Don't smoke 'em if ya got 'em!

That didn't take long.

"The country's largest tobacco-producing state is going smoke-free," says the N&O.

"North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue signed a bill into law Tuesday that bans smoking in restaurants and bars statewide. She signed the bill during a ceremony in the Old House Chamber of the state Capitol. ..."

Smoking ban likely to be a reality

I remember visiting Ireland seven years ago, and the big news story at that time was that smoking was to be banned in all pubs. PUBS! It was the first time that I thought something like that could actually happen in North Carolina.

Well, it looks like the state that has long held up tobacco as king will soon tell folks to take it outside.

Smoking will soon be prohibited in bars and restaurants across North Carolina, a state where tobacco was once revered for the money it generated for farmers, universities and community and cultural institutions [according to the News & Observer].

The state House on Wednesday narrowly approved a compromise with the Senate on a smoking ban. The legislation moves to Gov. Beverly Perdue, who said she will sign into law a bill that would have been unthinkable not long ago in a state with such strong economic and cultural ties to the plant. The ban would go into effect Jan. 2.

Perdue, a Democrat, called it "an important and historic day for North Carolina."

Indeed.

As you would imagine, when a bill passes by such a slim margin (62-56), there was mixed reaction.

Health advocates pushed the bill that was opposed by lawmakers from areas were tobacco-growing and cigarette factories are big employers [according to the Greenville Daily Reflector].

Supporters noted a 2006 report by the U.S. Surgeon General that no amount of exposure to secondhand smoke could be considered safe, and that servers who worked in restaurants and bars where patrons smoked were forced to sacrifice their health for a paycheck. A counter argument was that adults who run businesses or patronize them should choose whether to spend time in smoke-filled rooms.

"This is about the freedom and rights to do on your property what you see fit," said Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett County, whose rural home county includes many tobacco growers. "As well-intended as this bill may be, it's wrong. It's wrong to take away freedom."

Philosophically, I understand the argument that this could be seen as an infringement on personal rights. But, then again, so could making it illegal to not buckle your seatbelt, and I, for one, am thankful that is a law. After all, as the gorgeous blond in this video says, what about the children?

Quick hits: Bad news for Myrtle Beach bikers, the anti-smoking campaign and people who like water

Myrtle Beach declares no more Bike Weeks
"The city of Myrtle Beach and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce have launched Web and print information letting visitors know that from the city's perspective, the May motorcycle rallies are over," says the Sun News.

"Myrtlebeachbikerinfo.com launched last week, and brochures are available for distribution primarily through local hotels.

" 'We have new laws, and we'd rather not surprise visitors,' city spokesman Mark Kruea said. 'We'd rather they have some idea of what to expect when they come here.' ..."


Bad grade for N.C. on smoking
"When the legislative session starts at the end of the month, health advocates will have a new way to prod lawmakers to raise cigarette taxes and expand smoking bans," says the News & Observer.

"North Carolina received failing grades in a new report card by the American Lung Association that surveyed state laws and spending on anti-smoking initiatives. ...

"With the state facing a budget crisis, anti-smoking advocates say it is again time to seriously consider increasing the cigarette tax because it raises money and reduces smoking. ..."


Drought enters third year
"While 2009 got off to a wet start with several inches of rain and flash flooding, Western North Carolina remains in a serious drought that is entering its third year," says the Citizen-Times in Asheville.

" 'This drought has been pretty significant for its longevity. We have limited records with good data from WNC only, but we can't find another three-year record like this,' said the state climatologist Ryan Boyles.

"Only 28.64 inches of rain fell on downtown Asheville last year, making 2008 the sixth driest year on record going back to 1902, according to the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville. The previous year, 2007, ranked third driest with 23.53, behind 1988 and 1925.

"But adding up the shortfall in rain for the past two years marks this drought as the worst for WNC in more than a century, said Richard Heim of NCDC. Averaging rainfall of all the mountain counties showed last year as the 10th driest on record, while 2008 was the second driest since 1895. The driest year on record is 1988. ..."

