PDX Non-smoking Revolution!!'s topics - tribe.net

FINALLY!!!

mamacita — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 19:20:42 GMT

Lawmakers pass ban on smoking in bars
11:34 AM PDT on Saturday, June 16, 2007

Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. -- Waitresses, bus boys, musicians and others who labor in smoky haunts came closer yesterday to breathing the same clean air as Oregonians working in offices and stores.

The Oregon House approved a bill to ban smoking in bars, taverns and bingo halls beginning in 2009. Those venues were exempted when Oregon banned workplace smoking in 1981.

Anti-smoking groups say more than 35-thousand Oregonians work in such places. The new measure would leave only cigar bars and smoke shops exempt. Hotels could keep up to 25 percent of their rooms for smokers.

The smoking of noncommercial tobacco for Native American ceremonies would continue to be protected under federal law, and tribal casinos would not be covered.

The bill goes back to the Senate for approval of amendments. Governor Kulongoski is expected to sign it. Supporters said 800 Oregonians a year die as a result of second-hand smoke.

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 2 replies

newspaper article on the bill for smokefree bars

mamacita — Thu, 10 May 2007 05:21:50 GMT

Progress, maybe? Though I find it disgusting Ryan Deckart - a Dem - uses his position to exempt his friends from law... no shame.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Panel passes smoking ban
By David Steves
The Register-Guard
Published: Tuesday, May 8, 2007

SALEM - A once-stalled ban on smoking in bars and taverns got new life Monday, when a legislative panel passed the bill and set up a Senate vote as early as next week.

The vote came after a few tweaks - exemptions for cigar bars and the state's biggest horse-racing track and a start-up delay - were made to satisfy key lobbyists and lawmakers.

Senate Bill 571 would expand the statewide smoking ban to include bars, taverns, bowling alleys and bingo halls among the workplaces where smoking is not permitted. Eugene already bans smoking in such venues, as do Corvallis and a few other locales in Oregon.

Despite Democratic majorities expected to pass such a statewide ban in both legislative chambers, the bill's pathway to the full Senate has had a few bumpy patches. It was held up for nearly three weeks after lawmakers learned from staff analysts that the projected drop in smoking - and resulting fall-off of drinking and gambling at state-owned video lottery machines - would curb state revenues by about $53 million in 2007-09.

That problem was taken care of, said sponsor Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, by delaying the start of the proposed ban until 2009.

In addition, the bill faced both general resistance from the tobacco, bar and tavern lobbies and specific objections by certain sectors. Cigar bars were opposed, and had the sympathies of the Senate Finance and Revenue Committee's chairman, Sen. Ryan Deckert, who is an aficionado. An amendment added Monday allows patrons to continue lighting up their stogies in cigar bars, as long as the business sells at least $5,000 a year worth of cigars and meets other standards.

Burdick understood that that amendment was important enough to Deckert to be added but voted against it.

But she balked at a second exemption, which will allow continued smoking at the Portland Meadows horse track. Lobbyists Larry Campbell and Dave Nelson had argued that a smoking ban would put their client at a disadvantage in competing against tribal casinos, which wouldn't be subject to the prohibition.

In protest, Burdick refused to vote the final bill out of committee - which meant the Democrats wouldn't have the votes necessary to pass it. To remedy this, Senate President Peter Courtney temporarily assigned himself to the committee as Burdick's replacement. He and the two other Democrats then passed the bill over the two Republicans' "no" votes.

Backers of the bill said the dangers of secondhand smoke are too grave to allow even a small fraction of Oregon employers to force their workers to toil in the midst of smoke that can cause heart disease, emphysema, cancer and other ailments. About 35,000 people are employed in Oregon bars, taverns and other workplaces where smoking currently is allowed.

Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro, said the bill went too far. It's one thing to ban smoking in restaurants and other venues frequented by minors, but adults - workers and patrons - should have the freedom to choose whether to work in or patronize a smoke-free business or one where smoking is allowed. He said many bars and restaurant lounges are responding to public demands by banning smoking without the government's dictates.

"The marketplace works," Starr said.

Sen. Rod Monroe, D-Portland, disputed the notion that tavern workers can simply quit their jobs and find new ones in smoke-free workplaces.

"The marketplace works for customers. The marketplace does not work for employees," he said.

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

poll: should Oregon bars be smokefree?

mamacita — Mon, 07 May 2007 05:59:49 GMT

http://www.kgw.com/perl/common/surveys/display_full.pl?poll_id=11238&site=kgw&vaction=voting&thissite=kgw

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

wouldn't be surprised....

mamacita — Thu, 03 May 2007 04:25:04 GMT

if the same happens with the bill for smokefree bars... Mr Butts is alive and well and workin' both R's and D's alike ...
check: http://tobaccoagainsthealthykids.blogspot.com/

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

Sign my petition

Notanai — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:39:43 GMT

I am starting a petition to ban smoking in restaurants and bars. Join my Tribe.
http://tribes.tribe.net/bansmoking?_click_path=Application%5Btribe%5D.Tribe%5B8eb2801f-7b63-412f-a744-e84ffefba975%5D

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 3 replies

March 20 lobby day to advocate for smokefree bars in Oregon

mamacita — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 19:17:44 GMT

though you tribesters might be interested in this...

>>> dana@lungoregon.org 3/8/2007 8:00 PM >>>

March 2007 Legislative Update

Lobby Day - Tuesday March 20, 2007

Please join us. We need your voice to be heard.

We are coordinating the 2007 Tobacco Lobby Day with our partners
from the American Cancer Society and the American Heart
Association.

We are asking our legislators to make all workplaces 100%
smokefree, to increase the price of tobacco and to restore and
increase funding for the Tobacco Prevention and Education
Program.

We need YOU to make this happen. Legislators need to hear from
real people in their districts about how important these issues
are to you. Please SAVE THE DATE and plan on a fun,
action-packed day at the Capitol. We will provide training, an
opportunity to see the legislature in action, lunch and schedule
appointments with your representatives.

Please RSVP to Dana Kaye:503-924-4094 X19 or
dana@lungoregon.org. We will need to make the appointments with
your lawmakers and order lunches. There is also a Lobby Day Sign
Up Form on our website at
http://lungaction.org/ct/-dS2seM1MXPb/.

Oregon State Legislation

The American Lung Association of Oregon is working on and
following these bills through the legislative process. We will
need your help to see that Oregon becomes a healthier place to
work, live and play. We will keep you updated with regard to the
process and critical times to contact your representatives.

Tobacco Tax HB - 2201 Raises cigarette and other tobacco
products tax creating a Healthy Kids Program with a portion of
the revenue dedicated to the Tobacco Prevention and Education
Program.

Clean Indoor Air/Smokefree Workplace SB - 571/HB2571 Expands
prohibition of smoking in public places and places of
employment.

Oregon HB 2172 Diesel Idling Directs Environmental Quality
Commission to establish goal to reduce diesel emissions.

Oregon SB 338 Woodstove Emissions Expands air quality provisions
from woodstove emissions to solid fuel burning devices.

Asthma Medication Carrying Bill - SB 533 Allows K-12 students to
carry asthma medication (personal inhalers) while in school and
at school functions and events.

Open Field BurningHB - HB 3000 Prohibits open field burning,
stack burning, pile burning and propane flaming.

