Legislation to eliminate smoking in all North Carolina indoor worksites and public places, including restaurants and bars, was introduced Wednesday.
The bill, sponsored by House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman (D-Davidson), is called the ”Prohibit Smoking in Public and Work Places” Act.
It would protect non-smokers and workers, as well as vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those living with lung disease or cancer, diabetes or heart disease from exposure to secondhand smoke, Holliman said.
“There is overwhelming scientific evidence that proves secondhand smoke causes heart disease, lung cancer, respiratory illnesses and kills tens of thousands of Americans every year,” Holliman said in a press release. “It is time for North Carolina to join the growing movement across our nation to protect the rights of all our citizens to breathe clean, smoke-free air by passing a law to protect workers from the dangers of secondhand smoke. No one should have to risk their health and be exposed to toxic chemicals as a condition of employment or while enjoying a night out. I know from personal experience the cost secondhand smoke can extract.”
Holliman is a two-time lung cancer survivor and has lost a sister to lung cancer.
Secondhand smoke exposure is estimated to cause the death of 1,690 non-smoking adults per year in North Carolina. In a 2006 report, the U.S. Surgeon General found that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke and the best way to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke is to require smoke-free worksites and public places.
“There is no longer any scientific doubt that secondhand smoke poses a serious threat to public health,” said Pam Seamans, policy director with the North Carolina Alliance for Health. “The North Carolina Alliance for Health, and its over 75 members and partners from across the state, enthusiastically supports this legislation, and we urge its swift passage on behalf of the overwhelming number of North Carolinians who support smoke-free policies and who deserve protection from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.”
A 2006 Elon University poll found that 86 percent of North Carolinians agree or strongly agree that employees in North Carolina should be able to work in a smoke-free environment.
“Having experienced first-hand the heartbreak of watching my father-in-law, a non-smoker, suffer through an agonizing death at age 52 from lung cancer, I am committed to do all I can to keep other non-smokers safe from the dangers of secondhand smoke,” said Rep. Jeff Barnhart, a supporter of the legislation. “I can’t do anything to bring Dan back, but I can try to make a difference for someone else by helping to protect them from the same silent killer so that they might live long enough to enjoy their grandchildren”.
“Protecting health by assuring that people can breathe smoke-free air is critically important” said Dr. Leah Devlin, State Health Director. “No one should have to risk their health in order to earn a paycheck or enjoy a night out in a restaurant or bar. I applaud Rep. Holliman for tackling this important public health issue.”
If this bill becomes laws, North Carolina would join 24 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico in taking strong action to protect their citizens from secondhand smoke.
The proposed legislation would not apply to private homes, except for those used commercially for child care or adult care services. In addition, this legislation would not apply to tobacco manufacturing facilities, or to tobacco stores, as long as the smoke does not migrate into other enclosed areas where smoking is prohibited. Up to 20 percent of guest rooms in lodging facilities may also be exempted from this law.
