Digest #2: This Week in Smoke-free News

Michigan Smoking Ban

It’s official—as of this past Saturday, Michigan has become the 38th state to institute a public smoking ban. To celebrate, Detroit Free Press reporters collaborated to write a lengthy journal about the state’s first smoke-free day. A couple of points the article helps to drive home:

1. The ban will not hurt local business. One bar patron said, “If smokers don’t show up, other people will.” He couldn’t be more accurate; since more people are bothered by smoking than people who smoke, it’s safe to say that bars where smoking is banned (i.e., all of them) will be more popular.

2. The ban is enticing smokers to quit. A 60-year-old Vietnam veteran decided to quit because the ban has made smoking too much of an inconvenience. He said, “It's either I spend my time in the parking lot smoking or I quit and hang out here.” A woman at a Detroit Tigers baseball game said, “I’m all for it…it’s one more thing to convince me to quit smoking.” Tigers fans who wish to light up are now limited to designated areas outside of the park. For many, smoking really isn’t worth the hassle. So, why should nonsmokers suffer from secondhand smoke when smokers can admit that their habit isn’t necessary?

E-Cigarettes in Virginia

Virginia’s Attorney General has declared that use of e-cigarettes does not violate the state’s smoking ban in restaurants and other public places.

My opinion? For once, I’m somewhat ambivalent.

If the vapor that e-cigarettes emit is, in fact, not harmful like secondhand smoke, then I have no problem with the Attorney General’s exception. In my mind, e-cigarettes are a selfless alternative to smoking real cigarettes, on par with smokeless tobacco and nicotine patches.

However, I believe there is an issue with the visibility of e-cigarettes—the article mentions this in the last paragraph. For example, in the context of a college or university, I think e-cigarettes should not be excluded because a primary goal of campus smoking bans is health promotion. Some e-cigarettes look nearly identical to the real thing, so enforcement would be difficult and people would get the sense that smoking and tobacco use are still prevalent among students.

There’s something to be said for an “all or nothing” approach to banning tobacco, but at the moment, the best argument for tobacco-free environments is that which targets secondhand smoke as the culprit. So, e-cigarettes should be put on the backburner for a while.

Governator Strikes Down Park Smoking Ban

Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have banned smoking in California’s state-run beaches and parks. Despite the fact that the ban would limit the number of littered cigarette butts, he reasoned that the legislation would have been an “improper intrusion of government into people’s lives.” No real surprise here. He makes a good point, though: individual cities and parks can already ban smoking where they deem necessary. But hey, if the city of Vancouver can do it, all it should take for California is the right governor in office; it’s only a matter of time before some of the most beautiful parts of the country are smoke-free.

Children in Danger

A new study that measured exposure to secondhand smoke among different housing types revealed that 84% of children living in apartments and 70% living in detached houses have been exposed to tobacco smoke. These high percentages imply that children who live with nonsmokers are also susceptible to secondhand smoke.

“We are starting to understand the role that seepage through walls and through shared ventilation may impact tobacco smoke exposure in apartments.” --Karen Wilson, M.D., MPH

I’ve never been a proponent of any sort of private smoking ban, simply because it would be the epitome of an invasion of privacy. Nevertheless, this research is food for thought. It is children we are talking about…

“About 18 percent of U.S. children live in apartments, and many of these children are living in subsidized housing communities where smoking is more prevalent… many parents are trying to limit their children's tobacco smoke exposure by not allowing smoking in their apartments, but they say they can smell tobacco smoke coming from other apartments or from common areas.”