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

maybe this time??

mamacita — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 06:04:42 GMT

from the American Lung Association of Oregon:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Oregon's Smokefree Workplace Law was introduced today!
Senate Bill 571 would make all Oregon workplaces smokefree.
On Friday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be holding a public hearing on SB 571 in one of Oregon's smokefree cities, Eugene.
SB 571, if passed, would make all workplaces smokefree and help to save lives in Oregon.
Please come to the hearing in Eugene to support this legislation.
What: Public Hearing on Smokefree Legislation - SB 571
When: Friday, February 16, 2007, 9:30AM - 12:30PM
Where: University of Oregon Law School 1515 Agate Street Room 175
Questions: Call Dana Kaye at the American Lung Association of Oregon 503-924-4094 X 19
http://lungaction.org/or/home.html
Open your address book and send this to your friends and family in Eugene.
Everyday in Oregon 35,000 workers are exposed to secondhand smoke at work.
Every year in Oregon 800 Oregonians die from diseases caused by exposure to secondhand smoke.
Everyone has the right to breathe clean air.

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 2 replies

Portland Mercury: What are you waiting for, Oregon?

mamacita — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 16:24:24 GMT

http://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2006/08/what_are_waiting_for_oregon.php

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

Some News For Ya...

Semblance — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:55:28 GMT

Anti-smokers want tougher limits on nicotine

Jill Stark
September 1, 2006

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/antismokers-want-tougher-limits-on-nicotine/2006/08/31/1156817035342.html

"SMOKERS struggling to stub out that final cigarette may have new insight into why it is so hard to quit. A report shows American tobacco companies increased nicotine levels by an average of 10 per cent over six years."

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

Smoking in cars...??

stikybun — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 19:49:46 GMT

Does anybody else smell cigarette smoke when there is a car with smokers in it in front of them?? It's disgusting, if it smells that bad to me 20 yards away no waonder smokers smell for so long after that cigarette!

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

PDX Pro Choice Party tonight....Did you see us in the Portland Mercury?

Kevinw66 — Fri, 12 May 2006 16:22:17 GMT

Did you see we made the Portland Mercury? I’ve been working on this fundraiser with some great volunteers the last couple months. The Portland Mercury thinks you should spend your Friday night with us, and so do I. So do it, come out and spend some time with us and support Choice

PRO-CHOICE PARTY! (Portland Mercury page 17)
Being pro-choice in 2006—as states like South Dakota outlaw abortion and President Bush appoints pro-life Supreme Court Justices—isn't all doom and gloom. Tonight the folks at NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon are putting on their third annual "Debutante Ball," a tongue-in-cheek send up of old-fashioned Southern balls, with a feminist, pro-choice twist! AJ Dante's, 1 SW 3rd, 8 pm, $15
www.portlandmercury.com/portla...usyWeek

PS: If you come out and we haven’t met yet be sure to introduce yourself. I’ll be wearing a western style brown shirt with an orange peace patch that I sowed on myself…easy to spot.

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

new local directory for smokefree bars

mamacita — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 22:10:55 GMT

http://www.smokefreeoregon.com/index.php

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

Smoke-free Alternatives

bartchurch — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 10:14:07 GMT

While it's important to support smoke-free bars & restaurants, its also important to create alternative social spaces that are smoke-free AND help very diverse people get their needs for fun, community, wellness, and creativity met abundantly. Thanks for helping us expand the diversity of our upcoming Men's Music, Movement, Massage, & Meditation event on 2/24.

25 men, including several in wheelchairs, several men of color, and a wide range of ages & orientations, have already registered for this amazing exploration of authentic movement and authentic connection for men. We have 15 remaining spaces in this event, and hope you’ll help us dramatically expand the diversity of men who get invited by forwarding this email to the men you care about or respect.

Men of all abilities, ages, sizes, shapes, colors, orientations, and backgrounds (including trans guys) will gather in a smoke, alcohol, drug free space that is wheel-chair accessible. We will explore more authentic, healing connections with ourselves and other men through music, authentic movement, deep relaxation, contact improv, guided meditation, danceability, ecstatic dance, healing touch/massage, and/or free-style movement and touch.

Each of us will be invited to get in touch with our own needs for rest, healing, and nurturing -- and to move and touch in ways that meet those needs authentically. We will keep our focus on healing and nurturing ourselves first and others as a function of the abundance we feel when we are taking care of ourselves. To keep the space safe for all kinds of men, there will be no genital or anal touching, no asking people out for dates, no sexual come-ons, and everyone will keep their comfortable clothes on (if you want a back massage, you can lift up your shirt for this).

Thanks again for helping us to welcome all kinds of men by forwarding this email to the diverse men you care about. Don’t forget the astonishing power of music, movement, healing touch, and meditation to refresh your spirit and free your heart.

Featuring
* DJ DandyLion;
* DJ Keer (who also will facilitate our altar building);
* Felix Roth, LMT, founder of Motion Massage & co-founder of Sacred Circle Dance;
* Curtis Walker, Director, Impetus Arts (mixed-abilities movement);
* Bart Church, Zen Shiatsu Practitioner & yoga teacher.

Co-sponsored by:
QLAND.org
LoveTribe.org
Impetus Arts
MotionMassage.com

INFO: 503-223-8822 X2 or Mmmmm@qland.org
RSVP: www.lovetribe.org/menspirit

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

bars that are completely smoke free---

vindaloo — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 21:33:47 GMT

any suggestions of cool places to breathe?

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 4 replies

free patches!

mamacita — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 00:01:56 GMT

hello there,

just thought i'd let you know... for a limited time, the Oregon Tobacco
Quit Line (a.k.a "Free & Clear") is giving away free patches to people without health insurance! pass the word. even if someone has insurance they should call, because the Quit Line can tell people if their health benefits cover smoking cessation - - and if not, they may be eligible for patches through the Quit Line
anyway. the Quit Line also helps out teens. so if there is someone you know who is thinking about quitting, tell them to call the Oregon Tobacco Quit Line. it's a free call... see below for more information. The toll free number for the Oregon Tobacco Quit Line is 1-877-270 STOP or 1-877-2NO-FUME for Spanish-speaking callers.

good luck,
lucia

>
>
The new services offered are:

* The Free and Clear 4-call program to youth 17 and under (includes 4
counseling calls) in Oregon

*The Free and Clear 4-call program and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
to young people who are 18 years old in Oregon (youth 17 and under do not
receive NRT from us unless they fax in a doctor's prescription)

*The Free and Clear program and NRT to uninsured Oregonians.

The NRT is provided in shipments of 4 weeks at a time, not to exceed 8
weeks worth.

We will not be publicizing the expanded services and will be relying on
word of mouth to get the message out.

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

How about this for an idea..

Mon, 02 Jan 2006 04:15:21 GMT

If you dont like smokey bars, dont go to bars where people smoke! Wow there is a light bulb for ya... leave us Horse Brass Fans alone.

If most people who went to bars wanted them to be smoke free, you wouldnt need legislation, because the customers would demand that the bars be smoke free. Live and let live.

Why am I even bothering.. there is only 41 of you here, less then the number of people at the Horse Brass on a Tuesday night...

