By Jessica Edwards
A group of residents and health professionals was scheduled to meet
Wednesday, April 9 at the public library to draft policy aimed at prohibiting smoking in
local workplaces, including bars.
Haines Partnership for Healthy Living, a group that formed two months
ago, plans to hold monthly meetings to draft language for a clean air policy to submit to
the Haines Borough Assembly in time for the fall ballot.
"Smoke-free policies protect non-smokers," Dr. Russ Bowman, a
member of the partnership, said in a presentation to the Haines school board April 1.
Bowman is participating in the partnership as a concerned physician. "It’s not a
smokers’ rights issue; it’s a health issue."
Bowman said arguments that non-smoking policies hurt bar business were
disproved by states like California and Washington that had adopted smoke-free
legislation, and said at issue was workers’ health.
Owners of two bars that permit smoking either couldn’t be reached
or declined comment on the initiative this week. Michelle Stigen, a bartender at the Elks
Lodge and a former smoker, said she wouldn’t have a problem with a workplace ban.
A ban wouldn’t hurt business much, as only a few club members
smoke there. She sometimes turns on a small fan to create a buffer for herself, she said.
"It drives me crazy."
SEARHC tobacco educator Jane Weagant said her organization’s role
in the new group was to provide support and information, and would not become involved in
lobbying.
Weagant and SEARHC tobacco policy coordinator Wilber Brown will advise
the partnership on policies drafted in other communities, as well as educating the public
about the dangers of second-hand smoke through events and advertising campaigns.
"It’s a true hazard for the employees," she said.
Weagant said that knowing facts about second-hand smoke –
including that an estimated 120 people in Alaska die each year from second-hand smoke
exposure, and that levels of many cancer-causing and toxic chemicals are higher in
second-hand smoke than in smoke inhaled by smokers – would help the community make an
informed decision about the issue. "The message we are giving is not moral. It’s
about public health."
Bowman said second-hand smoke would eventually become a liability for
employers. "There’s actually a couple cases coming down the pipe for
workers’ comp where workers…have gotten lung cancer. It’s just a matter of
time before the liability’s going to be huge. It’s been proven and accepted by
the courts."
Weagant said SEARHC conducted a local phone survey earlier this winter
aimed at determining what people know about second-hand smoke issues and smoking cessation
programs.
She said the Chilkoot Indian Association recently received a $20,000
grant aimed at disseminating information about second-hand smoke. The CIA’s
participation will be educational and not political, Weagant said.
Weagant said the effort was not spurred by complaints about smoke in
workplaces, and the partnership hasn’t spoken to bar owners, the group that
ostensibly would be most affected by a workplace smoking ban. "We’re not
targeting any group. We’re approaching the issue communitywide."
