From the Network of Young Professionals:
Last year, the Pennsylvania House approved comprehensive smoke-free legislation that covers restaurants, bars and casinos. However, the Senate approved loophole-filled legislation that failed to protect all workers and would exempt casinos, some restaurants and bars, nursing homes and other adult-care centers, and even small home-based daycare centers. The Senate bill would also overturn existing local smoke-free laws and prohibit local governments from enacting stronger smoke-free laws in the future. The smoking ban is currently in committee. The committee will review the current proposed laws and create a new one to present to the House and Senate by the end of the month.
Why should you care?
- Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including at least 69 known to cause cancer. According to the Surgeon General,secondhand smoke is proven to cause lung cancer, heart disease, serious respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and asthma, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome. It is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in the United States each year.
- The Surgeon General has found that the only way to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke is with comprehensive smoke-free workplaces and public places; and smoke-free laws do not hurt business. The Pennsylvania Restaurant Association has endorsed a comprehensive, statewide smoke-free workplace law.
- Twenty-three states and Washington, DC, have passed smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars, and in many cases casinos as well. These states include almost all of Pennsylvania’s neighbors.
Take action now:
- Send a letter to Senator Stewart Greenleaf, committee chairman, at sgreenleaf@pasen.gov. He will share your comments and concerns with the committee reviewing the smoking ban.
- Send a letter to the editor.
Tags: smoking ban
March 14, 2008 at 1:43 am |
Those who are concerned about their health, and the health of others really do need to make their views on public smoking known to state legislators. I can guarantee you that many smokers and high pressure, big money lobbyists working for big tobacco and other pro smoking special interests will make their views heard very loudly.
March 14, 2008 at 6:15 am |
The big money lobbyists working for Big Pharma were indeed out in force at the hearing.They repeated the same parroted propaganda as is listed in this blog.Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has never been proven to cause harm under normal conditions. OSHA will not apply the general duty clause to ETS because under normal conditions permissible exposure limits (PEL’s) are never exceeded.
Check UPMC website the cause of Asthma is unknown. It has increased by 60% since 1979, yet smoking has declined immensely. SIDS is not caused by ETS, many babies die in smoke free environments. Not one death has been scientifically proven to be caused by smoking or ETS. Those of you that want the “tainted” experts to think for you will get additional regulation in the future of other unpopular behavior.
Few people have the time to investigate this issue, or even care because it fits their personal preference.
Freedom requires making choices on an individual basis rather than state imposed regulation. Those who are afraid, or believe the twisted advocacy science of anti smokers social engineering tactics, should exercise their freedom and allow the free market to work.
Sincerely
March 22, 2008 at 12:45 am |
It’s scary to think how tenuous our freedoms are if financial giants like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation can destroy them through the brute force of propaganda payed for with their millions of dollars. They generate anti-smoking hysteria practically out of thin air, and buy publicity to vilify those against their dictatorial ways. The risk of public exposure to secondhand smoke is minor in comparison to the 90,000 deaths per year in this country from hospital acquired infections, most of which are preventable. Or, how about the 3.2 million teenage girls with STD’s? If their concern over secondhand smoke is a health issue like they claim, these smoking ban activists don’t have their priorities straight.
April 29, 2008 at 11:40 am |
I moved here from Maryland 11 years ago- where they already had a smoking ban – and I truly miss it. It’s nice to be able to enjoy a meal without having to smell and breath smoke. It ruins the experience of eating out if your coughing because of smoke, not yo mention the flavor of the food when you are surrounded by the odor. We don’t go out very often because of it – yes there are non-smoking sections in restaurants but you can still smell the smoke. Why should I have to pay for a good meal that is ruined by smoke, when the smoker could take it outside and spare my health.
September 12, 2008 at 2:23 pm |
It just went smoke free in Berks county and I am so, SO, SO happy it did. I don’t care if smokers are mad about it or not. They smoke and breathe those chemicals and smell into the air and I have to breathe it when I eat??? I don’t think that was fair and now the tables have turned. Boo, hoo. I don’t feel bad for them one bit. Hey, if you stop smoking, maybe insurance rates will go down in America. Bunch of cry babies.
Hey, if you can smoke and release hundreds of chemicals into the air, then I should be able to piss anywhere in a restaurant I want. It is sterile and won’t give you cancer if I do. Go outside and smoke. My God, have some manners.