Missouri Statewide Comprehensive Tobacco Control Law
19 May 2018
The State of Missouri can now write a final comprehensive
statewide tobacco control law. It needs to; or lose millions of dollars. Toxic
tobacco smoke is no longer needed to manage nicotine levels. (See references
below.)
Toxic tobacco smoke is the leading cause of preventable
illness and early death. There is no safe level of tobacco smoke exposure. Nicotine
addiction is of such a public health concern that smoking cessation is now free
to every smoker.
Individuals at both ends of their life span (newborn, and
the ill and infirm) are extra sensitive to toxic tobacco smoke to the extent
that it can result in sudden death. Between these two extremes all individuals
suffer from the aggravation of a large number of illnesses that can shorten a
life by as much as 10 years.
The response time to tobacco smoke exposure is no longer
20-30 years (cancer). It is now known to be as short as 3 minutes (stroke and
heart attack); 3 seconds to restrict blood flow and to irritate cell membranes
(oxidative stress).
No one living in multi-unit housing (of any kind; memory
care, assisted living, independent living, residential housing, condominium,
nursing home, etc.) should be subjected to second hand tobacco smoke drifting
into their living space; or third hand tobacco smoke carried into their living
space on hair, cloths or bodies of caregivers and guests.
Any tobacco free property (combined with the use of nicotine
replacements, when on duty), can satisfy the requirement of being free of all tobacco
smoke exposure. Having no smokers guarantees clean air.
Low paying, high turnover rate, occupations need active
smoking cessation programs in place when nicotine-addicted individuals (smokers
who cannot resist adjusting their nicotine levels) are hired. Smokers who are
that ill (addicted) must be restricted from working closely with patients,
residents and customers.
Missouri needs a law that clears the air where uninformed
addicted individuals and corporations fail to use free tools to promote smoking
cessation. We need everyone to be aware of successful long term smoking
cessation programs.
Educate everyone, restrict tobacco usage, and tax to reduce
the known harm from tobacco smoke exposure. Vote YES. Half of any new tobacco
tax money must be mandated to support prevention and cessation of smoking or
vote NO.
Annotated References:
The Internet is loaded with exaggerated, dated, and
intentionally misleading information. The same source may post opposing views
at different times: consider the use of nicotine lozenges and vaping.
The strict separation of smoking and nicotine lozenges has
evolved into using a lozenge to avoid smoking in restricted areas. Vaping has
gone from ritualistic clouds of theater smoke (falsely labeled water vapor) to
cloudless devices that resemble computer thumb drives leaving the CDC and FDA
confused as to how to regulate the devices: smoking cessation and/or nicotine
addicting.
Most of the information needed for tobacco smoke exposure
control is provided by the best authorities, at the time, based on a review of
numerous publications and a consensus with other authorities. They do no always
agree: research, medical, marketing, and cult need to be identified and
dated.
American Lung Association www.lung.org
This is a massive website with something for everyone. I
have picked out what I found most useful and how to find it again.
Freedom From Smoking® Self-Help Guide Self-guided workbook including key
activities in an easy-to-follow format. Call 1-800-LUNGUSA to get a copy.
Facilitator Training Become
certified to lead a Freedom From Smoking group clinic and to conduct an in-house smoking cessation
program as a part of new-hire training. Eight hours. $350. Clayton, MO,
7745 Carondelet Avenue, Suite 305 314-449-9145
Our Initiatives >Tobacco >Smokefree Environment includes (1) Smokefree Policies in
Multi-Unit Housing, (2) Expanding Smokefree Communities, and (3) Workplace
Wellness. These all apply to assisted living and memory care.
Our Initiatives > Support and Community > Corporate Wellness that includes an Improve Indoor Air
Quality Tobacco-free policy that can be edited for Third Hand Smokefree in
memory care.
State of Tobacco Control www.lung.org/sotc (January 24, 2018) An annual report on how the process
of shutting down the marketing and sales of tobacco products is progressing
without creating an extensive bootlegging operation.
SLATI (State Legislated Actions on
Tobacco Issues) www.lungusa2.org
(2018) A detailed, annotated, easy to use, copy of state tobacco control
laws.
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