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 25 replies

Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights

hollycallahan — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 23:03:22 GMT

I thought y'all might like this site for info: www.no-smoke.org

Find out what's going on in your state:
http://www.no-smoke.org/learnmore.php?dp=d14|d9

Find out where there are laws prohibiting cigarette smoke in restaurant/bars/workplaces around the country:
http://www.no-smoke.org/goingsmokefree.php?dp=d13|p140

On going smokefree:
http://www.no-smoke.org/goingsmokefree.php

Enjoy!

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

on another thread...

mamacita — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 23:54:13 GMT

i just posted something in response to another thread on tribe - the "open letter forum" tribe. there was a back-n-forth about nonsmokers whining about wanting bars to go smokefree. it's long, but i thought i'd share what i wrote with all of you... maybe there's an argument in here you can use in your conversations.

Dear Advocates for Protection from Secondhand Smoke:

Thank you! Thank you!

Thank you for thinking critically about the concept of personal freedom… i.e., that your freedom ends where another’s begins. Thank you for understanding that the issue of secondhand smoke is not about you, the bar patron, but instead about the workers there taking care of you, helping you have a good time, bringing you drinks, beautiful music and performance. Thank you for understanding that it is about halting the perpetuation of unnecessary workplace hazards as a condition of employment. Even employers of asbestos workers are required to provide protective gear to their employees… and are usually required to provide health benefits to their employees… a luxury rarely offered service industry workers. Restrictions on proprietors are nothing new… recall sanitation laws, how and when to serve alcohol, etc. Thanks for recognizing and supporting this!

Thank you for questioning the concept of market justice: that capitalism and market demand should be the only rationale driving decision-making. Why would business owners be a special, protected class in this society? Thank you for making sure that we still afford some rights for employees in this country. There is precedence for protections for workers in terms of protected classes (i.e., a business owner cannot refuse to hire racial/ethnic minorities, women, pregnant women, and cannot hire children). Thank you for recognizing and protecting the public’s right to tell proprietors what they cannot allow in their own business.

Thank you for understanding that tobacco use is in most circumstances an addiction, and not a so-called “choice.” Thank you for also combating the tobacco industry in their efforts to maintain such a perception, in order to assure that they may advertise and promote their product wherever and whenever they wish, and that they may thwart the efforts of those trying so hard to quit by making sure there are an insurmountable number of cues in the social environment to light up. Thank you for understanding that most smokers want to quit, that they can use all the help they can get, and that not being able to smoke in public places isn’t an inconvenience, but another way to support them.

Thank for acknowledging the employment/economic climate we are living in, and that the concept of someone having the ability to leave a workplace at any time if “they don’t like it” is anywhere close to a reasonable choice for most people, particular those of the working class or working poor… let alone the unemployed desperately trying to find any meaningful work.

Thank you for showing your compassion for tobacco users by not villain-izing them, because after all they have been victimized by the most politically powerful and corrupt drugdealer-slash-corporation on the planet.

Thank you for recognizing the big picture economic benefits of your efforts. Just as green energy, biodiesel, reduce/reuse/recycle, organic farming, etc. are better for the economy overall (as opposed to short-term, limited benefit, instant gratification, wide profit-margin practices), so is protection from secondhand smoke. Consumer demand (i.e. 80% of people are nonsmokers and 80% of smokers WANT to quit) is for smokefree workplaces and public places.

Thank you for not considering today’s smokers a disposable group of people… they are our sisters, brothers, lovers, friends, mothers, fathers, children… our loved ones we do not want to see go through a painful, debilitating, disfiguring, demoralizing, slow death… especially since we know that one out of every three tobacco user will die from it.

Thank you for reminding us that we all count; that every little bar is still part of the big picture: tobacco use is STILL the number one cause of PREVENTABLE disease and death. Why would we want to protect it? For profit for the wealthiest capitalists in the U.S.? Just think how much more likely we would be to establish universal heath care if practically all of our health care dollars weren’t going into the treatment of tobacco-related diseases.

Finally, thank you for your calls to action to nonsmokers... yes it would be more helpful if nonsmokers do stop "whining" and instead become more aware and get involved.

XO,

A nonsmoker with great compassion for smokers but at the same time not deluded by the tobacco industry-supported notion of “freedom”

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

FW: support the Gay American Smoke out!!!

mamacita — Mon, 21 Nov 2005 23:07:23 GMT

see listed under Events down below...

November 22nd, 6pm, Hollywood Lanes in PDX
a dj, drag performer, bowling..

I also heard that City Councilor Sam Adams might be attending, early? Would be great to encourage him to level the smoke-free playing field in Oregon....

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

Great American Smoke out...

BlackSage — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 22:55:55 GMT

Smoking is the most common cause of preventable death in our society.

Secondhand smoke can be harmful in many ways. In the United States alone, each year it is responsible for:

-an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 deaths from heart disease in people who are not current smokers

-about 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmoking adults

-other respiratory problems in nonsmokers, including coughing, phlegm, chest discomfort, and reduced lung function

-150,000 to 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections (such as pneumonia and bronchitis) in children younger than 18 months of age, which result in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations

-increases in the number and severity of asthma attacks in about 200,000 to 1 million asthmatic children

-increases in the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and middle ear infections in young children

-low birth weight in babies whose mothers are exposed to ETS

SMOKE-FREE OREGON 2006!!!!!!!!
we can doit!

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

Washington Bans Indoor Smoking!

Semblance — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 18:39:55 GMT

Initiative 901 passed! Check it out on Google news:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=&ie=UTF-8&ncl=http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/11/09/news/regional/6f4c7edbc1fbb9e5872570b4005c458d.txt

And then write a nice letter to your local representatives asking why we're still stuck in the stone-age. Here's all their email addresses:

sen.ginnyburdick@state.or.us, sen.charlesstarr@state.or.us, sen.rogerbeyer@state.or.us, sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us, sen.charlieringo@state.or.us, sen.vickiwalker@state.or.us, sen.dougwhitsett@state.or.us

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 5 replies

GASO..11/17/05

BlackSage — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 17:02:50 GMT

Great American Smoke Out....

stop smoking day 11/17/05..

www.cancer.org/GASO

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

Stomp Out Smoking in a Single Session!

trancedan — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 05:38:04 GMT

Stop Smoking in a Single Hypnosis Session!

Did You Know . . .

You can Stop Using Tobacco Easily With Hypnosis in a Single Session!

Changes are Guaranteed Effective.

Save Your Money!

Save Your Health!

My clients have said: "I have been smoke-free since the first session we met! I can't believe how few cravings I have experienced. Hypnosis really works. Thank you so much! You may have saved my life!!!!"

In 2004, actor Matt Damon used hypnosis to stop a two pack per day habit he had had since his teens. You can do it too! All you need to do is sit back and relax while the power of your unconscious mind does the work and new healthy habits are created. Hypnosis cannot make you do anything against your will, but it can really HELP you do things that are in alignment with your will...like stop smoking and start feeling good again. So if you are ready to stop smoking, this is the way to do it. You don't need willpower (it doesn't work for very long), you just need to be willing to try something new.

There is little or no weight gain, cravings, or irritability. This is the most effective way to stop smoking. Throw all cigarettes away before arriving!

Private Sessions with Dan have a 90% Success Rate!

