Other views: The facts trounce the fiction at first smoke-free

Publication Date: 2005-01-30

• Author:Deborah Knuth
• Publication:The Forum

Jan. 20 marked the first day of legislative hearings to discuss whether or not North Dakota should join the growing list of states providing workplace protection from toxic secondhand smoke, and the facts presented spoke a compelling "yes."

Of course, there were some predictable tobacco-industry-style attempts to derail the discussion into unrelated issues. But on the real subject - workplace protection from a known health hazard - the abundance of science-based testimony left no doubt in any listener's mind. . . .

In the coming weeks, there will be additional discussions of the true merits of smoke-free policy, and the tobacco-industry propaganda machine will probably be present to grind out its tired lies, but the facts will not change.

Let your own legislator know that the time has come for North Dakota to join the eight other states that already have strong statewide smoke-free workplace laws.