Over 70% of Hoosiers are non-smokers. This means that a shocking 30% smoke, so we need to think how best to help non-smokers without being too nasty towards our smoking brethern. Americans for Nonsmoker's Rights www.no-smoke.org might disagree with my view. For me, I consider second hand smoke in my face to be as rude and hostile as if I was to piss in the face of a smoker to put it out. But a civilized society needs ways for different cultural interests to co-exist peacefully. Phillip Morris and Monitoring the Future (see links below) indicate that nationwide, perhaps 30% of high school students start smoking.
http://www.smokefreecommunities.org/ is a site, where I live, in Evansville Indiana where you can order a guide to area restaurants that honor a principle of providing smoke free eating. Previously most area restaurants did not get it ... they adjust what part of the restaurant is smoke free, and what part is for smokers based on smoking popularity, irrespective of what an area was previously used for, or which way the airconditioner is blowing the air around. This guide is in essence a directory of restaurants where no smoker is allowed to light up inside.
Stickers are supplied that we can stick on the bill we pay at some other restaurant saying we'd come there more often if in fact it was smoke free.
Allegedly second hand smoke is a leading contributor to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ... I had a younger brother who died of that, and yes, one of my parents was a heavy smoker. Second hand smoke kills approx 53,000 Americans each year. I have a hard time believing the number is that high.
For related sites and topics, check out
- www.cancer.org
- www.americanheart.org
- www.americanlegacy.org
- www.ama-assn.org/smokelessstates
- www.lungusa.com
- Warning: www.thetruth.com site color combination and design is extremely hostile for older eyes, but some younger people like this kind of thing.
- www.who.int World Health Organization http://tobacco.who.int/
- www.iarc.fr International Agency for Research on Cancer
- www.fda.gov US Food and Drug Administration
- www.ftc.gov US Federal Trade Commission
- www.cdc.gov/tobacco US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- www.epa.gov US Environmental Protection Agency
- Campaign for www.tobaccofreekids.org Allegedly Big Tobacco advertising is still targeting kids, and was successful in the year 2002 in getting 641,571 kids to become regular smokers, and counting.
- www.tcsg.org/tobacco.htm Tobacco-Free Older Persons
- www.tobaccocontrol.cancer.gov links to research and its results: health risks, changing people behavior, treating victims of dependence, smokeless tobacco FAQ
- www.ash.org.uk Action on Smoking and Health
- www.nci.nih.gov National Cancer Institute
- www.smokefreeindiana.com and http://www.smokefreeteens.org/ are links to recent news stories of interest to people seeking smoke free environments for children growing up.
- www.uwci.org/nptrainib.htm United Way of Central Indiana workshops
- www.in.gov/atc Alcohol and Tobacco regulations in Indiana
- www.in.gov/cji/drug/index.htm Indiana Governor's Criminal Justice effort to curb behavioral problems from drug abuse
- www.in.gov/isdn Indiana Dept of Health
- www.imhc.org Indiana's Minority Health Coalition
- www.voice.tv Youth speak out against Big Tobacco
- http://ctb.fsi.ukans.edu Community Toolbox for Kansas Community Health
- www.nlcatp.org Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention
- www.whitelies.tv Big Tobacco has lied about what smoking costs Indiana, and what you can do about it.
- www.itpc.in.gov Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation
- www.tobacco.org discussion group
- www.monitoringthefuture.org is an interesting site.
- This is an ongoing study of the behaviors attitudes and values of American school children, through surveys of some 50,000 kids a year. There are links here to studies in recent years, such as how pervasive different drug use is among our younsters. How bad is alcohol abuse, how pervasive are illegal drugs, is substance abuse getting better or worse? There is also a link to a similar study on kids in Europe.
- www.phillipmorrisusa.com is an interesting site.
- Looks to me like sometimes the site has been assaulted and we need to call 1-877-PMUSA.WEB for the non-Internet version.
- They claim both to make good quality tobacco products for adults who choose to smoke, and be a fountain of reliable information on the serious health effects of smoking, and how to talk to your kids about not smoking.
- Check their cigarette smoking and disease link for a connection to the US Surgeon General's report on what is known about the relationship between smoking and breast cancer. My mom died of this. I suspect stress also had a lot to do with it.
- Check their addiction link for connections to FDA statements on the topic.
For people who smoke and want to try to kick the habit, check out
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