The health secretary, John Reid, angered health campaigners and anti-smoking groups when he said yesterday that smoking is one of the few pleasures left for the poor on sink estates and in working men's clubs. ...

Like their Toledo counterparts, Columbus residents soon might be forced to grind out their smokes before entering a restaurant or bar. "You went first. … We looked at the 35 best ordinances in the country and Toledo was among them," said Dr. Marie Collart, president of the Central Ohio Breathing Association. She is one of three co-chairmen of the SmokeFree Columbus Coalition, which has proposed a smoking ban in most workplaces in Columbus, including bars and restaurants. ...

Two Fairbanks City Council members are preparing a proposed smoking ban in all public buildings, including restaurants. Smokers also would have to stay at least 50 feet from buildings when lighting up, under a city ordinance proposed by Councilmen Scott Kawasaki and John Eberhart. The two are considering introducing the ordinance as early as the council's next meeting June 28. ...

A proposal to ban all indoor smoking at businesses such as restaurants and bars in Cincinnati is quietly smoldering behind the scenes at City Hall. Vice Mayor Alicia Reece favors such a ban, but wants anti-smoking groups and public health officials to create a groundswell of support before she formally proposes any legislation. ...

A buyout for tobacco farmers to be added to tax legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives could put the legislation at risk in the Senate, key senators from both parties said Tuesday. ...

Tough new restrictions on smoking in St. Paul bars and restaurants moved a step closer to passage Wednesday when proponents of an all-out ban accepted a compromise that would let establishments create sealed "smoking rooms." ...

VANCOUVER (CP) - The B.C. Supreme Court has handed a victory to big tobacco, ruling against a law that allowed the provincial government to sue companies for the cost of treating smoking-related illness. The Tobacco Damage and Health Care Recovery Act is unconstitutional, said the ruling released Thursday from Justice Ronald Holmes. The act was in substance "extraterritorial in its purpose and effect," Holmes writes. "The act is inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution Act of Canada as ultra vires the competence of the B.C. legislature." ...

Gov. Mitt Romney is set to sign a statewide smokefree workplace law after the Massachusetts Senate gave final legislative approval to the bill on Thursday. "The governor believes the statewide law is one of the most important public health initiatives in the state and looks forward to signing it into law," spokeswoman Shawn Feddeman said. ...

A bill to ban smoking in restaurants, bars and virtually all public places, with a few notable exceptions, won unanimous approval in the House of Representatives Thursday. But unanimity was not achieved until several provisions were plucked out so opponents -- mostly Republicans -- could register specific objections while supporting the bill as a whole. ...

Legislation introduced to weaken New York's popular smokefree workplace law received a cold response from New York's health groups and the New York Restaurant Association. The legislation, supported by tobacco interests and introduced by Senator Raymond Meier and Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito, would return smoking to establishments using air-filtering equipment. ...