Tobacco Documents Online

S4e~tQ _5,o Northeast /I Connecticut. ,Efforts underway in the state legislature to / U hike the state' cigarette tax by 25 cents per pack. Tax increase campaig is led by Attorney General Blumenthal, who also wants a repe of current law that prohibits towns and cities from enactin smoking restrictions that are more severe than state la If that were to happen the likely result would be a patc ork of local smoking ordinances throughout the state. Maine. Gov. King proposes t double the state's cigarette excise tax to 4 7-cents per p Opponents of the increase cite likelihood that Maine smd rs will choose to avoid the state's high tax by traveling New Hampshire, where the cigarette tax is 25 cents per pa J New Hampshire. Meanwhile, Gov. Sh doubling of her state's cigarette exc are increasingly crossing the border steep 76-cents-per pack tax. pack. Action comes despite the tremend Hampshire retailers have experienced as n has called for a 1~/ tax tq 50 cents per s windfall New New York. Local officials in Roch s r approvN a bill that further restricts smoking in restaurants. Restaui`ypnts with N O 4 0 w m ~ W w 0

more than 50 seats will be required to reduce the size of their smoking sections from 30 percent to 15 percent of total seating. Smoking will be completely banned by 1999, except in bars and in ventilated smoking rooms. / Iowa. Attorney Gene a1 Miller has a double whammy in store ~f for smokers, as he ou lines a package of legislative proposals that include both a cigarette tax increase and the potential for severe includ\eboth king restrictions. Miller proposes to increase the state ci arette tax by 4 cents per pack and to repeal existing state aw that prohibits localities from enacting their own smoking restrictions. Midwest Indiana. A measure banning 1 cal ordinances governing the sale, display and distribution of tobacco becomes law, as House and Senate override Gov. ayh's earlier veto. This action puts an end to the current patchwork of laws that now dictate the marketing.and sale of igarettes throughout the state, in favor of uniform state la V Minnesota. Say it ain't so! Gov. Ca lson singles out smokers for a 10-cent per pack tax hike o help build a new baseball stadium for the Minnesota,_Twins. Carlson's proposal comes despite state's,.$TK budget surplus;, And despite likelihood that smoking wo)~1d be banned from\the new stadium.

ydisconsin. Gov, Thompson outlines his vision for the new V yvear, which includes slapping smokers with a five-cent per pack increase in the state's cigarette excise tax. Great Plains Kansas. Gov. Graves s gns a proclamation declaring month of March as "Responsible To acco Retailing and We Card Awareness Month." Proclamation is eant to raise awareness of the We Card and other programs m ant to help prevent minors from obtaining cigarettes. I South Alabama. Anti-smokers who 1a t year tried unsuccessfully to convince the state legislature o increase the state's cigarette excise tax are back -- and more determined than ever. Tax increase supporters ar calling for an 18 cent per pack tax increase to pay for early childhood and juvenile justice programs. Gov. James promi s to fight the increase, saying that there are other ways to nd these programs.... ~ l 1~412ile. City Council gives the green li ht for 20 new >j firefighters however, smokers will not e considered for Lthese positions. 0 en a N

Florida. Two proposals now under consideration by the state legislature would wreak havoc with the state's hospitality and tourism industr~'es. One proposal would ban restaurant ~ smoking completely, nd the other would give towns and cities the authority to repl ce current state law with their own public smoking restric ions... Meanwhile, Gov. Chiles / continues his attack on smokers, this time by calling for a" 10-cent per pack increas in the state cigarette tax. Mississippi. A 75-cent p r pack inc ease has been introduced in Mississippi. The p~al would raise the state's cigarette tax by ~~,rt~nan 400 percent -- to 93 cents per pack. Southwest Arizona. Local hospitality commun'ty in Mesa trying to undo ' the damage cause by a voter-backed s oking referendum that was passed last year. Strict new rest ictions have resulted in significant losses for Mesa's restau ants and other businesses. [See accompanying article, p tk].... The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office charged B 0 retail clerks with selling tobacco products to minors in five-week sting. In one-third of 2,900 attempted buys, youths were able to buy tobacco without being asked for ID.

West /Utah. Legislature passes measure to increase state cigarette (/ tax by 25 cents per pack. Alaska. State lawmakers onsider a $1.00-per pack increase- V/in the state's cigarette e cise tax. If enacted, Alaskans would be forced to pay an a tounding $1.29 per pack in state cigarette taxes -- the highe t in the nation. Pacific Northwest sales since state's new 30-cen per pack tax increase took effect on Feb. 1. Oregon voter passed an initiative last November to raise the state's ci arette tax to a whopping 68 cents per pack. [see accompanyin article, page tk.] .''Washington. Gone but not forgotte4. Former-Gov. Lowry ! , presses the state legislature to enaAt a complete ban on ~,restaurant smoking. Lowry's action coknes despite absence I lany public outcry to strengthen state's\existing public E smoking 1aws... of W .P

Hawaii. Honolulu City Council members are split over what, if any, additional action is needed to regulate smoking in that city's restaurants. Propoal to ban smoking completely is one vote short of the number veto by Mayor Jeremy Harris. `The -- ' `-_-- - - - ' `-°restaurant smoking issue just las i ~ officials and restaurant owners eeded to override a promised City Council addressed the year, at which time local eed to a voluntary ,.. "consumer notification" system.! Bu letting business owners set their own policies apparently d es not go far enough for some local officials.