Lawmakers and health experts are trying to breathe new life into a statewide smoking ban. Courtesy Flickr/Tuppus
Friday, January 18, 2013
Lawmakers and health experts are trying to breathe new life into a statewide smoking ban.
Sen. Briggs Hobson, R-Vicksburg, has introduced the Mississippi Uniform Smoke-Free Public Place Act of 2013, which bans smoking in most public places. The ban would extend to restaurants, which the proposal defines as an establishment where at least 25 percent of revenues come from selling food.
Private homes, bars, hotel rooms and conference rooms that are being used for events, casinos, private clubs and cordoned-off restaurant bars would be exempt from the law.
Steve Demetropolous, president of the Mississippi State Medical Association, told reporters at the Capitol Thursday that passing a smoking ban would be "the single most effective policy change guaranteed" to improve Mississippi's overall health.
The effort comes on the heels of the Mississippi State Medical Association's public-health report card for 2013. The report card, distributed yesterday, depicts a toddler holding a gas mask to her face sitting in front of an adult holding a lit cigarette.
"Demand clean, smoke-free air! or ... JUST GIVE EVERY KID A GAS MASK," the poster reads.
The report does not assign letter grades but notes Mississippi's abysmal rankings in several health categories, which include 5th worst in tobacco use and worst in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease mortality, infant mortality, teen birth rate and physician access in the United States. Mississippi also has the fewest number of physicians per capita, the report states.
Anti-smoking efforts have been on the uptick in recent months. Earlier in January, officials at the University of Mississippi began issuing $25 fines for violating the school's ban, which went into effect in August 2012.
The Mississippi Housing Authority plans to go smoke-free in April. MHA Executive Director Ron Turner Sr. told the Meridian Star that smoking-related spikes due to insurance and repair costs led to the policy.
Hobson's bill, SB 2077, was assigned to the Public Health and Welfare and Appropriations committees.
An earlier version of this story that went out in the JFP Daily newsletter misspelled Sen. Briggs Hobson's first name. We apologize for the error.
Comments
generalsn 11 years, 3 months ago
As long as the grants keep flowing, the ban people can keep busy pushing smoking bans. It sure beats having to get a real job.
MichaelJMcFadden 11 years, 3 months ago
Your story says, "Private homes, bars, hotel rooms and conference rooms that are being used for events, casinos, private clubs and cordoned-off restaurant bars would be exempt from the law." '
But it left out a few words at the end. It should read, "... exempt from the law FOR NOW, BUT WE'LL BE BACK NEXT YEAR IF WE WIN THIS ONE!" That would be considerably more honest, don't you think? Because that's the way antismoking crusaders work, and that's the way they'll always work as long as they're being paid good money to do so. Yank their funding and most of them would disappear and stop bothering the rest of the people. Try it. See what happens. '
I also noticed this: " The report card, distributed yesterday, depicts a toddler holding a gas mask to her face sitting in front of an adult holding a lit cigarette." Why is it that Antismokers feel it is perfectly fine to abuse our love of our children in this way? It's one of the lowest and slimiest political tricks in the book. It's like Saddam Hussein patting the little American hostage boy on the head while wearing a big grin for the TV cameras. On that basis alone this ban should be voted down. '
Michael J. McFadden Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"
johndavidson 11 years, 3 months ago
The use of the term health experts is very loose in meaning.............Perhaps these health experts/prohibitionists would also like to bring back this bill from 2008:
Mississippi Legislature 2008 Regular Session House Bill 282 House Calendar | Senate Calendar | Main Menu Additional Information | All Versions
Current Bill Text: |
Description: Food establishments; prohibit from serving food to any person who is obese.
Background Information: Disposition: Active Deadline: General Bill/Constitutional Amendment Revenue: No Vote type required: Majority Effective date: July 1, 2008
History of Actions: 1 01/25 (H) Referred To Public Health and Human Services;Judiciary B
----- Additional Information -----
House Committee: Public Health and Human Services*, Judiciary B
Principal Author: Mayhall Additional Authors: Read, Shows
Title: AN ACT TO PROHIBIT CERTAIN FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS FROM SERVING FOOD TO ANY PERSON WHO IS OBESE, BASED ON CRITERIA PRESCRIBED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT TO PREPARE WRITTEN MATERIALS THAT DESCRIBE AND EXPLAIN THE CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A PERSON IS OBESE AND TO PROVIDE THOSE MATERIALS TO THE FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT TO MONITOR THE FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. ...
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