Smoke Free
Everyone has a right to breathe smoke-free air. Nationwide, more and more workplaces are going smoke free. However, South Carolina has few real smoke-free workplace laws. There have been significant gains in reducing exposure to secondhand smoke in the general population, but those in blue collar and service jobs – such as craft workers, laborers and hospitality workers – are still disproportionately exposed at the workplace.
Musicians and hospitality workers breathe more secondhand smoke on the job than employees in any other occupational group. That’s why the South Carolina Tobacco Collaborative, the Christopher Conner Foundation and the Musicians and Songwriters Guild of South Carolina have joined together to generate awareness about the dangers of exposure to secondhand smoke, an often overlooked public health hazard that performers confront every day. The three organizations joined together to release a 2008 Calendar, “Rock ‘N a Hard Place: Musicians for a Smoke-Free South Carolina,” which featured South Carolina musicians who support smoke-free workplaces. The groups also jointly support the annual Kick Butts 5K in Columbia.
In recent years, more local governments have taken steps to protect their citizens from secondhand smoke exposure. Our coalition partners work to support those efforts, as well as building campaigns to promote cessation and prevention. SCTC continues to build and strengthen our grassroots network statewide, as well as providing education and information. Since the release of the 2006 Surgeon General's Report, SCTC has supported the efforts of ten municipalities and two counties that have passed smoke-free ordinances in our state. Our “Make It Happen” campaign for smoke-free workplaces has impacted cities from the mountains to the coast as municipalities are choosing to protect their workers from the many health hazards of secondhand smoke.