Hello all,

The June OTEC meeting, originally scheduled for June 19, is canceled.

Allen Stenger.

North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue today signed a bill banning smoking in bars
and restaurants, although not in other workplaces or public places.  The ban
goes into effect January 2, 2010.

North Carolina is the nation's top tobacco-producing state. Private clubs and
cigar bars are exempted from the ban. The law is non-premptive; localities can
ban smoking in other publc places if they wish.

Read press coverage here:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/whqr/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1\
507747&sectionID=1
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g-duwUbV5glu3kB4N6bFpPjXQFHA
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20090519/NEWS/905199997?Title=Perdue-to-sign\
-restaurant-smoking-ban
http://www.wdnweb.com/articles/2009/05/19/news/doc4a1217a4c19c3637081387.txt

Allen Stenger.

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today signed a bill banning smoking in Wisconsin
bars, restaurants, and work places. The ban takes effect July 2010. The state
Senate passed the measure 25-8 and the Assembly passed it 61-38. The state law
is pre-emptive; that is, localities are not allowed to pass stricter laws.

Read press coverage here:

http://www.waow.com/Global/story.asp?S=10380425
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/05/11/daily79.html
http://www.rhinelanderdailynews.com/articles/2009/05/16/news/doc4a0e1c392e6aa271\
012929.txt

Allen Stenger.

Hello all,

Due to a schedule conflict the OTEC meeting scheduled for May 15 is cancelled.
We'll meet on June 19 at Noon at CHINS; the program will be on media literacy.

Allen Stenger.

Otero Tobacco Education Coalition meets this Thursday, April 16, at 5 PM at
CHINS, 501 24th Street in Alamogordo. The agenda is below. See you then!

Allen Stenger.


AGENDA

Greetings and Administrative
* Please sign in on the sign-in sheet
* Dinner - please serve yourself
* Welcome and introductions
* Approval of minutes from February (there was no March meeting)

Old Business
* Creating a coalition at NMSU-A - ideas?

New Business
* Any?

Program
* Media literacy - bring some media samples to analyze

Next Meetings / Adjournment
* Next meeting: Friday, May 15, Noon, at CHINS

The OTEC meeting originally scheduled for March 20 is cancelled due to a
scheduling conflict. We'll meet next in April.

Allen Stenger.

(1) Senate Bill 44, introduced by Bernadette M. Sanchez, would amend
the Dee Johnson Clean Indoor Air Act to ban smoking in motor vehicles
where a minor is present. It passed the Senate by 26-12 on February 25
and now goes to the House. A number of other states already have such
laws. Bill language and status is here:

http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/_session.aspx?Chamber=S&LegType=B&LegNo=44&year=09

(2) Senate Bill 329, introduced by Richard C. Martinez, would amend
the Dee Johnson Clean Indoor Air Act to permit smoking in bars. The
current law permits smoking in "cigar bars", which are defined very
narrowly, but not in bars in general. The bill went to the Senate
Public Affairs Committee on January 21 and is still there. Bill
language and status is here:

http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/_session.aspx?Chamber=S&LegType=B&LegNo=329&year=09

Allen Stenger.

Hello all,

Otero County Tobacco Education Coalition meets this Thursday, February
19, 5 PM, at CHINS, 501 24th Street in Alamogordo. We'll have a
potluck dinner. The agenda is below.

Allen Stenger.

Greetings and Administrative
* Please sign in on the sign-in sheet
* Dinner - potluck - Eddie will bring the meat dish, bring something
else that you like
* Welcome and introductions
* Approval of minutes from January

Old Business
* Creating a coalition at NMSU-A - ideas?

New Business
* Any?

Next Meetings / Adjournment
* Next meeting: Friday, March 20, Noon

President Obama today signed a bill reauthorizing and extending the
S-CHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program). Similar
legislation had been passed twice by Congress but vetoed by President
Bush. The cost of the expansion is estimated at $32.8 billion over 4
years and will be paid by a 61-cent per pack increase in the federal
cigarette tax.

Read press coverage here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/us/politics/05health.html

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/02/obama_to_sign_\
h.html

http://children.webmd.com/news/20090204/obama-signs-kids-health-insurance-bill

Allen Stenger.

