new legislation would outlaw smoking on all property owned or leased by county government. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park plans to submit the bill Nov. 27, and a public hearing has been tentatively set for Jan. 15. Here's a look back at some of milestones in Montgomery County's crackdown on tobacco: 1986 - Smoking banned from Metro stations and most county government workplaces. 1988 - Smoking banned from rest rooms, auditoriums and the public areas of offices, retail stores, banks and other private businesses. 1992 - Tobacco products banned from most vending …

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