Sub-Links

Public Hearings - The House/Senate conference committee has scheduled two public hearings to solicit citizen input on smokefree legislation, Senate Bill 246.  They will both be held in Hearing Room 1 at the State Capitol in Harrisburg on the following dates:  March 10 at 9:30am, March 13 at 10:00am.  Attendance information will be posted soon, or contact your local legislator to inquire. 

If you can't attend, please contact the committee members and ask them to minimize exemptions and oppose statewide preemption.  Since there will almost certainly be some exemptions, defeating preemption is the most important objective.

Committee Members: Senators Greenleaf, McIlhinney, & Mellow and Representatives Gerber, Belfanti, & Miller

PA Senate contact info: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/senators_alpha.cfm

PA House contact info:  http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/representatives_alpha.cfm

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts going smokefree - All Sheraton & Four Points Hotels will be completely smokefree by December 31, 2008:  http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--travel-brief0211feb11,0,6967715.story

New Search Feature for our Site - Many thanks to Jake Krohn of Pittsburgh, who created a handy search feature for this site.  It's on the following page of his blog: http://www.42harold.org/jake/archives/2008/02/making_a_good_thing_better.html

France, Finland and Iceland are the latest nations to go smokefree, including bars and restaurants. 

PNC Park is completely smokefree!!  All areas of PNC Park, including all eating and drinking establishments within the park, are now smokefree.  Thanks to the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club for making this change and improving one of the best ballparks in the nation.  The Pittsburgh City Paper featured an excellent Vox Pop column by John McIntire on this topic:  http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A25479

Ohio is smokefree!  Despite a misleading campaign by R.J. Reynolds to support a weak "smokeless" constitutional amendment, voters rejected Issue 4.  They wisely enacted a comprehensive smokefree law via the Issue 5 ballot initiative.  The law takes effect in early April 

SmokeFree Ohio:  http://www.smokefreeohio.org/oh/

New Jersey is now smokefree! (except casinos)

Smokefree Nations:  Bermuda joins a number of smokefree European Union countries including England, France, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Sweden, Scotland.

Westin Hotels are now smokefree.  USA Today article: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-12-04-westin-smoking-ban_x.htm?csp=34

View the Health Canada TV ad on 2^ndHand Smoke.  In memory of Heather Crowe, a victim of tobacco smoke pollution in her workplace, she continued to speak out for workplace safety until her final days.    

Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is now smokefree. 

Wheeling, West Virginia has implemented their smokefree regulation (at the county level) and is now smokefree in most public places, including restaurants and bars.  The few exceptions include gaming facilities, motel rooms, tobacco shops, etc.  Fifty (50) of the the 55 counties in West Virginia now have some type of smokefree regulation.

The provincial government of Quebec, Canada's largest French-speaking province, has enacted a completely smokefree regulation, including all restaurants and bars.

Vermont is the Nation's 9th Smokefree Workplace State!  Now all employees in Vermont, including those who choose to work in bars, are guaranteed the right to a smokefree workplace. 

Montana becomes 8th smokefree state!  All buildings open to the public are now smokefree, except bars.  Implementation of the law for bars will take place in 2009. 

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/04/19/montana/a01041905_01.txt

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial supports smokefree laws.

In two separate surveys conducted in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania, a strong majority of those surveyed support smokefree laws.

Pennsylvania survey brochure:  http://www.pactonline.org/docs/survey%20summary%20statewide%20final.pdf

Philadelphia survey article:  http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=41966

In Italy, a solid majority, or 88% of those surveyed, support their country's new smokefree regulation, which includes bars and restaurants:  http://www.cpod.ca/polls/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewItem&itemID=5628

“This is a controllable and preventable form of indoor air pollution.  It is evident that no infant, child or adult should be exposed to second-hand smoke.” - Report to UK government by the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (Scoth)

Smoking Bans Go Global:  http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04270/384884.stm

Smoky Bars Top Roads for Bad Air: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_255593.html

New warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Anyone at risk of heart disease should entirely avoid indoor public spaces where smoking is allowed. According to the CDC, exposure to secondhand smoke for as little as 30 minutes can significantly increase your risk of heart attack.