No Smoking Street
June 21, 2004
America's Health: State Health Rankings - 2003 Edition
Challenges include a high rate of cancer deaths at 214.6 deaths per 100,000 population, a high rate of deaths from heart disease at 280.6 deaths per 100,000 population and a high prevalence of smoking at 24.5 percent of the population.
Smoking. Imagine that one. Ashley Parker commented on an old entry of mine over the weekend with an interesting an optimistic view. Apparently in Vermont they have banned smoking in some bars and will soon be looking to ban smoking in "public outdoor areas, such as Church Street, in downtown Burlington."
I'd like to hear more about how they are going to ban smoking on a particular street. Will they have cigarette disposal bins in every street corner so while walking to the street you have to
put out your cigarette before entering the "smokefree street?"
I agree with the concept, but I don't think it is realistic, especially in PA. In the past year, according to the report, it 24.5 percent of the population have continued to smoke, even with all of the recent anti-smoking propaganda. On a slightly positive note, I can say that the state has come down from 29.3 percent of the population smoking in 1990, but overall in the Unites States has dropped from 23 to 35 in prevalence of smoking.
Maybe smokers, someday, will wake up a realize that there may be a link between the high cancer rate and high smoking population in PA.
Posted by Brian McCollum at June 21, 2004 1:16 PM
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Comments
At least you have given up on the whole starting smoking idea. When I was in New York last summer, it was great that there was no smoking in bars. The best part: not smelling like a bar when you went home. Unless of course someone spilled beer on you, but that's another story for another day.
Posted by: Donna at June 21, 2004 1:57 PM
I'm not going to take up smoking. I'm going to use my smoking time to blog. I just needed people to vouch for me saying it would be a good trade-off.
As far as the going home smelling like a bar. I was thinking about it and people would have to have an different analogy if bar became smoke free. Perhaps smelling like an ashtray or maybe even a butt. - LOL (because sometimes I'd rather smell like but than butt)
Posted by: Brian at June 21, 2004 2:13 PM
Woo hoo! I was referenced!
Good points made, guys. I'm not quite sure how the "non-smoking street" would work, either, but it's nice in theory.
Posted by: Ashley Parker at June 22, 2004 11:54 AM
Yes, and if you had a blog, then I'd link to it.
Posted by: Brian at June 22, 2004 1:02 PM
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