No smoking legislation gathers momentum among U.S. states

No Smoking Laws Gain Momentum

No smoking signs are bound to be seen in more establishments around the United States if the present trend of smoking ban legislation holds through 2020, officials of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday.

The CDC cited data showing that in 2000, no state had passed a comprehensive no smoking bill. But by 2010, through the efforts of public health officials and lobby groups, that number has risen to 25 states.

"It is by no means a foregone conclusion that we'll get there by 2020," Dr. Tim McAfee, director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the CDC, said in a statement. "I'm relatively bullish we'll at least get close to that number."

Many states have similar laws now in place that enforce no smoking in bars, restaurants and workplaces in addition to public places like parks, beaches and squares.

There are only seven states - Kentucky, Texas, Indiana, Mississippi, West Virginia, Wyoming and South Carolina - that do not prohibit smoking indoors yet, although city governments in these states have local laws in place.

It has been proven by more and more studies that tobacco smoke and cigarette smoking can cause lung cancer, heart disease and other cardiovascular ailments. Health officials want morbidity and mortality rates due to smoking go down the list of leading causes of death in the U.S. If they will have their way, then more no smoking signs will be put up all over the country.

But the American Heart Association, who welcomes the new trend, also warns about complacency in the fight against public smoking.

"It's too soon to rest on our laurels," AHA chief executive officer Nancy Brown said in a statement. "No smoking" laws will need to be pushed continually in the coming years before substantial public health benefits can be seen in the data.

Posted by George Daniels on Friday April 22 2011, 2:16 AM EDT. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0