Columbus, OH – December 5, 2016 – On Nov. 7, 2006, the voters of Ohio supported a statewide ballot initiative which required that all public places and places of employment prohibit smoking. This initiative then took effect thirty days later on December 7, 2006 making this Wednesday, December 7, 2016 the 10th anniversary.
Ohio was the first Midwestern state and the first tobacco-growing state to enact such a ban. We know that smoke-free laws are good public health policy. Cigarette smoke is a deadly mix of more than 7,000 chemicals. Secondhand smoke also causes approximately 42,000 deaths nationwide each year, and costs at least $5 billion in direct medical costs.
The 10th anniversary is a part of Ohio’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Week will be a week-long effort to encourage tobacco users to quit. It also will be an effort to encourage the state to pass and implement polices proven to reduce tobacco use by encouraging people addicted to quit and help prevent young people from starting.
News media in Ohio are encouraged to join in the celebration. A press conference from the Ohio Statehouse will be live at 11 a.m. Wednesday via https://www.facebook.com/
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