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Many
of the things we list as the benefits of going smoke-free, like people
quitting smoking altogether or fewer teens starting smoking, the
tobacco companies list as detrimental to their business. These
tobacco industry originated claims typically surface during a
smoke-free debate:
"Smoking is a fundamental right, and I won't allow anyone to take away my rights. What will they take away next?" There is no constitutional right to smoke. The
truth is that smoking in public is not, and never was a right.
Smoke-free regulations seek to protect people from the harmful actions of
others, just like drunk driving and many other laws. Not having to
allow other people to hurt you and yours IS a fundamental right.
"A Smoke-free regulation will put me out of business." The
truth is that studies around the world have shown that going smoke-free does not harm business. In fact, many businesses see an increase in
revenue. Think about it: 80 percent of the population does not smoke.
Does marketing your business to a 20 percent share who may well drive
other potential customers away make sense? Watch Straight-Talk about Smoke-Free Laws, a 6-minute video by restaurateurs
for restaurateurs on the issue of smoke-free policy.
"It's my business. Why can't I just put up a sign? People don't have to come in if they don't want to."
This approach (commonly called Red Light, Green Light) sounds
good on paper, but in practice it is so weak that it fails to protect
anybody, especially workers.
"Secondhand smoke doesn't really hurt people. Those studies are junk science." There are people who say that we didn't land on the moon, too. We choose to believe the CDC, the US Surgeon General, the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society,
and other authoritative health experts too numerous to list. The
science is sound, it is conclusive, and it gets better every day.
"A smoke-free regulation can't be enforced." The
truth is that smoke-free regulations are generally self-enforcing. This
is not to say that enforcement is never required, but it neither
impossible, nor especially costly.
Preemption is
a tactic used by pro-tobacco interests to prevent, limit, or hinder the
passage of clean indoor air regulations. Since most smoke-free
laws are passed at the local level, the preemption strategy is to pass
laws at the state level that overrule local laws. Read more about
preempltion in West Virginia on our Preemption page.
These are just a few of the well known tactics we can anticipate. Here are some links for more info;
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