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State Officials Are Faulted on
Anti-Tobacco Programs - Jan. 11, 2001
By GREG WINTER

         Only six states spend even the minimum
         amount on programs to prevent and
         stop smoking that is recommended by the
         Centers for Dsease Control and Prevention,
         the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, an
         advocacy group in Washington, says in a
         report to be released today.

Agency to Market Another Cigarette - Jan. 12, 2001

         The Brown & Williamson Tobacco
         Corporation in Louisville, Ky., has expanded
         its relationship with G2 in New York, a unit of
         the Grey Global Group, by naming the
         agency to handle marketing communications
         for the reintroduction of a filtered version of
         the Pall Mall cigarette brand.

Candidate for Mayor Seeks Expanded
Restrictions on Smoking - Jan. 25, 2001
By THOMAS J. LUECK

         A proposal to expand New York City smoking restrictions,
         introduced yesterday in legislation by the City Council speaker,
         Peter F. Vallone, provoked criticism yesterday from Mayor Rudolph W.
         Giuliani and representatives of the city's restaurant industry, who said it
         would give the government too much control over personal decisions.

Rodham and Group Seeking Legal Fees Uses
Clinton Testimonial - March 8, 2001
By Barry Meier

         A group of lawyers that includes Hugh
         Rodham, the brother-in-law of former
         President Bill Clinton, submitted a videotaped
         tribute from Mr. Clinton about its role in
         tobacco-related lawsuits to help support a fee
         request of up to $3.4 billion.

         The legal team, which presented its arguments last week in New York, is asking the
         panel to grant it fees "at the same level" as those awarded in 1998 to lawyers who
         represented Texas and Florida in their cases against tobacco companies to recover
         costs related to smoking.

Foes of Smoking Are Split Over Part of City
Legislation - March 8, 2001
By Thomas J. Lueck

         New legislation to restrict smoking in New York City restaurants has
         provoked a blast of bitter, unexpected protest from an unusual quarter:
         smoking opponents elsewhere in the country. They object to a proposed City Hall
         task force that would study new ventilation technology to remove secondhand
         smoke from the air.

Big Tobacco Pays $1 Million to Ex-Smoker - March 10, 2001

         JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 9 (AP) — A 70-year-old former smoker who
         had a cancerous lung removed has become *the first person to collect payment
         from the tobacco industry over a cigarette-related illness.

*C.L.A.S.H. Note: We post the above article in order to address the misconception that tobacco
companies have been sued successfully time and time again. That is obviously not the case.

TOBACCO PAYMENT RISES - April 6, 2001
[No link is supplied as this is the entire contents]

         New York State will receive $518 million
         this year as its annual payment from a 1998 settlement with tobacco
         companies, the state attorney general, Eliot L. Spitzer, announced yesterday. Of
         this, New York City will receive $138 million, Nassau County $14 million, and
         Westchester County $10 million. The amount, $77 million more than last year's, is
         part of a settlement that requires tobacco companies to pay $206 billion to states
         and territories, with New York State receiving about $25 billion over the first 25 years.

NYC: Wanting Us to Be Better Than We Do - April 18, 2001
By Clyde Haberman

        These are hard times for vice in the Naked City. Even getting naked isn't as
        simple as it used to be, not with all the government efforts to put the sex shop
        industry under wraps.

        But sex is not the only indulgence frowned on by the downtown powers — the
        pezzonovante, as the mayor might say, given his love of "The Godfather." Now they
        are going after tobacco and alcohol, too. Of course, none of this should come as a
        huge surprise in a city that suddenly has a decency commission.

Panel Seeks New Cigarette Tax and Limits on
Tobacco Industry - May 13, 2001

         WASHINGTON, May 12 — The federal tax on cigarettes should increase
          by 17 cents a pack to pay tobacco farmers to stop growing the crop,
          and the government should have the power to regulate tobacco products, a
          presidential commission recommends.

U.S. and Albany Agree to Provide Health
Benefits to Uninsured Poor - May 30, 2001
By Raymond Hernandez

        The state's share of the program is to be financed partly with the money New York
        will receive in the national lawsuit settlement with the tobacco industry, and partly by
        doubling the state's tobacco tax.

