Nebraska Hospital Association Supports Cigarette Tax Measure
In a letter to the Lincoln Journal Star, the Nebraska Hospital Association announced its support of a measure to raise the cigarette tax from 64 cents per pack to $1.99 per pack. The Hospital Association calls LB436 a "bold stride toward reducing smoking in Nebraska."

National News Highlights Possibility of Smoke-Free Nebraska Hotels
The possibility that Nebraska might be the next state to have smoke-free hotels made national news this week. The story highlighted the growing trend nationally toward smoke-free hotels. The USA Today noted that if the Nebraska Supreme Court upholds a ruling by a Lancaster County District Court that struck down exemptions to Nebraska's smoke-free worksites law for tobacco stores, cigar bars and hotels, Nebraska would be the third state to have smoke-free hotels, joining Michigan and Wisconsin.

Nebraskans to Recognize Through with Chew Week
News stories throughout Nebraska highlighted that beginning Sunday, February 20, Nebraskans will recognize Through With Chew Week. The week, which runs through February 26, is designed to call attention to smokeless tobacco use in Nebraska and to encourage users to quit.

"Smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to smoking and is even more habit forming because it contains a higher concentration of nicotine than cigarettes," Tim Zeleski of Tobacco Free Hall County told the Grand Island Independent.

According to the 2009 Nebraska Youth Risk Behavior Survey of ninth- through 12th-graders, 19.7 percent of Nebraska high school males used smokeless tobacco within the past 30 days. The national average for high school males is 15 percent. Nebraska's combined total (male and female) is 10.9 percent. The national combined total is 8.9 percent.

Nebraska Youth to Rally to Prevent Tobacco Use
A youth rally is planned to promote tobacco prevention, according to the Fairbury Journal News, the Lincoln Journal Star and others.

A statewide student-led anti-tobacco group will hold a youth rally and march for "empowerment and activism" March 23 at the state Capitol. The rally and other events are planned across the country as part of Kick Butts Day organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids to encourage young people to stand up and speak out against the tobacco industry.

Quitting Smoking Good for the Heart
The link between cigarette smoking and heart disease was highlighted in stories in the Falls City Journal, the Geneva Nebraska Signal, the Columbus Telegram and others in recognition of American Heart Month. A major benefit to quitting
smoking is that the risk of heart disease is reduced by almost half, according to the York News Times.

Compliance Checks
Two businesses of 72 checked sold tobacco to minors in a recent Sarpy County effort to reduce tobacco sales to minors, according to a Gretna Breeze article. That resulted in a 2.7 percent failure rate.

Nebraska could be one of three states that requires smoke-free hotels, and tobacco shops and cigar bars in Lincoln and cigar bars in Omaha could return to their previous smoke-free status if a ruling issued January 25 by a Lancaster County District Court judge is upheld by the Nebraska Supreme Court. The Lincoln Journal Star, KHAS in Hastings, the Beatrice Daily Sun, the Scottsbluff Star Herald and others told the story. Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning has appealed the case brought by Big Johns Billiards of Omaha. The Nebraska Supreme Court agreed to consider the constitutionality of making these exceptions to the smoke-free air law. "Hurrahs" for the decision, said Blair letter writer Charles Bagby, MD.

The Nebraska Candy & Tobacco Association has voiced opposition to a proposal by Sen. Mike Gloor of Grand Island to raise Nebraska's cigarette tax from 64 cents per pack to $1.99 per pack. A Beatrice Daily Sun poll that asked, "Would you support a large raise in taxes on cigarettes to help cover the state's budget shortfall?" found that 55 percent of respondents favored a cigarette tax increase.

Nebraska tobacco settlement money has funded medical research to tackle hearing disorders, viruses, nerve malfunctions, infections, toxic fungi, youth behavior problems, cancer and other diseases and disorders, according to a report conducted by Creighton economist Ernie Goss. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the N.U. Medical Center, Creighton University and the Boys Town National Research Hospital formed a consortium to receive the tobacco settlement money and carry out the research. Those groups commissioned the study.

Discussion continues regarding the proposal brought forward by Sen. Mike Gloor of Grand Island to raise the tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products. The Daily Nebraskan published back-to-back editorials by Warren Hale exploring the issue from the standpoint of making tobacco use illegal and from an anti-tobacco tax standpoint.