[C-U Smokefree] Supporter's Resolution with Cover Letter

[Scott P Hays]

With much thanks to Kathy Drea, Heather Henning and others at the Lung Association in Springfield (which did all of the work on this - including drafting the cover letter we have my name on), I've included below the text of a cover letter and a supporter's resolution which will be mailed to several Champaign and Urbana businesses and restaurants.  Also, Kathy Drea from the Lung Association and I will be paying personal visits to other larger potential supporters around C&U.  

We'll ask for your thoughts on this at tomorrow's meeting.

Thanks, 

Scott

SUPPORTER'S RESOLUTION COVER LETTER TEXT:

December 1, 2003

Dear Community Leader:

As you may know, the desire and need to make Champaign-Urbana a smoke free community is growing. Our group, the 
C-U Smokefree Alliance was established with the need of citizens and businesses in mind. 

All citizens and workers, including those employed by the hospitality industry, deserve to breathe clean air. Consider these facts:

* Secondhand smoke is a major cause of heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and lung cancer.  
* Secondhand smoke causes headaches, sinus problems, and is uncontainable - causing harm to both healthy people and those with breathing problems.
* Smoke free workplaces result in less worker absenteeism due to respiratory ailments, headaches, etc., as well as higher productivity, lower cleaning and maintenance costs.  
* The EPA determined that ventilation can remove the odor of secondhand smoke, but can not eliminate the known 5,000 chemicals - including arsenic, cyanide and other toxins.  
* The National Cancer Institute determined that secondhand smoke is responsible for the early deaths of 65,000 non-smoking Americans annually.

It is easy to see why Clean Indoor Air laws are sweeping the nation.  States that already have strong Clean Indoor Air laws include: California, Florida, New York, Delaware, Maine, and Connecticut, with Massachusetts soon to follow. Across the nation many cities have also adopted Clean Indoor Air laws. 

Opponents of clean indoor air claim that going smoke free will hurt industry, or that it is the right of smokers to smoke in the presence of non-smoking citizens. Extensive research from around the world has shown going smoke free to have either no economic impact or a positive economic impact on the hospitality industry- and- that the general public, including a high percentage of smokers, supports smoke free public places, restaurants and bars.  These studies are professionally conducted and based on objective measures that account for underlying trends and fluctuations.  Studies that report a negative economic impact from the adoption of Clean Indoor Air laws are based on predictions and are generally funded by the tobacco industry.  

Clean Indoor Air laws work. California has seen a dramatic reduction in cancer rates (12% in men, 8% in women) which has been linked to smoke free workplaces, smoke free restaurants/bars, statewide laws, and other tobacco control programs. California has seen a 27% drop in adult smokers and a 19.5% reduction in lung cancer rates alone. Other tobacco related cancer rates including larynx, mouth, esophagus, bladder, pancreas, kidney, stomach and cervical cancers have also dropped.  

The citizens and businesses of Champaign-Urbana can experience the same success. We are asking businesses, individuals, and organizations in the community to sign a resolution in support of a local Clean Indoor Air ordinance to protect everyone in Champaign-Urbana from secondhand smoke. We must take advantage of our unique situation as the only downstate community (one of 19 statewide) that can lawfully pass a Clean Indoor Air law. 

Sincerely,



Scott P. Hays, PhD.
President, C-U Smokefree Alliance 


SUPPORTER'S RESOLUTION:

Resolution to Eliminate Secondhand Smoke in Public Places

Whereas, the U.S. Surgeon General has determined that simple separation of smokers and nonsmokers within the same air space does not eliminate the exposure of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke.

Whereas, numerous studies have found that tobacco smoke is a major contributor to indoor air pollution, and that breathing secondhand smoke is a cause of disease in healthy nonsmokers, including heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and lung cancer.  The National Cancer Institute determined in 1999 that secondhand smoke is responsible for the early deaths of 65,000 Americans annually.

Whereas, the Environmental Protection Agency has determined that secondhand smoke cannot be reduced to safe levels in businesses by high rates of ventilation.  Air cleaners, which are capable of filtering the particulate matter and odors in smoke, do not eliminate the known 5,000 chemicals - including arsenic, cyanide and formaldehyde and other toxins - in secondhand smoke.

Whereas, employees who work in smoke-filled businesses suffer a 25-50% higher risk of heart attack and higher rates of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as increased acute respiratory disease and measurable decrease in lung function.

Whereas, smoke-filled workplaces result in higher worker absenteeism due to respiratory disease, lower productivity, higher cleaning and maintenance costs, increased health insurance rates, and increased liability claims for diseases related to exposure to secondhand smoke.

Whereas, there is conclusive proof that smokefree air laws do not have adverse economic consequences for businesses subject to them; moreover, there is much evidence that smokefree air laws have a positive economic effect on those businesses.  


Be it therefore resolved, that the undersigned organization endorses the C-U Smokefree Campaign, which will work to:
*	Protect the public health and welfare by prohibiting smoking in public places and places of employment
*	Guarantee the right of nonsmokers to breathe smokefree air.

Be it therefore resolved, that the undersigned organization will:
*	Inform its members and the general public of its endorsement of this Resolution
*	Inform local elected officials of its endorsement and urge its members to do the same.


Name or Organization _______________________________________________________________________________

Contact Person ____________________________________ Title_____________________________________________

Address ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Email address______________________________________________________________________________________

Authorized Organization Representative printed Name & Title _______________________________________________

Authorized Organization Signature ____________________________________________________ Date ____________

Please return to:  
C-U Smokefree Campaign, address...  FAX ...
Please call .... at ............ with questions