TOBACCO CESSATION - PRIVATE SESSION PRICES
Price includes a hypnosis CD and booklet.
First Session (1.5 hours) $145
Follow-up Sessions (1 hour) $95 each

Two sessions is $240 ($220 pre-paid. Save $20.)
For most people two sessions are required to quit smoking for good.

Exceptions:
Users of smokeless tobacco, people who have been smoking for three or more decades, and people who average more than a pack per day sometimes require 3 sessions or more to quit.

A single two-hour smoking cessation seminar (which includes a one hour hypnosis session) is also available for fraternities, organizations and companies. Call for prices.

Things to do before your first appointment:

* No caffeine a few hours before your appointment.
* Throw away all of your cigarettes.
* Clean your windshield, empty your ashtray and deodorize your car.
* Clean your household ashtrays and put them away in the closet (for guests who smoke).
* Say "goodbye" to every cigarette you smoke between now and your appointment.
* Imagine your life as a non-smoker as productive, abundant and happy.
* Begin drinking lots of water.
* Begin a daily exercise routine to clear toxins and to balance your biochemistry.

This is a popular topic for groups. Organizing a group of friends or co-workers is an economical way to share this valuable service. If you would like to stop smoking with a spouse, a friend or a small group, contact me for group rates.

Did you know that...
Hypnosis has been proven the most effective means of quitting smoking?

In 1968 the American Journal of Clinical Hypnotherapy published a report by a doctor using hypnosis on 1000 smokers. After 18 months 94% were still non-smokers after only 3 sessions of hypnosis.

In 1992 a large research project into stop smoking methods was undertaken at the University of Iowa. This comparison of over 600 scientific studies placed hypnosis as the most effective means of smoking cessation available.

Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis, and Kevin Costner have all used hypnotherapy to stop smoking.

REPORTED SUCCESS RATES FOR
DIFFERENT SMOKING CESSATION METHODS

60% - Single session Hypnosis
30% - Cassette tapes with Hypnotic suggestion
29% - Exercise and breathing therapy
25% - Aversion therapy
24% - Acupuncture
10% - Nicotine Replacement Therapy
6% - Willpower alone

Source: New Scientist magazine, volume 136, issue 1845, 31 Oct 92

It's time to Quit Smoking For Good!
Make your appointment today!!!

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

Transform your Tuesday: Men's Massage Exchange

bartchurch — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 04:06:14 GMT

You're invited to transform your Tuesday, 8/16, 7-10 pm, by learning to give and receive heart-centered, nurturing, healing massage. LoveTribe & Q-LAND invite you to view great techniques demonstrated by a licensed massage therapist, and learn-by-doing in the Men Touching with Heart event.

Throughout history, across every culture, and in virtually every species, nurturing and healing touch have been important parts of male friendship. Only in modern capitalist cultures has male friendship and touch been made taboo -- as a way of isolating men and making them afraid to rely on non-commercial alliances and connections.

By taking time to learn and practice healing & nurturing touch regularly, we expand our skills not only of touching, but asking for and negotiating great touch with the many people we care about in our lives.

Don't be cut off from half the human race. Realize healing and nurturing touch is available all around you, if you learn to ask for and give it. Like any skill, it just takes practice, and the willingness to transform your Tuesday (what TV show can compare to 3 hours of nurturing, healing touch and connection).

RSVP: www.lovetribe.org (click on calendar, event date, then RSVP form)

MORE INFO: Chris 503-223-8822 X2 menspirit@lovetribe.org

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 5 replies

Sat 9/3 Playing @ the Pajama Party

bartchurch — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 18:22:49 GMT

Playing, laughing, finding ways to be silly and free with others, seems essential to both personal and social creativity. Resliliency in social systems seems to depend on lots of play and repose.

Sat, 9/3, 7 pm - 12 am, men (including trans men) of various ages, sizes, colors, and orientations will play together with our clothes on, our hearts open, and our imaginations engaged. The New Games movement seeks to help people access the creativity and playfulness of childhood through games like: Caterpillar, Cows & Ducks, Float, Body Surfing, Puppy Pile, Show & Tell, etc. These games focus on using our bodies to interact, on getting out of our heads, and on learning to play and laugh when we are sober & present. Naturally, this will be a drug/alcohol/smoke-free event.

Thanks for forwarding this last minute invitation to any men who may be interested in finding out more about the Men's Spirit Pajama Party, which has been a wonderfully successful monthly event for six months -- co-sponsored by LoveTribe and Q-LAND.

RSVP: www.lovetribe.org/menspirit
INFO: 503-223-8822 X2 or pajamaparty@qland.org

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

Do we need drugs/alcohol to be free, have fun?

bartchurch — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 18:42:38 GMT

Shamans and great artists have often used mood-altering substances to free themselves and speak the truth out beyond the suffocating web that passes for the collective reality. But do we need drugs/alcohol to be free, have fun?

In a capitalist culture, who profits from our reliance on these substances for our freedom? As usual, LoveTribe and Q-LAND are NOT interested in just discussing these issues (talk is usually really cheap & weak), we're interested in creating other, non-commercial ways to support one another in being free, having fun, and speaking our truths with our whole bodies and hearts, not just our minds.

Would you join us in co-creating the next Men's Spirit Pajama Party, this Sat, 9/3, 7 pm - 12 am, where we'll invent ways to have fun, play non-competitive/children's games, make funny faces, have pillow fights, and manage to invent ways to be creative and silly and free without drugs, alcohol, or nicotine?

The New Games movement is trying to unlock the enormous creativity that comes from play. Virtually all mammals and birds spend an enormous amount of time playing throughout their lives, and some important evolutionary biologists believe play has been essential to the survival of most species. Play involves the whole body, mind, and heart. Most modern adult humans rarely play in this full-bodied way. We work, we surf, and we escape our bodies and one another.

Thanks for helping us create spaces where non-commercial, non-drug-induced play among men can happen regularly. Our MenSpirit events welcome all kinds of adult men, regardless of their size, shape, age, orientation, color, background, or experience, including trans men. We have suggested donations for our events, and no one is turned away for lack of funds.

LoveTribe also sponsors lots of non-commercial, non-drug/alchohol events where men and women come together to play in heart conscious, touch positive ways.

To RSVP for the 9/3 Men's Spirit Pajama Party: www.lovetribe.org/menspirit

For more info: 503-223-8822 X2 or pajamaparty@qland.org

For more info on LoveTribe events: www.lovetribe.org (click on calendar)
For more info on Q-LAND events: www.qland.org

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

smokefree bars campaign

Kylie — Thu, 21 Jul 2005 21:01:11 GMT

Hi
I just found this tribe. I work for Multnomah County Health Dept & am always looking for people who care about bars going smokefree. Because I work for the government, everything I do has to be aimed at bars going voluntarily smokefree. Any leads on bars that are thinking about it? Let me know, and I can give them a call, or give you materials so you can talk to them about it.

Even though the legislative session is winding down, you can still get connected to the group that's working on smokefree bar legislation. Check out the Tobacco Free Coalition of Oregon's website www.worksmokefree.com
They have a listserv that can keep you in the loop.

There's also a list of smokefree bars at www.smokefreeworld.com/portland.shtml
If there are smokefree bars you know about that aren't on the list, you can submit their info.