In a Park Corner, a Brushoff for Smokers - June 2, 2001
By Yilu Zhao

         Just after noon yesterday, Stan Kornblum was eating ice cream in the shade in
         the southwest corner of Bryant Park. A regular at this lush patch of green, he
         did not notice any change.

But among the ivy beds were signs — "No smoking in this area of the park" — that
did not even exist a few days ago.

A Jury Orders Tobacco Companies to Pay
Millions to Blue Cross - June 5, 2001
By Alan Feuer

         A federal jury in Brooklyn yesterday
         ordered some of the country's largest
         tobacco companies to pay up to $18 million
         to cover the cost of treating hundreds of
         debilitated smokers in New York, finding that
         the companies had lied to the public about the
         dangers of smoking.

MANHATTAN: CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL TOBACCO SALES -
June 5, 2001 [No link is supplied as this is the entire contents]

         The City Department of Consumer Affairs has confiscated 20,000 packs of cigarettes in
         a crackdown on unlicensed vendors, the department announced yesterday. After
         4,000 inspections, said Jane Hoffman, the commissioner, the department found 28
         unlicensed dealers in the city. Inspectors seized the cigarette inventory when dealers
         continued selling them after promising not to. Of these, 11 had since obtained
         licenses and paid $11,000 in fines. Seized cigarettes are returned to vendors who
         obtain licenses and pay penalties; those not returned in six months may be
         destroyed.   Tara Bahrampour (NYT)

Court Strikes Down State Ban on Sale of
Cigarettes Online - June 9, 2001
By Terry Pristin

         A federal judge struck down a New York State law banning Internet and
         mail-order sales of cigarettes yesterday, saying the state had unduly
         interfered with interstate commerce.

Albany Calls a Halt to a Legislative Session That
Never Went Anywhere - June 18, 2001

        And a few sleeping bills may become law with alarming suddenness, lobbyists say.
        Senator Bruno has signaled his interest, for instance, in a bill that would ban smoking
        in most restaurants across the state, breathing life into a measure that is expected to
        pass the Assembly.

In Albany, Criticism for a Day That Will Live in
Futility - June 21, 2001
By James C. McKinley Jr.

         The fate of a bill that would ban smoking in restaurants statewide also remained up
         in the air, as the Assembly passed it but the Senate did not bring it to the floor for a
         vote.

Though Smoking Bill Fails in Albany, Hopes for
Ban Persist - June 25, 2001
By Somini Sengupta

The Senate wrapped up the legislative session early Friday morning; Mr.
Bruno did not allow the tobacco bill to go to a vote.

Indians Left Out of Tobacco Deal - July 16, 2001

        SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Twenty Indian tribes
        have no right to any of the $200 billion the tobacco
        industry agreed to pay under the landmark 1998
        accord between cigarette makers and 46 states, a
        federal appeals court ruled Monday.

Council Cuts $766 Million From Budget - December 20, 2001
By Michael Cooper

It will eliminate a $5.3 million program to pay for meals for elderly
immigrants and a $6.5 million anti- smoking program.

Albany Deal Would Raise Hospital Pay - January 16, 2002
By James C. McKinley Jr.

         ALBANY, Jan. 15 — After an all-night bargaining session, Gov.
         George E. Pataki and the leaders of the Senate and Assembly reached
         an agreement today on a health care bill that would provide $1.8 billion for
         salary increases for thousands of hospital workers over three years. The
         money would also pay for recruiting more workers.

         But the plan hinges on spending a $1.1 billion windfall to the state from the
         conversion of Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield into a for-profit company.
         The state would also pay for the plan by raising the tax on cigarettes to
         $1.50 a pack, from $1.11. In addition, the bill relies on Congress to increase
         the federal share of Medicaid payments to raise $2.1 billion over three years,
         which is considered a long shot, at best.

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January 19, 2001
        AND OUT WITH
        THE NICOTINE NAZIS
        By Sidney Zion

       By her dictat, Hillary created civil war in the saloons and
       salons of America, where smokers have since become
       pariahs seen as murderers of the born and unborn.

January 29, 2001
VALLONE'S BIG LIE
By Sidney Zion

IT'S High Noon in New York on the right to smoke in bars.

        Peter Vallone, the prohibitionist City Council speaker and a
        candidate for mayor, stands in front of the saloon with the
        Big Lie in his holster.

