Voters clearly understood the difference between Issues 4 and 5. In fact, a survey of voters showed that 96% were very confident that they knew what they were voting for.
Voters were not confused when they supported Issue 5 and rejected the exemption-laden Issue 4.
Senate Bill 346 would result in an even weaker law than proposed in Issue 4 and is clearly not what the Ohio voters want.
Workers exposed to secondhand smoke on the job are 20-30% more likely to get lung cancer. All we are asking is that smokers simply step outside to enjoy their cigarettes.
The Smoke Free Workplace Act protects all workers and customers from secondhand smoke exposure.
Since the passage of the Smoke Free Workplace Act, nine additional states have adopted comprehensive smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars. As a result, cancer deaths have dropped for the second straight year in the United States.
There is no doubt that the adoption of smoke-free workplace laws and other tobacco control policies are major contributors to this remarkable progress.
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The Smoke Free Workplace Act, popularly passed in 2006 with the support of 2.2 million Ohioans, is being threatened. A bill was introduced in the Senate recently that would overturn the Smoke Free Workplace law that ensures all business will operate on a level playing field with one fair, statewide standard that is easy to understand and enforce.
Furthermore, the intent of the law—to protect all workers from secondhand smoke—was clearly communicated to Ohio voters through every piece of campaign material and every campaign advertisement. The message never changed and our commitment to that message never wavered.
In an attempt to weaken the state’s simple, strong and, most importantly, voter approved Smoke Free Workplace Law, Senate Bill 346 would threaten the Smoke Free Workplace Law by creating exemptions involving family-owned businesses, outdoor patios, and private clubs.
The proposed exemptions go farther than the language of Issue 4, the tobacco company endorsed initiative, which voters soundly rejected in 87 Ohio counties. Senate Bill 346 would place workers exposed to secondhand smoke in restaurants, bars, bowling alleys and other workplaces. This bill would treat businesses differently by picking and choosing which employees deserve protection from secondhand smoke.
A survey of Ohioans one-year following the vote on the Smoke Free Workplace Act shows that 80 percent of voters now support the law—an increase of 20 percentage points since Election Day in 2006. In addition, 96 percent of voters were confident that they knew what they were voting for.
Specifically, a total of 70 percent of respondents believe that employees in private clubs, like Moose, Elks, and VFW, should be protected from secondhand smoke in the workplace. The survey also tells us that Ohioans are going to bars and restaurants more often following the implantation of the Law than they were before the law went into effect.
As indicated by these surveys and by the Ohioans we hear from everyday, citizens throughout the state enjoy living in communities with responsible smoke-free laws. They knew exactly what they were voting for and now feel as though their right to be protected from secondhand smoke could be taken away from them.
Please show your support for clean indoor air during these upcoming months by contacting your lawmaker and letting them know the importance of keeping Ohio smoke free!
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