Clearing The Air

Monday, June 30, 2008

Nicoderm manufacturer ALZA is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson Company

ALZA is a wholly owned subsidiary of J & J.

ALZA manufactures Nicoderm & Nicoderm CQ.

Johnson & Johnson's buyout of Pfizer Consumer Health (PCH) now gives J & J additional pharmaceutical nicotine profits from Nicotrol, Nicorette, and Commit (see pgs 32,33,56).

Note: GSK distributes Nicoderm, but it is manufactured by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary......ALZA. As explained by GSK rep here:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2006/11/it-has-been-alleged-by-mayo-doctor.html

It's little wonder then that Johnson & Johnson is funding smoking ban efforts thru their private foundation the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). To date RWJF has funded groups like the American Lung Association, American Non-Smoker's Rights, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, etc. to the tune of $446+ million to eliminate traditional delivery methods of nicotine, in order to prop up demand of all the pharmaceutical nicotine products that parent organization Johnson & Johnson manufactures or owns........classic rent seeking legislation at its finest.

The only problem is that these smoking bans, which are merely a marketing scam for the pharmaceutical nicotine industry, are eliminating thousands of hospitality establishments and hundreds of thousands of jobs.

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2009/03/worldwide-economic-meltdown-and.html

3,382 UK pubs closed after nationwide smoking ban

1,000-2,000 US bars & restaurants closed after various smoking bans were enacted

Nearly 300 Mpls / St. Paul bars & restaurants closed after smoking bans were enacted

Casino revenue losses in Colorado & Las Vegas after smokingbans

Washington State gambling revenues fall sharply due to ban

Trump & Atlantic City casinos lose significant revenue after smoking ban

Illionois smoking ban eliminates revenues in casinos

-economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis have released analysis that says Illinois lost over $200 million in state and local revenue by placing the smoking ban on state-licensed casinos.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Am I not merciful?!!!

Readers may remember that powerful phrase delivered by tyrannical Emperor Comedus (played by Joaquin Phoenix) in the blockbuster movie Gladiator as he tortured and threatened his sister and those who conspired against him.

Well Minneapolis and St. Paul city councils metaphorically delivered that same phrase in their merciful ruling to local bars and restaurants, allowing them to stay open until 4 a.m. during the Republican National Convention to be hosted here in St. Paul, MN.

Of course the catch is that it only applies to the few remaining bars and restaurants which have not yet succumbed to the business crumbling smoking ban laws imposed by the very same city council members.

Smoking bans in Minnesota have closed 200+ establishments, which stands as a never before, historical record number of closings in a short period of time.

Thank you Minneapolis and St. Paul city council members and mayors, you truly are merciful, at least to the few remaining establishments thus far allowed to stay in business.

U.S. Supreme Court rules "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Actually means "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Read the court's opinion online here:
http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/liveblog-opinions-62608/

Perhaps hospitality business groups will take notice and get a smoking ban, anti-property rights case before the highest court in the land as well.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Everything you need to know about national smoking ban presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama

http://www.eyeblast.tv/Public/Video.aspx?rsrcID=2036

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Nevada bars and restaurants wisely ignore smkoing ban

Article found online here, states:

Dozens of establishments across the Las Vegas Valley continue to ignore the ban, known as the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act. Among other places, the ban prohibits smoking in bars and taverns that serve food.

Over the past 18 months, 4,022 complaints have been made to the Southern Nevada Health District.
And how many resulted in citations?

Nil. None. Zero.

Nevada hospitality owners and state government are wise to ignore the ban, here in Minnesota 200+ establishments have closed since implementation.

The loss of businesses, business taxes, and jobs will only add to the economic hardship.

Besides, air quality testing proves the Nicoderm funded smoking ban claims were greatly exaggerated:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2008/06/review-of-air-quality-testing-and.html

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Local MN bar owner remembers Nicoderm funded activists' claims that smoking bans were good for business

And has just one question.

Were they lying when they made such claims?

Where are all the non-smokers?

Mainline website states:

http://www.mainlinebar.com/events.php

All right, this is gonna be a little awkward but I think it needs to be put out there. The Mainline is down 45% since the inception of the smoking ban. I was told there'd be tons of new customers because of the ban.....Well, I haven't seen any and apparently i'm not the only one. As there are now 201 bars/restaurants/bingo halls that have gone out of business since the ban went into effect. Please check it out.

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/01/100-bars-and-restaurants-put-out-of.html

I don't want to be on this list! Don't let anyone tell you that no ones biz is hurting because of it. IT'S A LIE! A GREAT BIG ONE! Any how, we really need customers or were going to be done for.

Stop in and say hello to Lew and his family at the Mainline. And while you're at it tell Bob Moffit at the American Lung Association of MN and David Willoughby of ClearWay MN (formerly MPAAT) what you think of their scheming, caniving, rent seeking legislation. Don't forget to include Governor Tim Pawlenty in your emails as well.

robert.moffitt@alamn.org
dwilloughby@clearwaymn.org
tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us

Online letter from another local bar owner:

http://www.bullseye-saloon.com/letter.htm

excerpt:

First, my customer base, like the majority of hometown bars across the state of MN, is composed primarily of blue-collar working people. These people go to work everyday to build the roads you drive on, fix the cars and airplanes you rely on, wire the house where you live so you have electricity, and raise the crops you put on your dinner table. During the course of their daily lives they are exposed to herbicides, they risk injury building our bridges, and they might get electrocuted while fixing your air conditioning. They fight fires, they breathe in diesel fumes, they remove asbestos, and they cook over charcoal grills. When a “Day’s work” is complete they come to their local bar to have a beer and a cigarette and unwind. All of us are wondering how it is that they can breathe in carcinogens all day long as they fight fires, fix diesel trucks, remove asbestos, spray herbicide, and cook over a BBQ grills, but they cannot choose to have a cigarette at the bar after work?

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation hyperlink dead ends

RWJF has for the third time since Clearing the Air started to expose their involvement in the smoking ban movement, changed hyper link addresses on various grants. This will of course affect the hyperlinks on this website. If you find any dead RWJF links in one or more of our 794 articles please contact me from my profile tab and we will update it to the correct RWJF public data. (RWJF is a 501(c)3)

As partner to the Nicoderm manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson Company and its subsidiary ALZA, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provides funding grants to non-profits and pro-smoking ban activist groups in order to advance the sales of J & J smoking cessation products.

J & J / RWJF profit from the sales of alternative nicotine products so their motives for funding the smoking ban agenda are less than forthcoming and downright dubious. (RWJF owns between $3 - $5 billion in Johnson & Johnson stock)

Friday, June 13, 2008

200+ Minnesota bars & restaurants closed since lawmakers implemented smoking bans

Find the updated list online here:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/01/100-bars-and-restaurants-put-out-of.html

Congratulations MN council members & lawmakers, you've done more to destroy businesses, jobs, and the local economy here in Minnesota than at any other time in recent history.

Meanwhile Nicoderm manufacturer Johnson & Johnson Company, whose private foundation (RWJF) funded the smoking ban agenda, report an increase of 40% in 1st quarter profits.

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2008/04/j-posts-40-percent-jump-in-1q-profitwow.html

Those profits should be used to compensate those adversely affected by J & J / RWJF rent seeking legislation (smoking bans).