March 1, 2001
        TERM LIMITS OR NONE,
       VALLONE'S STILL BLOWING SMOKE
         By Sidney Zion

         PETER Vallone, when he was leading the fight against term
         limits, asked me if I'd switch and back him if he'd switch
         and allow me to smoke cigars in restaurants.

         "In a New York minute," I said. We both laughed, but I
          wasn't kidding. For better or worse, we lived without term
          limits for 200 years. We never had to live with prohibition
          of smoking in our eateries.

March 2, 2001
         SINGER TAKES ‘BANNED'
       STAND AT SMOKE HEARING
         By Frankie Edozien

        Arguments over toughening the city's smoking laws took
        several dramatic turns yesterday - including an impromptu
        opera recital - in a contentious City Council hearing.

March 4, 2001
SNUFF OUT THE WHINERS ALREADY!
By Linda Stasi

        As an ex-smoker, I'm here to tell you that the most
        annoying thing about smoking are ex-smokers,
        non-smokers and anti-smokers who complain incessantly,
        and out loud, whenever they walk into a bar or a restaurant
        with fewer than 35 seats and smell smoke!

March 12, 2001
         TOO SELF-RIGHTEOUS TO
         BOTHER WITH PROOF
            By Sidney Zion

         Peter Vallone shrugs off all of this. "I'm not concerned about
         the science," he told me during the City Council hearing the
         other day.

March 13, 2001
HIGH CIGARETTE TAX BURNS STATE VENDORS

       Abstract:
       Legislation was enacted last year to crack down on cigarette
       bootlegging and untaxed sales over the Internet. The Internet provision
       is in limbo, however, pending the outcome of a lawsuit brought by a
       major tobacco company that argues it violates interstate- commerce laws.

Kevin Quinn, Gov. Pataki's budget spokesman, told The Post tobacco
sales have dropped about 20 percent since the 55-cent-per-pack ...

March 16, 2001
         LIGHTEN UP ON LIGHTING UP!
         By Neal Travis
         [No link is supplied as this is the entire contents]

         IF Mayor Rudy wants to go out on a high note, he should
         pledge here and now to veto any bill coming out of the City
         Council's latest round of anti-smoking demagoguery.
         Giuliani, who loves a good cigar, knows that the stringent
         laws already in place are working fine. As for council
         Speaker Peter Vallone, the restaurant and bar industry will
         work like the devil against his mayoral campaign if he does
         force through new restrictions.

March 23, 2001
         DON'T LET CIG NIXERS STUB
       OUR FREEDOM
         By Steve Dunleavy

I HAVE quit smoking more times than the late, great Sarah
Bernhardt had farewells.

Having said that, I'll not be having "the nicotine Nazis"
destroy my reverie.

March 31, 2001
TOBACCO $$ FOR ANTI-SMOKE POLS
By Richard Johnson with Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson

        NO matter how much some politicians enjoy bashing Big
        Tobacco, their pious concern for the lungs of tomorrow
        doesn't prevent them from accepting tobacco-stained money.

April 23, 2001
APPEASING THE NICOTINE NAZIS
By Sidney Zion

        GEORGE W. Bush has de-Clintonized the
        White House to a fare-thee-well, but Hillary's spirit lives on -
         just try to light up a Marlboro.

May 5, 2001
      VALLONE ANTI-SMOKING BILL DOING
      AN ELECTION-YEAR BURNOUT
       By David Seifman

       Sources said the bill, which would expand several areas of the
       Smoke-Free Air Act of 1995, has almost no chance of passage while
       Vallone is locked in a tight race for the Democratic mayoral nod.

May 19, 2001
        GOV TELLS CIG ACTIVISTS
      TO BUTT OUT
        By Fredric U. Dicker

        ALBANY - Gov. Pataki's administration yesterday abruptly snuffed out a
        just-launched program to dispatch anti-smoking activists to confront and
       "persuade" smokers in public places to give up their unhealthy habits.

June 1, 2001
BRYANT PK. GETS CIG-FREE ZONE
By Jessie Graham

Smokers fear a new puffing ban in a corner of
Bryant Park is the beginning of the end of lighting up in public spaces.

        The ban -- the first ever in a city park -- was enacted shortly after
        1p.m. yesterday in the shady southwest corner of the park at
        Sixth Avenue and 40th Street.

