Codey Signs Two Major Bills into Law,

 Scoring Public Health Triumph for New Jersey

Laws Ban Indoor Smoking, Raise Tobacco Purchasing Age

 

(TRENTON) - Governor Richard J. Codey today signed two long-awaited bills into law, achieving a major victory for public health in New Jersey.  Codey signed both the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act, which bans smoking in most indoor public places, including bars and restaurants, and S2783, which makes New Jersey just the fourth state in the nation to raise the tobacco purchasing age from 18 to 19. 

 

“Today is a historic day for New Jersey.  After nearly 10 years of debate, public health has won a major battle in Trenton,” said Codey. “With all of the facts we know today, we need to do whatever we can to protect our workers and patrons from being exposed to the dangers of second-hand smoke.  In 10 or 20 years, people will look back and thank us for having the courage to do this now. In the long run, these laws will save lives, plain and simple.”

 

Codey was joined by some of the bill sponsors, including senators John H. Adler (D-Camden), Joseph F. Vitale (D-Middlesex), Thomas H. Kean, Jr. (R-Essex, Morris, Somerset, Union), and Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) and assemblymen John F. McKeon (D-Essex) and Eric Munoz (R- Essex, Morris, Somerset, Union), as well as Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs, M.D., J.D., representatives from the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association and clean air advocates. 

 

Other sponsors of the Smoke Free Air Act include assemblymen Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer), Michael Panter (D-Mercer, Monmouth) and Louis Manzo (D-Hudson).  Other sponsors of S1783 include assemblymen Joseph Cryan (D-Union) and Upendra J. Chivukula (D-Middlesex, Somerset).

 

New Jersey now joins the ranks of ten other progressive states that have implemented similar measures to protect the public’s health.  The Smoke-Free Air Act requires indoor public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars, to be smoke free, with the exception of cigar bars or lounges, tobacco retail establishments and the floors of the Atlantic City casinos. 

 

The law, which will go into effect on April 15, 2006, carries penalties of $250 for a first-offense smoking violation; $500 for a second offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense.

 “This is the most important bill I will ever sponsor,” said Adler. “It will save thousands of lives every year.”

 

“This has been a long time coming and we advocates for the smoking ban, as well as all residents in New Jersey, owe a great deal of gratitude to Governor Codey for getting it done,” said Weinberg.

The bill was prompted by overwhelming statistics that illustrate the dangers of second-hand smoke.  It is believed that second-hand smoke causes as many as 65,000 premature deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Research also indicates that food service workers have the highest levels of exposure to second-hand smoke of any occupational group in the country. 

 

“This new law is an important step forward in eliminating one of the most significant public health threats that we face today. It will have tremendous long-term health benefits for New Jersey residents, especially those exposed to second-hand smoke in the workplace.  It will reduce smoking-relating illnesses and save lives for generations to come,” said Jacobs.

 

“Today, New Jersey joins the vanguard of states that are protecting citizens from the well-documented dangers of second-hand smoke,” said Gusciora.  “Bar and restaurant employees and customers who have made the conscious decision not to smoke have been put at risk simply because of the dangers of secondhand smoke. Hopefully the ban will help smokers realize the negative effects of smoking and be an impetus for them to quit.”

 

“As legislators, there are a lot of dangers we wish we could eliminate with the push of a button,” said Panter. “This law presents a unique opportunity. Simply by supporting it, we are able to protect our constituents from the indisputable hazards of second-hand smoke.”

 

“Today, we take the step to protect the thousands of New Jersey employees who are forced every day to work eight to 10 hours in smoking environments,” said Manzo.  “One day, I hope that every public building in the state will be smoke-free.”

 

“New Jersey has taken two great steps forward to a healthier future for all residents,” said McKeon, a co-sponsor of the smoking ban and lead sponsor of the purchasing age increase.  “Banning smoking in nearly all public places will protect the health of millions of residents who have unwillingly been forced to breathe dirty air.  And by increasing the age at which young adults can purchase cigarettes, we are working to keep future generations smoke-free.”

 

Codey also signed S2783 into law, which is geared towards keeping tobacco out of the hands of young people and preventing them from developing the dangerous habit of smoking.  The law makes New Jersey just the fourth state in the nation, and the first in the Northeast, to raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco from 18- to 19-years old.  This law will also go into effect on April 15, 2006.

 

“Most first-time smokers are young and feel invincible,” said Codey.  “If we can prevent even a few kids from picking up this deadly habit, then our efforts will have been worthwhile.” 

 

According to the American Cancer Society, 90 percent of all smokers begin to smoke before they turn 18 years old.  Each day in the United States, approximately 4,000 youths age 12 to 17 try their first cigarette.  And, in New Jersey, one third of the state’s high school students currently smoke cigarettes, according to a survey by DHSS. 

 

Cigarette smoking by young people can lead to serious health problems, including cough and phlegm production, decreased physical fitness, an increase in the number and severity of respiratory illnesses, adverse changes in blood cholesterol levels and reduced rates of lung growth and function.  If current trends continue, an estimated 6.4 million children today can be expected to die prematurely from a smoking-related illness. 

 

Raising the tobacco purchasing age to 19, will make it illegal for virtually all high school students to purchase cigarettes and less likely that they would share them with younger students.  It will also help tobacco vendors enforce the law by making it easier for them to identify younger teenagers trying to buy cigarettes.

 

“Too many of our kids today are lighting up in high school, and they are letting their actions be guided, not by maturity and wisdom, but by peer pressure,” said Vitale, chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.  “By increasing the age at which kids can purchase cigarettes, we will remove much of the temptation from our schools, and hopefully give our kids the clarity of mind to just say no.”

 

“We must protect our kids against the lifetime of health problems that can be attributed directly to cigarette smoking,” said Chivukula.  “Kids who are deterred from smoking are more likely to become healthier adults who do not smoke.”

 

While all states have laws making it illegal to sell cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18, this new legislation will make New Jersey just the fourth state in the nation, behind Alabama, Alaska and Utah, to raise the age requirement to 19. 

 

For additional information on youth smoking statistics and prevention and cessation programs, visit: http://www.state.nj.us/health/as/ctcp/index.html .

 

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