Gov. Burgum has been a great champion for promoting health in our state, and we need him to stand with the people of North Dakota and keep public places smoke-free.
The Legislature just passed HB 1229, which allows cigar lounges. This will roll back North Dakota’s highly effective smoke-free laws and create openings to further erode the intent of the smoke-free law. Do we really want to go back to the days of separated areas for tobacco use in public buildings? This bill allows just that.
Cigars pose a real danger to the long-term health of all North Dakotans – especially young people. Cigar lounges role-model tobacco use as acceptable. All tobacco products, including cigars, contain nicotine, which may induce dependence and harm health. Unfortunately, young people are more likely to become addicted than adults. Tobacco has detrimental effects on nearly every organ of our body and less than 10% of tobacco users successfully quit.
This bill sends a terrible message to our children across the state. North Dakotans passed the current smoke-free law by a public vote after several attempts to do so legislatively. North Dakota has come too far with the protection of smoke-free policies to go back now.
On behalf of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and as a public health professional, I am urging the governor to take a serious look at the consequences of this legislation and say, “Not in North Dakota.”
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Please join me in asking the governor to veto this bill: https://www.governor.nd.gov/contact
Kelly Buettner-Schmidt, Fargo, is a volunteer with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
This letter does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Forum's editorial board nor Forum ownership.
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