The effects of smoking especially second hand smoke cannot be totally ignored. The World Health Organization has already proclaimed it to be a real and significant threat to the public.
Supported by scientific evidences gathered for two decades, second hand smoking undoubtedly is becoming a health hazard and threat to people. Second hand smoke has been designated by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a known human carcinogen or a cancer-causing agent because it contains 50 cancer-causing chemicals.When non-smokers are exposed to second hand smoke, they nevertheless inhale the same chemicals that active smokers inhale. Indeed second-hand smoke is harmful in many ways.
In the United States alone, second-hand smoke is responsible for an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 deaths of people who suffered heart diseases who are not even smokers. More than 3,000 adults die of lung cancer while many complain of respiratory ailments such as cough, chest discomfort and reduced lung function among others.Children are also engulfed in this problem. Respiratory infections, bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia have affected 150,000 to 300,000 children many of which are younger than 18 months.
It has also increased the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS while pregnant mothers who were exposed to second-hand smoke gave birth to babies who have low weights during birth. Anti-smoking advocates together with the government agencies are actively looking for means to stop smoking all throughout the country.Part of their efforts is to lobby for the ban of smoking in public places like the office, public transportations, schools and even day-care centers. So far, only a few of the states have adopted the ban to prohibit smoking in public places. Localities and states have also passed indoor laws for offices and companies which aim to protect workers from the hazard of second-smoke although regulations are varied from place to place.
Schools and children are also actively involved in these campaigns especially that a number of children are afflicted with ailments which undoubtedly have been caused by second-smoke.Despite the effects and risks of second-hand smoke on non-smokers, the issue of banning smoking in public places has become a controversy since there is no clear indication and link that smokers have indeed suffered from these risks. Moreover, banning smoking for the benefit of those who do not smoke has caused major concerns for restaurant, casino and gambling owners who are the ones directly hit with the ban. In New York, a state-wide smoking ban has already been passed and signed by the governor which placed a ban of smoking on all places in which it was still previously allowed.Bars, certain restaurants, betting parlors, bowling alleys and even company cars are now part of the no-smoking ban. Violators are fined $1,000 per infraction.
Accordingly, the policy will undoubtedly help the health of thousands of New Yorkers who are exposed to second-hand smoke in public areas such as those mentioned above. On the other hand, New Jersey also has the same ban on smoking although the scope is not the same as those other states which enacted the policy. Whereas smoking in casino gambling areas is considered part of the ban in other states, New Jersey however still allows smoking in such places.Such exemption has caused friction not only for anti-smokers but also for restaurant owners who are part of the ban. Restaurant owners are affected with such exemption especially those whose establishments are located blocks away from gambling casinos. Before the ban, smokers would frequent these restaurants along gambling strips, the ban would undoubtedly limit these smokers to the gambling strips where it is still allowed.
The exemption was allegedly made because of the revenue returned by these gambling strips.Referencehttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181719,00.html
