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Statement from Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia
October 26, 2018
Re: The Hancock County Board of Health amends the county’s Clean Air Regulation of 2014
The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia is shocked and extremely disappointed at the decision of Hancock County Board of Health to amend its Clean Air Regulation to now allow smoking at casinos and gaming sections of local video lottery cafes. The priority of board of health should be that of the publics’ health, not that of special interest groups.
There is no safe level of secondhand smoke. Every year more than 41,000 people in the U.S. die from secondhand smoke exposure. Exposure to secondhand smoke causes many of the same tobacco-related diseases and premature death as active smoking, including heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
The best way to protect casino patrons and workers from being exposed to toxic levels of secondhand smoke is to eliminate it. People who work at those establishments are dependent on their jobs to feed their families and shouldn’t be forced to be exposed to secondhand smoke, because of a decision to protect a bottom line. This decision is a tremendous cost to public health. Health care costs for the state, due to smoking, already total more than 1 billion dollars, according to the American Lung Association’s “State of Tobacco Control” report.
West Virginia’s Clean Indoor Air laws are not comprehensive, in part due to the common misperception that smokefree laws hurt businesses. Smokefree laws do not hurt restaurants or bars when measured in terms of patronage, employment, sales, or profits.
We strongly believe that the board of health decision is the result of drastic cuts made to Tobacco Prevention and Control Funding. With sustained state funding, there was technical assistance available to each county to strengthen local smokefree laws. When tobacco funding was eliminated last year, this resulted in less resources for counties. We are now seeing the dire and direct effect of these funding cuts. It’s imperative this funding be restored immediately.
Our coalition supports measures to require entirely smokefree environments to protect public health. We should look to strengthen smokefree laws and protect clean indoor air regulations as they currently exist throughout the state, and to advocate for comprehensive policies county-by-county.
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