June 2, 2001
        BRYANT PARK MOVE
      MAY BE JUST START
        By David Seifman and Jessie Graham

        Bryant Park's new no-smoking section is on the "cutting edge"
        of new smoke-free policies that could soon ban butts from most
        city spaces, anti-smoking advocates said yesterday.

Smokers feel the city has already gone too far in limiting
smoking in stadiums, playgrounds, workplaces and restaurants.

       "First they start with indoor smoking, then they don't like us
        outside, but really the underlying agenda is to de-normalize
        smoking by taking it out of sight," said Audrey Silk, founder
        of New York City Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment.

June 2, 2001
        LET'S TELL THE NICOTINE
      NAZIS TO BUTT OUT
        By Steve Dunleavy

        THE first shot fired in the war declared by
        "The Butt Outs" is testing my normally sweet,
        accommodating, gentle nature.

I am hotter than a fresh-flushed fox in a forest fire.

Where will the nicotine Nazis stop?

July 21, 2001
        FIRED EXEC'S SUIT: WHERE
      THERE'S SMOKE, THERE'S IRE
        By Dareh Gregorian

A former executive at Elite Modeling Management claims she was smoked out of her
job because of a disability that made her ill when her colleagues puffed away.

      In papers filed in Manhattan State Supreme Court, Victoria Gallegos, 30, claims Elite
      chairman John Casablancas and co-presidents Monique Pillard and Gerald Marie caused her
      "severe physical harm and grave emotional distress."

January 11, 2001
N.Y. Cig Cash Up in Smoke

        New York State lost $44 million — at least for now — in
        tobacco-industry settlement payments made last month,
        independent auditors in charge of the payouts said yesterday.

January 17, 2001
A Clarification

Re: Fireman Killed In Blaze (1/15/01)

January 17, 2001
        Jury Clears Cig Makers
        Rules that smoke killed plaintiff, who accepted risk
        By NANCIE L. KATZ
           Daily News Staff Writer

        For the first time, a jury in New York State has found that
        smoking caused cancer, but the panel refused yesterday to
        find the tobacco companies responsible.

January 24, 2001
         Kicking More Butts
         Council could get even
         tougher on puffers
         By MICHAEL R. BLOOD
         Daily News City Hall Bureau Chief

         City Council leaders will call for a blanket ban on indoor
         smoking today at city restaurants — closing a loophole that
         allows patrons to puff away in many restaurant bars and
         small cafes.

January 25, 2001
Restaurants Fume Over Smoke Plan
By Frank Lombardi

Warring factions began forming yesterday over a new City Council push to
ban smoking at all restaurants and limit it in cars and other places.

March 02, 2001
         Heated Smoke-Law Debate
         By Frank Lombardi
            Daily News Staff Writer

         Smoking rhetoric filled the City Council yesterday as dozens
         of witnesses aired clashing views on a proposed law to ban
         smoking in all parts of restaurants.

March 11, 2001
         Teens Seeking to End Cig Sales
         By Mary Engels

Five teenage members of the Staten Island Tobacco   Free Action Coalition surveyed stores starting in January and found cigarette marketing plentiful near high schools.
NYC C.L.A.S.H. Note: We couldn't let this one go. We wrote the following letter to the editor which has gone unpublished as of this writing:
Cigarettes are less of a threat to our youth than what they are being taught about personal responsibility. The teenage members of the Staten Island Tobacco Free Action Coalition were quoted as being shocked that stores were "pushing" cigarettes in their faces by ad and cigarette placement in the store. They wondered how they could stay clear of cigarettes and remain unhooked. Here's a new idea, how about not buying it? They claim the cigarettes are near the candy. Both are legal products. Did they feel forced to buy any candy? It's shameful that those leading them have taught them that they are not responsible for making their own decisions. They're destined to be lousy adults.

March 15, 2001
Point/Counterpoint
Smoke-Free Restaurants?

         NO
        All diners deserve hospitality
        By E. Charles Hunt, Executive Vice President of the Greater New York City Chapters
        of the New York State Restaurant Association.

        There is a lot of controversy over secondhand smoke.
        Studies indicate it increases the risk of cancer and heart disease.
        Other studies say the risk is slight. There is no question that the
        smoke from someone else's cigarette can be unpleasant. But to us,
        as restaurateurs, it is simple. It's a matter of choice.

March 15, 2001
Point/Counterpoint
Smoke-Free Restaurants?

