In a state that still produces the most tobacco in the country, N.C. legislators have started to discuss a ban on workplace smoking.
Leah Devlin, the State Health Director, told the House Health Committee on February 26 that smoking is extensively banned from offices, which protects the health of white-collar workers from secondhand smoke. It has been proven that secondhand smoke raises the risk for heart disease and cancer. The big effect of the bill will be on blue-collar and restaurant workers who are currently lacking the ability to force smokers to go outside to smoke.
In 2005 and 2007 a less influential form of the legislation was unsuccessful in getting passed. This month in Virginia, which is pretty tobacco-friendly, a limited ban on smoking in restaurants and bars was passed. Currently, the bill has been passed from the N.C. House Health Committee to the House Legal Issues Committee, so the bill is still in progression.
0 Responses to “Workplace smoking ban is debated by N.C. legislators”
Leave a Reply