Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Montgomery County legislators approved Tuesday a ban of smoking on most county-owned or county-leased property.
Need a cigarette break? Better be careful where you go to have that smoke. The Montgomery County Council approved Tuesday a ban of smoking on most county-owned or county-leased property. The ban was approved with the following recommended amendments from the Health and Human Services Commission: The bill will allow the Director of Health and Human Services to designate outdoor smoking areas on certain county properties. “There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke,” Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park said in a statement. “We are stewards of public health. The passage of [the smoking ban] will help us to protect our residents, employees and visitors from dangerous exposure. I applaud my colleagues for…
Monday, February 11, 2013
Rockville's Sen. Jennie Forehand was the lead sponsor of the measure last year.
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Monday, February 11
By Amber Larkins, Capital News Service ANNAPOLIS—Sen. Jennie M. Forehand (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville is passionate about Marylanders not smoking. She remembers coming to the Senate in 1979 and hiding all of the ashtrays under the radiator. “I was the laughingstock of everybody, but I made the point,” Forehand said. Last year, she proposed a ban on smoking in cars with young children, which passed in the Senate, but died in a House committee. This year, Sen. Robert A. Zirkin is sponsoring legislation that would impose a fine of $50 on anyone caught smoking while driving or riding with children under 8 years old. “A little kid in a baby seat doesn't have any option but to be there,” said Zirkin (D-Dist. 11) of Owings Mill. “This is an …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The Montgomery County Council meets at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Rockville.
The Montgomery County Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday on its proposal to ban smoking on any property owned or leased by county government. The proposed ban, introduced in November by Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen, would apply to the land around recreation centers and county buildings, for example, but not bus shelters and sidewalks, The Washington Examiner reported. The full information packet for the public hearing is available online and the hearing is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. The council will also vote on President Nancy Navarro's resolution urging the governor and state lawmakers to tighten restrictions on gun and ammunition sales. Other agenda items of note include: The County Council meets at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Nationwide, more than 800 higher-learning institutions restrict tobacco use, including many nearby.
Add George Washington University to the list of metro-area campuses—including Montgomery College and the University of Maryland—to snuff out smoking on campus as part of a nationwide movement, despite an outcry by some students. The GW campus was the scene of a smoke-in protest earlier this month after school officials decided to bar smoking from the DC campus, The Washington Post reported. Some GW students and faculty are blasting the decision, but school officials are unfazed. "No matter how much science we have to back up what we're saying, there will always be individuals who see this as a restriction on their freedom," GW anti-smoking advocate Julien Guttman told The Post. The school's efforts are the latest in a growing national …
Friday, November 16, 2012
Councilwoman Nancy Floreen's proposal includes county-owned parks, golf courses and parking garages.
The Montgomery County Council will soon consider whether to expand the county's ban on smoking. Proposed by Councilwoman Nancy Floreen—who battled breast cancer last year—the new legislation would outlaw smoking on all property owned or leased by county government. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park plans to submit the bill Nov. 27, and a public hearing has been tentatively set for Jan. 15. Here's a look back at some of milestones in Montgomery County's crackdown on tobacco: 1986 - Smoking banned from Metro stations and most county government workplaces. 1988 - Smoking banned from rest rooms, auditoriums and the public areas of offices, retail stores, banks and other private businesses. 1992 - Tobacco products banned from most vending …
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Bill coincides with American Cancer Society’s 37th Great American Smokeout.
Montgomery County leaders are considering tightening restrictions on tobacco use again, this time with a ban on smoking on any property owned or leased by county government. The ban—proposed by Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen—would apply to the land around recreation centers and county buildings, for example, but not bus shelters and sidewalks, The Washington Examiner reported. Floreen, a breast cancer survivor, will announce more details at a news conference Thursday timed to coincide with the Great American Smokeout. The American Cancer Society "smokeout" aims at getting the nation’s 44 million smokers to quit, including the 1 in 12 adults in Montgomery County who smoke, according to a county statement. The county has been at the leading…
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Common areas of apartment buildings included in the ban, which takes effect Aug. 12.
The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a prohibition on smoking in common areas and near playgrounds of multi-family homes. The ban will take effect on Aug. 12. It will apply to shared hallways, lobbies and laundry rooms and playgrounds of “multi-family residential dwellings,” such as apartment and condominium buildings. “This measure will protect nonsmokers from involuntary exposure to dangerous secondhand tobacco smoke,” Councilman Philip M. Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg said. An amendment added to the bill on Tuesday prohibits smoking within 25 feet of playground areas on privately owned property that serves residents of more than one home, such as playground areas in townhouse communities and subdivisions …
Holly Stephens
11:40 am on Monday, March 18, 2013
And another: ----------------- I am a high school student who agrees with the County Council's decision to approve a smoking ban in some public areas. I agree with the decision because there are times people don't want to breathe second hand smoke. I think it is so appropriate to create smoking areas for smokers. Not everybody smokes or lies the stench of smoke from cigarettes so why should they … more ›