This just in: N.C. has a connection to tobacco

Greensboro is fourth "smokiest" city in America, according to a report. Wilmington came in at No. 7, and Hickory came in at No. 10.

"Earlier this month, U.S. News & World Report published a list of metro areas with the most smokers as a percentage of population," says the Star-News.

"The rankings, which came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s health risk data, showed the Wilmington metro area, which covers New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties, in the No. 7 spot, tying with the Chattanooga, Tenn. area.

"Nearly 27 percent of adults in the Wilmington area said they smoked in the CDC survey."

Oddly enough, Durham -- which was built on tobacco -- ranked as the fifth-lowest city for smoking, with just 12 percent its residents saying they smoke.

"The Huntington, W. Va. area topped the list of 161 metro areas included in the survey, with more than 34 percent of its adult residents smoking. In comparison, only 7 percent of residents in the Provo, Utah area reported they smoked.

" 'I think the fact that we have North Carolina ranking that high means that we do really need to take action in the state,' State Health Director Leah Devlin said by phone Monday. 'Those statistics represent real people.' ..."

Quick hits: Bobcats should stick around a while. Young smokers? Maybe not

Contract binds Bobcats to Charlotte
"Bob Johnson may be disappointed by Charlotte's lukewarm reception to his basketball team, but the Bobcats and the city appear stuck with each other for some time," says the Charlotte Observer.

"Johnson complained this week that Charlotte's corporate community isn't buying enough of his most expensive club seats and suites, and that he's losing money on the four-year-old NBA team.

"But Johnson, the team's majority owner, said he won't sell or move the team -- and acknowledged that his arena deal with the city makes leaving virtually impossible.

"Details of the controversial arena contract suggest that Johnson received one of the best deals in the NBA, but he also is anchored to Charlotte for years. ..."

N.C. teen smoking rates hit all-time low
"Teen smoking rates in the Tar Heel State are at all-time lows. Recently released results from the 2007 North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey show smoking among middle school and high school students is down significantly since 2003," says News 14 Carolina.

"... It is a movement that is spreading across the state. According to survey figures, the number of teen smokers in North Carolina has dropped by 34,000 in the last four years.

"More than 7,500 middle school and high school students took part in this year's survey. They came from 191 schools from more than 70 school districts across the state. ..."

Quick hits: Military industry grows, while tobacco interest slows

Military industry growing in N.C.
"For anyone familiar with the state's ravaged textile industry, First Choice Armor's sewing room would be a shock: 100 workers stitching, their humming machines a cheerful undertone to a radio blaring 'Same Old Lang Syne.'

"The state is dotted with dozens of vast, empty mills -- or their wreckage. First Choice, though, moved into one of those shells in 2006 and is running six days a week -- two shifts in some departments -- making body armor, helmets, and bulletproof shields for SWAT teams. It has 200 workers and hopes to expand, said General Manager Paul Koren.

"One reason for its success: Its customers include the military," says the News & Observer. "That makes it exactly the kind of company that state and local leaders are trying to woo, or nurture from local roots. That push, which began in 2004, is aimed at capitalizing on the presence of some of the nation's largest military bases to replace jobs and income from faltering industries such as textiles, furniture and tobacco. There are signs that the efforts are paying off.
..."

Tobacco state bans smoking in state government buildings
"On New Year’s Day, smoking will be prohibited in all state government buildings in North Carolina, a state in which tobacco was once king.

"While North Carolina continues to be the leading producer of tobacco in the country, research linking secondhand smoke to health problems has prompted the change for state buildings.

" 'I have a good friend who says that just because tobacco is our history doesn’t mean that tobacco has to be our future,' said Ashley Bell, chairwoman of the N.C. Alliance for Health, which pushed for the new law. 'It’s a change in thinking publicly.'

"Bell said that the law is meant to protect employees and people who visit government buildings," writes Freedom Press.

Go ahead, light up!

I've never been a smoker, but I've also mostly been of the opinion that smoking is one's perrogative -- just so long as it doesn't affect me.

I've also been someone who tends to value personal rights.

