Tennesseans Celebrate One Year of Smoke-Free
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
On October 1, 2007, the Tennessee Nonsmoker Protection Act went into effect and made most workplaces across the state of Tennessee smoke-free. Smoke-free laws are proving to be an effective way to improve public health by reducing people's exposure to secondhand smoke, which has been proven harmful to both adults and children and causes more than 50,000 deaths per year in the U.S. In fact, the Surgeon General concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that eliminating smoking in indoor places protects everyone from secondhand smoke exposure.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the smoke-free law, the Smoke-Free Nashville coalition will be taking to the streets to thank those music venues that chose to go smoke-free. Due to exemptions in the smoke-free law, venues could have chosen to allow smoking by declaring themselves to be “21 and up” venues. The coalition will be delivering “Thanks for not smoking” t-shirts to patrons and staff of smoke-free venues, as well as, handing out information about the Tennessee Tobacco Quitline for any persons interested in ending their tobacco use.
An ad was placed in the Nashville Downtown Partnership’s “Guidebook” that highlights smoke-free music venues in the downtown area. 35,000 “Guidebooks” are being distributed over a 6 month period to downtown residents and visitors. The ad also directs visitors and residents to the MPHD’s website for a listing of 100% smoke-free music venues in Davidson County.
The list can be found at http://health.nashville.gov/SmokeFreeMusicVenues.htm.
“Nashville is known as Music City USA. People come from around the country to visit our city and take in the sights and sounds of Nashville”, says Dr. William Paul, Director of Health. “It’s great that we can offer them so many great smoke-free music venues to choose from.”
A May 2008 poll commissioned by the Campaign for a Healthy and Responsible Tennessee, the Tennessee Department of Health and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids revealed an acceptance of the current law and a willingness by Tennesseans to expand the smoke-free law to locations that are currently exempt from the legislation. The Tennessee Non-Smokers Protection Act, which went into effect Oct. 1, 2007, exempts restaurants and bars that solely serve patrons age 21 and over, establishments with patios and garage-type doors when they are open on all sides and workplaces that employ less than three people.
According to the poll, 84% of Tennesseans view secondhand smoke as a moderate to serious health hazard and an overwhelming majority (74%) are in favor of the current law. When asked about strengthening the current law, 79% felt it was important to have smoke-free workplaces everywhere, including restaurants and bars. For complete results of the poll, please go to www.tnchart.org.
If citizens or businesses have questions about the smoke-free law or wish to file a complaint against a business that is violating the law, call the Tennessee Department of Health’s Smoke-Free Complaint Line at 1-800-293-8228 or file a complaint online at http://health.state.tn.us/smokefreetennessee.
Additional Information:
1-$50 individual fine
7-$100 fines
3-$500 fines
1 business has received 2 $500 fines
Quitting Information:
For tobacco users who want to quit. The Tennessee Tobacco Quitline, 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), is a free, telephone-based coaching service that supports people in their quitting process. When you call the QuitLine you will be assigned your own quit coach. Your quit coach will help you understand how to quit tobacco and help you develop a plan that works for youFor more information about the Smoke-Free Nashville coalition, contact Robert Taylor, Metro Public Health Department, Smoke-Free Nashville Coalition Coordinator; 340–0401; robert.taylor2@nashville.gov.