South Carolina Lawmakers Should Reject Proposal to Take Away Public's Right to Breathe...

South Carolina Lawmakers Should Reject Proposal to Take Away Public's Right to
Breathe Smoke-Free Air

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement
from William V. Corr, Executive Director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free
Kids:

Today the South Carolina House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider an
amendment to Senate Bill 103 that would overturn all local smoke-free
workplace laws that have been enacted in the state. We strongly urge South
Carolina's leaders to reject this amendment and preserve the right of local
communities to enact smoke-free laws that protect workers and the public from
the serious health harms of secondhand smoke. At a time when a growing number
of communities, states and even entire countries are enacting smoke-free laws,
it would be an irresponsible step backward for the South Carolina Legislature
to stop local governments from protecting the public's right to breathe clean,
smoke-free air.

South Carolina currently has twelve strong local smoke-free laws that protect
more than 500,000 South Carolina residents and workers from exposure to
secondhand smoke. By overturning these laws and stripping local communities of
the power to pass smoke-free ordinances, legislators would needlessly endanger
the health of workers and the public. Many workers now protected by these
laws would be forced to choose between their paycheck and their health.

It is critical that South Carolina's leaders uphold the right of local
communities to pass smoke-free laws that protect everyone's right to breathe
clean air. While the state legislature has never indicated an interest in
passing comprehensive statewide smoke-free legislation, local governments have
passed effective laws. In addition, the State Supreme Court is currently
considering the issue of local control of smoke-free restrictions. This
effort to preempt local control before the court can decide plays right into
the hands of the tobacco industry, which has long worked to strip local
communities of their power in favor of weak statewide legislation.

The need for protection from secondhand smoke in all workplaces and public
places has never been clearer. In issuing a groundbreaking report on
secondhand smoke in June 2006, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona stated,
"The debate is over. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is not a mere
annoyance, but a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease
in children and nonsmoking adults. "Secondhand smoke contains more than 4000
chemicals, including at least 69 carcinogens. The Surgeon General found that
secondhand smoke is a proven cause of lung cancer, heart disease, serious
respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and asthma, low birth weight and
sudden infant death syndrome. The Surgeon General also found that secondhand
smoke is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in the United States each
year, there is no safe level of exposure and only smoke-free laws provide
effective protection from secondhand smoke. The evidence is also clear that
smoke-free laws protect health without harming business. This evidence has
compelled a growing number of states, communities and countries to enact
strong smoke-free laws.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Robyn Lee of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, +1-202-296-5469