Tobacco News

 

Smokers Greet Imminent Ban with Sigh of Resignation

By DAN TESTA of the Flathead Beacon

9-17-09

A decision made four years ago in the Legislature will soon kick in across the state as Montana bars, restaurants and casinos go smoke-free on Oct. 1. And while the change rankles those with familiar routines of sitting down at their favorite bar with a drink and a cigarette after a long day, the exodus to the outdoors seems to be greeted by many smokers with a sigh of resignation.

“It seems pretty much like they’ve just accepted it,” Patty Higgins, a bartender at the Remington in Whitefish, said of her smoking clientele. “A lot of them don’t believe it’s going to happen.”

But that doesn’t mean she likes the imminent change, even though her workplace will be smoke-free.

“I’m a smoker; if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t work in a smoking bar,” Higgins added. “I don’t like choices being taken away.”

Over at the Bandit Saloon in Columbia Falls, bartender Scott Blakesley said his employers have been taking steps to prepare customers for the change. One year ago, the Bandit stopped selling cigarettes. The bar has also hung signs notifying patrons of the Oct. 1 switch, and cleared out a small pavilion area outdoors behind the bar for smokers.

“Some people will like it and some people won’t like it,” Blakesley said. “Not until it gets taken away will they say a whole lot about it.”

He’s not sure whether business for the gaming machines will drop off, but he anticipates a pickup in sales of over-the-counter alcohol, as more smokers drink at home. An influx of new non-smoking customers might compensate for a drop-off from smokers.

“You lose some, but you’ll gain some in the long run,” Blakesley said.

When it takes effect here, the Montana Clean Indoor Act will join the state with 23 others across the country that have adopted similar laws. Though the bill passed the Legislature in 2005, the delay in taking effect is due to a compromise struck between those who opposed the bill and those who supported it.

Mark Staples, attorney for the Montana Tavern Association, recalled negotiations over the bill were tough for his organization, in that the anti-smoking side wielded an extremely powerful bargaining chip: Should the smoking ban fail, those who supported it planned to mount a ballot initiative instituting the ban that almost certainly would have passed, given public support for restricting smoking in indoor public places. Most polls show roughly 80 percent of Montanans support the Indoor Clean Air Act, while 20 percent oppose it.

“In a very difficult decision, the (MTA) leadership decided it would be better to give the businesses about five years to transition to non-smoking than to have it dropped on them via public ballot, literally overnight,” Staples said. “The stark reality of it was remaining bars and taverns in Montana that allowed smoking were swimming against the absolutely overwhelming tide of sentiment.”

Many bar owners and patrons, however, maintain that the smoking ban is an infringement on the property rights of business owners. Prior to the 2009 Legislature, Sen. Jerry Black, R-Shelby, introduced a bill to exempt some 1,400 Montana bars and casinos from the smoking ban, but public outcry almost immediately forced him to drop it, calling it “dead on arrival.” The MTA and Gaming Industry Association of Montana opposed Black’s legislation in order to honor the deal they made with health groups in 2005.

Though some bar owners may have held out hope that the Legislature would kick the smoking ban down the road a few years, most have prepared their businesses for the transition.

Leslie Deck, tobacco use prevention program coordinator for the Flathead City-County Health Department, said she has been receiving calls from bar and casino owners inquiring about what type of structures they can build to shield smokers from the elements without violating the new law. The basic rule, she said, is that the space can’t be enclosed. Lean-tos, shacks with an open wall or covered decks are legal; sealing off a room in a building separate from the bar for smokers isn’t.

“Bars are trying to get creative,” Deck said. “They’re thinking a good ventilation system is going to work, and that’s not going to work.”

She has also fielded inquiries from businesses as to how the smoking ban will be enforced. After receiving a complaint about a bar or casino allowing indoor smoking, Deck said she will send the establishment an educational letter about the ban. A second violation earns the bar a warning, while a third violation in three years gets a fine from the county attorney’s office of up to $500. Subsequent violations can run even higher.

But neither Deck nor Staples anticipate many bars or casinos will violate the smoking ban.

“I think people will abide by the law and do their best to make it work for their business,” Staples said. “We have our fingers crossed that people who said they would patronize these businesses if they would go smoke-free, go to them in droves.”

