Just as we warned, any attempt to weaken the law is an attempt to undo it altogether.

This week, opponents of smokefree air have begun pushing for multiple additional exemptions to the smokefree air law.

Let your legislator know that the residents of Michigan are happy with the smokefree law as it is currently written.  Do not let them weaken this law.

The Michigan Senate carved out an exemption to the smokefree air law for charitable dinners that have been in existence for 10 years through the Department of Community Health budget bill. The Michigan Senate used the budget process to vote to jeopardize the health of countless Michigan workers.  Thanks, in part, to you contacting your state representative last week, the House did not include this exemption in their version of the budget. All budget differences will be negotiated in conference committee and will eventually go back to the Senate and the House for final votes.

Opponents are using this process to push for even more exemptions.  The threat to the smokefree air law is real and it’s time to speak up and contact your Senator and stop them from destroying the law that we all worked so hard to pass.

We need your help! Contact your State Senator today and tell them to oppose any changes to weaken the Dr. Ron Davis Smokefree Air Law.

There is no good reason to change this law.

Take action here: https://secure3.convio.net/acscan/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=7762

Public Opinion, Compliance High for Smokefree Air Law

MDCH and American Cancer Society reports show increasing support among public, businesses for smokefree air

Public support for Michigan’s smokefree air law has increased to 74 percent, according to data released from a recent statewide poll commissioned by the American Cancer Society on behalf of the Michigan Campaign for Smokefree Air. The poll, which was conducted May 9-11 among 600 likely or active registered voters, showed an increase of eight percentage points over the last statewide poll conducted in March 2009, before the law was passed.

The Michigan Department of Community Health released results from the yearly complaint survey completed by all county health departments regarding compliance with the new law. According to the survey, there were a total of 1,491 violations, 117 citations and two cease orders among food service and non-food service establishments combined. The complaint data is a sharp contrast to data compiled within the first year after Ohio went smokefree, which showed a total of 54,619 complaints from Dec. 7, 2006 to Dec. 7, 2007. 

The American Cancer Society poll also showed that 93 percent of respondents are going out to eat in bars and restaurants just as often (73 percent) or more often (20 percent) than prior to enactment of the law. Twenty-three percent of non-smokers polled are more likely to go out to eat in bars and restaurants.

The poll, conducted by Lansing-based EPIC-MRA, has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.   

Governor Granholm Signs the Dr. Ron Davis Smokefree Air Law in December, 2009.

Michigan Celebrates One Year of Smokefree Air

May 1, 2011, marks the one-year anniversary of the enactment of Michigan’s Dr. Ron Davis Smokefree Air Law and one of the most monumental public health achievements in the history of Michigan.

The Michigan Department of Community Health recently released a bar employees study that shows the smokefree law successfully reduced the public’s and employee’s exposure to secondhand smoke.  The study, conducted four to six weeks before and six to ten weeks after the smokefree law, shows how the level of secondhand smoke exposure decreased significantly among bar employees after the law went into effect.

The law took effect on May 1, 2010, and includes all worksites, except Detroit casino gaming floors, existing cigar bars and tobacco specialty shops.  The law is named after Dr. Ron Davis, a former East Lansing resident who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in 2008.  Davis was the immediate past president of the American Medical Association and director of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.  He was a long-time advocate of smokefree air in Michigan.

The smokefree law would not have been a reality without the thousands of advocates who have been dedicated to this issue for the last several years as well as the leadership of Michigan Senators Ray Basham, Tom George and Ron Jelinek along with Representatives Joan Bauer and Paul Scott.

Michigan Department of Treasury Report

Click here to read highlights from the report from the Michigan Department of Treasury that shows the smokefree law has had no significant impact on bar and restaurant sales.

Public Service Announcement

You can watch the public service announcement from the Michigan Department of Community Health here.

Additional Information

For additional information about the Dr. Ron Davis Smokefree Air law, please refer to this FAQ document, or visit michigan.gov/smokefreelaw.

Complaints

To register a complaint with your local Health Department, please visit michigan.gov/smokefreelaw.