On Thursday, January 5, Representative Eric Turner introduced House Bill (HB) 1149 that prohibits smoking in many public places. HB 1149, which was co-sponsored by Representatives Charlie Brown, Tim Brown, and Peggy Welch, includes exemptions for casino gambling floors, betting parlors, private clubs, and cigar and hookah bars. While the Indiana Cancer Consortium (ICC) supports a comprehensive smoking ban with no exemptions, we currently stand in support with the Indiana Campaign for Smokefree Air as well as out other statewide partners on this clean air effort.
(Link: The official statement from the Indiana Cancer Consortium on Indiana HB 1149.)
Talking Points from the Indiana Cancer Facts and Figures 2012
The need to decrease the number of smokers and reduce the amount of secondhand smoke in Indiana remains as prevalent and urgent today as it was over a decade ago. In Indiana, over 1 million adults smoke, accounting for 21.2% of the Hoosier population (the average adult smoking rate in the United States: 17.2% in 2010). When considering the health impact, 4,000 Hoosiers die from lung cancer every year. Smoking accounts for 87% of lung cancer deaths and at least 30% of all cancer deaths across the nation. If all tobacco smoking was stopped, the occurrence of lung cancer would decrease by an estimated 90%.
Secondhand smoke (smoke breathed in involuntarily by someone who is not smoking) can be just as detrimental. Each year, an estimated 50,000 American and 1,240 Hoosier nonsmokers die from exposure to secondhand smoke. Therefore, while HB 1149 is not a comprehensive smokefree air bill, the effort displays a significant step forward for the state of Indiana.
Time to Take Action
As an individual, the best ways to avoid developing lung cancer are to not start or to quit smoking tobacco and avoid all secondhand smoke exposure. Quitting tobacco smoking substantially decreases your risk of developing cancer and cardiovascular disease. Smokers who quit smoking, regardless of age, live longer than people who continue to smoke.
As a community, it is time to implement smokefree air policies and higher taxes on tobacco products. Annually, tobacco use costs Indiana over 2 billion dollars in health care costs, including approximately 487 million dollars in Medicaid payments alone.
So, how can you stand with the ICC in support of HB 1149?
Do you only have two minutes?
Share a link to this article on your social networks and let your friends know how important HB 1149 is.
Do you have more than two minutes?
Write an email to an Indiana legislator and let them know how important HB 1149 is. Here is a list of legislators in the House Public Health Committee to contact:
- Rep. Ron Bacon: h75@in.gov
- Rep. Charlie Brown: h3@in.gov
- Rep. Tim Brown: h41@in.gov
- Rep. Suzanne Crouch: h78@in.gov
- Rep. Steve Davisson: h73@in.gov
- Rep. John Day: h100@in.gov
- Rep. Dick Dodge: h51@in.gov
- Rep. David Frizzell: h93@in.gov
- Rep. Craig Fry: h5@in.gov
- Rep. Don Lehe: h15@IN.gov
- Rep. Scott Reske: h37@in.gov
- Rep. Eric Turner: h32@in.gov
- Rep. Peggy Welch: h60@in.gov
Email caleb@indianacancer.org for more information on how the ICC needs your help.
Follow along!