Does anyone in this tribe want to help with writing letters to the local papers asking them to put a no-smoking symbol next to all the smokefree bars in the listings & reviews? Any other ideas about fun ways to promote smokefree bars?

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 2 replies

WA State has a no smoking initiative heading to the ballot

nutmegalfredo — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 17:54:14 GMT

http://www.healthyindoorairwa.org/

Once again they're leading the way!

Initiative 901

Protect all of our workers & kids from secondhand smoke in public places.
Cancer-causing secondhand smoke contains arsenic, formaldehyde, cyanide and over 3,000 other toxic chemicals.

Secondhand smoke is responsible for more than 38,000 deaths in the U. S. annually.

Join us in respecting the right of all Washington residents to breathe healthy indoor air.

I-901 will eliminate smoking in all Washington State work places. To access the November 8, 2005 ballot we must gather 300,000 signatures from registered Washington voters from mid-February to June 30.

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

Associated Press: Anti-tobacco bills going up in smoke

mamacita — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 17:05:50 GMT

Anti-tobacco bills going up in smoke
7/16/2005, 12:50 p.m. PT
By BRAD CAIN
The Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Bills pushed by anti-smoking advocates to ban smoking in bars and taverns, reinstate a 10-cent-a-pack cigarette tax and allow only "fire-safe" cigarettes to be sold in the state have been all but snuffed out by Oregon lawmakers this year.

The measures drew opposition from tobacco and restaurant industry interests who contribute heavily to legislative campaigns as well as from lawmakers who are loathe to approve additional taxes or impose more regulation on business.

With the 2005 session moving into its final weeks, the Tobacco-Free Coalition of Oregon says it appears the Legislature isn't going to deal with "the state's No. 1 public health issue" — tobacco use that causes more than 7,000 premature deaths in Oregon each year and exposes thousands of others to second-hand smoke.

John Valley of the American Heart Association, one of the leading groups involved with the coalition, says anti-smoking and health care advocates might try to take one or more of the issues directly to Oregon voters next year.

"I would be surprised if there wasn't an effort to put a cigarette tax on the 2006 ballot if the Legislature does nothing," he said.

Valley and other advocates aren't giving up on the Legislature just yet, but they are facing some well-heeled opponents.

Tobacco companies, for example, contributed about $130,000 to legislative candidates last year, including $15,000 to Republican House Speaker Karen Minnis, according to figures compiled by the Money in Politics Research Action Project, a campaign finance watchdog group.

Minnis has been instrumental in blocking efforts by health care activists and anti-smoking groups to reinstate a 10-cent-a-pack cigarette tax that was snuffed out when voters rejected the Legislature's $800 million tax hike in February 2004.

The groups say raising the cigarette tax would discourage smoking among young people by making cigarettes more expensive and provide more money to cover thousands of low-income people who are being kicked off the Oregon Health Plan because of the state's money squeeze.

But the move is opposed by Minnis and other House Republicans who say Oregonians have made it clear they don't want higher taxes and by tobacco industry officials who say it's not fair to raise taxes just on smokers to pay for health care for all.

Minnis also opposes a Senate-passed "fire-safe" cigarettes bill requiring that cigarettes be made of paper that will extinguish if the cigarette is not being smoked, which supporters say would cut down on thousands of fires across the country caused by unattended cigarettes.

The Republican House speaker agrees with the tobacco industry's argument that the federal government should set uniform standards for fire-safe cigarettes to prevent 50 different state requirements.

Among the other top recipients of campaign dollars from tobacco companies is Senate Majority Leader Kate Brown, D-Portland, who got $10,500, according to the Money in Politics group.

As part of the Senate leadership team, Brown helped make the decision to not have the Senate vote on a bill to extend the state's workplace tobacco ban to the smokers' last indoor business refuge — bars and taverns.

In 2001, the Legislature passed a measure that outlawed smoking in businesses but exempted bars, taverns, bowling alleys and bingo halls in most places.

Now anti-smoking activists are seeking to extend the smoking ban to those remaining businesses, a move that's opposed by the tobacco industry as well as by the powerful Oregon Resturant Association, which contributed $228,000 to legislative candidates last year.

Brown said the campaign money didn't sway her decision and that she wanted to spare her Senate colleagues from having to vote on the bill when it would face certain defeat in the Republican-controlled House.

Valley, the Heart Association spokesman, said he thinks it's an open question about how much lawmakers were influenced by campaign contributions from groups who opposed the anti-smoking bills.

"I don't think it's mere coincidence" that all three bills are languishing, he said. "My feeling is that there is some connection between campaign contributions and how lawmakers look at issues."

Copyright 2005 Associated Press.

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

On hatred and smoking...

Semblance — Sat, 26 Feb 2005 00:29:44 GMT

Just to clarify... one of my 'bait' posts on the PDX tribe (intended to simply draw interested people to this tribe) has taken on a life of its own and is slowly becoming a bout between smokers and non-smokers. I didn't intend for that to happen.

I don't hate smokers. I have many good friends who are smokers. The thing that I do despise is feeling like I'm forced to make a choice between places I like to frequent vs. dying a few years earlier. I don't even want to get involved in a civil rights issue or debate on personal freedom... or even (as alluded to on another tribe) the similarity between people opposing smoking indoors to being sexist. I mean, c'mon, that's just rediculous.

Anyway, just because you smoke doesn't mean I hate you. I hate having to make the choice to hang out with you in a public establishment, or hacking up a lung for 2 weeks after.

Hope that clarifies.

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 12 replies

Why is Dante's posting on this list?

maxton — Sun, 26 Jun 2005 18:55:04 GMT

It seems odd to me that somebody's promoting events at Dante's on this list, considering the fact that Dante's is one of the most notorious smoking bars in Portland. The place seems to be a haven for sullen goth chainsmokers, monkey-fucking their way through another evening of their dismal existence. I once poked my head into the place to inquire about the cover charge, and within 30 seconds I reeked like I had a 3-pack-a-day habit. Listings for Dante's would be more appropriate on the Portland Cancer Lover's tribe...

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 16 replies

Men's Yoga: 7/6 Backpain, 7/13 Weightloss, 7/20 Depression

bartchurch — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 01:46:03 GMT

Do you know any men who might be interested in one of the following FREE Men’s Yoga Classes, Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 pm?

* 7/6 Back & Neck Pain
* 7/13 Weight Loss & Digestion
* 7/20 Depression & Loneliness

Q-LAND’s Men’s Yoga Class is designed to help men learn to use Yoga and Ayurveda to achieve their specific wellness goals. Class taught in a beautiful NW studio overlooking downtown, the river, and the mountains. Q-LAND is a non-profit men’s wellness & HIV/STD/Drug Prevention organization.

Instructor Bart Church studied for 10 years under several senior, Certified Iyengar Instructors, 5 years under senior students of Baba Hari Das (Traditional Ashtanga Yoga & Ayurveda), and has been teaching Yoga & Ayurveda for more than 10 years.

Your first class is free. After your first class, you decide how much to donate per class and then pay this amount times the number of classes remaining in the semester. Thank you for forwarding this information to any men who might be interested.

