| For Immediate Release November 08, 2006 |
Contact: Jennifer Friedman 202.296.5469 |
Maryland Voters Take A Stand For Right to Breathe Clean Air by Electing Jim Robey to State Senate
Statement of William V. Corr, Executive Director, Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund
Washington, DC - By electing Jim Robey (District 13) for Maryland State Senate, voters have taken a stand for the right of all workers and families to breathe clean air. For the second time this election cycle, Marylanders have confirmed their support for legislation to require smoke-free workplaces by electing Robey, who is dedicated to protecting everyone from secondhand smoke, over incumbent State Senator Sandy Schrader, who has refused to support legislation to make Maryland smoke-free. We look forward to Senator Robey being a leader in the effort to pass legislation next session to make Maryland smoke-free.
This vote also demonstrates the importance of tobacco as an issue come Election Day. Two months ago in the Democratic State Senate primary, Marylanders voted against State Senator John Giannetti, who has not supported the smoke-free legislation and has voted in support of the tobacco industry, in favor of Jim Rosapepe, who has stood up to Big Tobacco and supports a smoke-free Maryland. Rosapepe beat Giannetti for a second time on Tuesday after Giannetti switched parties in the general election.
The election results underscore the strong public support for smoke-free laws that protect everyone from the serious health harms of secondhand smoke. In the weeks leading up to the election, the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund launched an independent, direct mail and voter contact campaign to educate Maryland voters about the clear contrast between the records of Jim Robey and Sandy Schrader when it comes to fighting tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. The campaign highlighted Jim Robey’s record of taking a stand for health as Howard County Executive when he passed a countywide 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.
In further evidence that voters across the nation strongly support smoke-free workplace laws, voters in Arizona, Ohio and Nevada on Tuesday approved laws requiring that all workplaces and public places be smoke-free. Altogether 16 states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico have passed smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars. The other states are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington. Nevada joins Florida and Idaho in having a strong smoke-free law that covers restaurants, but not all bars (Nevada’s law exempts bars that do not serve food and casino gambling areas).
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.