

Friday, February 16, 2007

Going Up In Smoke

The question for debate is: at which point is government required to act to limit one group’s rights for another group’s safety and well being? -- Minnesota Senator Kathy Sheran, SD23

The answer: government's purpose is to serve the collective will of the people while protecting and safeguarding their interests and rights...seems pretty easy...let folks smoke in the privacy of their own home (with out exposing any children). Any other policy allows the following unwanted results:



  • A study found that nonsmokers exposed to environmental smoke were 25 percent more likely to have coronary heart diseases compared to nonsmokers not exposed to smoke.5

  • Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at work are at increased risk for adverse health effects. Levels of ETS in restaurants and bars were found to be 2 to 5 times higher than in residences with smokers and 2 to 6 times higher than in office workplaces.6

  • Secondhand smoke is especially harmful to young children. Secondhand smoke is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year, and causes 1,900 to 2,700 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) deaths in the United States annually.11

  • Secondhand smoke exposure may cause buildup of fluid in the middle ear, resulting in 700,000 to 1.6 million physician office visits per year.12

  • Secondhand smoke can also aggravate symptoms in 400,000 to 1,000,000 children with asthma.13



  • The current Surgeon General's Report concluded that scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to second hand smoke. Short exposures to second hand smoke can cause blood platelets to become stickier, damage the lining of blood vessels, decrease coronary flow velocity reserves, and reduce heart rate variability, potentially increasing the risk of heart attack.17
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