         YES
        New Yorkers will always eat out
        By Donald Distasio, Chief Executive Officer of the American Cancer Society
        of New York and New Jersey

        Have you ever come home after eating at an intimate little
        cafe and had to air your clothes out because someone was
        smoking at the bar or next table? Wouldn't it be great if you could
        air your lungs out as well?

May 22, 2001
Puffing May Get Tougher

        ALBANY
        Thinking of dinner at that cozy little place on the corner? In
        the future, you might have to ditch the smokes.

        A state law proposed by Assemblyman Pete Grannis
        (D-Manhattan) and Sen. Charles Fuschillo (R-Nassau) would
        extend current restrictions on lighting up to even pint-sized
        restaurants.

June 5, 2001
Cig Firms Lose to Insurers
By Mike Claffey, Daily News Staff Writer

        In the first verdict of its kind, a Brooklyn Federal Court jury found
        that five tobacco giants carried out a campaign of lies and
        deception and ordered them to reimburse Empire Blue Cross and
        Blue Shield.

June 28, 2001
      Court Rules State Tobacco Ad Restrictions
      Can't Exceed Federal Law
          By Anne Gearan, Associated Press

       A state government may not impose its own broad advertising restrictions on
       tobacco beyond the federal law that bans cigarette ads on television and requires
       warning labels on packages, the Supreme Court ruled.

Associated Press - Jan. 10, 2001
Lower Tobacco Payments to States
By TIMOTHY D. MAY, Associated Press Writer

       HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The most recent payments to 16 of the 46 states
       that settled lawsuits with the tobacco industry were cut by a total of almost
       $200 million. [Including New York]

Reuters - Jan. 16, 2001
Tobacco firms not liable in smoker's death - NY jury

        NEW YORK, Jan 16 (Reuters) - A state court jury ruled on Tuesday in favor of Philip
        Morris, R.J. Reynolds and other major tobacco companies, refusing to hold them liable
        for the lung cancer death of a woman who smoked cigarettes for 32 years.

Associated Press - Jan. 25, 2001
Tobacco-Asbestos Mistrial Declared
By TOM HAYS, Associated Press Writer

       NEW YORK (AP) - A federal judge declared a mistrial
       Thursday in a high-stakes tobacco trial after getting a
       note from a juror warning deliberations were so strained
       that another juror had made a violent threat.

Associated Press - Feb. 16, 2001
Asbestos Cos. Sue Tobacco Cos.
By TIMOTHY R. BROWN, Associated Press Writer

       JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Several asbestos companies have joined together
       to file lawsuits against the tobacco giants, seeking reimbursement for past
       claims by sick workers and settlement awards to smokers exposed to asbestos.

Associated Press - Feb 21, 2001
Judge Warns Tobacco Companies

       GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - A federal judge has told tobacco farmers to
       notify him if cigarette companies threaten sales contracts because of a lawsuit
       alleging a price-fixing conspiracy.

U.S. District Court Judge William Osteen said Tuesday that tobacco
company lawyers told him there would be no further threats.

C.L.A.S.H. Note: This is the same judge who ruled against the 1993 EPA report, vacating and invalidating it. He had previously sided against tobacco companies in that he agreed the FDA should have regulatory control over tobacco. This is now more proof that he has no "ties" to "Big Tobacco" and cannot be deemed bias in their defense. His ruling on the EPA report stands on its merits.

Associated Press - Feb. 21, 2001
Philip Morris To Back Tobacco Rules

       WASHINGTON (AP) - The world's biggest cigarette marker said
       Wednesday it would support government regulation of tobacco that includes
       advertising limits on cigarettes, rewritten warning labels and additional
       disclosure of ingredients. Inadequate and ineffective, a critic and government
       adviser said of Philip Morris Inc.'s plan.

Associated Press - Feb. 22, 2001
Panel Questions Tobacco Therapies

WASHINGTON (AP) - Anti-smoking therapies and modified tobacco products have the potential to reduce
the danger of smoking, but not enough is known about their use to be certain, a research panel said Thursday.

Staten Island Advance - March 2, 2001
Smokers Facing New Restrictions

        As the City Council yesterday debated tough new rules
        that would end smoking in dining areas, even those
        outdoors, as well as in bars located in restaurants, a
        leading anti-smoking advocate predicted the day is
        coming when it will be illegal to light up in any business in
        the city.

