(TOPEKA)--February 25, 2010-- American Cancer Society advocates celebrated a victory today with the passage of House Bill 2221, a strong statewide public smoking law.
"Thanks to the vision and the courage of our state legislature, Kansas will now be a better place to breathe," said Stephanie Weiter, regional vice president for the American Cancer Society. "Today we celebrate a tremendous victory for the health of Kansans."
In the 2009 legislative session, the Kansas Senate amended HB 2221 to include comprehensive clean indoor air provisions. Today, the House concurred with the Senate version of the bill to finalize passage. The bill now goes on to the governor's office to be signed into law.
"Governor Parkinson has been a tremendous supporter of a strong, statewide, clean indoor air law. When he signs HB 2221, it will make Kansas the 29th smoke-free state in the nation," said Chris Masoner, government relations director for Kansas. "We are looking forward to a healthier future with fewer hospital visits and fewer deaths. No longer will 380 people die each year in Kansas due to secondhand smoke."
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States and in Kansas, burdening society with the suffering and health care costs related to cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illness. Secondhand smoke delivers those same illnesses to nonsmokers. Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals--and 60 of those chemicals are known causes of cancer, including arsenic and polonium.
"After watching my father die from lung cancer, I didn't want other families to suffer like mine did," said Gay Cornell, American Cancer Society advocacy volunteer. "Smoking in public places is an unnecessary cause of illness and was simple to remedy. I'm thrilled that Kansas is going to be smoke-free. I'm ready for my family to be able to breathe clean indoor air."
HB 2221 requires the vast majority of worksites in Kansas to be smoke-free, with certain very narrow exceptions. It will become effective July 1, 2010.
Eighty-two percent of Kansans do not smoke. According to a recent American cancer Society poll, more than 70 percent of Kansans support a strong smoke-free law for the state.
Joining the American Cancer Society in supporting a smoke-free Kansas are the American Heart Association, the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians, the Kansas State Nurses Association, Clean Air Kansas, Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition, the American Association of Retired Persons, and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
The American Cancer Society is dedicated to saving lives and creating more birthdays by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back against cancer. For more information, visit www.cancer.org.
Leave a comment