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Florida prisons ban inmate smoking
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March 16, 2011
Original URL: http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Florida_prisons_ban_inmate_smoking



Florida  Secretary Edwin Buss  announced on Monday that Florida's
prisons will become tobacco-free within six months in order to cut
health-care costs and make prisons safer.  Buss stated that the cost to
Florida taxpayers for  treating inmates for  such as  and  neared 9
million last year alone.

Inmates will be offered help in , possibly including the use of . Gretl
Plessinger, Department of Corrections spokeswoman, said that the
department is working with the  vendors to make the patches available
for purchase through the canteens. Last year inmates spent $19 million
on . Although the prison does make money from tobacco sales, Plessinger
said, she noted that other states have not lost  revenue by banning
tobacco.  "Inmates spend the money they have on other products like hard
candy," she said.

Plessinger said that banning smoking will also make prisons safer: "It
will reduce the risk of . And lighters can be used to melt plastic
objects like toothbrushes into shanks."

Beginning on Sept. 30, cigarettes will be considered ,  and prisoners
caught smoking will face disciplinary proceedings with possible loss of
privileges such as visitation rights and loss of gain time. 

U.S. Federal prisons already ban smoking as do  more than half of U.S.
state prisons. Smoking is also prohibited in Florida's public buildings.
For Florida prison employees, designated smoking areas will be provided
outside the prison walls.

== Sources == 

* http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/mar/14/141607/smoking-ban-for-florida-prisoners-begins-in-six-mo/
* http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42071878



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