Tobacco

A Tobacco Free for Life Train the Trainer event is from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15. The program is offered through Washington County Health Department. To register, email Paula Ernst at paula.ernst@maryland.gov by Monday, Nov. 12.

A Maryland Division of Correction K-9 officer found more than 11 pounds of tobacco Monday afternoon along Garis Shop Road outside the state prison complex south of Hagerstown, according to a Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services press release. The tobacco was found in two large bags, one being a gym bag and the other a trash bag, according to the release. The tobacco was found on the eastern edge of the Maryland Correctional Training Center, and each of the large bags contained 31 smaller bags, according to the release.

HANCOCK - The Washington County Health Department is sponsoring a series of tobacco cessation courses in November and December. The classes will be in the community rooms at Hancock Town Hall from 2 to 3 p.m. Classes are scheduled to begin today. They also will be held on Mondays, including Nov. 17 and 24 and Dec. 1; and Thursdays, including Nov. 20 and Dec. 4. Because of Thanksgiving, there will be a class on Wednesday, Nov. 26. Cessation aids such as nicotine replacement therapy patches and Chantix are available to eligible county residents.

pepperb@herald-mail.com For a man who depended on saliva to fuel his chewing tobacco habit, Rick Bender said now he can't even lick his lips. Bender, who had his right jaw removed after surgery for oral cancer, showed nose-scrunching and head-turning seventh-graders images of rotting teeth and receding gums in an effort to steer the youngsters from dipping into "spit tobacco" during a presentation Thursday at Smithsburg Middle School. "You can forget the spitting stuff - tobacco is tobacco," he said.

FREDERICK, Md. - The Cigarette Restitution Fund Program announces a second round of funding for tobacco use prevention education programs or for cessation services. Grants will be awarded for programs that address tobacco use in Frederick County adults and youth. Preference will be given to programs targeting African-American, Asian, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian populations, pregnant women and the medically underserved. Profit and nonprofit organizations are invited to apply.

-- See also : FDA: 70 county merchants sold tobacco products to minors The following 70 businesses illegally sold tobacco products to minors in 1999, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Washington County Boonsboro Produce Market, Old National Pike Coachs Liquors, 7724 Old National Pike, Boonsboro Sunrise Handi Mart, 14036 National Pike, Clear Spring Valley Market, 13722 National Pike,...

About 250 walked around the lake at Hagerstown City Park Wednesday as part of the second annual Walk in the Park World No Tobacco Day celebration. The event was sponsored by the Tobacco Free Washington County Coalition. The event is intended to counter efforts by the tobacco industry to get more people to start smoking, said spokeswoman Lynn Whitall. Coalition members are particularly concerned about allegations the industry is pushing children and teenagers into smoking, she said.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A vote on a statewide bill to increase penalties for providing tobacco to minors was postponed from Monday to today so a smokeless-tobacco tax could be included. West Virginia has a tax of 17 cents per pack on cigarettes, but it has no tax on chewing tobacco or other smokeless products, said state Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley. Unger said Senate Minority Leader Vic Sprouse, R-Kanawha, is adding a tax on smokeless tobacco products to a bill Unger is co-sponsoring.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Staying Tobacco Free, a program coordinated by Summit Health, is organizing A Kick Butts Day Shoe drive through April 10. The group's goal is to collect 600 pairs of shoes, in good condition or gently worn, throughout Franklin County to recognize National Kick Butts Day on April 5. The shoes will be taken to Harrisburg, Pa., on April 25 and 26 when Franklin County youth will gather to promote awareness of the dangers of...

Police seized 310 cartons of cigarettes from a vehicle that was stopped at a Martinsburg-area Sheetz on Wednesday, according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court documents. Oda Qarqat, 46, of Bogota, N.J., was arraigned Thursday on charges of no operators license and transportation of unstamped cigarettes or tax-not-paid tobacco products by Magistrate Robert L. Lowe II, according to court documents. Qarqat was in Eastern Regional Jail Thursday night on $9,000 bond, according to court and jail records.

Tobacco Free for Life classes are for two weeks from 11 a.m. to noon Mondays and Thursdays, March 4 to March 14, and April 1 to April 11, at Washington County Health Department, 1302 Pennsylvania Ave. in Hagerstown. Students must be escorted to class. Classes will also be held at Western Maryland Hospital Center, third floor conference room, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave. in Hagerstown. The classes will be from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, March 4 to March 14, and April 1 to 11.  All classes are taught by Paula Ernst.

War Memorial Hospital and Valley Health Wellness & Fitness Services will offer a free program "Tobacco Cessation" at noon Wednesday, Nov. 7, in Education Room B at War Memorial Hospital, 1 Healthy Way in Berkeley Springs. Kelly Walker, a health educator, will discuss general information about tobacco and tobacco cessation, tips for quitting smoking, resources for quitting, and learning about one's motivational balance for quitting. Registration is required by Friday, Nov. 2.  For more information or to register, call 800-662-7831.

A Tobacco Free for Life Train the Trainer event is from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15. The program is offered through Washington County Health Department. To register, email Paula Ernst at paula.ernst@maryland.gov by Monday, Nov. 12.

Washington County Commissioner Jeff Cline issued a proclamation, and a panel of experts discussed the dangers of tobacco and how the tobacco industry operates during World No Tobacco Day Thursday afternoon. “I've seen family members and friends die horrible deaths from smoking,” Cline said at the event held in the Newman Auditorium  of Robinwood Professional Center.  The proclamation declared May 31, 2012, as World No Tobacco Day in Washington County. Cline said local governments have a responsibility to raise awareness about the problems that can be caused from tobacco.

Tobacco use remains permitted in Borough of Waynesboro parks after attempts at a ban failed last week. The Waynesboro Borough Council decided last Wednesday to stop pursuing a tobacco ban for parks. Councilman Wayne Driscoll referred to it as “an idea ahead of its time” during a council meeting. “I didn't get any positive comments on it, so I'm not going to push it,” he said. On March 21, Driscoll told other council members about information he gathered in meetings with the Waynesboro Police Department, Penn State Extension and an organization called Healthy Communities Partnership.

Smoking and other use of tobacco products could be banned in Borough of Waynesboro parks if the Waynesboro Borough Council proceeds with a proposal it discussed Wednesday. Councilman Wayne Driscoll shared information he gathered in meetings with the Waynesboro Police Department, Penn State Extension and an organization called Healthy Communities Partnership, which receives funds from a tobacco lawsuit settlement from 11 years ago. Driscoll said he worries about children seeing people smoking in a family-friendly setting.

The Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative has launched a campaign to raise taxes on all tobacco products in Maryland. Cigarette prices would increase by $1 per pack, and other tobacco taxes would increase at a corresponding rate, under the proposal. More than 150 faith, community and health organizations have already endorsed the proposed tax, including the AARP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People of Maryland and the American Cancer Society. The tobacco tax revenue would fund various state health-related programs, including tobacco control programs and improved healthcare access for Maryland families.

Tobacco Free for Life classes will be held on Mondays, Oct. 3 and Oct. 17, from 11 a.m.. to noon  at Washington County Health Department, at 1302 Pennsylvania Ave. in Hagerstown, and from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. at Western Maryland Hospital Center, Main Floor Cafeteria, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave. Free cessation aids will be available while supplies last. Funding for this program is provided by the Cigarette Restitution Fund. For more information, call 240-313-3360 (TDD/TTY 240-313-3391)