Project SmokeLess was originally formed in 2002 as Penn State Students for Tobacco Awareness. The group has since run a five-plus year campaign to support the passing of the Clean Indoor Air Act.
In that time, the group met with local bar and restaurant owners, State College officials, Centre County representatives, State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre, and State Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre.
In addition, many may remember the Friday nights we stood on the corner of College Avenue and Allen Street handing out the orange "I Support Smoke-Free Bars" stickers.
And on Jan. 30, we met with five of the six Clean Indoor Air Act committee members.
Many bar and restaurant owners want a fair playing field and would rather have the entire state go smoke-free instead of individually choosing to do so. The Pennsylvania Restaurant Association urges the passing of the legislation. The owners we spoke to, as well as Benninghoff, complained of the constantly rising healthcare costs caused by tobacco use.
We spoke in front of State College Borough Council and urged the members to pass a resolution banning smoking in bars and restaurants. As soon as they were going to vote on it, the courts came down hard on Scranton and its ordinance, so this halted State College.
Pennsylvania has a tobacco preemption law that does not allow individual municipalities to pass stronger tobacco laws than the ones at the state level, thus one reason we need a statewide ban.
The Clean Indoor Air Act is in committee right now. Before this bill can become law, a compromise from the committee must be approved by four of the six members. Once out of committee, the compromise will be voted on by both the House and Senate. It was important for us to meet with these committee members so we can piece together the situation and educate Penn State as to what is going on at the state level.
Project SmokeLess fully supports the efforts to protect the nonsmokers who choose a healthy lifestyle. Second-hand smoke is a known Class A carcinogen (cancer-causer). Studies have proven that second-hand smoke unfairly affects non-smokers by causing lung cancer, heart disease, asthma, bronchitis and other serious illnesses.
We believe nonsmokers have the right not to smoke just as much as smokers have the right to choose to smoke. According to a 2007 PULSE survey, 72.1 percent of students claim they are nonsmokers and 74.3 percent of students want a comprehensive clean air act similar to New York and New Jersey.
The majority of the population has lived almost their entire lives around accommodating the minority, and in many cases, sacrificing their own health just because that is what they must do to maintain a friendship with a smoker friend.
We are the voice of the silent majority that is too afraid to speak up about the smoking that occurs around them and the voice of workers subjected to the dirty air.
We urge those who are affected to speak out. Please don't be afraid to voice your concern.
This column was written by members of student group Project SmokeLess. Learn more at http://smokefree.psu.edu.
