Protect Michigan Workers With Smokefree Legislation

Every day, thousands of Michigan residents who work in bars, restaurants, offices and factories are involuntarily subjected to harmful secondhand smoke. However, it is not only the workers who are affected by secondhand smoke, it is also the patrons, including families and children. While many businesses have already made the choice to go smokefree, thousands of Michigan workers are still having their health put at risk on a daily basis by working in an environment that allows smoking.

A study released by the American Cancer Society determined that secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing 38,000 to 65,000 nonsmokers every year. Another report conducted at University of California, Berkeley found that food service workers are approximately 50 percent more likely to develop lung cancer than the general public, because many are exposed to secondhand smoke at work.

To address this, a bipartisan majority of the Michigan Senate recently took action by passing legislation that would ban smoking in all Michigan workplaces, including bars and restaurants. I fully support this legislation because there is simply no safe exposure level to secondhand smoke. Workers shouldn’t be forced to choose between their health and their job.

This is a matter of protecting the public’s health at a time when health care costs are skyrocketing. In fact, this legislation will actually save the state money in the long-run by promoting healthy lifestyles for our citizens.

While some have raised legitimate concerns about how this legislation will affect Michigan businesses, evidence from our neighboring states indicates that bars and restaurants have not been adversely affected by smokefree laws. Some research has even found that smokefree laws can actually be good for business by attracting new patrons and increasing jobs in bars and restaurants. Another concern is how the legislation will affect the cigarette tax. It is important to point out that this bill will not have any impact on the cigarette tax whatsoever, as some opponents have falsely claimed.

Thirty-three states have already passed laws to protect their workers from the deadly effects of secondhand smoke, including Ohio, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. Adding Michigan to this list has been ten years in the making. Thankfully, it is never too late to do the right thing and it is my hope that Michigan will soon become number 34 on that list.