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Bend House Blast Tied to Cigarette, Gas Line  

City snuffs out smoking in parks 

Cigarette started fatal Central Point fire 

EDITORIAL: County sends solid message about secondhand smoke 

The American Cancer Society reports that 30 separate U.S. surgeon generals, since 1964, have sounded the alarm on secondhand smoke. It essentially boils down to this: There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Our local governments should step forward as leaders in the campaign to reduce the public’s exposure to these toxins anywhere on publicly owned property.

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County sends tobacco packing from public buildings 

Smoking will be banned on all Multnomah County grounds, including parking lots, starting July 1.

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a new tobacco-free campus policy on Thursday for all county-owned properties. County leaders say it’s the first of many steps to improve the health of county employees and those who visit county buildings.

“Social norms about tobacco have changed,” said Sonia Manhas, manager of the county’s Community Wellness and Prevention program, during a presentation at Thursday's commissioners' meeting.

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HAMILTON: Tobacco entices young Oregonians 

Blind man rescued after cigarette sparks SE Portland house fire  

HAMILTON: Proven solutions can curb youth smoking in Oregon  

Legislators Tap Tobacco Prevention Account to Fill Budget Gaps  

• Give up smoking on No Smoking Day - or any day - with our tips round-up  

Oregon: Teens Sought as Replacement Smokers  

The Oregon Health Authority's Public Health Division on Thursday hailed a new Surgeon General's report that exposes the effect of the tobacco industry's marketing efforts on youth, contributing to more than 20 Oregon teenagers starting to smoke each day.

The scientific report, "Preventing Tobacco Use among Youth and Young Adults," released Thursday by Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., M.B.A., highlights the many ways tobacco marketing appeals to young people, including low prices, youth-oriented marketing tactics, and ready availability. The report confirms that people who start smoking before age 18 are more likely to continue as adults.

"Clearly, the fight to prevent youth tobacco use is far from over. This report shows for every person who dies of a tobacco-related illness, there are two new smokers under the age of 25," says Bruce Gutelius, M.D., M.P.H., deputy state epidemiologist. "Tobacco marketing is a key factor in causing young people to start using tobacco."

Between 1998 and 2008, the tobacco industry spent more than $125 million a year marketing its products in Oregon, according to the Federal Trade Commission -- many of those dollars resulting in a larger number of young people hooked on tobacco products.

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Blowing smoke 

Ballini-Ross, a tobacco prevention coordinator, and Sara Hartstein, her counterpart at the Benton County Health Department, want to dispel myths believed by many young people that hookah pipes and e-cigarettes are healthier than conventional cigarettes.

A hookah is a single- or multi-stemmed water pipe with a smoke chamber, a bowl, a pipe and a hose. Tobacco is heated and then the smoke passes through water and is drawn up through a rubber hose to a mouthpiece.

E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that look like real cigarettes and contain nicotine.

Albany Mayor Sharon Konopa invited the two prevention specialists to speak at a recent Albany City Council meeting about the potential dangers related to the products and how accessible they are to young people.

Hookah lounges are popping up around Oregon, especially near college campuses, Ballini-Ross said. So far, there aren’t any in Linn or Benton counties, but there are several in Eugene, Salem/Keizer and Portland.

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E-cigarette defendant pleads not guilty to interfering with flight crew  

A 19-year-old accused of hitting flight crew and singing about Osama bin Laden on a Tuesday flight to Houston pleaded not guilty to interfering with flight crew today in U.S. District Court in Portland.

A lawyer for Yazeed Mohammed Abunayyan, of Saudi Arabia, also said that his client has some mental health issues. He declined to discuss his health further, but Abunayyan's cousin told the Ashland Daily Tidings that Abunayyan has schizophrenia and had stopped taking his medication.

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Philip Morris USA to Appeal Excessive Jury Decision in Long Running Oregon Case  

“This decision reflects neither the facts nor the law and we have numerous compelling grounds upon which to appeal,” said Murray Garnick, Altria Client Services senior vice president and associate general counsel, speaking on behalf of PM USA.“The award – which is almost 150 times the compensatory award in the case – is unconstitutionally excessive and violates Supreme Court decisions limiting punitive damages awards.”

“Although this award is excessive, it is worth noting that the jury rejected the plaintiff’s still more outrageous claim for three hundred million dollars,” Garnick added. “Furthermore, the award is substantially less than the $150 million award that the original jury imposed.”

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VIDEO: 1 passenger detained after disturbance on Continental flight headed to Houston 

Passengers aboard a Continental Airlines flight bound for Houston Tuesday sprang into action to help a flight attendant having trouble with an unruly passenger. Twenty minutes after the plane departed Portland, pilots returned to the city where the FBI was waiting.

Passengers said the unruly man was a problem from the beginning. After boarding Flight 1113, the man became upset because he was not seated next to his friend.

Then after the flight took off, he ignored the "No Smoking" sign and tried to light an electronic cigarette.

A flight attendant asked the passenger to turn off the cigarette, but he refused. The Middle Eastern man started screaming at the smaller woman.

"He was screaming, 'Allah is great, Allah is great,'" said Nancy Haywood, passenger. "And it kind of worries you when that happens, but believe me, there were enough men to hold him down."

And they did. Men on the plane jumped up and ran to assist the flight attendant.

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