American Lung Association Gives California A Grades for Statewide Smoke-Free Air, Youth Access Policies

Tobacco-Free Collaborative Wants Smoke-Free City Parks
in San Jose

(SAN JOSE, January 6, 2005) As the American Lung Association released its annual State of Tobacco Report today, the local association took the opportunity to announce its plans to work with the San Jose Tobacco-Free Collaborative to secure smoke-free city parks in San Jose.

“The State of Tobacco Report highlights the need to do more to reduce the death and disease caused by tobacco use,” said Margo Leathers Sidener, MS, executive director of the American Lung Association of Santa Clara-San Benito Counties, the lead agency for the Tobacco-Free Collaborative. “We need to further protect people from secondhand smoke and provide city parks where children and families can enjoy tobacco-free environments.”

The American Lung Association’s report grades each state on tobacco control policies enacted in 2004 in four categories: Tobacco Prevention and Control Spending, Smoke-Free Air, Cigarette Tax and Youth Access. California earned A grades for its Smoke-Free Air and Youth Access policies, but received an F for Tobacco Prevention and Control Spending and a C for its Cigarette Tax.

“We recognize the progress we’ve made to reduce tobacco use and protect the public from secondhand smoke, especially in this state,” Sidener said. “But we have to do more. Tobacco use continues to have an enormous impact on this country, this state, and this community. It’s killing and debilitating people we know and care about. This is about hundreds of thousands of personal tragedies caused by tobacco addiction.”

Tobacco use is still the number one cause of death and disease in this country, killing an estimated 440,000 Americans each year. In California, where 16.2 percent of adults smoke, at least one out of every seven deaths is due to tobacco use. Smoking costs more than $157 billion nationwide, more than $14 billion in California, and more than $6 million in Santa Clara County.

Nation, State Should do More to Reduce Tobacco Use

The report points out that little progress was made on the federal level in 2004. Congress failed to enact legislation granting the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco, which contains the highly addictive drug nicotine, failed to support a comprehensive plan to provide tobacco cessation services, and failed to completely ratify the international tobacco control treaty.

While California continues to be on the forefront in the areas of smoke-free air and youth access policies, it lags in the areas of tobacco prevention and control spending and the cigarette tax. California ranks 22nd among other states in tobacco tax levels at 87 cents per pack. The state spends well below the level recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ($90 million compared to the recommended $165 million) on tobacco prevention and control despite evidence that these programs save lives.

The city of San Jose has a much better record, committing 25 percent of the $10 million it receives each year from the tobacco settlement on tobacco prevention and education programs.
The Collaborative is funded by tobacco settlement monies through a grant from the city of San Jose’s Healthy Neighborhoods Venture Fund.

Smoke-Free City Parks Needed

The city of San Jose has made great strides toward fostering a healthy community. Requiring all city parks to be smoke-free is an important next step in the campaign to improve public health.

“The reasons for protecting people from secondhand smoke are convincing and overwhelming,” said Gabrielle Antolovich, executive director of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, NCADD in the Silicon Valley, and a member of the Tobacco-Free Collaborative.

“We also have to tackle the addiction problem head on. When children see adults smoking in family-friendly places like parks and at family-friendly events like Christmas in the Park, they see the behavior as acceptable. They have no concept of addiction. By the time they realize smoking is a major health hazard, they are already addicted,” Antolovich said.

Secondhand Smoke is Deadly

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of smoke from the burning end of tobacco products and smoke exhaled by smokers. It accounts for an estimated 35,000 to 62,000 deaths in nonsmokers each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Children are most adversely affected by secondhand smoke because they breathe more air than adults and their bodies are still developing. Secondhand smoke may be responsible for the onset of 8,000 to 26,000 new cases of asthma each year. Up to 1.6 million doctor visits for middle ear infections can be linked with exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke also contributes to increased respiratory tract infections resulting in hospitalizations in children under 18 months of age.

“Children should be able to go to the park without risking illness. Families should be able to enjoy events held at city parks without exposing themselves to the deadly effects of secondhand smoke,” said Roger Kennedy, MD, chair of the Santa Clara County Tobacco Control Coalition and past president of the Santa Clara County Medical Association. “Some people might think tobacco smoke is harmless outdoors, but that’s a myth. Studies show how the deadly particles first rise and then descend to where they can be inhaled by anyone in the vicinity.”

Most People Prefer Smoke-Free Environments

“The fact is the vast majority of people in San Jose don’t smoke and don’t want to be around it, so a smoke-free Jazz Festival would be a good thing,” said Rob Roman, director of programs for the San Jose Jazz Society and a member of the Tobacco-Free Collaborative. The society holds its annual Jazz Festival at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. “It would also help us follow through on the smoke-free example we are trying to set for young musicians through our educational programs in the schools.”

Antolovich added: “A critical component in reducing youth smoking is showing young people that tobacco use is not considered the norm in adult society. Smoking is not a sign of adulthood because most adults don’t do it.”

Informal surveys conducted by Collaborative members encouraged the group to seek smoke-free parks in San Jose. About 87 percent of those surveyed said they prefer smoke-free environments, which makes sense considering fewer than 13 percent of city residents smoke.

Support is building around the state for smoke-free outdoor environments. California already has a state law prohibiting smoking within 25 feet of playground or sandbox areas in parks and several cities have passed stronger ordinances that cover all park areas “from curb to curb.” More than a dozen cities have also passed or are in the process of drafting ordinances making their city beaches smoke-free, including Santa Cruz and Capitola.

Collaborative members contend that smoke-free city parks are needed for a variety of reasons, including protecting the public, especially children, from secondhand smoke; reducing tobacco use; and reducing cigarette butts, which litter our parks, are costly to clean up, and are hazardous to children, animals and the environment.

"The Collaborative is a group of agencies dedicated to reducing tobacco use and addiction in San Jose,” Sidener said. “Smoke-free parks would help get us closer to our goal and create a healthier environment where individuals and families can thrive.”
For more information or to join the campaign for smoke-free parks, call 408.998.5866 or visit www.lungsrus.org or www.tobaccofreesj.org.

A copy of the American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Report can be downloaded at www.lungusa.org.

Tobacco-Free Collaborative members include: American Lung Association of Santa Clara-San Benito Counties (lead agency); American Cancer Society; Asian American Recovery Services, Inc.; Children’s Musical Theater San Jose; City of San Jose Healthy Neighborhoods Venture Fund; Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency; InnVision of Santa Clara Valley; NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley; National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, NCADD in the Silicon Valley; Pathway Society, Inc.; Rosa Elena Childcare Center; San Jose Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement; San Jose First Community Services; San Jose Holiday Parade; San Jose Jazz Society; San Jose Police Department; Santa Clara County Tobacco Prevention and Education; YMCA of Santa Clara Valley; and YWCA in Santa Clara Valley.

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Tobacco-Free Collaborative
1469 Park Ave.
San Jose, CA 95126
408.998.5866

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