Search Results for: smoking

Council adopts vape extension to smoking ban

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The city outlawed vaping in public spaces Wednesday, amending Houston’s smoking ordinance to include electronic cigarettes. City Council voted 16-0 to approve the amendment, proposed last year by the Houston Health Department in response to growing scientific consensus on … Continue reading →

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City Council to consider adding vapes to smoking ordinance

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds reasonable. I’ll be interested to hear what the opponents have to say. City Council on Wednesday will consider a proposal to bar the use of e-cigarettes and any kind of vaping in public spaces under Houston’s smoking ordinance. The … Continue reading →

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House votes to raise smoking age

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This could happen. The Texas House voted Tuesday to raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 21, except for military personnel. Senate Bill 21 received preliminary approval from the lower chamber more than one month after the Senate approved … Continue reading →

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Raising the smoking age

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m fine with this. A long-stalled push to raise the minimum age for buying tobacco and e-cigarettes in Texas has a puff of momentum, thanks to early hearings in both chambers, strong support from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and a … Continue reading →

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Smoking ban extended to pedestrian plazas

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m okay with this. Main Street Square is now a smoke-free zone following the City Council’s decision Wednesday to expand Houston’s smoking ban to pedestrian plazas, marking the latest effort from the Parker administration to curb lighting up in public … Continue reading →

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City smoking ban extended to parks and libraries

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Who knew they weren’t already, right? Houston public parks, golf courses and pools will be smoke-free zones come September, marking one of the most sweeping tobacco bans at city facilities. Parks and Recreation Department Director Joe Turner announced the new … Continue reading →

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No smoking at UH

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Put that cigarette down and slowly back away. The University of Houston is on its way to becoming a tobacco-free campus. Under a new proposal by school officials, UH would outlaw the “use, sale, advertising, and sampling of all tobacco … Continue reading →

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City may ban smoking in parks

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Um, yeah. Mayor Annise Parker said she is considering banning smoking in the city’s 380 parks because of the fire dangers presented by discarded cigarettes. “This drought is a crisis situation,” Parker said.  ”I am leaning toward a ban on smoking cigarettes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

San Marcos takes a step forward on smoking ban

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A non-binding step, anyway. Presented with four ways to proceed with a potential public smoking ban, the San Marcos City Council opted late Tuesday to move forward with putting a nonbinding referendum before voters in November. Assistant City Manager Collette … Continue reading →

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Still no statewide smoking ban

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Last Tuesday, just before the special session ended, the Trib summarized where the effort to pass a statewide smoking ban stood. Bill: SB 28 would institute a statewide ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and many public places. If passes, supporters … Continue reading →

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Smoking ban survives Senate committee

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The statewide smoking ban still lives. Senate lawmakers pushed a ban on smoking in public places out of committee this afternoon, sending it to the full upper chamber for a vote. Senate Bill 28, which would ban smoking indoors in … Continue reading →

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Smoking ban lives again

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Never say never when the Lege is in session. The House Appropriations Committee voted 19-1 to recommend their colleagues approve HB 46, designed to stop secondhand smoke from polluting the air and lungs for others. “It’s the No. 1 public … Continue reading →

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Smoking ban well and truly dead

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Nice try, but no dice. Many thought this was the year. But Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, acknowledged on Saturday that a measure establishing a statewide smoking ban in Texas is dead. Crownover blamed its failure on a “handful” of Senate … Continue reading →

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House passes statewide smoking ban

Posted on May 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

One of the many amendments that was successfully added to SB1811 Friday night was by Rep. Myra Crownover to finally implement a statewide smoking ban. The close vote, 73-66, came during debate on the enormous budget-related bill, Senate Bill 1811. … Continue reading →

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Two smoking stories

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Myra Crownover will make her biennial attempt to pass a statewide smoking ban in Texas, which if it passes would make it harder to smoke. Although she believes in limited government, Crownover said 53,000 people die each year in … Continue reading →

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Is this the year a statewide smoking ban passes?

