A PRACTICAL NEW GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE SMOKE-FREE POLICIESPolicy-makers who are committed to protecting the public from the detrimental effects of second-hand tobacco smoke now have a powerful tool at their disposal: a detailed, comprehensive and easy-to-use guide on how to advocate for, enact and implement smoke-free laws. The guide was produced by the Global Smokefree Partnership, a multi-partner initiative that was formed in 2005 to promote effective smoke-free policies and is available on the Global Smokefree Partnership’s web site. World Heart Federation shows its commitment to the causeThe World Heart Federation is a founding and funding partner of the Global Smokefree Partnership. As a member of the Global Smokefree Partnership’s steering committee, the World Heart Federation supported the development of the guide and helped to ensure its technical accuracy. The World Heart Federation has pledged to distribute and promote the guide through its membership network of 196 heart foundations and societies of cardiology, in over 100 countries. “Tobacco smoke is one of the principal risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which itself it mankind’s biggest killer, accounting for nearly 1 in 3 of all deaths,” said World Heart Federation President Shahryar Sheikh. “At the same time, smoking is the leading preventable cause of death. By convincing more governments to make restaurants, bars, offices and other public places 100% smoke-free, we can prevent millions of premature deaths. The guide by the Global Smokefree Partnership provides a tremendous service in the cause of public health.” A ready, handy toolThe guide starts with the evidentiary foundation for the consensus opinions that second-hand smoke is a major health threat and that the only effective way to protect the public is through comprehensive laws covering all indoor public and work places. Among the guide’s many other offerings are the portions describing the:
The guide is highly practical in that it provides policy-makers with tried and tested responses to the myths and disinformation that the tobacco industry and its allies frequently spread to thwart smoke-free laws. For example, to the tobacco industry’s charge that smoke-free laws violate the individual’s right to smoke, policy-makers learn that the best response is to focus instead on breathers’ rights. “The right of a person to breathe clean air takes precedence over any possible right of smokers to pollute the air other people breathe,” the guide advises. “This is not about whether smokers smoke; it is about where they smoke.” Collaborative effortFunds for the guide were provided by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Cassandra Welch, director of national advocacy for the American Lung Association, praised the World Heart Federation’s contributions to the smoke-free movement in general and to the guide in particular. “One of the reasons that the World Heart Federation is so important to the Global Smokefree Partnership is that it realizes the connection between cardiovascular disease and smoking,” she said. She added that the World Heart Federation’s members could “greatly profit” from using the guide as they push for smoke-free laws. “We’re hoping that advocates all over the world can use the guide to influence governments as they start to develop smoke-free policies,” she said. Multi-language guideThe guide is available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. The Global Smokefree Partnership hopes eventually to provide it also in Chinese, Arabic and Russian. To order a CD or hard copy of the guide, contact the Global Smokefree Partnership. To learn more about tobacco as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, visit the World Heart Federation’s web site. To learn more about the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, visit its web site. | |||||||
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