NY Newsday - March 10, 2001
        Puff, Puff, Cough
        Vallone is right. For health's sake, the city's
        anti-smoking rules need to be tightened.

        He didn't exactly go crazy, which may be part of his problem: Vallone is taking
        flak not only from the usual suspects in the restaurant, tobacco and liquor
        industries, but also from anti-smoking hard-liners around the country

Reuters - March 19, 2001
Five States Sue R.J. Reynolds
By Adam Entous

        WASHINGTON (Reuters) - California and four other states filed suit
        on Monday against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., alleging violations of a
        1998 settlement aimed at restricting cigarette marketing to children.

Reuters - March 23, 2001
Judge grants class action status in W.Va. tobacco case

        NEW YORK, March 23 (Reuters) - A West Virginia judge on Friday denied a request to
        decertify a smokers' class action, setting the stage for the suit to go forward, pitting smokers
        in good health who want medical monitoring against a group of cigarette manufacturers.

NY1 News - March 24, 2001
Anti-Smoking Proposal Draws
Protesters To City Hall

         About fifty smokers staged a protest at City Hall
         Saturday afternoon to call attention to proposed
         smoking restrictions that could curtail the right to
         smoke in New York City restaurants and buildings.

ABCNEWS - March 24, 2001
Fighting for Their Smoking Rights
Rally in New York to Protest Proposed Ban

         That is why a group of smokers, bar and restaurant owners are expected to descend
         on New York's City Hall today to protest a proposal by City Council Speaker and
         rumored mayoral candidate Peter Vallone that would further limit smoking in
         restaurants throughout the city.

Staten Island Advance - March 25, 2001
Smokers to City Council: Butt out
By Reginald Patrick

        About 150 enthusiastic pro-smokers rally at City
        Hall to protest proposed bill that would essentially
        outlaw smoking in eateries

NY Newsday - March 25, 2001
Proposed Legislation Lights Smokers' Ire
by Carleste Hughes - Staff Writer

         Shouting "We smoke! Butt out!" and waving lighted cigarettes and cigars,
         restaurant owners, wait staff and a handful of the city's thousands of smokers
         stood up for smokers' rights yesterday in a march through downtown
         Manhattan.

Associated Press - March 25, 2001
New York City smokers protest
Smoke Free Air Act

        Smokers marched to City Hall on Saturday, waving 10-foot-long cigarettes
        above their heads, to protest a proposed law that would ban smoking in the
        city's 21,000 restaurants.

Associated Press - March 26, 2001
NY Insurer Takes on Tobacco Industry
By Tom Hays, Associated Press Writer

        NEW YORK (AP) - The tobacco industry was back on trial Monday,
        this time accused by New York's largest insurance company of
        conspiring to conceal the risks of smoking.

Reuters - March 26, 2001
Judge says Owens Corning to press on with tobacco case

       The Toledo, Ohio-based maker of Pink Panther Fiberglas insulation, which filed
       for Chapter 11 in October after a slew of costly asbestos-related liability claims, had
       sued tobacco companies like R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc, alleging many
       asbestos injuries were instead due to smoking.

Reuters - March 27, 2001
Judge Denies Class Action in Tobacco Case

        NEW YORK (Reuters) - Philip Morris Cos. Inc. (NYSE:MO - news),
        the world's top cigarette firm, said on Tuesday that an federal judge in
        Illinois rejected a plaintiffs' request for class action certification in a
        lawsuit against tobacco companies.

Reuters - March 27, 2001
         Bush Health Secretary Backs FDA
       Tobacco Regulation
         By Will Dunham

        WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration (news
        - web sites) should be permitted to regulate tobacco as a drug, but it
        should be up to Congress to determine the exact extent of the agency's
       authority, Secretary of Health and Human Services (news - web sites)
       Tommy Thompson on Tuesday.

Reuters - March 27, 2001
U.S. judge throws out tobacco suit-WSJ

       NEW YORK, March 27 (Reuters) - A federal judge threw out a lawsuit by tobacco
       company Star Scientific Inc. that sought to overturn the landmark 1998 legal settlement
       between the country's major cigarette makers and 46 state governments, the Wall Street
       Journal reported in its online edition Tuesday.