Colleges in North Carolina, a high tobacco-producing state, are
increasingly going smoke-free or are severely limiting areas where
smoking is permitted. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
has a 100-foot smokefree perimeter around all campus buildings,
forcing smokers to congregate around the flagpole, one of the few
campus locations outside the perimeter. Other colleges have totally
smokefree campuses. Opinions are divided on the effectiveness of these
rules; enforcement seems to be lax, and some students are defiant.
Read the News & Observer story here:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/higher_education/story/1391566.html

Allen Stenger.

According to a new poll, about 76% of likely voters in New Mexico
favor a $1 per pack increase in the state cigarette tax to help with
the projected budget shortfall and to fund anti-smoking programs. The
poll was performed by Research and Polling Inc. for the American
Cancer Society and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and surveyed
500 registered, likely voters across the state earlier this month. The
current tax is 91 cents per pack.

Read the Associated Press story here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28797859/

Allen Stenger.

We had a little bit of discussion about third-hand smoke at the OTEC
meeting last Friday. Here's a brief article from Scientific American
online, interviewing researcher Jonathan Winickoff on the subject. He
defines third-hand smoke as "the tobacco toxins that build up over
time—one cigarette will coat the surface of a certain room [a second
cigarette will add another coat, and so on]. The third-hand smoke is
the stuff that remains [after visible or "second-hand smoke" has
dissipated from the air]," The interview is  here:

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-third-hand-smoke

Allen Stenger.

Hello all,

Otero County Tobacco Education Coalition will meet this Friday
(January 16) at Noon at CHINS, 501 24th Street in Alamogordo. Lunch
will be provided. The agenda is below. See you there!

Allen Stenger.

Greetings and Administrative
* Please sign in on the sign-in sheet
* Lunch - please serve yourself
* Welcome and introductions
* Approval of minutes from October 16

Old Business
* Great American Smoke-Out - brief report

New Business
* Creating a coalition at NMSU-A - ideas?

Next Meetings / Adjournment
* Next meeting: Thursday, February 19, 5 PM

Hello all,

We've taken off a couple of months, but OTEC meetings will start up
again in 2009 with a regular meeting on Friday, January 16 at Noon at
CHINS (501 E 24th St in Alamogordo). We alternate meeting on the 3rd
Friday at Noon and the 3rd Thursday at 5 PM. See you then!

Allen Stenger.

New Mexico is 11th in the nation in funding tobacco prevention
programs, according to a November 18, 2008 report from Campaign for
Tobacco-Free Kids. The ranking is based on actual spending as a
percentage of the CDC's recommended spending.

The state will collect $108 million this year from the tobacco
settlement but will spend only $10.5 million of that on tobacco
prevention. The CDC recommended spending for New Mexico is $23.4
million. In contrast, tobacco companies spend $48 million per year on
marketing in New Mexico.

The report web site is here:
http://tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements/

The full report is here (New Mexico data is on pp. 63-64):
http://tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements/2009/fullreport.pdf

Allen Stenger.

According to an article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the number of
smokefree college campuses has more than quadrupled since 2006, from
34 to 160. The article also says that most campuses are at least
considering going smokefree, and attributes this to demographics:
18-year olds are accustomed to smokefree spaces. The article also
surveys problems and successes with bans. The article is "Smoking’s
latest battleground: the college campus" by Jenna Ross. You can read
the article online here:

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/34309509.html

Allen Stenger.

Reminder: the meeting is tonight!

The Library Foundation will be presenting a new plan to get funding
for the larger library. There's a story about the new plan in today's
Alamogordo Daily News on the front page: "Meeting to discuss spending;
Library, bond proposals on tonight's city slate" by Bev
Eckman-Onyskow. You can read it online here:

http://www.alamogordonews.com/news/ci_10951471

The agenda has not been posted on the City web site yet, but the usual
format for Town Halls is a presentation by City staff (lasting less
than an hour), a 10-15 minute break, and a public comment period open
as long as people have things to say. Sometimes there is informal
voting too but I don't know if that will happen tonight. The City
Commission will be in session at this meeting and they plan to vote at
the end of the meeting on which items to fund in the bond.

Allen Stenger.