However, I was all for a proposed statewide ban on smoking in public places. Unfortunately, the vote in the N.C. House of Representatives failed on Wednesday as, the Charlotte Observer wrote, "tobacco territory Democrats sided with Republicans who called the measure an infringement on the rights of business owners."

"We gave it our best shot," Rep. Hugh Holliman, D-Davidson, the bill's sponsor and lung cancer survivor, told the paper.

On the surface, I can live with the ban failing. But what is alarming is this part from the article: "House members voted 61-55 against the measure. More than a dozen Democrats from counties where tobacco is grown or manufactured opposed the ban.'

So, basically, the state is endorsing something that has no social value whatsoever, and is putting economic strength ahead of the health of the citizenry. I thought this kind of stuff only happened in movies (see "Blood Diamond").

"It's not about personal freedoms. It's not about business property rights," Holliman told the Observer. "This is a health issue bill. Cancer has probably impacted every family here in one way or another."

And it looks like it may just impact many more, thank you very much.

Quick hits: Sandburg, smoking and (a hit to) sippers

Carl Sandburg's Flat Rock home listed as one of '10 Great Places'
"Take the fork in the road and see the landscapes that inspired some of America's best-loved poets," writes USA Today online. "April is National Poetry Month, a good time to visit the homes of some of the nation's most renowned poets. J. D. McClatchy, poet, editor of the Yale Review and author of American Writers at Home, shares his recommendations with Kathy Baruffi for USA Today."

One those homes is Carl Sandburg's home in Flat Rock, N.C. (pictured).

" 'The son of Swedish immigrants, Sandburg (1878-1967) was born in Illinois and made his name with poems about Chicago (Hog Butcher of the World). He won the Pulitzer Prize twice, was friendly with presidents and movie stars, but he never forgot his humble beginnings,' McClatchy says. Hence, his somewhat baronial estate, 30 miles from Asheville, N.C., may seem out of character to some visitors. A herd of goats is a reminder of the dairy farm his wife once ran here. ..."

Weakened statewide smoking ban passes House committee -- again"A ban on smoking across North Carolina, bounced back from the House floor in a dispute over business owners' rights, again won the support of a House committee Tuesday in a weakened form that put much of the onus for restrictions on local governments," writes WRAL.com.

"The modified bill would still ban smoking statewide in restaurants, hotels and state government office buildings. However, it would specifically exclude restaurant-bars that are age-restricted and smoking-designated hotel rooms.

"Local governments would have the authority to override those exceptions and to bar or restrict smoking in public places, workplaces, local government buildings, public transportation and schools. ..."

Frost turns grapes and vintners blue
"Peaches and apples weren't the only crops hurt by the Easter weekend freeze," writes the Charlotte Observer.

"Across North Carolina's young wine industry, grape growers and wine makers are assessing damage to their fields -- and waiting to see how bad it gets when warm temperatures return and vines begin to grow again.

"Agriculture agents in grape-growing counties, particularly around the Yadkin Valley, report heavy losses in white-wine grapes such as chardonnay, pinot gris, viognier and riesling. Those vines break into buds early, and warm temperatures before the freeze pushed them as much as two weeks ahead.

"Red-wine grapes, particularly cabernet sauvignon, are hardier and break bud later, so they sustained less damage. ..."

Update: A smoking ban in tobacco country?

We've discussed this quite a bit in the past (both here and at the Raleigh Philosophical Society site), but the push for a statewide smoking ban in North Carolina is on.

"A bill filed in the state Legislature on Tuesday would ban smoking in public places such as bars, restaurants and workplaces across North Carolina," says WRAL.com.

Rep. Hugh Holliman, D-Davidson County, the House majority leader who is sponsoring the bill, says "it's no secret that second-hand smoke causes cancer and that the legislation's goal is to protect the citizens of North Carolina."

WRAL says the bill would prohibit smoking indoors with very few exceptions, for example bars that sell mostly alcohol and very little food.

"Why should we be subjected to the recycled filth of someone else's self-inflicted bad habit?" Roger Thompson, a supporter of the bill, told the news channel.

Good point.