George Cruz, the president of the Commonwealth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and the Diabetes Prevention Coalition, gathered yesterday different members of the community and representatives of various groups in a workshop aimed at educating the public about the ill effects of secondhand smoke and how House Bill 16-47, or the Smoke-Free Air Act of 2008, can protect them.
The Senate passed H.B. 16-47 with amendments during their session on Wednesday. Rep. Justo S. Quitugua, D-Saipan, sponsored the bill.
Rep. Ralph DLG Torres, R-Saipan and chairman of the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare, said the panel will take into consideration the input of the coalition before the bill is endorsed for passage in the House.
“We’re going to have the coalition’s input on how they want to approach the amendments and that will be a priority in our committee,” he told the Variety.
The amendments include allowing smoking within 15 feet if there is ventilation, which includes a door, and exemption from the smoking ban for establishments willing to pay a fee of $10,000 every year.
“From 25 feet to 15 feet is not a big issue. We can work on that but the amendment to exempt businesses that can pay $10,000 — that is something that the committee will look into,” said Torres.
Cruz said they would like to see the smoke-free law passed by May 22.
He disputed the argument that the local tourism industry might be negatively affected by the bill, saying a similar measure is in effect in Hawaii and other states yet their tourist arrivals remain high.
According to the bill’s findings, more than 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 35,000 coronary heart diseases occur annually in the United States among adult nonsmokers as a result to second-hand smoke exposure.
Up to 300,000 children with similar cigarette exposure develop bronchitis and pneumonia every year based on data from the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Numerous studies have found that tobacco smoke is a major contributor to indoor air pollution, and that breathing secondhand smoke (also known as environmental tobacco 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 up to 65,000 Americans annually,” the bill stated.
H.B. 16-47 aims to prohibit smoking even at restaurants and attached bars or the bar area of a restaurant.
Casino establishments on Tinian are exempted.