--- In otec@yahoogroups.com, "Allen Stenger" <StenBiz@...> wrote:
>
> (this is off-topic, but members of this coalition are interested in
> public policy and quality of life issues and would probably like to
> attend this meeting even though is probably no tobacco impact)
>
> City of Alamogordo presents a Town Hall meeting at 6 PM on Tuesday,
> November 11, at the Sgt. Willie Estrada Memorial Civic Center, 800 E.
> 1st Street in Alamogordo. The City is contemplating a special election
> in March 2009 to pass a $10 million General Obligation (property tax)
> bond. The purposes to which the $10 million would be applied have not
> been decided yet, and the City Commission is asking the public to help
> them make those decisions by participating in this Town Hall meeting.
>
> There will be a presentation by City staff on the projects (promised
> to last less than an hour), followed by public comment. There will be
> snacks and door prizes. This meeting is also a meeting of the
> Alamogordo City Commission, and the Commission plans to vote at the
> end of the meeting on which projects to fund and how much to give each
> one.
>
> This bond was originally billed as "for Quality of Life projects" but
> seems to have drifted from the original conception. There are about 20
> projects competing for a slice of the pie. The best known competitor
> is a new building for Alamogordo Public Library. Other projects that
> will be considered include a new or expanded waste water treatment
> plant (i.e., sewer), even more money for street repair, replacement of
> deteriorated water mains and sewer pipes, and more.
>
> More information and an agenda are available here:
>
> http://ci.alamogordo.nm.us/Calendar/Special_Commission_Meeting_1198.htm
>
> Allen Stenger.
>

(this is off-topic, but members of this coalition are interested in
public policy and quality of life issues and would probably like to
attend this meeting even though is probably no tobacco impact)

City of Alamogordo presents a Town Hall meeting at 6 PM on Tuesday,
November 11, at the Sgt. Willie Estrada Memorial Civic Center, 800 E.
1st Street in Alamogordo. The City is contemplating a special election
in March 2009 to pass a $10 million General Obligation (property tax)
bond. The purposes to which the $10 million would be applied have not
been decided yet, and the City Commission is asking the public to help
them make those decisions by participating in this Town Hall meeting.

There will be a presentation by City staff on the projects (promised
to last less than an hour), followed by public comment. There will be
snacks and door prizes. This meeting is also a meeting of the
Alamogordo City Commission, and the Commission plans to vote at the
end of the meeting on which projects to fund and how much to give each
one.

This bond was originally billed as "for Quality of Life projects" but
seems to have drifted from the original conception. There are about 20
projects competing for a slice of the pie. The best known competitor
is a new building for Alamogordo Public Library. Other projects that
will be considered include a new or expanded waste water treatment
plant (i.e., sewer), even more money for street repair, replacement of
deteriorated water mains and sewer pipes, and more.

More information and an agenda are available here:

http://ci.alamogordo.nm.us/Calendar/Special_Commission_Meeting_1198.htm

Allen Stenger.

Otero County Tobacco Education Coalition will meet this Thursday,
October 16, at 5 PM at CHINS, 501 24th Street in Alamogordo. Dinner
will be provided. The main item of business is planning for a tobacco
coalition at NMSU-A.

Allen Stenger.

Four anti-anti-smoking groups have filed complaints against the 2006
Surgeon General's report on secondhand smoke with the Office of
Research Integrity of the Health and Human Services Department,
claiming various sorts of scientific misconduct. As usual, the
complaints are a mixture of misinformation and over-simplification and
contain no details. FORCES International has previously filed such
complaints but did not get anywhere, see our summaries here:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/otec/message/87

Read the groups' press release here:

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-08-200\
8/0004900477&EDATE=

Read some of the filed complaints here:

http://opponentsofohiobans.com/Documents/OoOB%20ORI%20econ%20final.doc
https://www.hawaiismokersalliance.com/S.G.html
http://banthebanwisconsin.com/Documents/oriletter.pdf

The fourth complaint appears not to be online; it is from Citizens
Freedom Alliance, Inc. (the new name for The Smoker's Club, Inc.).

Allen Stenger.

Otero County Tobacco Education Coalition will meet this Friday,
September 19, at Noon, at CHINS, 501 24th Street in Alamogordo. The
agenda is below. This is an especially important meeting because we
will be considering restructuring the group, or even (as a remote
possibility) disbanding it.

Allen Stenger.

= = = = =

Greetings and Administrative
* Please sign in on the sign-in sheet
* Lunch - please serve yourself
* Welcome and introductions
* Approval of minutes from July 17 (Eddie)

Coming Events
* Walk out West Saturday October 11 - health fair - should we appear?
10 AM to maybe 2 PM

New Business
* Possible restructuring as an on-call volunteer network - no regular
meetings
- Would group dry up and blow away?
- Does this affect coalition funding?
- Relationship to HEARTS
- Other concerns?
* Possible disbandment of ATEC Political Action Committee - still need
this?

