It’s official. Starkville will finally ban smoking in most public areas. And though the ban won’t actually take effect until sometime in May, I’m already breathing a little more easily.
This ban will prohibit smoking in all enclosed public places, including restaurants, bars and other businesses. It will also prohibit smoking directly outside the entryways of buildings.
I am impressed with the board’s decision to restrict smoking, and I think this is a step in the positive direction for Starkville.
First of all, I have gotten so tired of people saying that secondhand smoke isn’t harmful. If a substance has poisonous toxins and carcinogens, then it’s harmful. In one study reviewed on WebMD, Dr. Joaquin Barnoya and her colleagues reported that “secondhand smoke’s heart damage often rivals that of active smoking, and even a little exposure may have an impact.” The researchers continue to say that secondhand smoke causes increased blood vessel damage, higher risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), lower levels of HDL (good cholesterol) and higher levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), increased source of cell-damaging free radicals, and lower levels of antioxidants, which fight free radicals. Secondhand smoke also damages the cilia inside of the nostrils, which over time causes increased allergies and colds.
Researchers at the American Heart Association reported that as little as 30 minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke can lead to atherosclerosis.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified secondhand smoke as a Group A carcinogen, which means that sufficient evidence concludes it causes cancer in humans. The EPA also notes that secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, more than 60 of which are known to cause cancer.
Some people may argue that it cannot be proven whether someone who suffers from cancer developed the disease because of secondhand smoke exposure. However, we know that secondhand smoke is full of cancer-causing agents, so it’s safe to conclude that it is a contributor to cancer.
Tobacco smoke contains a mixture of water, tar and nicotine. Tar alone has toxic chemicals in it including nitrosamines and benzpyrene, which are both carcinogens. Also, tobacco smoke contains carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and formaldehyde, including many others.
I think the notion that secondhand smoke isn’t harmful is absurd and ignorant, and for the most part, those who use this argument when talking to me are smokers. It is scientifically proven that secondhand smoke is extremely harmful. I am highly sensitive to cigarette smoke, and even being around it for a few seconds impairs my breathing and gives me a long-lasting, intense headache. And I know a lot of people who are the same way.
If someone wants to destroy his or her own lungs and heart and inflict cancer onto themselves, that’s their business. But I shouldn’t have to suffer with them.
I’m also glad this ban includes entranceways to buildings. Smoking right beside the door to a building is just as bad as smoking inside because everyone who enters has to either pass by and inhale the smoke or hold their breath. Not only that, the smoke gets in your hair and on your clothes, so the smell stays with you longer.
Some people have raised concerns that the smoking ban will negatively impact Starkville’s economy. However, I think we will be surprised. The Centers for Disease Control and the Texas Department of Health evaluated sales and mixed-beverage taxes from restaurant and bar revenues over a year-long period to determine how the smoking ban affected the economy in El Paso, and they found that the numbers were not affected at all.
I know a lot of people who do not go to concerts at Rick’s and other bars in town because of the cigarette smoke. My husband and I have avoided The Grill in Starkville because of the poorly separated smoking and nonsmoking areas. Not only does secondhand smoke smell awful, it also affects the taste of food in a restaurant. We went to The Grill once and left so sick that we decided not to go there again. I think a lot more people will begin attending concerts and other events in local bars and restaurants after the ordinance takes effect.
It all comes down to common courtesy. When I am in public, I try to be aware of the people around me and how my behavior might affect them. I do not want, by my actions, to restrict someone’s ability to enjoy themselves.
Smokers should realize that their habits can and do negatively affect other people, and by releasing harmful toxins into the air they are restricting others’ ability to breathe. Furthermore, they keep some people from being able to enjoy what should be a public venue. Period.
I also wish that Mississippi State would adopt the same policy. I personally am tired of having to hold my breath while I walk into a building because of the group of smokers who are almost always surrounding the door. MSU should have a few designated smoking areas on campus that are out of the way of passersby. You may think I’m taking this too far, but a smoker’s freedom to smoke stops at my freedom to breathe.
I appreciate our local government’s concern for the health of Starkville residents, and I think this ban will promote a healthier community.