Info: yoga@qland.org 503-223-8822 X1 www.qland.org

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

hey I found this oppurtunity for non-smokers in smokey settings

edenkitty — Mon, 23 May 2005 16:03:57 GMT

http://portland.craigslist.org/ret/74128269.html
Check out the link, maybe help them with a survey, and they can help you with a little cash :D

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

Organic yoga

NityanandaRam — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 21:28:58 GMT

a tribe for us to search out the Heart of Yoga. please check it out

OrganicYoga.tribe.net

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

new and some resorces too

arize — Sun, 17 Apr 2005 20:07:46 GMT

in not living near you but i was born in corvallis, does that count??

i've been struggling with my quit now well, officiall for years, but most recently, for a year.

that is, i quit for 3 months last year, then relapsed, then quit again in december, during which i have had a really hard time. im just thinking my process is really fucking long and tortuous or something.

anyway, im sort of an old hand with issues. or something like that.

but i do know of some other online resources.

there's this place called Quit Net that has chat 24/7 and folks from all over the world. mostly G8 countries. its at www.quitnet.com. they celebrate anniversaries with you - like "hell week" and "heck week" and etc.... they have a lot of information and little forums too.

also, im part of this other spot thats a board fulla renegades from quitnet - a bunch of ex-smokers who talk about stuff besides quitting. all kinds of stuff. photography, sex, politics, whatever. p207.ezboard.com/btheemptyroom its a forum with chat where you can post images and stuff rants and raves journal stuff, whatever. you have to do a free registration to post but you can look first either way...

keep up the really fucking hard work! i'll try to be around here. its good for the quit!

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

Goodfoot Pub on SE Stark

charlie — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 20:10:56 GMT

The Goodfoot Pub downstairs now has a smoking section (left side past the bathrooms), which has helped make the dance/music area much more tolerable and less smokey.

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 5 replies

doug fir friday nite

mamacita — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 19:09:02 GMT

i'm going to see some friends play at the smokefree Doug Fir friday nite... they are shoegazer-ish bands... come check them out!

Stars of Track & Field
Thee Shams
The Upsidedown www.theupsidedown.com
$7

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 2 replies

berbati's...

mamacita — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 06:56:38 GMT

the whole room where they host live music has gone smokefree!

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 5 replies

FW: hearing in salem Thursday about smokefree bars

mamacita — Tue, 08 Mar 2005 17:53:00 GMT

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/margie_boule/index.ssf?/base/living/1110287041204270.xml

Bar owner ready to ban smoking; aren't you?
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Margie Boule, Oregonian

Everybody knows people panic when someone yells "Fire!" in a crowded theater.

So why isn't anybody shouting "Smoke!" in Oregon's crowded bars? Because people should be panicking: Tobacco smoke is deadly, even when you're not the one lighting up.

Well, there may be some shouting in Salem this week.

A bill has been introduced in the Oregon Senate, Senate Bill 544, that would ban smoking in all Oregon workplaces, without exception -- even bars and taverns. And at 1 p.m. Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings so the public can express opinions about the bill. If you'd like to see Oregon go smoke-free -- as New York, California and five other states have, and as more states are poised to do this year -- Thursday may be your only chance to speak up.

Chances are the tobacco industry will ensure smokers attend the hearing who will huff and puff about their "right" to pollute the air other people breathe. They'll talk about "freedom."

But think about it: Restaurants and bars do not have the "freedom" to choose whether to serve safe or poisonous food. They should not be allowed the "freedom" to decide whether the air their patrons and employees breathe is filled with carcinogens.

Right now, 33,000 workers in Oregon are not protected by our Clean Air Workplace laws.

Mike Penner can tell you all about the consequences of working in that kind of environment. "I've been in the bar/restaurant/tavern business for 37 years," he says. "Currently I co-own the Wooden Chicken Pub on 125th and Sandy (in Northeast Portland)."

Mike's in good shape -- 6 feet tall and 175 pounds. He doesn't smoke. But two years ago he had to have open heart bypass surgery. "My doctor looked at me and said, 'What's your problem?' I said, 'I've been in a bar the last 37 years.' He said, 'Smoke. That's the culprit.' "

Mike's doctor and another cardiac specialist "looked me in the eye and said, 'Get out of that smoke.' I said OK."

Mike's selling his half of the tavern (which will continue to allow smoking). That's not all Mike is doing. He's going to testify Thursday in Salem on behalf of SB 544. He thinks a ban is necessary to provide a level playing field for all owners; otherwise they won't risk alienating smoking customers by instituting individual bans themselves.

Mike says he's good friends with a lot of bar and tavern owners, and he's talked to them about a smoking ban. "They looked me in the eye and said, 'It's a good idea.' " But when he asked them to join him and testify, "They started backing out. They don't want to be singled out, because they may lose patronage."

There are good reasons bar owners should encourage the Oregon Legislature to pass this bill.

First, it's cheaper to do business if smoking is banned. Ventilation is cheaper, cleaning costs are lower, insurance rates can drop.

Second, states and cities with smoking bans have proven bar business does not suffer. In fact, bans bring in customers who otherwise would stay away because of smoke. After New York City banned smoking, restaurant and bar tax receipts were up 8.7 percent the next year.

Finally, the payoff in health benefits is huge, rapid and well-documented.

People who choose to smoke have the right to endanger themselves. But workers in smoky bars don't deserve to have their health jeopardized. In this country at least 55,000 people die of secondhand smoke every year.

After I wrote in favor of smokefree workplaces last fall, I got dozens of messages from bartenders, waiters, waitresses and musicians supporting a ban.

I also heard from readers who said workers should find new jobs if they don't like smoke.

"That's just downright mean, and not realistic in this economy," says Tabithia Engle, who's with the Tobacco-Free Coalition of Oregon (www.worksmokefree.com). "Many people who work in the service industry are young, and this is the only option for them. Why should we tell them that because there are hazards in their workplace, they should go find another job?"

Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, agrees, and strongly supports this bill. "People should not be required to sacrifice their health to make a living," she says.

We legislate for safe conditions in the construction industry, in laboratories, in manufacturing plants. We legislate to keep air safe outside. Shouldn't we ensure safe air indoors as well? How much longer are we going to treat bar and restaurant workers as second-class citizens regarding their health?

The tobacco industry will lobby hard to fight this bill. But in a recent survey, 89 percent of Oregonians said people should be protected from secondhand smoke. And 93 percent said they would go out to eat or drink as often or more often if a ban was adopted. It's time for the majority to speak up.

If you can't get to Salem on Thursday to testify at the State Capitol (Room S343, 1 p.m.), call, write or visit your state senators and representatives and let them know Oregon needs a workplace smoking ban, to save health-care dollars -- and to save lives.

Margie Boule: 503-221-8450; marboule@aol.com

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 7 replies

A really fun Venue for non-smoking type fun

edenkitty — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 17:46:04 GMT

Owen's Place in Lake Oswego is a cute little venue. They tend to have Music on many nights, it's small, but nice. The fact it's non-smoking was a real bonus!

Owen's Place is on Mercantile and Boones Ferry in the Lake Oswego/Lake Grove area.

No hard alcohol but they serve beer, and sammiches.

