{"id":3800,"date":"2016-03-17T02:57:57","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T02:57:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3800"},"modified":"2016-03-17T02:57:57","modified_gmt":"2016-03-17T02:57:57","slug":"legislative-round-up-e-cig-bans-in-wales-vermont-cigarette-taxes-in-louisiana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3800","title":{"rendered":"Legislative round-up — e-cig bans in Wales, Vermont, cigarette taxes in Louisiana"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"c-cig<\/p>\n

From purely an SEO standpoint, I know I’m supposed to break out these stories into separate posts, but that’s too much of a pain in the ass, so I’m compiling some legislative updates into one post because I’m feeling lazy.<\/p>\n

First off, a major cigarettes tax increase in Louisiana.<\/p>\n

Louisiana\u00a0raises cigarette taxes<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Bobby_Jindal_2\"
Bobby Jindal … douchebag<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards just signed a bill<\/a> raising Louisiana’s cigarette tax a tiny bit from 88 cents a pack to $1.08 a pack. That still leaves Louisiana with one of the lowest cigarette taxes in the U.S. This was done partly out of pure, sheer, unadultered desperation after 8 years of Republican Bobby Jindal’s fiscal mismanagement left the state of Louisiana utterly broke. I hate to bring politics onto the lounge, but Jesus, between Schwarzenegger, Brownbeck, Scott Walker and Jindal, have voters not figured out that Republicans simply cannot govern responsibly? Poor Louisiana, which has never gotten over the fiscal impact of Hurricane Katrina, is painfully broke and looking at all kinds of tax increases just to keep basic state services running.<\/p>\n

I don’t get it, why do people keep voting for Republicans when they’ve shown time and again they simply … cannot … govern … or manage a budget responsibly, particularly at the state level. Again, I try to keep partisan politics out of the Lounge, but I honestly don’t get this.<\/p>\n

This tax is expected to add $230 million to state coffers over the next five years, which will help a little.<\/p>\n

The average cigarette tax in the U.S. is about $1.60 a pack, so Louisiana is still well below the national average.<\/p>\n

Wales to ban e-cig use indoors<\/h2>\n

\"Y_ddraig_goch\"<\/p>\n

More and more places are banning e-cigarette use indoors, including Wales, which is set to pass a law banning them inside.<\/p>\n

I didn’t mind e-cigs indoors for a long time. Their vapour doesn’t smell nor \u00a0until I started reading all the stories about the @#$%ing formaldehyde and diactyl in e-cigarette vapour and now I don’t care if it isn’t annoying or irritating, I don’t want to ingest it in any way, shape or form. Not until MORE IS KNOWN about just how dangerous that vapour might be. Now, whenever I’m near someone using an e-cig indoors, I find myself holding my breath or leaning away from them. What it comes down to is … I … simply … do … not … trust … that … vapour. No offence.<\/p>\n

From Wales Online:<\/a><\/p>\n

(Welsh Health Minister Mark Drakeford) \u00a0has not dismissed claims that e-cigarettes may help people quit smoking.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cThe Bill does not prevent the use of e-cigarettes to help people stop smoking if they believe they will help them. Wherever you can smoke a cigarette you will be able to use an e-cigarette.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Vermont to ban e-cig use indoors<\/h2>\n

\"vermont\"<\/p>\n

Vermont is set<\/a> to pass a bill that would ban e-cig use indoors and would put restrictions on the sales of e-cig products to keep them out of the hands of minors … ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION, FDA?<\/p>\n