As for any decline in customers these businesses may see, Deck echoed many bartenders who believe a loss in business from smokers will be made up for by nonsmokers.

“What we’ve seen in other states, they see a little bit of a dip in the business and it bounces right back, because they’re bringing in a whole new group of customers,” Deck said. “I understand bars’ fears, but other states have shown us that it doesn’t last.”

“The fear of the unknown is much worse than what’s actually going to happen,” she added. “It’s not punishment, it’s not looking down on smokers, it’s just protecting the rights of employees and other people coming in these businesses – they get to breath clean air.”

On a recent afternoon at the Eagles Club in Kalispell, some happy hour drinkers contemplated the imminent ban as the smoke from their cigarettes curled toward the ceiling.

Clare Johnson, a non-smoker who previously owned a bar in Kalispell, called the ban “the best thing that ever happened.”

“I’m glad, because I don’t have to have second-hand smoke anymore,” Johnson said. “It won’t change for me, I’ll just be happy that I don’t have the person next to me smoking.”

But down the bar, James Daugharty sees the ban as an infringement on his rights, and the property rights of business owners

“I feel my civil rights are being trampled – I feel I should be able to smoke in an establishment and make up my own mind,” Daugharty said.

He said he has several friends turning their garages into makeshift smoking lounges, installing carpeting, big-screen TVs and planning to invite others over to smoke with freedom.

“Anytime you try to keep something from the people, they seem to find a way, especially a sweep this broad,” Daugharty said. “They look at it as the second coming of the speakeasy.”

 

 

Summit encourages

tobacco-free teens
By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian

6/18/08

“Survivor” contestant Mike Skupin fired up a crowd of Montana teenagers Tuesday night to take on the battle against corporate tobacco, sharing some of the lessons he learned on the reality TV program.

Don’t give up on your dreams, even when the odds are against you; it’s the choices you make that will write your life story; and quitting is not an option if you want to achieve something, the celebrity told his audience at the University of Montana.

About 180 teenagers from around the state listened intently and cheered the advice during the opening session of the 2008 reACT Against Corporate Tobacco Teen Summit.
While the four-day conference to inform youth of tobacco companies’ efforts to target them is a serious matter, the programming is catered to its energetic audience.

And here’s a heads up, Missoula: Expect this group of young people to take their message to the streets. There’s a high likelihood of rallies, flier handouts and other efforts advocating the anti-tobacco-marketing message.

“Our main goal is to reduce the initiation rate of tobacco use by Montana teens,” said Erin Kintop, youth empowerment coordinator for reACT, which operates under the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program. “Our goal is to empower youth to say no.”

Although it seems simple, saying no is a challenge because Big Tobacco has significant reason to attract new users, Kintop said.

Each year, the industry loses 200 million customers due to cessation efforts and death, she said.

“When that happens the industry needs to replace those consumers, and teens are considered the main replacement smokers,” Kintop said.

How are these new users recruited? The industry continues to find ways, she said - for example, by creating products such as candy-flavored tobacco.

Each year, tobacco companies spend $48.1 million on marketing their products in Montana alone, and roughly 19 percent of high school students in the state use tobacco, Kintop said.

The summit is tightly scheduled with lectures, art sessions, dance parties, activism and barbecues. It’s like camp, Kintop said, but with a really important purpose.

On Friday, the teens will hear from and hang out with another celebrity - Yes Duffy, a skateboarder, graffiti muralist, break-dancer and activist who appeared on MTV’s “Road Rules.”

The ultimate goal of the summit, Kintop said, is that the young participants go back to their communities and schools, share what they’ve learned and take it to the next level.

A quick survey of the teens showed that hope is within reason.

“I came here to learn what I can do,” said Auva Speiser, 14, of Missoula. “Some of my family has gotten cancer from tobacco, and I don’t really want that to happen anymore.”

Madison Gondeiro didn’t mince words when she explained why she is using part of her summer vacation to battle corporate tobacco.

“I’m really against tobacco,” said the 14-year-old from Vaughn. “I don’t like it at all, and I think it’s altogether bad for the nation and shouldn’t be allowed except for spiritual ceremonies in the Native American culture.

“What better way to spend my time than to be fighting for the youth and the safety of the world.”

