State and Local Governments Are Helping

There are already over 2200 cities and communities in the US who have passed local laws protecting workers from indoor air pollution in the form of SHS. This is known as the "smoke free communities movement". Local laws protect workers in many of our more progressive cities, yet only half of employed Americans work in a smoke free community. Millions more are in desperate need of OSHA protection.

Some politicians argue that eventually all local governments will pass smoke-free ordinances, so why bother to have state or federal control (such as OSHA). These people are very shortsighted and uncaring, since 10,000-20,000 workers are dying every year while we wait and wait for local laws to be passed.

Additionally, it is very difficult for local governments to pass smoke-free ordinances. Local politicians tend to be uneducated in medical and health sciences, and do not understand the severe consequences of SHS. Their insecurity in this area also tends to make them avoid dealing with laws that govern health and safety of the public. On top of that, local politicians are easy prey for the immense social and financial influence of the tobacco industry.

In several progressive communities throughout the country caring citizens have sacrificed long hours of work and public education to overcome these obstacles, and many more smoke-free communities are becoming a reality. Unfortunately, not every town is lucky enough to have such dedicated citizens, and even where there are great efforts being made, they are often thwarted by ignorant or corrupt local politicians.