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New Kansas Smoke-Free Law is Major Public Health Victory
March 12, 2010
Governor Signs Comprehensive Smoke-Free Law Covering All Workplaces, Bars and Restaurants
Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson today signed smoke-free legislation into law that will make all workplaces in the state, including bars and restaurants, 100 percent smoke-free when the law takes effect July 1.
Kansas is the 23rd state to pass strong smoke-free legislation that requires 100 percent smoke-free non-hospitality workplaces, bars and restaurants. Of those 23, Wisconsin, Michigan, South Dakota, and now Kansas, are awaiting implementation.
This is a major public health victory for the people of Kansas, said John R. Seffrin, PhD, CEO, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Smoke-free laws benefit everyone -- workers can make a living without risking their health, patrons and tourists can enjoy time out without the hazards of secondhand smoke, and bar and restaurant owners can promote healthy environments. Everyone wins.
The American Cancer Society and its advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN, have been working for years to make Kansas smoke-free. The work started by passing local ordinances throughout the state that built momentum over the past three years for passage of a state-wide law in the state legislature.
Currently 32 states have implemented laws requiring some combination of 100 percent smoke-free workplaces and/or restaurants and/or bars. More than 3,000 municipalities have local laws in effect that restrict where smoking is permitted. Earlier this year, North Carolina became the first major tobacco growing state to implement a 100 percent statewide smoke-free restaurant and bar law.
ACS CAN and the Society are committed to working community by community and state by state until every worker in America is protected from secondhand smoke under a comprehensive smoke-free law, said Molly A. Daniels, interim president of ACS CAN. Smoke-free laws and other tobacco control policies are crucial to reversing the trend that has made smoking the leading preventable cause of death in this country.
Secondhand smoke is a major health hazard, proven to cause lung cancer, heart disease and emphysema. With 4,000 chemicals and more than 60 carcinogens including arsenic and polonium secondhand smoke causes cancer, heart, and lung disease and kills more than 50,000 nonsmoking Americans each year, including 3,000 deaths from lung cancer.
Smoke-free laws save lives. Strong smoke-free laws that include all workplaces, including restaurants and bars, are the only effective way to protect all workers and the public from the health hazards of secondhand smoke. Smoke-free workplaces and public places also make it easier for smokers to quit and discourage kids from picking up this deadly habit. For example, after ColoradoÈs smoke-free law went into effect in 2006, calls to the stateÈs tobacco cessation Quitline increased by 1,400 percent in the month after implementation and by almost 600 percent after two months.
The use of tobacco products remains the nationÈs number one cause of preventable death, killing more than 400,000 Americans each year and costing $193 billion annually in medical costs and lost productivity.
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