To learn more about reACT, go to www.reactmt.com.

 

 

Tobacco whistleblower says Montana can do more

By AMANDA RICKER Bozeman Chronicle Staff Writer

5/8/08

Jeffrey Wigand, whose exposure of tobacco company practices inspired the movie “The Insider,” cited consumer rights laws Wednesday when asked about the challenges that remain for smoke-free campaigns.

“Does it tell you on the side of a pack of cigarettes what's in them?” he asked. “The consumer has the right to know exactly what's in the product. There's a lot of products out there now that they claim are reduced risk.”

Following Russell Crowe's portrayal of Wigand in the 2000 blockbuster, Wigand has spearheaded a campaign in Canada that put graphic warning pictures on all cigarette packs, doubled the price of cigarettes and banned most tobacco advertising there.

On Wednesday, Wigand shared his prevention ideas with about 170 professionals from across Montana. He served as the keynote speaker for the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program's annual statewide conference, a two-day event that continues today at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bozeman.

Wigand is the former vice president for research and development at Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. His disclosure of tobacco executives' deception and lies under oath to Congress brought death threats to his children. His interview with CBS's 60 Minutes was initially censored by the broadcast station for fear of reprisal by tobacco companies.

“He was hired to create a safe cigarette,” said Lily Tuholske, an organizer of the state conference. “But once they figured out that meant they would have to admit that cigarettes weren't safe, all of his research was suppressed.”

Each year, 1,500 Montanans die because of tobacco and at least 200 of those are non-users who die because of exposure to secondhand smoke, according to the Montana Department of Health and Human Safety.

Montana's annual tobacco prevention conference is funded in part by money the state received from the 1998 landmark settlement Wigand's testimony helped win against tobacco companies. The lawsuit awarded states $246 billion over 25 years to recover money spent on healthcare for smokers.

But, Wigand said, rather than using the money from the lawsuit for tobacco prevention, states have squandered much of it on potholes and other budget items.

In Montana, 32 percent of state tobacco-use revenue, or about $9.5 million, is earmarked for the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program, said Linda Lee, section manager for the program. That percentage was determined by a public vote.

But Wigand said the $9.5 million isn't enough.

That figure is the low end of what the Center for Disease Control recommends each state spend on tobacco prevention. The tobacco industry spends an estimated $41.8 million on marketing in Montana each year, Wigand said, citing a Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids statistic.

“Who do you think is going to win?” Wigand asked. “Big Tobacco.”

Nineteen percent of adults and 20 percent of high-school students in Montana smoke, according to a 2007 American Cancer Society report. Smoking costs the state about $493 million dollars a year.

Montana had the 11th highest cigarette tax in the nation in 2007 at $1.70 per pack.

Still, Wigand suggested that Montana at least tax the price of cigarettes by an additional one dollar a pack. He said cigarettes fall under the definition of an “instrument of murder” under criminal law. If he had not shared the information he had about tobacco companies, he would have been guilty of “bystanderism.”

In October 2009, all bars and casinos in Montana will go smoke-free. They will join the restaurants, public places and workplaces that have already prohibited smoking since the state Legislature passed the Clean Indoor Air Act in 2005.

Among the Montana program's services are the state tobacco quit line, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, and free or reduced-cost cessation tools such as the nicotine patch and prescription medicines. The group also operates reACT, a youth smoking prevention initiative.

 

 

 

Spitting image

Cancer victim warns students about hazards of chewing tobacco

By Kristi Albertson

The Daily Interlake

3/2/08

 

At 16, Gruen Von Behrens seemed to have the perfect life.

 

He was an all-star baseball player who expected a position on the college team of his choice. He was a nice-looking boy who never had any trouble finding a date for Saturday night. He was one of the most popular students at his small-town Illinois high school.

 

But Von Behrens also had a small white spot the size of a pencil tip on the side of his tongue.

 

At first he wasn't worried; he'd become used to canker sores in the three years he'd been using spit tobacco. This sore, however, stubbornly refused to go away and steadily grew.

 

In nine months, it had split his tongue in half.

 

Von Behrens' mother wondered why he slurred his speech and drooled. She thought his wisdom teeth were the problem, but Von Behrens knew the truth.

 

His addiction had given him cancer.

 

Now 30, Von Behrens travels the country, warning people of the dangers of tobacco. He is missing half his face, half his tongue and all of his teeth.

 

“This is the face of tobacco,” he told Kalispell seventh-graders on Thursday.

 

Von Behrens toured Montana last week in conjunction with the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program's monthlong focus on reducing spit-tobacco addiction. He addressed students at Kalispell Middle School , Columbia Falls High School , and Whitefish Middle School .

 

SPIT-TOBACCO use is much higher in Montana than the national average. Twelve percent of Montana men use spit tobacco, versus 8 percent nationwide. Nearly a quarter of the state's high-school boys use spit tobacco.

 

Most people begin experimenting with tobacco between the ages of 12 to 14, Von Behrens said. He was 13 when a buddy offered him a dip on a camping trip.

 

“I wasn't thinking about the longterm effects,” he said. At that age, “I thought about baseball, food, and women – usually in that order.”

 

It only took one pinch to hook Von Behrens. He like the way it tasted and the way it made him feel. The frequent canker sores were a minor annoyance – until one appeared halfway through his junior year of high school and refused to go away.

 

He didn't tell anyone about it. Even when his mother started worrying about his difficulty speaking and eating, Von Behrens kept his secret.

 

He knew his baseball coach would kick him off the team if he found out Von Behrens was using tobacco, which would destroy his plans to play college baseball. He knew doctors would remove half his tongue, a terrifying thought for someone who had never had so much as a cavity.

 

More than anything, he didn't want to hurt his mother.

 

“She was like my best friend,” he said. “The thought of telling that woman that I was sick because of the choice I made to put that crap in my lip…

 

“I wasn't man enough to do that.”

 

LUCKILY , mothers have a way of seeing through their children's charades. One day, Von Behrens' mother told him they were going shopping, then drove past the mall to a doctor's office instead. She'd made an appointment to get his wisdom teeth pulled.

 

The doctor was holding up the mask to put Von Behrens under for the procedure when the teenager stopped him.

 

“Doc, this isn't my teeth,” Von Behrens told him. “I think I've got cancer.”

 

After one glance at his tongue, the doctor agreed. “Until that day, I'd never seen my mother cry like that,” Von Behrens said. “It ripped her heart out.”

 

Six days later, he underwent a 13-hour operation. Surgeons removed half his tongue and cut into his neck to make sure the cancer hadn't spread to his lymph nodes.

 

It was the first of 34 surgeries and hundreds of treatments. All were painful, none more so than eight weeks of radiation. He lost 60 pounds because it hurt too much to eat, and the acid in soda and ketchup burned unbearably for a year afterward.

 

Less than two years after radiation, all of Von Behrens' teeth rotted. The treatment had killed the cancer, but it also had destroyed his skin, bones, and teeth. At 19, Von Behrens started wearing dentures.

 

“I went from the person people looked up to, to the person people looked at,” he said.

 

FIVE YEARS ago, he went through another marathon operation. Surgeons removed his jaw bone and replaced it with part of one of his lower-leg bones. They attached skin and tissue from his right thigh over the new jaw and neck; then they patched his thigh with skin from every part of his legs that hadn't been cut into.

 

It was a 20-hour procedure, and the pain he endured while healing was excruciating.

 

To date, Von Behrens has racked up somewhere between $2.5 million and $3 million in medical expenses. He currently is waiting for another reconstructive surgery, which doctors have told him will erase all evidence of his long ordeal.

 

Until then, he will deal with the stares, the whispers and the children who want to know why he looks like a monster.

 

His experience has taught him that the adage about judging a book by its cover is true. What matters, he said, is the person on the inside.

 

“The moral of the story is to be your own people. Be yourself,” he said. “The only person you have to impress is the person sitting in your seat right now.”

 

He also urged students no to take their parents for granted.

 

“Be nice to your folks,” he said. “Because when it feels like the whole world is caving in on you and you don't know where to turn, 99 times out of 100, your parents will be there for you.”

 

He hopes, however, that parents won't have to help their children endure what he has gone through.

 

When students are tempted to use tobacco, “I hope you think of me,” he said. “I hope it helps you make the right choice about tobacco.”