Public smoking laws on the rise
February 20, 2007
New policies, bills and ordinances are going into effect across the country, as well as many other parts of the world, imposing restrictions on the cigarette and its users.
The key points of all the debates remain the same – saving lives is the top priority.
But it is not a mere black-and-white issue, and certainly not a battle of smokers vs. nonsmokers. It is a signal that cohabitation is under consideration, and freedoms of each side must be respected and, if possible, preserved.
“Not very many years ago, the whole idea that there could be smoking restrictions in public places was kind of a novel idea, and now, across the country more than half of the population of America is protected by smoking restrictions in public and various kinds of public places, but not Iowa, and that is really something we are trying to change,” said Bill Roach, executive officer in the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
Recent advances have been made all over the state, such as the University of Iowa’s proposed campus-wide smoking ban by 2009, and the state Legislature’s bill to increase taxes on tobacco by $1, which was recently passed by the House Ways and Means Committee and is now set to come before the state Senate.
Iowa State has taken a similar step with the newly instated 25-foot policy, which bans people from smoking within 25 feet of university building entrances.
“What we wanted to do was set a policy in place so that we could immediately protect the right of the nonsmokers so that they’re not exposed to secondhand smoke going into buildings,” said Ken Kerns, ISU associate director of environmental health and safety.
Current regent institutions’ policies
Iowa State – 25 feet from buildings.
University of Iowa – 25 feet from buildings, but pushing towards campuswide ban in 2009.
University of Northern Iowa – Smoking permitted outside buildings.
Goals for the near Future:
“We need to change the state law so that we can get back to allowing local communities, like Ames, to pass ordinances like you used to have.”
—Bill Roach, executive officer for the Iowa Attorney General’s Office
“I’m reasonably optimist about the bill to restore local control. If we get that step done, then the power goes back to cities and counties across the state to begin, once again, to consider ordinances that may limit smoking in public places.”
– Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames
“Our goal, within the next three to five years, is that Iowa will eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke in all public places.”
>- George Belitsos, chairman for the Story County Tobacco Task Force and director of Youth and Shelter Services in Story County
Facts about secondhand smoke and the effects from the new tax law
- About 5,000 nonsmoking Iowans die each year from secondhand smoke.
- About 53,000 nonsmoking Americans die each year from secondhand smoke.
- Cigarette tax in Iowa is 42nd among other states, meaning only eight states have a lower tax.
– Courtesy of Bill Roach
Hospitals in Iowa
- 65 have adopted smoke-free policy already
- 27 plan to in 2007
- 18 have made plans to, but have not set a date
- 110 of 117 hospitals are now smoke-free.
– Courtesy of Bill Roach
Estimated effects of $1 tax raise
- Youth smoking to go down by 19 percent.
- Adult smoking to go down by 4 percent.
- About 38,000 Iowa kids that are alive today will not become smokers.
- About 20,000 will quit smoking.
– Courtesy of Bill Roach
Facts from the Surgeon General, American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute
- Secondhand smoke is composed of sidestream smoke – the smoke released from the burning end of a cigarette – and exhaled mainstream smoke – the smoke exhaled by the smoker.
- Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds.
- Because sidestream smoke is generated at lower temperatures and under different conditions than mainstream smoke, it contains higher concentrations of many of the toxins found in cigarette smoke.
- The National Toxicology Program estimates that at least 250 chemicals in secondhand smoke are known to be toxic or carcinogenic.
- Cigarette smoke contains 63 cancer-causing chemicals.
- Secondhand smoke contains more than 50 cancer-causing chemicals.
- 26,000 children develop asthma annually as a result of being exposed to secondhand smoke.
Web sites to check out for more information:
