Nebraska's New Smoke-Free Law is Historic Win for Health

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement
by William V. Corr, Executive Director, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:

All Nebraska workplaces, including restaurants, bars and gaming facilities,
will be smoke-free beginning June 1, 2009, thanks to legislation
overwhelmingly approved by the Legislature last week and signed into law today
by Governor Dave Heineman. Governor Heineman and the Legislature have
delivered a historic victory for public health and protected the right of all
Nebraskans to breathe clean air. Nebraska is the 23rd state to pass a strong
smoke-free law that includes restaurants and bars. Nebraska's smoke-free law
adds to the growing momentum across the country and around the world to
protect all workers and the public from the serious health hazards of
secondhand smoke. No one should have to put their health at risk in order to
earn a paycheck or enjoy a night out.

We congratulate the legislators, organizations and businesses that have
championed this critical public health measure, including the Partnership for
Smokefree Nebraska, the Nebraska Restaurant Association and Big Red Keno.

Nebraska joins 22 other states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico in passing
smoke-free laws that cover restaurants and bars. The states are Arizona,
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon (effective Jan. 1, 2009), Rhode Island, Utah,
Vermont and Washington (the Montana and Utah laws extend to bars in 2009). A
growing number of countries have also passed nationwide smoke-free laws,
including Bermuda, Bhutan, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, New
Zealand, Norway, Panama, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and
Uruguay.

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 4,000
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. As the Surgeon General concluded, "Evidence from peer-reviewed
studies shows that smoke-free policies and regulations do not have an adverse
impact on the hospitality industry."

It's time for every state and community to protect everyone's right to breathe
clean air.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Amber McDowell of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, +1-202-296-5469