HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0013.194 2002-2004 TESTIMONY ON SMOKING BILL
COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING IN KONA
WEDNESDAY. JUNE 17.2003
Please stop politicizing the issue of smoking. It is a health issue affecting every human being on this
planet. Smoking has been proven beyond doubt by medical authorities and researchers to be
extremely hazardous to a smoker and equally hazardous to people who are exposed to second hand
smoke.
I am a reformed smoker. I know how addictive the habit can be, and how difficult it is to give up
smoking. That not withstanding, if smokers knowingly want to continue poisoning their bodies and
imperiling their health, it is a choice. However, by contaminating the air and imperiling the health of
others is an inexcusable and indefensible crime.
Please do not succumb to pressure from tavern owners or others who perceive that their customers
who smoke will be unhappy and they will lose business. They may and so be it.
Please pass a comprehensive ordinance, which in no uncertain terms disallows smoking indoors, and
outdoors where non-smokers can be affected by second hand smoke. It is irrelevant whether or not
we have the manpower and resources today to enforce the law. We have speed limits, which
are exceeded and violated by hundreds each day because our few enforcers cannot catch
every violation. Yet we have the speed limits, and we rightfully have not eliminated them
because we cannot have 100°~ enforcement.
There are many Asian countries----including China, Japan, and Korea where smoking seems to be a
way of life. Even these countries acknowledge the hazards of smoking and second hand smoke.
Their Airports and their public transport systems are smoke free. They also rely on modern
technology to exhaust smoke with powerful fans where second hand smoke might harm others. On
our Island, our small businesses vying to retain smoking on their premises just do not have the
investment potential to install these smoke exhaust systems.
We are very proud to be an Island that announces a healthy environment to its residents and its
visitors. With the absence of industrial pollution, lesser vehicle exhaust, trade winds cleansing the
atmosphere and our climate, we need to take the next and final step. Anon-smoking law will
advertise to the world that we support a healthy lifestyle for all who live and visit the Big Island.
Respectfully submitted,
Rab Puri
75-349 Melelina Place
Kailua-Kona HI 96740
808-327-9373
email: rab.lynn@verizon.net • I 1
Comm. No.
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Rab S Puri Page 1 6/18/2003