San Antonio City Council passes new comprehensive smoke-free ordinance

Statement by Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, President and CEO, Legacy

Workers in the second-largest city in Texas can now breathe easier. On August 19, the San Antonio City Council announced that the city's workplaces will now be free of secondhand smoke ("SHS") and risks that come along with it.

The U.S. Surgeon General concluded in 2006 that there are "no safe levels" of secondhand smoke exposure. Among adults, exposure to SHS causes approximately 50,000 deaths in the United States each year. The Surgeon General also concluded that smoke-free workplace policies are the only effective means to eliminate secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace. The new San Antonio ordinance includes bars and restaurants, thereby protecting the service workforce and the patrons of such establishments. Additionally, despite loud claims to the contrary from opponents of clean indoor air laws, there is no evidence that these laws negatively impact businesses.

"I am extremely pleased to hear that the City Council passed the new comprehensive smoke-free ordinance in our City of San Antonio," said Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte, a member of Legacy's Board of Directors. "The new ordinance is a wonderful opportunity to promote healthier lifestyles, not just for San Antonians, but for the many people who visit our city each year. I am proud of our City Council members for considering the positive long-term effects on implementing this new smoke-free ordinance."

"As a practicing pharmacist, I witness the harmful health effects caused by cigarette smoke, either from direct smoking or involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke. Our families and children deserve to live in a healthy city, protected from harmful exposure to secondhand smoke," she said.

The number of clean indoor air laws across the United States has dramatically increased over the last decade, and the majority of the country is now covered by some type of smoke-free law. In addition to protecting citizens from the consequences of SHS, clean indoor air laws decrease smoking prevalence, increase cessation and reinforce a nonsmoking social norm. Clean indoor air measures in workplaces and public accommodations improve health. Legacy commends the San Antonio City Council for its actions to help its residents to live longer, healthier lives.