AT A RECENT meeting of the Kanawha-Charleston Board of Health, board members - responding to complaints of bar owners claiming their businesses were suffering because of the recently implemented expanded smoking ban - said they would be willing to look at any information presented to them.
Board chairwoman Brenda Isaac further noted that the board was "...not telling anyone they can't smoke... We're telling them their smoke hurts other people." Accepting the validity and sincerity of these statements at face value, what type of information should the Board and public seek and assess to consider enacting any revision of the policy?
A good place to start would be to review a report on secondhand smoke exposure released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early July. The good news is that by banning smoking in most public places between the late 1980s through 2002, exposure fell 70 percent. The bad news is that this reduced exposure was insufficient to eliminate any signs of exposure (still nearly 50 percent) in the population, "particularly children age four to 11." Over 60 percent of children still showed signs of recent exposure. The study further reported that between "1999 to 2004, children were four times more likely to be exposed at home than were adults - 23.8 percent versus 5.9 percent."
Dr. Felsen did NOT suggest that exposure to tobacco smoke was NOT a serious problem or that children would not be exposed at home by smokers that go to bars. His remarks clearly indicate that we do not know what impact banning smoking in bars has had on the level of home exposures - ESPECIALLY since children are four times more likely to be exposed at home. He suggested that we concentrate on eliminating a known source of exposure to children (BINGO) if that continues to be a problem.
Children usually have no choice regarding exposure and we need to explore the reasons why 60% are still exposed and more effectively address that exposure.
§47-20-28a. Certain operators of bingo games to provide for smoking and nonsmoking sections.
Any bingo operator who distributes more than one hundred bingo cards or bingo sheets at any bingo occasion shall provide a smoking and nonsmoking section, if smoking is permitted.
The West Virginia Supreme Court Ruled in Spetember 2003 in Foundation for Independent Living v. Cabell County Board of Health that "regulations adopted by local boards of health, being inferior in status and subordinate to legislative acts, cannot contradict state statutes or properly promulgated state regulations" and in that ruling precluded Boards of Health from regulating smoking in areas in which the legislature had addressed, i.e., bingo halls and personal care homes.
The Great American Smokeout
No way, no way, you’ll surely say,
Don’t lie to us, do not betray.
Oh yes, ….. tis true, …. tis true,
The truth is out there ……. if you only knew.
T’was long ago, back in Seventy-One,
When money was needed, for the Scholarship Fund.
In Randolph, Maine, not so far away,
Mullaney said “Don’t smoke today”.
The cause was good, the smoke that day was held back,
The money was donated, that would have bought a pack.
“Great News” said Mullaney, they had met their quota,
His message was heard, far away in Minnesota.
It was a cold day, in Seventy-Four,
That silly Lynn Smith, started knocking on doors.
She was Editor of the paper, she wanted her say,
Thus was born, the state's first Don't Smoke Day.
And “DUH”, what better opportunity to garner money, notoriety and fame,
T’was none other than the American Cancer Society, who joined in the game.
Their Great American Smokeout, was launched forthwith,
The gullible public lo