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Smokeless in Tennessee

Published: Saturday, September 1, 2007

Big changes are coming in the Big Orange state. Tennesseans will soon begin to see changes in laws mandating smoke-free environments. The dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke are widely known and publicized.

Smoking-related diseases remain the most preventable cause of death in the United States. In 2007, more than 5,000 Tennesseans will be diagnosed with lung cancer and more than 4,000 will die from the disease—four times the number that will die from any other type of cancer! An estimated 1 million Tennesseans smoke, ranking Tennessee third in the United States in smoking prevalence (26.1 percent of the population). Estimates of health- and work-related costs to Tennessee are approximately 2 billion dollars annually. Unfortunately, most lung cancers are diagnosed in advanced stages since there is no proven effective screening. The best defense against lung cancer is prevention.

Tennesseans have vocalized the need for change and government has responded by passing the Non-Smoker Protection Act. This new legislation was signed into law on June 11, 2007, and will take effect on Oct. 1, 2007. Under the new law, smoking is prohibited in all enclosed public places within the State of Tennessee including, but not limited to

• Restaurants
• Public and private educational facilities
• Healthcare facilities
• Hotels and motels (no more than 25 percent of the rooms in a hotel or motel can be designated as smoking rooms)
• Shopping malls
• Sports arenas – Neyland Stadium is now smoke-free!

 

To read the full bill, please visit the Non-Smoker Protection Act.

Enforcement of the bill includes a $50 civil penalty fee for individuals and a fee of $100 to $500 for owners of public places who violate the ban.

This summer, both houses of the Tennessee legislature also approved a significant increase in the cigarette tax from $0.20 to $0.62 per pack, which is still below the nationwide median of $0.80. The new tax increase will be used to fund educational school programs throughout Tennessee.

Here are some ways the University of Tennessee Medical Center Cancer Institute is helping in the fight against lung cancer.

• The Cancer Institute offers free smoking cessation classes. These classes are eight weeks in length and provide smokers with the necessary information, tools and support to kick the habit. The next session will begin at the Cancer Institute on Oct. 2. Call 865.544.8577 for more details or to make a reservation.
  
• The Cancer Institute also is teaming with the Knoxville Department of Health to implement a smoking cessation program for teens. In the upcoming school year, look for more information on the N-O-T program designed specifically for middle school and high school smokers.
  
• Circle your calendars. The American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout will be Thursday, Nov. 15! What is needed? Smokers to quit smoking for a 24 hour period (and hopefully longer). Watch for local activities that will benefit and encourage a smoke-free day.
  

 

For more information, visit the Cancer Institute.

 

References
American Cancer Society
Smoke-Free Knoxville
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention