Prop 201 places public's health as primary concern

Publication Date: 2006-09-18

• Author:Dr. Keith Kaback
• Publication:Tucson Citizen

Arizona affiliates of the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association are sponsoring Prop. 201, Smoke-Free Arizona.

California has had such a law since 1995, and 19 states and nine countries have banned indoor public smoking.

Prop. 201 will make offices, clinics, restaurants, bars and bowling alleys smoke-free and will eliminate smoking within a reasonable distance of entryways and exits.

A few common-sense exemptions allow smoking at tobacco shops, outdoor patios and half of all hotel rooms.

But R.J. Reynolds is spending $8 million to trick voters into passing Prop. 206, deceptively titled "Arizona Non-Smokers' Protection Act."

Prop. 206 allows smoking in all bars and up to 3,000 restaurants, rolls back local measures and is riddled with loopholes.