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

Dead People Smoke Camels

mamacita — Fri, 11 Mar 2005 23:34:01 GMT

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2005/03/11/notes031105.DTL&nl=fix

Dead People Smoke Camels
Quit smoking the EZ way! Pop this new drug, ignore your real issues. God bless America
By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist
Friday, March 11, 2005

Oh my freaking God but I loved smoking.

Loved it like a slab of chocolate-covered puppy dogs and I loved the whole gorgeous damnable ritual of the thing, the oral fixation and the regular smoke breaks with co-workers and the cigs n' coffee and the cigs n' wine and the cigs n' sex and I had myself not one but three different all-American all-metal all-sexy Zippo lighters the famous click/snap sounds and toxic butane scents of which I found intoxicating and soulful and I miss it all terribly.

But then again, I absolutely loathed how smoking made me feel, just afterward, the tightness of chest and shortness of breath and the wheezing, the nasty aftertaste and the phlegm and the tormented lung cilia, the constant stupid cravings and the ridiculous expense. Not to mention how it made my fingers reek and my clothes reek and my teeth yellow and my girlfriend cringe when she kissed me and of course all the filthy ashtrays and stale butts and the whole noxious karmic low-vibration poison-for-the-flesh thing.

There was no pill. There was no nicotine patch or nicotine gum or nicotine-filled syringe to be administered at regular intervals like heroin. A little self-examination, a lot of self-awareness, a tiny shred of self-disgust, all pointed to one wake-up call that finally reached deep into my core and came back out and said, calmly, obviously, Enough already -- this just isn't worth it.

And now, thankfully, they're nothing but an afterthought, a hazy memory, historic ash. I quit my 12-year, one-pack-a-day habit with relative ease, cold turkey, years back, weaned myself off when I turned 30 and never really looked back, and now that California has banned smoking in all bars and restaurants and most public places and even within phlegm-hocking distance of city buildings and parks, it seems all just so archaic and weird and distant.

How quickly I forget. How easy it is to overlook that for millions of others, it's still a plague. It's still out there, raging and cancerous and unstoppable and this explains why I just read about how scientists are on the verge, right now, of inventing a magic-bullet pill that they claim will block the effects of nicotine, block the actual chemical process in your flesh that causes nicotine addiction and, should they succeed, it will prove to be a bigger and more lucrative drug than Viagra and Prozac and Ambien combined and shaken and stirred and pumped straight into your eyeballs.

"It's the biggest addiction market there is," exclaimed one Dr. Herbert D. Kleber, a psychiatry professor and addiction researcher at Columbia University, lips aflutter and dollar signs drooling and already eyeing that new Lexus.

He's referring, of course, to the 50 million extant smokers in the nation, nearly all of whom know they should quit smoking and most of whom have probably tried, but since most probably buy into the BS Big Tobacco/Big Pharmco PR hype, they are conditioned to think it's just way too damn hard and way too ingrained in their cells and they shouldn't even try and they should just wait for the new stupidly expensive drug to further hammer their bodies into submission and meanwhile, cartons of Camel Lights are only 28 bucks a pop at Costco.

So there you go. Addiction is a market. Addiction, like war, is big bucks. Addiction is funny and adorable and deeply American because addiction makes billions for the vile tobacco companies and billions for the equally devious major pharmcos who want to "cure" you of the vile product Big Tobacco sells, all by convincing you that you can smoke all you want and then pop a magic-bullet drug and be all better without actually having to truly understand or change a thing about your life. Isn't that sweet? Isn't that sad? Isn't that just the cutest thing ever?

Know what's even cuter? Neither side of the smoking issue wants the other to disappear. It's that wondrously vicious, downward-spiraling circle, Big Tobacco pumping you full of death and Big Pharmco pumping you full of chemically assisted pseudo-life and each depending on the other to perpetuate the myth of your desperate need for both and no one, anywhere, truly wanting you healthy or spiritually conscious because goddammit then how would they make their boat payments?

It seems obvious but it bears repeating: magic-bullet drugs do nothing. They do nothing to help you change a thing about your addictive tendencies or your attitude or your lifestyle, do nothing to induce any sort of increase in your understanding of how the body works and how the spirit is screaming for attention and just why the hell you might be so easily prone to addiction in the first place. Such prescription drugs don't educate. They don't invoke change. They just numb.

But hell, who cares? Why examine causes? Why try to figure out the reasons behind our toxic tendencies and our weird obsession with things we know are killing us? Simply bomb the problem into submission, and then pretend it's not still right there, simmering just underneath, even nastier and more fanged than before and just aching to manifest itself in some other form. Ain't that America? You're goddamn right it is.

Oh, by the way, here's the big obvious secret about smoking: for the vast majority, smoking simply isn't very hard to quit. This is the giant fallacy perpetuated by both sides. We are all told, endlessly and without shame or death by lightning, that our willpower is weak and we are at the mercy of nasty chemicals and powerful habits and marketing schemes so commanding and draconian we can only cower and whimper in their presence and scream out that we are, in short, big sloppydumb victims. Which is, of course, bull.

And I'll admit it's often more complicated than that and everyone's wiring is different and many people's addictive personalities are a result of a tormented set of psychoemotional issues and manic tendencies hearkening back to their upbringings and their karmic agendas and their time in the womb and ... and ... OK, enough already. True to a point, but after that, no more goddamn excuses. It's all you.

And by the way, I am all for holding corporations accountable. I am all for nailing Big Tobacco and the fast food conglomerates and oil companies and major drug companies and much of the government to the wall for lying their collective asses off about the inherent poisons in their products and services and ad campaigns.

But overall, the rule still applies: we are in charge. And the more we believe in silly toxic magic bullets, the more distant we become from who we are and just what the hell we are capable of. Put another way: the more you believe a goddamn drug can truly block your addiction and change how you approach your life, the less connection you will have with anything that truly matters.

There is no true health anywhere in a drug that blocks the effect of nicotine. There is no magic in that bullet, there is just bullet.

I wish, right now, this day, that I could smoke again. I loved the ritual, the habit, the funky little rock-star vice. I wish smoking wasn't so purely dangerous or brainless or so goddamn obviously the most useless and pointless and debilitating and deadly habit you can have next to collecting radioactive sewage or kissing speeding trains or voting Republican.

But that is, of course, why I won't be smoking, ever again. Because alongside the face-slapping facts that prove how smoking is just savagely stupid, and silly, and hugely toxic is the notion that, if you refuse to try to understand the forces and energies fondling your life and then tweak your attitudes accordingly, no pill can ever make you do it. Simple as that.

But damn, those Zippos were cool.

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

Tobacco-Free Coalition

Semblance — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 16:20:57 GMT

http://www.tobaccofreeoregon.org/

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

Rep. Mark Hass' response

Semblance — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 02:10:51 GMT

March 2, 2005

Dear Mr. Stengren,

Thank you for the thoughtful note. I am sponsoring 2
anti-smoking bills. I am heartened that because of so many people like
yourself - more and more bars (like McMenamins) are outlawing tobacco.
The restaurant lobby is very powerful in Salem and is likely to
kill anything to lift the ban on smoking. Not that I'm giving up, but
one answer may be to go to a vote of the people, What would you think
about that?

Regards,

Mark Hass

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

Senator Deckert's response

Semblance — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 02:17:09 GMT

Dear Jason,

Thank you for your note regarding an indoor smoking ban. I appreciate
your interest in this issue.

