The push for smoke-free cities in the US is building, with at least 22 states and the District of Columbia now mandating all workplaces, including restaurants, movie theaters, and bars, be smoke-free. Major cities around the world, including Paris, London, and Dublin have also implemented a ban on smoking in public places. How are locals adapting to the changes, and are cigarette sales being affected?http://www.newser.com/2008 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorThu, 20 Nov 2008 1:58:56 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/42613/fewer-than-20-of-us-adults-smoke-a-first.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSmoking in the US is at its lowest since cigarettes became widespread after World War I, Reuters reports, with fewer than 20% of adults in the country lighting up—the lowest figure on record. Observers credit the gradual decline to awareness, bans on smoking in public places, and prohibitive taxation. Still, smoking is estimated to kill 443,000 people a year.http://www.newser.com/story/42613/fewer-than-20-of-us-adults-smoke-a-first.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 13 Nov 2008 13:37:46 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/38809/india-readies-smoking-ban-unruly-public-shrugs.html?refid=rss_all_defaultIndia is about to institute a ban on smoking in public places, including bars, restaurants, hotels and hospitals, the Wall Street Journal reports. The ban, which begins Thursday, is being greeted warmly by health officials, with skepticism by smokers on the ground. “Such rules are made and broken every day," one said. “The ban will have no effect on me.”http://www.newser.com/story/38809/india-readies-smoking-ban-unruly-public-shrugs.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 30 Sep 2008 16:20:36 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/38346/vintage-stars-got-big-bucks-to-smoke.html?refid=rss_all_defaultAlmost all of Hollywood's big names from the '30s, '40s, and '50s were on the payroll of tobacco companies, the BBC reports. Documents released as part of anti-smoking lawsuits reveal that stars like Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, and Joan Crawford got up to $10,000 each from Lucky Strike in 1937—equivalent to $150,000 per head in today's money.http://www.newser.com/story/38346/vintage-stars-got-big-bucks-to-smoke.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 25 Sep 2008 1:40:25 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37954/e-cigs-not-safe-who.html?refid=rss_all_defaultElectronic cigarettes are untested and possibly unsafe, the WHO said today. The device—a mock cigarette that releases a fine mist of nicotine, sans fire—has been sold over the internet as a smoking cessation aid, Reuters reports. The problem is that it could release, besides nicotine, “many other toxic compounds which we are not sure of," warns the director of the WHO’s anti-smoking initiative.http://www.newser.com/story/37954/e-cigs-not-safe-who.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSat, 20 Sep 2008 6:08:01 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37860/casinos-choke-on-smoke-bans.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTaking deep breaths of clean air won’t stave off panic for casinos confronted with smoking bans in an increasing number of states, the Wall Street Journal reports. In Illinois, casinos have posted double-digit revenue drops since a ban took effect in January. “Gamblers like to smoke and drink while they gamble,” explained one consultant. “You've got three co-dependent bad behaviors that go together.”http://www.newser.com/story/37860/casinos-choke-on-smoke-bans.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 19 Sep 2008 12:17:12 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/36687/boston-bans-drugstore-cigarette-sales.html?refid=rss_all_defaultBoston's health honchos have approved some of the country's toughest anti-tobacco rules by banning sales at some stores, the Boston Globe reports. The new rules forbid pharmacies and campus convenience stores from selling cigarettes. They also ban smoking on bar and restaurant patios. The city's cigar parlors, previously exempt, will also have to stub out after a 5-year grace period expires.http://www.newser.com/story/36687/boston-bans-drugstore-cigarette-sales.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 05 Sep 2008 2:06:08 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33315/menthol-debate-splits-black-caucus.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThe exemption of menthol from a bill banning flavored cigarettes is causing a rift in the Black Congressional Caucus, the New York Times reports. Some members of the caucus, which has strong financial ties to tobacco companies, argue that menthol cigarettes cause disproportionate harm to blacks and are pushing for a ban. Others say a ban on menthol would sink the bill.http://www.newser.com/story/33315/menthol-debate-splits-black-caucus.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 24 Jul 2008 22:08:03 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33012/dutch-fight-smoking-ban-with-god.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWorshipers are flocking to the One True Universal Smokers' Church of God—whose "masses" are held in bars—since the Netherlands instituted a smoking ban July 1. Adherents claim their right to light up is protected as a religious freedom, Radio Free Netherlands reports. "I genuinely believe in the freedom God has given us. That includes the freedom to smoke," says one bar owner. "So I smoke in the name of God."http://www.newser.com/story/33012/dutch-fight-smoking-ban-with-god.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 22 Jul 2008 3:25:08 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/32620/menthol-used-to-hook-young-smokers-study.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTobacco companies use menthol to make the taste of cigarettes more acceptable to young first-time smokers until they become addicted, a new study charges. Researchers found that 44% of child smokers used menthol cigarettes, reports Reuters. "Menthol stimulates the cooling receptors in the lungs," said an expert from the Harvard School of Public Health who studied the marketing of menthol cigarettes. "Menthol helps the nicotine go down. It makes smoking easier."http://www.newser.com/story/32620/menthol-used-to-hook-young-smokers-study.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 16 Jul 2008 22:23:58 CDT