Tobacco

shappell@herald-mail.com Two county residents pleaded guilty Thursday to charges they tried to smuggle tobacco products into Roxbury Correctional Institution, court record say. Sheila L. Waters, 52, of Sharpsburg, and Herbert J. Swain Sr., 54, of Hancock, each pleaded guilty to one count of possession of contraband with intent to deliver and received probation before judgment before Washington County District Judge M. Kenneth Long...

-- See also : Businesses who sold tobacco to minors Hagerstown merchants illegally sold tobacco to minors 67 percent of the time in compliance checks last year, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In 106 random checks, city businesses sold cigarettes or chewing tobacco to minors 76 times. The vendors include bars, liquor stores, convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants. FDA records show 70 businesses in seven of the county's nine incorporated towns violated the law that prohibits the sale of tobacco to people under the age of 18. The violations include six in both Hancock and Williamsport, three in Boonsboro, two in Clear Spring and one in Sharpsburg.

marlob@herald-mail.com The first time "Lee" tried to buy cigarettes, the 17-year-old admitted she felt very nervous and looked very nervous. So it was a shock when the store sold her the product without asking for proof of her age. Lee and her friends "Judith" and "Marie" (not their real names) are working with Sgt. Fred Wolford of the Hagerstown City Police to identify businesses that are illegally selling tobacco to minors. So far, the results have been discouraging, Wolford said.

Hagerstown Suns players and Woolie B., the Suns mascot, paid a visit last month to Potomac Heights Elementary School with a message to "Strike Out Tobacco. " The players spoke to the students about the harmful effects of tobacco, and several players gave testimonials about what tobacco has done to people they know.

This year's Great American Smokeout will be observed Thursday. The Boys and Girls Club, Washington County Health Department and Tobacco Free Washington County Coalition plan to man a booth from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Valley Mall with informational materials about secondhand smoke, quitting tobacco use and preventing tobacco use. Smokers also may sign up for free "Stop Smoking for Life" classes. A wellness walk is planned from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at HCC. For more information, go to www.hcc.

Rebecca Amalfitano and Christina Heard stood in a field across from Eastern Elementary School on Mount Aetna Road in Hagerstown, where they and their friends placed more than 3,000 paper "tombstones" in support of "Kick Butts Day. " During the annual celebration, smokers are asked to pledge to not smoke for 24 hours during the day of observation which was March 25. Smokers who pledged through the Washington County Health Department were given...

A Washington, D.C., man who tried to smuggle tobacco and matches to an inmate at the Washington County Detention Center last year entered a guilty plea Monday. James Sterling Adams-Bey appeared before Washington County Circuit Judge Kennedy Boone and admitted he attempted to smuggle contraband. Boone gave Adams-Bey a three-year suspended sentence and placed him on unsupervised probation for three years. "I want you to leave Washington County and not return," Boone said.

Targeting youth before they start smoking, funding support groups and creating cessation programs are some of the suggestions the public had for members of Gov. Parris N. Glendening's Task Force to End Smoking during a meeting Wednesday. Glendening on June 3 announced plans for an aggressive program intended to dramatically reduce tobacco use of all types in Maryland. The plan emphasizes programs to reach young people and minority communities, according to a Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene press release.

Tobacco workshop scheduled for Aug. 30 MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A free workshop focusing on the advantages for businesses to reduce employee tobacco use and implementing a tobacco-free workplace policy will be Aug. 30 at City Hospital. "Reducing Employee Tobacco Use: A Solution to Reduce Health Care Costs" will be from 9 to 11 a.m. in the second floor conference room of the Dorothy McCormack Center, according to Teresa E. McCabe, vice president of Marketing & Development for West Virginia University Hospitals-East.

Livvy Smith feels like a punch line in a comedy routine. It's easy to quit smoking. She's done it lots of times. Smith was a teenager when she took her first puff from a cigarette. While she knew the dangers of smoking - the increased risk of heart disease, cancer and breathing disorders - Smith gave in to peer pressure. "All of my friends smoked, so I wanted to be part of the crowd," she said. It wasn't long, though, before she began to hate how the smell of cigarettes lingered in her hair and clothes and how her fingers turned yellow.