Smoke-Free Workplace Act turns 10

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The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS-CAN) recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of Ohio’s Smoke-Free Workplace Act and called on Ohio’s lawmakers and governor to pass and implement polices proven to reduce tobacco use by encouraging people addicted to quit and help prevent young people from starting.

On November 7, 2006, the voters of Ohio supported a statewide ballot initiative that required that all public places, and places of employment, prohibit smoking. This initiative took effect 30 days later on December 7, 2006, making this past Wednesday the 10th anniversary. Ohio was the first Midwestern state and the first tobacco-growing state to enact such a ban.

“We know that smoke-free laws are good public health policy,” said Jeff Stephens, government relations director for ACS-CAN). “The Smoke-Free Workplace Act stimulated a reduction of the adult smoking rate from 2007-2009, and continues to have positive health impacts through increased air quality and reduced emergency room visits for various pulmonary conditions associated with second-hand smoke.”

A poll released this week by the American Cancer Society showed that Ohioans strongly support the Smoke-Free Workplace Act. The poll was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies in June 2016 and indicated that the favorability for Ohio’s Smoke-Free Workplace Act has climbed to 85 percent.

The support is broad-based and universal with virtually every demographic group — Republicans and Democrats alike — favoring the law. There is little difference in the favorability by geographic, racial, gender, age, and ideological lines. The poll found that even strong majorities of Tea Party supporters and smokers back the law.

The number of supporters for the Smoke-Free Workplace Act has continued to climb over the years. The Smoke-Free Workplace Act was initially supported by 58.52 percent voters in 2006. At the five-year anniversary, in September 2011, the Ohio Department of Health released a collection of five reports that showed that 73 percent of adult Ohioans either strongly approved or approved of the Smoke‐Free Workplace Act.

The polling data also confirms that Ohio voters have consistently supported increasing tobacco taxes. Furthermore, 70 percent favor taxing other tobacco products such as cigars, smokeless tobacco, and chewing tobacco, at the same rate at cigarettes. These products are currently taxed at a much lower rate than cigarettes and remain an affordable gateway to tobacco addiction for our youth. Once again, the support is similar across party lines.

Additionally, the polling data reported that voters overwhelmingly believe it is important to fund programs to prevent and reduce tobacco use among kids, and help all smokers quit.

“The burden of tobacco use in Ohio remains staggering. In 2014, 7,500 cancer deaths were directly attributable to tobacco use and the annual cost to our health care system is $5.64 billion, this all is preventable.” said Stephens. “Ohio lawmakers must respond to the 92 percent of voters that indicate the importance of funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The positive return on this investment is evidence-based and proven.”

Fifty years of evidence demonstrates what works in tobacco use prevention and cessation: the combination of regularly and significantly increasing tobacco taxes, investing in tobacco prevention and cessation programs that use Centers for Disease Control-proven best practices and comprehensive smoke-free laws that cover all workplaces.

The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network calls on Ohio lawmakers to increase the cigarette tax by at least a $1 a pack and equalize the tax on other tobacco products. Additionally, it recommends an investment of $35 million in tobacco use prevention programs and cessation services and continued protection of Ohio’s Smoke-Free Workplace Act.