Smoking Ban

Your fine editorial (“The Smoking Gun in a Key Health Issue,” Jan. 7) is an important and helpful message for which we of the American Cancer Society are grateful.

I regret, therefore, that we must take exception to one portion of it--the manner by which you urge the goal of protecting nonsmokers from environmental tobacco smoke (a carcinogen) be attained, i.e., by uniform statewide regulation. While such a statewide regulation would, in a rational world, clearly make sense, bitter experience says that that world does not exist in Sacramento. The California Legislature is the “Bermuda Triangle” of tobacco-control legislation, thanks to enormous amounts of money and lobbying efforts applied year in and year out by the tobacco industry so that such legislation disappears without a trace.

As you noted, last year Assemblyman Terry Friedman (D-Brentwood) introduced a bill identical to his new bill (to ban workplace smoking). It died in committee, notwithstanding the strong support of every major private and public health care organization in California and a valiant effort by Friedman.

It is this sorry history that makes it necessary to enact local ordinances under circumstances where there is less opportunity for the tobacco interests to subvert our elected officials in the presence of a concerned and informed local electorate.

We look forward to your support of these local efforts to protect public health until that day we all hope for when the hold of the tobacco industry on our Legislature is broken.

SALLY WEST BROOKS RN

Board Chair, American Cancer Society

California Division, Oakland