In the recent history we have been able to take our society from one
dominated by smoking to a 90% smokefree work environment. I am very
proud of this achievement.

There are currently few exceptions to Oregon's 2002 smokefree workplace
law, and I am somewhat reluctant to include further restrictions.
Overall, the smokefree law has been significant step forward which I
believe is a reasonable compromise.

However, I am open to new information regarding this important issue, so
please feel free to contact me again if you have any further comments.

Sincerely,

Senator Ryan Deckert
900 Court Street NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1714

RD: kf

-----Original Message-----
From: Jason Stengren [mailto:----]
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2005 8:52 PM
To: SEN Deckert
Subject: Internet email for Legislative Member, TO: Ryan Deckert

Dear Senator Ryan Deckert:

I've lived in Portland for over 2 years now, and I enjoy frequenting
local bars/pubs/clubs with my friends to support the local economy.
However, I'm getting fed-up with feeling terrible after a night at a
smokey establishment. I've sought-out non-smoking places, but there just
aren't many that I like. After doing some digging, I found out that some
legislation was passed to ban any future city/county bans on indoor
smoking after 2001? Why would the state of Oregon pass such a regressive
law when it seems the trend nationally is to phase-out indoor smoking.
Myself, as well as many of my friends, are becoming fed-up with having
to sacrafice years of our health just to go out and have a good time,
and I can't imagine how the workers in those establishments must feel at
the end of a night. Has/is anything being done to further exclude
smoking from indoor establishments? If not, what can I do as a citizen
to make something happen and bring Oregon up-to-speed with most modern
cities? I know there is a broad population in Portland who is fed-up
with going out anymore just because of the smoke. Thanks for your
response in advance.

Sincerely,
Jason Stengren

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

PDX Smokeless Establishments

Semblance — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 16:11:25 GMT

Post any non-smoking venues/establishments you might know of on this thread... we need to give these people props somehow. Maybe we can write a little letter of appreciation or give an award to the owners? IDeas?

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 2 replies

Smoker's Civil Rights

Semblance — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 02:25:42 GMT

Here's a debate that's always fascinated me... but since we probably don't have any smokers, I wonder how far we'll get. It goes like this:

Non-Smoker: "I really wish they'd ban indoor smoking... it really makes me feel like crap"
Smoker: "That's a total violation of my civil rights! If I want to smoke, I should be able to. It's not my fault that you choose to come to smoking bars and hang out... you can always go elsewhere."
Non-smoker: "Yea, but this is my favorite bar in Portland... minus the smoking of course."
Smoker: "Well, fucking deal with it then if you like it so much."
Non-smoker: "....."

I've had this argument (up to this point actually) with a couple of my friends now, and it's like arguing with an evangelical Christian... you just don't get anywhere. I want to know everyone's ideas on the 'civil rights issue' of smoking. I know that by banning indoor smoking, we are taking away smoker's liberties to pollute the air of bars & clubs, but why don't they ever consider non-smoker's 'civil rights'? All I've ever heard is, "Well, go somewhere else then." It's downright rude. Comments?

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 4 replies

Where to go, what to do?

Rainweaver — Sat, 26 Feb 2005 22:25:28 GMT

This tribe so rocks!

I am violently allergic to cigarette smoke, and will become very ill, and end up with a migraine for days, literally. This pretty much ixnays any sort of social evening activity for me thus far =(

But I am now single again, and had been pondering going out on a weekend evening, and I end up just getting frustrated and staying or going home because I know that no matter where I go, it will be in a cloud of cigarette smoke.

Are there any clubs or anything like that which are non-smoking in the metro area?

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 4 replies

Tom Potter's response

Semblance — Tue, 01 Mar 2005 00:16:50 GMT

(I sent Potter's office an inquiry about anti-smoking legislation, and here's what I got back)

Dear Mr. Stengren:

Mayor Potter has read your email about smoking and asked me to reply.

Unfortunately, even as Portland's mayor he has no power to change the smoking laws in the city. Smoking in the workplace is regulated by the State of Oregon and enforced by county health departments. When Oregon's law governing smoking in the workplace was passed, it prohibited local governments from imposing additional smoking restrictions unless they had been approved before July 1, 2001. Therefore, it prevents Oregon cities from enacting smoking laws that are stricter than those that now exist. The cities of Corvallis and Eugene have bans in place because their laws were passed prior to this legislation.

This is the precise language, which is excerpted from ORS 433.863: 433.863 Limitation on prohibition of smoking by local government:

(1) A local government may not prohibit smoking in any areas listed in ORS 433.850 (2) unless the local government prohibition was passed before July 1, 2001.

http://www.ohd.hr.state.or.us/tobacco/smokefree/statute.cfm)

I suggest that you contact your state legislators regarding this important health issue. http://www.leg.state.or.us/writelegsltr/

Sincerely, Michael Mock
Public Advocate
Office of Mayor Tom Potter

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 1 reply

PDX barred from limiting smoking?

Semblance — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 18:36:24 GMT

(cross-posted from the PDX tribe)

"Re: Any non-smokers in PDX?

I'll tell you why PDX hasn't caught up with the rest of the world. It's because PDX is legally barred from making any action that would further limit smoking in public establishments.

I found this out at a meeting I went to recently (I'm a cancer researcher & lung cancer was the topic of the meeting). Anyways, while I was there I found out this little tidbit. After Benton County & Lane County (or at least Eugene) banned smoking indoors and in public places the tobacco lobby somehow convinced Oregon Congress (and I can't BELIEVE our elected officials would do this, but they did) to create a new law. The new law states that NO local government, whether it be a city, metro, county or whatever, can make ANY new laws that would further limit smoking areas to smokers. The tobacco lobby did this because they know that anti-smoking initiatives almost always come from local communities. To ban local governments from taking action on non-smoking initiatives effectively makes it virtually impossible to create law. The ONLY WAY that we can make more places non-smoking is to either convince individual establishments to make their place non smoking OR if a law is passed that will affect the ENTIRE state of Oregon. The tobacco lobby knows that the likelyhood of this is small or nil. It totally sucks, I couldn't believe it when I heard this."

Does anyone else have any more info/links pertaining to this ban?

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 3 replies

Links for more information

Semblance — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 18:27:27 GMT

Below are several links for more info on research already done, and contact information for your local state & city elected officials. Don't hesitate to write them!

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_2000/CleanIndoor.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/cdnr/cdnr_fall0103.htm
http://www.orcities.org/webdocs/ORS/ORS433.835-875.html
http://www.worksmokefree.com/documents/CIAFactSheet.pdf
http://www.ohd.hr.state.or.us/tobacco/smokefree/about.cfm

http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/contact_us.shtml
http://www.portlandonline.com/index.cfm?c=28533
http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/contact/contact.cfm#elect

http://www.smokefreeworld.com/portland.shtml

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies

Smokeless Venue?

Semblance — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 16:10:06 GMT

I was also considering pooling money together (if we get enough members) and renting a small warehouse for a monthly non-smoker electronic event. Does anyone have experience with this sorta thing; renting the venue, city noise ordinances, alcohol laws, etc. ??

posted in PDX Non-smoking Revolution!! - 0 replies