There's a lot we know about what could be done to improve the health of the public. At the same time, there is a lot we can't seem to get done when it comes to improving the health of the public.
Against that somewhat pessimistic background, the report that came out today about the success of indoor smoking laws in the United States over the past decade serves as an outstanding example of what can be done when people make up their minds that they are going to do something positive to improve their personal health and the health of their country.
In fact, I will go so far as to say that the long-term impact over decades of what has been accomplished to reduce smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke in this country over the past 10 years rivals some of the great public health accomplishments in this country. Yes, my friends, it is that significant.
The report, which appeared in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" outlines the number of states that have various levels of compliance with smoke-free indoor air rules, from complete to partial to no compliance.
Think about this for a moment:
For the purposes of this article, the CDC considered a law comprehensive if it prohibited smoking in private-sector worksites, restaurants and bars. Anything less than a complete prohibition in those venues was not considered comprehensive.
As noted in the article, on December 31, 2000 in the United States the number of states with comprehensive smoke free laws was literally zero. On December 31, 2010, the number of states with comprehensive smoke free laws was 26. In addition, on December 31, 2010, 10 states had laws that prohibit smoking in one or more public venues but not all three, while eight states had passed laws that were less restrictive. Only seven states have no comprehensive restrictions on smoking in public places. And most of those-as you might guess-are in the South where growing tobacco remains a part of the economic landscape, albeit a diminishing one.
In practical terms, this success means that 47.8% of the population in this country - nearly 150 million people - are protected from exposure to tobacco smoke in the places where they work, eat and enjoy themselves. And equally important is the fact that the people who work in those places don't have to put themselves at risk while they earn an income.
The report notes that despite this success, 88 million nonsmokers aged three or older are still potentially exposed to second hand smoke, which has real consequences in terms of the risks to their health including respiratory and cardiac problems, as well as a longer term risk of developing lung cancer.
There are still other opportunities available to extend the reach of these laws, according to the CDC.
First and foremost, no southern state has a comprehensive smoke-free law according to the report. But even in the states with comprehensive laws that meet the CDC definition noted above, coverage could be extended to other locations such as common areas and individual living units in condominiums and apartments where your neighbors smoking can become your personal nightmare, as noted in one of my previous blogs.
Ultimately, smoke-free laws have resulted in a substantial improvement in the health of many people in this country. They have contributed-along with increased tobacco taxes and other science-based efforts -to the decline of smoking in the United States. The results have been evident in the decreasing rates of many cancers related to tobacco, including the recently announced decline (finally) in the lung cancer death rates in women.
The American Cancer Society is proud to have been an integral part of making this happen. Hundreds of thousands of people--if not millions--will be alive in years to come because of what was started decades ago to reduce exposure to the harmful effects of tobacco. Smoke-free laws enacted over the past 10 years are very much a part of that larger process.
This is progress in the health of the public that is real, and progress we can all be proud of.
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