Miami Herald - March 27, 2001
Ex-flight attendant puts cigarette firms on trial
By Jay Weaver

       With a tube pumping oxygen through her nose, former TWA flight attendant Marie Fontana coughed
       repeatedly Monday as she testified that exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke gave her respiratory
       illnesses that could kill her if she does not get a lung transplant.

Law.com - March 28, 2001
Blue Cross Tobacco Case Set for Trial in Brooklyn
By Bob Van Voris - National Law Journal

        Just weeks after a mistrial in a billion-dollar case against Big Tobacco,
        another billion-dollar case goes to trial in the same Brooklyn courtroom
        today.

Reuters - April 5, 2001
         Cigarette Makers Beat Back
       Secondhand-Smoke Claim
         By Michael Connor

        MIAMI (Reuters) - U.S. cigarette makers defeated the first of about 3,200 individual
        secondhand-smoke claims on Thursday, when a Miami jury ruled the companies had no liability for
        the lung ailments of a former flight attendant.

Times Union - April 6, 2001
Tougher Smoking Rules Targeted
By Jay Jochnowitz

Albany -- Advocacy groups push for Clean Indoor Air Act changes

        Seeking to pressure state and county governments to
        enact stiffer workplace smoking regulations, a coalition
        of advocacy groups Thursday released a handbook on
        how to fight for tougher local laws.

New York Press - April 10, 2001
The Anti-Anti-Smoker

        "This is not L.A.," the message on his answering machine states.
        "We do not stand for political correctness."
        Scott LoBaido is one mighty pissed smoker.

Associated Press - April 24, 2001
Tobacco Ad Suit Heads to High Court
By Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press Writer

         BOSTON (AP) - A dispute between Massachusetts and the tobacco
         industry could give the U.S. Supreme Court the chance to decide whether
         commercial advertising deserves First Amendment protections similar to
         political and artistic speech.

Associated Press - April 25, 2001
No Money in Bush Budget for Tobacco
By KAREN GULLO Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration has not asked Congress for money
in its new budget to pay for a massive lawsuit against big tobacco companies, prompting
speculation that the Justice Department will not continue with the case.

Associated Press - April 25, 2001
Philip Morris Boosts Prices
By SKIP WOLLENBERG AP Business Writer

        NEW YORK (AP) -- Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, the two biggest U.S.
        tobacco companies, are boosting wholesale cigarette prices by 14 cents a pack for
        the second time in just over four months.

Reuters - May 7, 2001
Tobacco Companies Get Stay in Engle Case

        NEW YORK (Reuters) - Three U.S. tobacco companies on Monday
        struck a deal guaranteeing they won't have to pay their share of the
        $145 billion verdict against them in a landmark class-action suit while
        they appeal the case involving sick smokers.

Reuters - May 14, 2001
Bush to Review Report on Tobacco Tax,
Regulation

        The White House said on Sunday President George W. Bush would review a
        presidential commission's recommendations on curbing tobacco use and
        increasing the federal tax on cigarettes by 17 cents.

NY Newsday - May 15, 2001
Cigs Off Beach?
By Jordan Rau

"This is an anti-smoking bill masquerading as a litter bill," Audrey Silk, founder of New York
City Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, told The Associated Press.

NY Newsday - June 13, 2001
        Extended Smoke Screen
        Suffolk eyes 50-foot rule for hospitals
        by Emi Endo

       Legis. Angie Carpenter (R-West Islip) is proposing to extend the
       ban on smoking within a 50-foot radius of street-level entrances to
       buildings owned or leased by the county and all hospitals in Suffolk.

       Audrey Silk, who recently founded a group called New York City Citizens
       Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, which she said has several
       members from Long Island, complained, "You've kicked us outside
       already.” Calling smoking a "legal activity,” she said, "In a civil society,
       people put up with annoyances to get along.”

NY Newsday - June 18, 2001
        A State Move To Limit Smoking
        Legislation would ban it in eateries
        By Andrew Metz.

       Albany-A decade after enacting some of the toughest smoking rules in the nation,
       then watching while other places passed them by, New York lawmakers are now
       on the precipice of embracing a strict ban on smoking in restaurants across the state.

Buffalo News - June 20, 2001
Pataki says smoking bill would cost restaurants
By Tom Precious

        ALBANY - Dashing hopes by health advocates for a deal to further crack
        down on smoking in restaurants, Gov. George E. Pataki on Tuesday
        said he has strong reservations about an anti-smoking measure he
        said would significantly add to the costs of operating eateries.

