Public Health Groups Unite to Call on Mayor to Veto Legislation

Public Health Groups Unite to Call on Mayor to Veto Legislation

that Would Weaken Popular Smoke-free Law

 Legislation would allow e-cigarettes to be used in restaurants, bars and casinos

 Baltimore, MD - Nov. 25, 2014 – The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) hosted an event today at American Cancer Society Baltimore Hope Lodge to urge Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to veto legislation that would weaken the smoke-free law and put Baltimore residents’ and workers’ health at risk by allowing e-cigarettes to be used in restaurants, bars and casinos.

By weakening Maryland’s longstanding and popular smoke-free laws, this bill threatens the health of many of the city’s workers, business patrons and visitors.  Mayor Rawlings-Blake has until Friday, December 5, 2014 to veto this bill.

The legislation was passed by the city council recently on November 17. A number of public health groups including ACS CAN, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic oppose the bill.

ACS CAN advocates for comprehensive smoke-free laws in all workplaces to protect workers and the public from the harmful effects of secondhand exposure and to create communities that support tobacco-free living. Research shows comprehensive smoke-free laws save lives and money.

“Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, should be prohibited in all workplaces, including restaurants, bars and casinos, to protect against secondhand exposure to nicotine and other potentially harmful chemicals and to ensure the enforcement of existing smoke-free laws are not compromised and that the public health benefits of a smoke-free laws are not undermined,” says Bonita Pennino, government relations director for ACS CAN.   “We are urging Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to veto the bill that would allow use of e-cigarettes in restaurants, bars and casinos.”

In addition, allowing the use of e-cigarettes in public places could encourage new tobacco users, reversing tobacco control efforts as well as creating enforcement confusion for business owners and the public.

Speakers at the event included Bonita Pennino, Government Relations Director, ACS CAN, and Robert K. Brookland, M.D., Chair of Radiation Oncology, Greater Baltimore Medical Center and ACS CAN volunteer; and Delegate Barbara Frush, Sponsor of Maryland’s Clean Indoor Air Law (signed into law by Gov O’Malley 2007).