Wednesday, October 16, 2002

Like California, New York and Florida are now considering smoking bans. This is an important issue for all Americans because (like so many of today's problems) it is about the balance between conflicting rights. People have the right to smoke but people also have the right to protect themselves by breathing air free of the dangers found in the smoker's wastes.

Learn from our efforts. Four years ago in Peachtree City we tried a conservative approach. We did not ban smoking; we did not require smoke-free air. We only required the truth. We left it up to the informed consumer and the responsible business to do the rest and what it has shown is important to you.

Four years later, the only change has been in those restaurants who have gone smoke-free. We showed our businesses how to easily and cost effectively accommodate smoking while still protecting their smoke-free air but because it is not required, they cannot justify the effort or the expense to make the change.

The only smoke-protected separately ventilated signs are found in our industrial park in the businesses with previous computer or flammability concerns. Businesses seem to be able to justify protecting their machines and buildings but not people.

With one vote you can create and protect smoke-free air and put the responsibility for the next step where it belongs ­ on the smokers and the businesses that want to encourage smoking. Until this first step happens however, our efforts show that the next step that requires some time, money and effort is not going to happen.

Consider and pass a smoking ban and see how quickly your businesses will make happen the changes needed to protect you. Or you can also continue to do nothing.

The right to smoke does not require anyone else to sit in the smoker's waste but until you start making change happen, that is where you are stuck. Your responsibility is to require change! It is their risk, not yours, quit sharing it. Require smoke-free air!

For 30 years people have fallen for the illusion of safety in "no smoking" sections and "no smoking" signs. After years of the tobacco industry successfully hiding the truth of the risk (just like Enron and WorldCom), we have had the documented truth of the danger of secondhand smoke for over 10 years. If it was their toilets overflowing, would you still be sitting ankle deep in that waste without complaining? It is time to fix the problem!

With my throat cancer from secondhand smoke, this is an important concern for me. Every day I see the price my family pays for my ignoring my own common sense that warned me of the risk. There is so much in life we cannot protect ourselves from; this one is so simple.

Take the first step! Consider a smoking ban! Require and protect smoke-free air!

Kathleen Sprowl Cheney

Peachtree City