New Mexico’s New Smoke-Free Law Is a Historic Step for Health

Washington, DC — New Mexico legislators and Gov. Bill Richardson have delivered a historic victory for public health and the public’s right to breathe clean air by enacting a new law making all New Mexico workplaces, including restaurants and bars, smoke-free. New Mexico becomes the 17th state to pass a smoke-free workplace law that includes restaurants and bars. New Mexico’s new law adds to the growing momentum across the country and around the world to protect all workers and the public from the serious health hazards of secondhand smoke. As New Mexico’s leaders have concluded, no one should have to put their health at risk in order to earn a paycheck or enjoy a night out.

We congratulate New Mexicans Concerned About Tobacco (NMCAT) for their tireless efforts in advocating for a statewide smoke-free law and the legislators who have championed this critical public health measure.

New Mexico joins 16 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, that have passed strong smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars. The states are Arizona (effective May 1), California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington (the Montana and Utah laws extend to bars in 2009). Four other states - Florida, Idaho, Louisiana and Nevada - have smoke-free laws that exempt stand-alone bars. A growing number of countries have also passed nationwide smoke-free laws, including Bermuda, Bhutan, England (effective July 1, 2007), France (effective 2008), Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, New Zealand, Northern Ireland (effective April 2007), Norway, Scotland, Sweden and Uruguay.

The need for protection from secondhand smoke in all workplaces and public places has never been clearer. In issuing a groundbreaking report on secondhand smoke in June 2006, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona stated, “The debate is over. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease in children and nonsmoking adults.” Secondhand smoke contains more than 4000 chemicals, including at least 69 carcinogens. The Surgeon General found that secondhand smoke is a proven cause of lung cancer, heart disease, serious respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and asthma, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome. The Surgeon General also found that secondhand smoke is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in the United States each year, there is no safe level of exposure, and only smoke-free laws provide effective protection from secondhand smoke.

The evidence is also clear that smoke-free laws protect health without harming business. As the U.S. Surgeon General concluded, “Evidence from peer-reviewed studies shows that smoke-free policies and regulations do not have an adverse impact on the hospitality industry.”

It’s time for every state and community to protect everyone’s right to breathe clean air.