Digest #26: This Month (and a Half) in Smoke-free News

I regret to admit that I failed to post a digest in the month of November. Have no fear, though; that was not the beginning of the end of my blog (at least I hope it wasn't). Anyway, now that I've officially broken my streak, I plan to defy the odds of the blog life cycle and continue sharing my opinions about smoke-free policies on a monthly basis. With that out of the way, I'll start with some fresh content:

Electric Light (Up) Parade

This past weekend, I went down to the APS Electric Light Parade in uptown Phoenix. Taking place in early December, the parade always has a holiday theme, so everybody is sipping hot chocolate and snuggling in their winter sweaters, while kids run around collecting candy and glow sticks thrown from the floats, most of which are covered with hundreds, if not thousands of Christmas lights. It's a great atmosphere. But this year, it rained--and it was cold (forgive me, my east coast friends). As if it weren't uncomfortable enough out there, my near-numb nose was able to detect something unmistakeable: cigarette smoke. Of course, I had to figure out where it was coming from. Sure enough, it was the guy right in front of me; no wonder I had such a great view. This guy was smoking in a fairly dense crowd of people, at least half of whom were young children. Normally, I would shake my head and reluctantly move away, but the fact that he was smoking in close proximity to several children at a parade--perhaps the most joyous public gathering that a city can put on--absolutely disgusted me. To make matters worse, another nearby person lit up. It all seemed ludicrous to me. Thankfully, my girlfriend sensed my anger rising and talked me out of making a scene, so I resolved to bring it up in my blog.

Coincidentally, I ran across an article that explained how the city of San Antonio, which recently went smoke-free last year, is considering a smoking ban within 50 feet of parade routes. Hopefully, it passes and other cities, like Phoenix, do the same. If nothing else, I think that cigarette and secondhand smoke exposure around children should be reduced. I really like the concept of banning smoking around kids, which a small town in Texas (see Digest #19). I think that an ordinance that does this could (and should) apply to all public places. If, as a society, we're currently not prepared to ban smoking in public places altogether, we should at least start by drawing the line around kids (see: "Smokers at hospital leave new dad fuming").

Congregating in California

I'll use the previous discussion about crowds as a segue to some progressive smoke-free news coming out of California. First, the city council of Hermosa Beach (just outside of Los Angeles) has passed a smoking ban that prohibits smoking in "virtually every area of the city where people congregate." ...Now that is what I'm talking about! Hermosa Beach is really going to live up to its name come March, when this is supposed to take effect. However, like nearly every other place where smoking has been banned, business owners are concerned that they'll lose customers. Assuming the Hermosa Beach economy will survive, I hope that the adjacent cities of Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach catch on and keep smoking and cigarette litter as far away from the beach as possible.

The city council of Alameda, the city/island just west of Oakland in the San Francisco Bay (not to be confused with Alameda County), has considered additions to the existing smoke-free indoor workplaces state law by further banning smoking in the state-exempt indoor workplaces, all outdoor workplaces, and all outdoor public spaces. These include outdoor dining areas, shopping malls, sidewalks, and recreation areas--all of which amount to areas where people congregate. Smoke-free multi-unit housing has also been proposed. I'm liking Alameda's "all-in-one" package, but as far as I know, it has yet to be approved.

Collegiate Update

• Ohio State University, the third largest college in the nation, may be going tobacco-free in the foreseeable future. But wait: In one of my first blog posts, I talked about the prospect of that campus going smoke-free, which has yet to happen. The momentum probably died for a reason that I suspect many college campus advocates face: A smoking ban is never a top priority for administration. As the OSU President said in April 2010, "A smoke-free campus is not at the top of my priority list, but if someone came to me with a proposal and we could make that happen quickly, I would be the first in line." This really speaks to the importance of students taking the bull by the horns and getting the work done themselves. Seeing how engrained the culture of smoking is in our society, and how the problem is easily shoved aside to accommodate current events, making a smoking ban a top priority for leaders--whether they lead a university, a city, or a state--is nearly impossible. Therefore, advocates need to make it as quick and painless as possible for leaders to flip the switch and establish a smoke-free policy.
• The University of Arizona, another large university, is showing signs of smoke-free potential. An article seems to suggest that the recent tobacco ban at the university's medical buildings could have been the impetus for one ambitious student's idea to work toward a smoke-free campus. This might make for an interesting strategy for other universities with medical centers: Step 1) Make medical buildings smoke-free. Step 2) Have this news published and get some students to wonder, "Why should only the pre-med/med students get smoke-free environments? Are the rest of us not important enough to benefit from the same smoking ban?" Step 3) Watch the larger-scale change unfold.
• The University of Illinois recently held a vote as to whether "campus dialogue and action by the administration to explore making the [University] smoke-free" should be held. More than 10,000 students voted, and over 7,000 approved this idea. Although it's hardly set in stone, it appears likely that the widespread support will ultimately yield a smoke-free campus.
• Over 3,000 gingerbread men were lined up on the campus of the University of Nevada - Las Vegas (UNLV) to represent the number of Nevadans who die from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke in any given year. The UNLV School of Nursing, in partnership with the Southern Nevada Health District's Evolvement project, was responsible for the undertaking.
• The undergraduate student government at the University of Southern California (USC) has officially disappointed me, now having resolved to create designated smoking areas in lieu of an entirely smoke-free campus. It's better than nothing, but they're just delaying the inevitable.
• Last, but not least...STFU! At the University of Oregon, the profane online chat acronym 'STFU' now means Smoke and Tobacco Free University. This is very creative marketing; I wouldn't expect anything less from the flashiest school in the Pac-12, and perhaps the nation.

 Quick Bits

• A U.S. District Court judge has delayed the FDA's plans to require all cigarette manufacturers to include graphic warning labels on all cigarette packages and cartons starting in September of next year. The Obama administration has filed an appeal against this injunction, which is giving the tobacco industry a chance to object to the new requirements on the grounds that they violate the First Amendment. I certainly understand and respect the industry's argument--more so than most anti-smoking advocates, I suspect--but when our President, a former smoker, is speaking out against the industry, I don't mind overlooking freedom of speech.
• Major League Baseball's new collective bargaining agreement didn't result in a tobacco ban, after all. However, players are no longer allowed to carry tins or packages in their back pockets when fans are permitted in the ballpark, and cannot use tobacco during pre-game and post-game interviews, or at team functions. This will help decrease young fans' exposure to tobacco use.
• The Mayo Clinic recently released the results of a study that demonstrated a 45% decrease in heart attacks and sudden death since the introduction of smoking bans in southeastern Minnesota. That's a statistic that simply can't be ignored.
• Legislators in Indiana appear to be close to resolving a long-fought battle for a statewide smoking ban.