Associated Press - June 29, 2001
Tobacco Company Loses Appeal
By Ron Word

       JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - The first smoker ever to collect on a verdict against the tobacco
       industry saw his victory sealed Friday when the U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) rejected an
       appeal from one of the nation's biggest cigarette makers.

Reuters - June 29, 2001
Asbestos suit against tobacco companies dropped
By Jessica Wohl

      NEW YORK, June 29 (Reuters) - A suit that originally sought almost $6 billion in damages
      from tobacco companies for the deadly link between smoking and asbestos was dropped
      suddenly by the plaintiffs on Friday.

Reuters - July 5, 2001
Class-Action Denied in Four Tobacco Suits

        NEW YORK (Reuters) - The top two U.S. cigarette makers said on
        Thursday a federal judge denied class-action certification in four
        lawsuits filed against them and others in the tobacco industry, saying the
        claims had ``individual issues.''

Of the more than 100 tobacco cases filed since 1994 seeking
class-action status, only seven classes are now certified, Philip Morris said.

Associated Press - July 27, 2001
Judge Rejects Gov't Tobacco Appeal
By Nancy Zuckerbrod

WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge has once again rejected an effort by the Justice Department
to recoup the cost of treating sick smokers as part of its lawsuit against the tobacco industry.

Reuters - August 9, 2001
California Judge Cuts Tobacco Award to $100 Million
By Deena Beasley

        LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California
        judge on Thursday slashed to $100 million a
        record $3 billion verdict against Philip Morris
        Cos. in a fraud claim filed by a Marlboro
        smoker who is dying from lung cancer.

NY Newsday - August 29, 2001
      A Zone of Contention
       Vote expected on extending smoking ban
       By Emi Endo and Michael Rothfeld

       Suffolk lawmakers last night were expected to vote on whether smokers should
       continue to be allowed to light up just outside tobacco-free county buildings and
       hospitals, but they tabled the measure instead.

However, late last night Carpenter and fellow lawmakers decided to wait another
session before voting on the bill.

Buffalo News - December 4, 2001
Pataki mulls hike in taxes on cigarettes
By Tom Precious

ALBANY - Smokers across New York, already the highest taxed in the nation,
soon could be paying another 39 cents per pack to light up.

       The Pataki administration, desperate for cash for the upcoming 2002 state
       budget, is eyeing a sharp hike in cigarette taxes that would require smokers to
       pay $1.50 in taxes for every pack - boosting the cost of brand-name cigarettes to
       more than $5 per pack in some places, according to sources.

Buffalo News - December 5, 2001
        Health groups push cigarette tax hike for smoking
       reduction efforts
        By Tom Precious

       ALBANY - Health groups Tuesday strongly urged Gov. George E. Pataki to raise
       cigarette taxes and earmark the revenue not just for balancing the state's
       deficit-ridden budget but for programs to reduce smoking by New Yorkers.

       Tobacco companies and retail groups condemned the tax increase proposal,
       claiming it creates an unfair burden on smokers. Moreover, industry groups say
       cigarette retailers will be hurt by smokers going to the Internet, Indian
       reservations and border states in search of lower-taxed cigarettes.

       But health groups said the tax is needed to reduce the prevalence of smoking,
       the cause of 30,000 deaths a year in New York, according to the state Health
       Department. "People are still smoking. Youth are still smoking. Anything we can
       do to make it less available we should do," said Angela Pause, a spokeswoman
       for the American Cancer Society.

Syracuse.com - December 8, 2001
        County will consider dueling indoor air laws
        Legislature chair suggests "smoke free," "smoking permitted" business options.
        By Jennifer Jacobs

       Businesses would have a choice between banning smoking and
       allowing smoking under a new proposal by Onondaga County
       Legislature Chairman William Sanford.

It's an alternative to a proposed local anti-smoking law that's currently
on the table, he said.

The Journal News - December 20, 2001
Putnam smoking ban falls
By Cara Matthews, Michael Risinit and Terry Corcoran

        A federal court judge yesterday struck down Putnam County's year-old
        public smoking ban, ruling the Board of Health encroached on the powers of
        the Legislature and considered non-health-related factors outside its purview
        in enacting the regulations.

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