E-cigs would have to be kept out of sight in stores or kept in a locked container. They would also be banned in bars and restaurants. I haven’t kept track of how many states are banning them indoors, but this is a growing tide.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From purely an SEO standpoint, I know I’m supposed to break out these stories into separate posts, but that’s too much of a pain in the ass, so I’m compiling some legislative updates into one post because I’m feeling lazy. First off, a major cigarettes tax increase in Louisiana. Louisiana\u00a0raises cigarette taxes   Louisiana Governor … Continue reading Legislative round-up — e-cig bans in Wales, Vermont, cigarette taxes in Louisiana<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[382,21,22],"tags":[385,591,592],"class_list":["post-3800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cigarette-taxes","category-e-cigarettes","category-e-cigs","tag-cigarette-taxes-2","tag-e-cigarettes","tag-e-cigs"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Y_ddraig_goch.png?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4hpEa-Zi","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3298,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3298","url_meta":{"origin":3800,"position":0},"title":"Nevada increases cigarette tax by $1 a pack","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"June 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Nevada isn't a state where I would have expected this, but the state Legislature of the Silver State just passed a $1 a pack increase in its cigarette tax. The bill, which as near as I can tell has yet to be signed by the governor, would increase Nevada's cigarette\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cigarette taxes"","block_context":{"text":"Cigarette taxes","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=382"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/nevada-smoking.jpg?fit=920%2C617&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/nevada-smoking.jpg?fit=920%2C617&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/nevada-smoking.jpg?fit=920%2C617&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/nevada-smoking.jpg?fit=920%2C617&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2872,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=2872","url_meta":{"origin":3800,"position":1},"title":"Minnesota smoking rate drops to lowest-ever-recorded 14.4 percent — higher cigarette taxes get credit","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"January 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"According to a survey of 9,000 people from Clear Way Minnesota and Minnesota Department of Health, the statewide smoking rate has dropped to 14.4 percent, the lowest ever recorded and down from 16.1 percent in 2010. That number is also down a whopping 35 percent from the 1999 smoking rate\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cigarette taxes"","block_context":{"text":"Cigarette taxes","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=382"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/minnesota3.jpg?fit=399%2C274&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3345,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3345","url_meta":{"origin":3800,"position":2},"title":"Kansas raises cigarette taxes — for the wrong reasons","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"June 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many states have raised cigarette taxes for the right reasons -- because studies have shown that higher cigarette taxes result in a lower smoking rate. Kansas is a total train wreck politically and financially. It's been the source of a conservative experiment from Gov. Sam Brownback and a conservative state\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cigarette taxes"","block_context":{"text":"Cigarette taxes","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=382"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/the_wizard_of_oz1.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/the_wizard_of_oz1.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/the_wizard_of_oz1.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3754,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3754","url_meta":{"origin":3800,"position":3},"title":"West Virginia — smoking rate 29.9 percent — Senate passes cigarette tax","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"February 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I have no idea if this bill is going to pass, but this in itself is a pretty amazing development. West Virginia, a solidly red Republican state (Obama got less than 30 percent of the vote in 2012) and \u00a0either the No. 1- or No. 2-ranked smoking state in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cigarette taxes"","block_context":{"text":"Cigarette taxes","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=382"},"img":{"alt_text":"327998b17e90494767b58df08ec4837c","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/327998b17e90494767b58df08ec4837c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3447,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3447","url_meta":{"origin":3800,"position":4},"title":"California Legislature finally considering raising cigarette taxes $2 a pack","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"August 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 I know this will surprise a lot of people, but California actually has one of the lowest state cigarette taxes in the U.S. Californians only pay 87 cents a pack on cigarettes, while the average state cigarette tax in the country is $1.60. California legislators a couple of years\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "California"","block_context":{"text":"California","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=350"},"img":{"alt_text":"The_Wharf_San_Francisco_100s_hard_box_2014_CP12016","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/The_Wharf_San_Francisco_100s_hard_box_2014_CP12016.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":530,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=530","url_meta":{"origin":3800,"position":5},"title":"Cute story from Connecticut about avoiding cigarette taxes","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"April 7, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"OK, this made me chuckle, and it kind of highlights some of the problems with states having wildly divergent cigarette taxes. A gas station in Chester, N.Y., which is right on the N.Y.-Connecticut border, parked an ice cream truck at the far end of its parking lot, which is technically\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "taxes"","block_context":{"text":"taxes","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=65"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Connecticut.jpg?fit=513%2C365&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3800\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}