Navaho President Joe Shirley, Jr. has vetoed the Navajo smoking ban,
according to the Associated Press. He cited concerns that it would
interfere with religious ceremonies, and that it would interfere with
the nation making money on gambling. It's possible the Navajo Nation
Council will override his veto. Read the AP report here:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ih3zYlfcs1oVDuzTECuGhklVDtJAD92DP1J07

Allen Stenger.

--- In otec@yahoogroups.com, "Allen Stenger" <StenBiz@...> wrote:
>
> The ban is not a done deal yet, as it still needs to be signed by
> Navajo President Joe Shirley, Jr. He has 10 days to decide.
>
> More press coverage is here:
>
> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92983121
> http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/250161
>
> Allen Stenger.
>
> --- In otec@yahoogroups.com, "Allen Stenger" <StenBiz@> wrote:
> >
> > The Navajo Nation Council has voted to ban all use of commercial
> > tobacco in public places on the reservation. This includes outdoor
> > public places, and includes smoked and spit tobacco. It does not ban
> > tobacco used in traditional ceremonies.
> >
> > Read press coverage here:
> >
> >
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ih3zYlfcs1oVDuzTECuGhklVDtJAD925QJDG0
> >
> > Allen Stenger.
> >
>

The New Mexico Department of Health is now accepting applications to
be certified as a cigar bar under the Dee Johnson Clean Indoor Air
Act. The Act provides for grandfathering certain establishments that
were operating as cigar bars in 2007 if they continue to meet the
qualifications each year; smoking is permitted inside these
establishments. The application process is to formalize this. The
application form is at

http://www.nmhealth.org/pdf/Cigar%20Bar%20Certif%20App.pdf

Meanwhile, Michael Cadigan, a city councilor (city commissioner) for
Albuquerque, claims there are no legal cigar bars in New Mexico and is
attempting to shut down the ones in Albuquerque. Read press coverage here:

http://kob.com/article/stories/S528446.shtml?cat=517

Allen Stenger.

The House voted 326-102 on Wednesday to give the FDA power to regulate
tobacco. The bill still has to get through the Senate, and President
Bush has signalled that he will veto the bill if it gets to him. Read
press coverage here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/washington/31tobacco.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073002674.\
html

Allen Stenger.

--- In otec@yahoogroups.com, "Allen Stenger" <StenBiz@...> wrote:
>
> Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt sent a letter to
> Congressman Joe L. Barton on July 21 expressing the Bush
> administration's opposition to having tobacco products regulated by
> the Food and Drug Administration. Such legislation is making its way
> through Congress and will probably be voted on this summer. The FDA is
> part of HHS.
>
> Levitt's letter expressed several concerns about giving the FDA such
> authority, notably a paradoxical concern that FDA approval gives the
> public the idea that a product is safe, and there is no way to make
> tobacco safe. Leavitt also expressed a concern that the additional
> responsibility would overload the FDA.
>
> None of this is news and Congress has heard it before. But this is the
> first time the administration has explicity opposed the legislation.
>
> Both of President Bush's possible replacements, John McCain and Barack
> Obama, have signed on as Senate co-sponsors of the legislation, so it
> may be a matter of waiting until Bush is out of office.
>
> Read press coverage here:
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/business/23tobacco.html
> http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5icGCbR5NgOT3UrHGpBx4izG73F9gD92332FO0
>
> Allen Stenger.
>

The ban is not a done deal yet, as it still needs to be signed by
Navajo President Joe Shirley, Jr. He has 10 days to decide.

More press coverage is here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92983121
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/250161

Allen Stenger.

--- In otec@yahoogroups.com, "Allen Stenger" <StenBiz@...> wrote:
>
> The Navajo Nation Council has voted to ban all use of commercial
> tobacco in public places on the reservation. This includes outdoor
> public places, and includes smoked and spit tobacco. It does not ban
> tobacco used in traditional ceremonies.
>
> Read press coverage here:
>
> http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ih3zYlfcs1oVDuzTECuGhklVDtJAD925QJDG0
>
> Allen Stenger.
>

The Navajo Nation Council has voted to ban all use of commercial
tobacco in public places on the reservation. This includes outdoor
public places, and includes smoked and spit tobacco. It does not ban
tobacco used in traditional ceremonies.

Read press coverage here:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ih3zYlfcs1oVDuzTECuGhklVDtJAD925QJDG0

Allen Stenger.