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. The latest from Gov. Rick Perry’s preferred polling firm, Baselice & Associates, shows that 70 percent of Texans support a ban on indoor smoking, including in restaraunts and bars. The sentiment appears to cut across party lines. The ban … Continue reading →

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Statewide smoking ban still on tap

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Now that every major city in Texas has an ordinance that bans smoking in most public places, attention turns to the Lege where another attempt will be made next year to pass a similar ban. Similar legislation died in the … Continue reading →

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San Antonio smoking ban passes

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

By a slightly larger margin than expected. The City Council on Thursday approved a fortified smoke-free ordinance aimed at protecting public health, despite pleas from frustrated bar and restaurant owners who said that the ban would hurt their business. The … Continue reading →

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The Mayor and the smoking ban

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting story about San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who did not campaign on expanding that city’s smoking ban but is now the leading proponent of it. He’s likely to get it passed on Thursday with a 6-5 vote, though a … Continue reading →

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San Antonio smoking ordinance heads for a vote

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The revised San Antonio smoking ordinance has made it out of Council committee and will be voted on, in some form, next week. The proposal originally sought to ban indoor smoking, ending the exemptions for bars, pool halls, comedy clubs, … Continue reading →

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Still more on the San Antonio smoking ordinance

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an Express News article from last Sunday about the effect that municipal ordinances that have banned smoking in bars and restaurants have had on those establishments. Interestingly, the main place it goes for anecdotal evidence is Houston. Lizzard’s Pub, … Continue reading →

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San Antonio smoking ban protests

Posted on July 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The proposal to strengthen the smoking ban in San Antonio has drawn protest from a previously silent constituency. LULAC, the San Antonio Mixed Beverage Association, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the San Antonio Restaurant Association … Continue reading →

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Still smoking in San Antonio

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

But maybe not for much longer. San Antonio City Councilman Justin Rodriguez announced [last] Friday that he is sponsoring an ordinance to outlaw smoking in most public places, including all bars, restaurants and workplaces. Rodriguez said San Antonio is one … Continue reading →

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RIP, statewide smoking ban

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I thought it still had a chance after it finally passed out of committee in the Senate, but the statewide smoking ban is officially dead. [State Sen. Rodney] Ellis held a press conference to announce the death of the statewide … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Statewide smoking ban still stuck

Posted on May 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s stuck in the Senate, which is a bit odd. The woman standing in the way of a Senate vote is Sen. Jane Nelson, a Flower Mound Republican who joined [Lance] Armstrong on the Capitol steps in February in a … Continue reading →

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Statewide smoking ban stalled

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It may be a bit premature to write its obituary, but not by much. Sen. Jane Nelson said she is in no rush to push a proposed statewide smoking ban through her Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Statewide smoking ban update

Posted on April 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Earlier in this session, I thought the odds of a statewide smoking ban getting passed were pretty good. As of this point, however, it appears to be a dicier proposition. The chairman of the House committee considering a proposed statewide … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

Statewide smoking ban update

Posted on April 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Earlier in this session, I thought the odds of a statewide smoking ban getting passed were pretty good. As of this point, however, it appears to be a dicier proposition. The chairman of the House committee considering a proposed statewide … Continue reading →

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Ellis and Crownover on the smoking ban

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Rodney Ellis and State Rep. Myra Crownover have an op-ed arguing in favor of the statewide smoking ban legislation they’re sponsoring. I don’t know how persuasive their case may be to anyone who isn’t already in favor of … Continue reading →

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Ellis and Crownover on the smoking ban

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Greg Wythe

State Sen. Rodney Ellis and State Rep. Myra Crownover have an op-ed arguing in favor of the statewide smoking ban legislation they’re sponsoring. I don’t know how persuasive their case may be to anyone who isn’t already in favor of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 2 Comments

Another step forward for a statewide smoking ban

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Greg Wythe

The statewide smoking ban proposals picked up the endorsement of the state restaurant association. On Monday, the Texas Restaurant Association voted to support the measure – one they say would “level the playing field” for establishments across Texas. “With 28 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 2 Comments

Another step forward for a statewide smoking ban

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The statewide smoking ban proposals picked up the endorsement of the state restaurant association. On Monday, the Texas Restaurant Association voted to support the measure – one they say would “level the playing field” for establishments across Texas. “With 28 … Continue reading →

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Study claims smoking ban leads to fewer heart attack deaths

Posted on January 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Consider this to be a data point in the ongoing debate over a potential statewide smoking ban in bars, restaurants, and other indoor workplaces. A smoking ban in one Colorado city led to a dramatic drop in heart attack hospitalizations … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 1 Comment

Statewide smoking ban proposed

Posted on December 26, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been saying that a statewide smoking ban would be on the legislative agenda next spring. Well, here it comes. State Sen. Rodney Ellis , D-Houston , and state Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, said they plan to file a bill … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 5 Comments