By Ted Schiele

Guest Commentary
Published in The Ithacan
September 24, 2009

What is it about the idea of smoke-free outdoor areas that stirs so much controversy? Current efforts to regulate smoking in public areas such as parks, playgrounds, at outdoor events, and gathering areas such as The Commons, are not “anti-smoker”, as some claim. They are pro-clean air, pro-clean (litter-free) grounds, and pro-tobacco free lives.

Nationwide, statewide, and right here in Tompkins County, there is an escalating movement to extend the proven public health benefits of smoke-free indoor spaces, to outdoor areas where the general public is invited, welcomed, or expected to go in fulfilling everyday choices and demands. Successful smoke-free outdoor areas are places where parents can be confident that their children will not be exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke or cigarette litter, where people with asthma can be confident they will not be exposed to a crippling asthma episode triggered by tobacco smoke, and where smokers who want to quit can feel that the world is on their side in the struggle to break free of the addictive grind of cigarettes.

Cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable death and disease both nationally and globally. Every year in the U.S., ten times more people die from long term, chronic illness caused by their smoking habit than are killed in automobile crashes. The price we all pay in health care costs, public and private, is far into the billions of dollars.

Cigarettes are far more addictive than alcohol, yet are subject to far fewer regulations. In general, alcohol is safe when consumed legally and in moderation. Smoking cigarettes is never safe.

Yet, over the last 50 years tobacco companies have systematically marketed their products as a symbol of personal freedom and pathway to social success, while simultaneously defrauding the public through repeated denials of the addictive and lethal nature of their product. One of the most enduring legacies of big tobacco’s marketing success is the notion that smoking is a “right” to be defended as a guaranteed American freedom. In response, I ask, what about the freedom to not be exposed to cigarette smoke? I am not saying, “don’t smoke”, I am just saying, “please don’t smoke here”.

Cigarette smoke is a known carcinogen, listed in the same risk classification as asbestos. Some of the chemicals known to be in cigarette smoke are the same or similar to those that are reported to be contaminating the soil below South Hill. Society demands resources to eliminate exposure to these hazards, and the same conviction should be leveled at preventing unwanted exposure to cigarette smoke.

Not long ago, I saw a couple sit down at a café table next to the entrance to a downtown shop. As one pulled out a cigarette, the other pointed to a no smoking sign posted over the table. The first looked around, shrugged and lit up anyway. When I protested the pair dismissed my objections, noting that there was no else sitting nearby. This reasoning misses an important point: a smoke-free area is just as important for those who have yet to enter the area, as it is for those already there. We don’t park in a space marked “handicap”, just because it’s not currently occupied by a vehicle with the proper permit. A public area that is designated smoke-free should be honored as such, regardless of whether the designation is voluntary or mandatory, by request, by policy, or by law.

Protecting the pubic health is part of the fabric of a thriving community, and an obligation of a sustainable community. We have to take action to keep each other safe, and healthy. We must come forward to provide a welcoming environment. Outdoor public spaces that are free from tobacco smoke is a clear step in the right direction.