| For Immediate Release October 30, 2006 |
Contact: Jennifer Friedman 202.296.5469 |
Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund Launches Campaign in Support of Jim Robey For Maryland State Senate
Washington, DC - The Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund today launched an independent, direct mail and voter contact campaign in support of Maryland State Senate candidate Jim Robey (District 13) because of his commitment to reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. The campaign will contrast the positions of Robey and his opponent, incumbent Senator Sandy Schrader, highlighting Robey's leadership in passing legislation to protect all Howard County workers and families from secondhand smoke and his strong support for a statewide smoke-free law that would protect the health of all Marylanders.
"We're running this campaign in Maryland because of the clear contrast between the records of these candidates when it comes to fighting tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke," said William V. Corr, Executive Director of the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund. "Jim Robey is standing up to Big Tobacco and fighting to protect everyone's right to breathe clean, smoke-free air. His opponent, on the other hand, has refused to support efforts to make Maryland smoke-free. For Maryland voters who care about protecting the health of workers and families, there is a clear choice: Jim Robey for Maryland State Senate."
As Howard County Executive, Jim Robey stood up for the right of all Howard County workers and residents to breathe clean air by passing a county-wide smoke-free workplace law, making Howard County the fourth smoke-free county in Maryland and the first in the Baltimore region. Robey also supports a strong, statewide smoke-free law in Maryland. His opponent, Sandy Schrader, has refused to support a statewide smoke-free bill. Legislation in Maryland that would make all workplaces smoke-free died in a Maryland House committee last year.
The need for protection from secondhand smoke has never been clearer. In issuing his groundbreaking report on secondhand smoke on June 27, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona stated, "The debate is over. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease in children and nonsmoking adults." The Surgeon General found that secondhand smoke is a proven cause of lung cancer, heart disease, serious respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and asthma, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome. The Surgeon General also found that secondhand smoke is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in the United States each year and that there is no risk-free level of exposure.
The Surgeon General's report also confirmed that smoke-free laws protect health without harming business. To date, 14 states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico have passed smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars. The states are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii (effective Nov. 16), Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington (the Montana and Utah laws extend to bars in 2009, while the DC law does so on January 1, 2007).
Samples of the direct mail can be found at:
http://tobaccofreeaction.org/adwatch/Maryland3.pdf
http://tobaccofreeaction.org/adwatch/Maryland4.pdf