HELENA, Mont. –– Cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and advocates from throughout the state called on lawmakers Monday to honor the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act and kill Senate Bill 150, which would allow cigar smoking in restaurants, bars and gaming facilities that are currently smoke-free.
State polling shows that 89% of Montana voters across the political spectrum support the Clean Indoor Air Act and 77% oppose allowing cigar smoking in bars. Everyone has the right to breathe clean, smoke-free air regardless of where they live, work, or play. Nobody should have to choose between a job and long-term health, which is clearly put at greater risk with any exposure to carcinogens.
Allowing cigar smoking in enclosed public places in our state would be a step backwards for the health of Montanans. Secondhand smoke from cigars poses significant health risks to people who smoke and those around them. There is simply no way that allowing cigar smoking does anything but move Montana’s quality of life backward and provide a gift to Big Tobacco. Everyone has the right to breathe clean, smoke-free air regardless of where they live, work, or play.
“The Montana Clean Indoor Air Act is a crucial part of the foundation of our healthy state,” American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Montana Grassroots Manager Katharine Sutphen said. “Montanans have had the benefit of clean indoor air for the past 20 years. The next generation deserves that as well. This bill will leave workers and patrons exposed to secondhand smoke.”
ACS CAN is joined in this call by many state health advocacy organizations and its volunteer advocates who met with lawmakers individually Monday to urge them to end this threat to public health. Secondhand cigar smoke contains the same toxic chemicals as secondhand cigarette smoke and puts people at risk for lung cancer and heart disease. There is no proven economic benefit from allowing cigar smoking in enclosed public places. In fact, allowing smoking has a negative impact on overall economic activity in a community and contributes to absenteeism, lost productivity and increases in health care costs.
The visit was part of ACS CAN’s Cancer Action Day, an event that brought Montanans affected by cancer together to call on the Legislature to make cancer a priority and protect everyone’s right to breathe clean, smoke-free air.