There's a new conspiracy theory making the rounds, namely that smoking
bans are being passed because of lobbying by pharmaceutical companies
who sell smoking cessation aids such as nicotine patches. We heard
this theory from a caller on our radio show last week. Here's a print
version, put forth by Opponents of Ohio Bans:

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/really-profits-smoking-bans/story.aspx?gui\
d={9286A2F4-B885-49EE-AF70-ED89C0E2BCAB}&dist=hppr

Like most conspiracy theories, this one won't withstand more than a
couple of minutes scrutiny. The worldwide market for smoking cessation
aids is growing and is estimated at $2.6 billion by the year 2010.
According to Philip Morris, in the US alone consumers spend $70
billion on cigarettes and the industry before-tax profit is over $8.8
billion.

The conspiracy theorists urge us to follow the money. Do they really
believe the smoking cessation industry has more financial clout than
the tobacco industry?

sources:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104949.php
http://www.philipmorrisusa.com/en/cms/Company/Financial_Information/default.aspx\
?src=top_nav


Allen Stenger.

Billionaire philanthropists Michael Bloomberg and Bill Gates are
donating a total of $375 million to cut smoking globally. This is in
addition to a $125 million donation Bloomberg made two years ago, for
a grand total of a cool half billion dollars.

They are targeting low and middle income countries, especially China
and India. A recent WHO report says that current antismoking campaigns
in such countries spend a mere $20 million per year. Bloomberg admits
that they are outspent by the cigarette companies, but says their
strategy is to leverage their money by getting governments
interested--governments have even more money than the tobacco industry.

Bloomberg said "The reality is that all the money in the world will
never eradicate tobacco use and that this problem is too big for any
one person or organization to solve. It's going to take a sustained
commitment by government, community organizations and the entire
global health community, including those who fund it."

Bloomberg, as Mayor of New York City, has pushed aggressive
anti-smoking policies in that city, including a smoking ban and high
tobacco taxes. He claims smoking rates have been cut 21%, teen smoking
has been cut by more than 50%, and the number of smokers in New York
City has dropped by 300,000 over the past 6 years.

read press coverage here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/health/24tobacco.html (includes
video of announcement)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jqQR_G9Q8JB6-DMU85JRHhxYME2wD923O0A01
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nysmok245775285jul24,0,990091.story

hear the NPR story here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92864125

Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt sent a letter to
Congressman Joe L. Barton on July 21 expressing the Bush
administration's opposition to having tobacco products regulated by
the Food and Drug Administration. Such legislation is making its way
through Congress and will probably be voted on this summer. The FDA is
part of HHS.

Levitt's letter expressed several concerns about giving the FDA such
authority, notably a paradoxical concern that FDA approval gives the
public the idea that a product is safe, and there is no way to make
tobacco safe. Leavitt also expressed a concern that the additional
responsibility would overload the FDA.

None of this is news and Congress has heard it before. But this is the
first time the administration has explicity opposed the legislation.

Both of President Bush's possible replacements, John McCain and Barack
Obama, have signed on as Senate co-sponsors of the legislation, so it
may be a matter of waiting until Bush is out of office.

Read press coverage here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/business/23tobacco.html
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5icGCbR5NgOT3UrHGpBx4izG73F9gD92332FO0

Allen Stenger.

Hello all,

OTEC will meet this Thursday, July 17, at 5 PM at CHINS, 501 24th
Street in Alamogordo. The agenda is below.

Allen Stenger.

Greetings and Administrative
* Please sign in on the sign-in sheet
* Dinner - please serve yourself
* Welcome and introductions
* Approval of minutes from June 20 (Eddie)

Program
* The Five A's (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange), a system
put out by the US Public Health Service for clinicians to assist
patients in quitting smoking

Publicity
* We were on the radio on Tuesday, July 8, 8-9 AM on KRSY-AM 1230
* Health Happenings column "The year of breathing deeply" published in
ADN on July 5

Coming Events
* any?

Old Business
* Ben Archer health fair report - Allen & Dee

New Business
* any?

Next Meetings / Adjournment
* No meeting in August - visit the CHINS booth in the Exhibit Hall at
the County Fair, August 13-16.
* Ben Archer open house is Friday, July 18, 4-6 PM. On South 54 one
block north of Enchanted Furnishings (former Sun City Furniture), 2150
US Hwy 54 South. 443-8133