(EDITOR’S NOTE: This week, The Ledger Independent will begin a series of stories focusing on smoke-free legislation in our community and in others that have already enacted laws prohibiting indoor smoking.)

For too long I’ve sat on the sidelines and not said much publicly about this, but I think it’s time.

I dislike, no I hate, going into places that have smoking sections or don’t control it at all. In fact, I will fully avoid going into an establishment that doesn’t have some restriction on smoking. This includes bars, restaurants, and the like. Last time I made the mistake of going into a place that had no restrictions on smoking I came out smelling like a huge cigarette. It was awful and I vowed to never go back.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think it’s every person’s right to fire one up if they’d like, just as long as it is not impeding on my space. I’m not a radical about this and I don’t hate the smokers. In fact, I have several people that I know that smoke and I’m always encouraging them to quit when given the opportunity. I don’t do this because I want to rid the world of smoking, I’m just genuinely concerned for their health…and mine, and all the others around them.

You see, my mother had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a common lung disease that makes it hard for the person to breathe. There are two main forms of COPD, emphysema and chronic bronchitis and the damage done by COPD is irreparable. My mother had chronic bronchitis and the main cause of this can be attributed to her many years of smoking. Both she and my father smoked, as did all of their parents and grandparents. My grandmother had emphysema and eventually passed away in her 60s as a result of it. When I was young I was diagnosed with asthma, and while it wasn’t proven I have always believed it to be directly related to being around smokers during my younger years. Smoking was acceptable and there were no “Non-Smoking” sections or locations. There was no concrete evidence regarding the effects of smoking to both the smoker and those around them. That’s simply not the case today.

Today, one only needs to access the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to read the “Fast Facts” regarding smoking (www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets) to learn that it’s simply not good for us. Now, even knowing all there is to know about smoking and its consequences, it’s still your right to smoke. If you choose to do that, then it’s your life you’re taking into your own hands. You join the other 24.6 percent of Kentuckians (www.americashealthrankings.org) that take that risk. But, what happens when it’s affecting those around you in the form of secondhand smoke? You know, the 75.4 percent of us that don’t smoke. According to the CDC, “Secondhand smoke harms children and adults, and the only way to fully protect nonsmokers is to eliminate smoking in all homes, worksites, and public places. There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure; even brief exposure can be harmful to health. Since 1964, approximately 2,500,000 nonsmokers have died from health problems caused by exposure to secondhand smoke.” Shouldn’t I, or other non-smokers, have the right to not be exposed to that? To not have this right is simply unacceptable.

As of April 1, 2019, approximately 35.5 percent of Kentuckians are protected by smoke-free laws covering all indoor workplaces and public places. (Source: Percent of the Kentucky population covered by 100% smoke-free workplace laws. UK College of Nursing, Lexington, KY; 4/1/19) It’s time for Mason County to step up and join the ranks of the other 34 Kentucky communities (www.uky.edu/breathe) that have adopted comprehensive smoke-free ordinances. It’s time to support the efforts of the Smoke-Free Partnership of Mason County whose efforts have resulted in several businesses adopting a “smoke-free” policy.

It’s time for our county officials to do the right thing, and begin the process to pass an ordinance prohibiting smoking in all indoor workplaces and public places throughout Mason County. It’s simply the right thing to do.

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Rod Baker

Publisher