Essay: Keeping the Momentum: Continuing New Jersey\'s Smoke-Free Air Act PDF

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Martin 1 Alexandria Martin Dr. Namorah Gayle Byrd English 101 – 51 5 January 2020 Keeping the Momentum: Continuing New Jersey’s Smoke-Free Air Act On January 9, 2006 New Jersey legislation approved a smoking ban for all indoor public places. This is known today as the Smoke-Free Air Act of 2006 and is still in effect today. The law prohibits smoking from “virtually all of the state’s bars and restaurants” (Jones et al.) and contains a clause to exclude all gambling areas in casinos. “Smoking causes diminished overall health, increased absenteeism from work, and increased health care utilization and cost” (“Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking”) alongside of an increased fire hazard, a vast financial burden, and decreased personal hygiene. New Jersey’s government should continue to enforce the Smoke-Free Air Act of 2006 to keep their citizens safe, healthy, and allow them to live a better life. Before the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act of 2006 could be voted on “batteries of lobbyists” (Jones et al.) for large businesses representing and supporting the tobacco, casino, and restaurant industry fought against the assembly to make sure this bill would not be passed. They warned legislators to “block the bill because of the effect it was expected to have on casino business” (Jones et al.). With this act, the assembly also approved a new law to raise the minimum smoking age in New Jersey from 18 to 19; it took over one year to earn the vote of the assembly. This ban provides a way to protect the citizens who choose not to smoke. New Jersey is the 11th state to pass a prohibition related to smoking in public spaces.

Martin 2 The topic of smoking has become a national disagreement on whether smoking should be allowed in public places or not. Looking at the other side of the argument, those in opposition of the Smoke-Free Air Act may state that smoking is a constitutional right, they can make the decision to take a risk on their health, and that it is a constitutional right. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) recognizes tobacco use disorder and nicotine addiction as mental illnesses. Smoking is not only detrimental to people’s health and mental wellness but it also affects their finances. The average cost of cigarettes in New Jersey is $8.20 per pack. Assuming a person smokes one pack (twenty cigarettes) each day, they will spend $57.00 in one week, $246 in one month, and $2,993.00 in one year. Lifelong smokers can expect to spend $44,810.00 over the course of 10 years and $119,698.00 over the course of 20 years. Cigarette smoking is responsible for over 480,000 deaths in the United States each year and the risk of death from smoking has radically increased over the last fifty years (“Smoking and Tobacco Use”). Cigarettes are made from numerous harmful ingredients that cause damage to the lungs and other internal organs. The most common ingredients found are acetone, ammonia, arsenic, formaldehyde, methanol, and tar (“Smoking and Tobacco Use”). These ingredients are highly flammable and cause cigarettes to be lit easily. For this reason, cigarettes pose a fire hazard that can quickly become catastrophic. Thousands of fires each year are caused by a cigarette not being put out correctly, smoking inside near flammable materials, or smoking in hospitals or near a home oxygen tank. Those who smoke even just a few cigarettes per day are twelve to thirteen times more likely to die from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease than nonsmokers (“Smoking and Tobacco Use”). Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a disease caused by damaged bronchi

Martin 3 and alveoli in the lungs which makes it increasingly more difficult to breathe. Smokers are at a higher risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, multiple types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and blood clots (“Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking”). Because of the damage to the inside of their lungs, they are also at a greater risk of developing a cold than non-smokers. Smokers are more likely to develop infections and illnesses following an infection. Along with an increased change of catching the common cold, they are more likely to get bronchitis, pneumonia, and develop adult asthma. Outside of related diseases and illnesses, tobacco products can affect your reproductive health and personal hygiene. Harm to the reproductive system includes low sperm motility, difficulty conceiving, preterm delivery, ectopic pregnancies, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Tobacco products include but are not limited to cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, and chewing tobacco. Cigarette smoking leads to poor personal hygiene with regards to poor dental care and body odor. Smoking leads to dental problems such as bad breath, tooth discoloration, buildup of plaque and tar on the teeth, and inflammation on the roof of the mouth. Along with this there is also an increased risk of leukoplakia (white patches in the mouth), higher risk of developing gum disease and oral cancer, and a slower healing process following an oral surgery. Cigarette smoke leaves a lasting odor on people’s clothes, hair, and skin, which will also lead to the odor and yellowing of pillows and other bedding. Firsthand smokers are more likely than secondhand smokers to be diagnosed with lung cancer, however secondhand smokers are still left with traces of tar and other chemicals inside and on the outside of their lungs. Firsthand smokers are those who choose to smoke and secondhand smokers are those who are forced to breathe in the cigarette smoke from the nearby smoker. When a healthy adult is exposed to secondhand smoke their risk for heart attack goes up

Martin 4 to thirty percent when inhaled (Tamkins). On average the risk for heart attack decreases by 17% after the first year then decreases by 26% after three years (Tamkins). Continuing the prohibition of tobacco products in indoor, public spaces will lead to decreased health risks, less air pollution, elimination of diseases causes by secondhand smoke inhalation, and could make a high environmental impact. New Jersey has made a new frontier effort and offers services to those facing nicotine addiction. Those struggling can contact New Jersey’s free NJ Quitline for a phone consultation, to receive free nicotine patches, and to receive free counseling services. To continue the momentum of a healthier state, the State of New Jersey created an amendment to the Smoke-Free Air Act of 2006 in November 2017 to raise the minimum smoking age from 19 to 21 (“Tobacco Control”). With all of the evidence provided, it is essential for the State of New Jersey to continue the Smoke-Free Air Act of 2006, continue advocating for other states to make the same choices, and to make further advancements in protecting the health of non-smokers.

Martin 5 Works Cited “Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 Jan. 2018. Accessed 2 Jan 2020. cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/. Jones, Richard Lezin and Josh Benson. “Legislators Pass Smoking Ban in New Jersey.” The New York Times, 10 Jan 2006. Accessed 24 Dec 2019. nytimes.com/2006/01/10/nyregion/legislators-pass-smoking-ban-in-new-jersey.html/. “Smoking and Tobacco Use.” United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed 26 Dec 2019. cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/. Tamkins, Theresa. “Big Drop in Heart Attacks after Smoking Bans, Studies Say.” CNN Health. Accessed 26 Dec 2019. cnn.com/2009/health/09/22/moh.healthmag.smoking.heart/. “Tobacco Control.” NJ Heath, State of New Jersey Department of Health. Accessed 30 Dec 2019. nj.gov/health/fhs/tobacco/regulations/...