HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0942.108 2006-2008
Murashige, Laura
From: Hannah Hedrick [hedrickhneca@aol.com] -D
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 9:56 AM
To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us 2005 ~IflR 11 11 Q3
Subject: TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF BILL 224
Hawai?i County Council _,0UNT1
Relating To Prohibition of Smoking in Certain Places Council hearing: March 12, 2008
TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF BILL 224, Relating to Prohibition of Smoking in Certain Places
PO Box 298, Mountain View, HI, 96771
(808) 968-7013
TO: Councilman Donald Ikeda, Chair, Councilman J Yoshimoto, Vice-Chair, and Members,
Committee on Public Safety and Parks and Recreation
FROM: Hannah L. Hedrick, PhD
SUBJECT: Bill 224 Relating to Prohibition of Smoking in Certain Places
DATE: March 12, 2008
Aloha, Chair Ikeda, Vice-Chair Yoshimoto, and Members:
My name is Hannah Hedrick. I want to thank the Council members who have taken a strong
stand in support of Bill 224. I especially thank those, such as Mr. Pilago, who have
suggested mechanisms for supporting smokfree county park and recreational areas, such as
prohibiting tobacco sales and strengthening litter ordinances.
Please do not allow a small group of vocal individuals, most of whom are unfortunately
addicted to nicotine or fearful of personal financial loss, to Hawai?i County in the
unfortunate position of ignoring a clear and present danger to the health of our most
vulnerable residents. Most smokers I know do not want their children to be exposed to
secondhand smoke, as they would be if Mayor Kim and others prevail in amending Bill 224 to
provide for ?designated smoking areas? as a viable compromise.
Legal, historic, and public health issues argue against creating smoking areas, especially
in the vicinity of people with compromised lung function or children. The Americans with
Disabilities Act is being increasingly applied as protection against smoke in multiple
unit housing; most designated smoking area provisions have been removed; and designated
smoking areas even in relatively open areas (such as airports) have been recognized as
threats to passersby.
My father died in agony from preventable tobacco-related diseases when I was 20. I now
live in Fern Forest in Upper Puna, where smoking rates are the highest in the State. I am
a member of several groups that promote cleaning up our environment, including state and
country smoke-free organizations, the Hawai?i Asthma Initiative, the Puna Community
Development Plan Land Use Work Group, and the Community Development Hui of Fern Forest.
I am a long-time ?smoke free advocate,? having worked during the 1980s and early 1990s
with Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, MD, and former surgeon generals to spread the word
about the devastating dangers of exposure to tobacco products. During the same period, we
improved the civil rights of people with disabling diseases and conditions, who are
particularly vulnerable to tobacco addiction and to adverse reactions to primary, second
hand, and residual smoke. A decade of advocating for people with chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (CORD) increased my commitment to protecting people with impaired lung
function.
Our most vulnerable citizens, including infants and children (particularly those with
asthma) and seniors (particularly those with tobacco-related diseases) cannot fully
participate in our "paradise" if they cannot go to County parks and beaches without
risking a smoke-related exacerbation. James Repace?s ?Measurements of Outdo r } : 'O
1 Comm NO z d
Ref. To-.
Pollution from Secondhand Smoke on the UMBC Campus? concludes that ?it is clear that
tobacco smoke pollution outdoors at significant distances from smokers must be considered
as significantly unhealthy.?
Please do not allow objections, including those citing individual freedoms, to distract
you from your responsibility to promote public health and reduce exposure to the known
hazards of secondhand smoke.
I do not mean to challenge the integrity of these well-intentioned individuals, but I urge
you not to dilute this opportunity to expand public education and awareness, tobacco
prevention and cessation programs, and other tobacco-awareness activities.
Sincerely,
Hannah L. Hedrick, PhD
Coordinator, Patient / Family Advisory Council Hannah Hedrick Coordinator, Patient /
Family Advisory Council PO Box 298
11-2338 Kokokahi
Mountain View, HI 96771
808-968-7013
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