TERRE HAUTE —
The amendments inside House Bill 1018 pretty much say it all about Indiana’s relationship with smoking.
We realize scientists with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of the Surgeon General all have concluded that smoking is harmful not only to the smoker, but also to other people inside the same building. We understand that 30 other states have enacted comprehensive laws to provide smokefree indoor workplaces. We know we lead the nation in adult smoking (1 in 4 Hoosiers do so). We’ve heard state statistics that medical costs related to smoking by Hoosiers total $2 billion a year, including a $487-million tab for publicly funded Medicaid cases.
And we don’t want to change, too much.
That’s essentially the sentiment behind all of the amendments members of the Indiana House of Representatives tacked onto a proposed statewide indoor smoking law. Those amendments would allow smoking in casinos, bars, private clubs and nursing homes.
The exception for nursing homes was unusual enough for the leader of the upper house of the Indiana Legislature — Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne — to tell The Associated Press, “We’re interested to see why it’s there. On its face, it draws questions.”
The proposal, House Bill 1018, is headed for review by Long and his fellow senators. It started in the Indiana House as a comprehensive ban to assure public indoor places would be smokefree. As usual, it was sponsored by Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary. For the fourth straight year, Brown’s smoking bill passed the House, this time by a 68-31 margin. Each time in the past, his bills passed the House but never survived long enough in the Senate to get a full vote. This year, such a vote might actually occur. That’s because Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels said he’s ready and willing to sign a smoking law, and because House members softened it with all of those exemptions.
Still, it appears the Senate intends to scrutinize the House’s exceptions to the bill, which is wise. The nursing home exemption would permit smoking only in separate, designated room. Nonetheless, the health of some folks in nursing homes is fragile, and exposure to secondhand smoke exacerbates existing health problems, especially respiratory ailments such as emphysema and COPD, according to studies by the EPA and others cited by the Center for Social Gerontology in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The nursing home exemption also would contradict trends around the nation. Since 2002, states such as Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota, Washington, Michigan and North Carolina (ironically, the top tobacco producer in the United States) have enacted statewide indoor smoking laws that include nursing homes, according to the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. On a local level, Vigo County did the same thing in 2006, when the county commissioners — prompted by a brave, determined, landmark effort by the Vigo County Board of Health office — passed an ordinance that prohibited smoking in most indoor public places. Thus, Vigo County nursing homes have been smokefree since that ordinance took effect in 2007.
“The amendment to the Indiana [smoking] legislation would clearly run counter to that” trend, said Jim Bergman, co-director of the Center for Social Gerontology, a nonprofit research and social policy agency funded by the U.S. Administration on Aging, the state of Michigan and private donors.
“These days, it’s more and more unusual to see nursing homes that allow smoking,” Bergman added.
Don Lehe, a Republican state representative from Brookston, introduced the nursing home exemption to the proposed statewide smoking ban. He’d visited the nearby Indiana Veterans Home, and saw the facility’s smoking lounge, with a TV and recreation area. Lehe, who voted against the bill, emphasized his primary motivation for the amendment was, understandably, out of respect for aging veterans. Lehe said he wanted to preserve separate, designated smoking areas for vets at that home and in other senior care facilities.
His amendment would include any nursing home; it allows an exemption for “a health facility licensed under [Indiana Code] 16-28, including the Indiana Veterans Home, if the health facility chooses to provide a separate, designated smoking area.” Persons under 18 would not be allowed in those areas.
In 2006, the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that separately ventilated smoking rooms don’t eliminate the health risks of secondhand smoke exposure to others.
Though Lehe acknowledged that employees of nursing homes, who would need to accompany some smokers in those rooms for fire safety reasons, could encounter the irritation and smell associated with cigarettes, he questions the claims of health risks related to secondhand smoke exposure. Lehe found studies indicating the dangers of secondhand smoke have been overstated.
“There’s no significant correlation to lung cancer, there’s no significant correlation to death from being around secondhand smoke,” Lehe said by telephone Wednesday.
The Surgeon General’s report of 2006 says otherwise. It reads: “Secondhand smoke has been designated as a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has concluded that secondhand smoke is an occupational carcinogen.”
The Indiana Senate should take a reasonable, but proactive stance on exceptions to the smoking law. The Center for Social Gerontology offers a reasonable variety of “models” for states and municipalities to implement smokefree laws, including an option for a “grandfather clause” that would allow current nursing home residents to continue smoking in designated areas. Beyond that, nursing homes would become smokefree, just like they already are in Vigo County.
The Senate needs to strongly question the reasoning behind every exemption to the proposed smoking law, from casinos to bars, private clubs and nursing homes. If the proposed law purports to give Hoosiers the right to a safe environment in workplaces and public indoor spaces, then it should do so for all Hoosiers.
Mark Bennett can be reached at (812) 231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.
Mark Bennett Opinion
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star columnist Mark Bennett
Discussion
MARK BENNETT: Lawmakers should question smoking-law exemptions, including those for nursing homes
- Mark Bennett Opinion
-
-
Mark Bennett: High-profile mural connects historical dots from city to river
At 96 feet wide and 2 stories tall, the power, impact and value of the Wabash will be evident.
-
MARK BENNETT: Life at face value: Mom’s simple advice still presents a valuable daily challenge
Most moms don’t base their advice on scientific research.
(Unless, of course, your mother is a scientific researcher. If so, carry a No. 2 pencil and take good notes.) -
MARK BENNETT: Should I stay or should I go?
Some have their Bill Clinton-era Cavalier packed (with the trunk bungee-ed shut), apartment cleaned (except for the fridge), and iPhone GPS locked onto the fastest route out of Terre Haute. Others are staying — until they find a better job, or because they’re starting a career here, or because this town feels like home. In each case, a new stage of life begins today.
-
College Class of '13 gets a little extra advice
Local college grads will hear commencement speakers offer life and career advice this month. We’re offering them an extra dose here from folks who’ve found success in various vocations and regions of the nation. Many have Terre Haute roots.
-
MARK BENNETT: Spirited response to a rising river
The power within the Wabash revealed itself last week.
-
MARK BENNETT: Littered with irony: Why do people callously discard their trash, and who are they?
Though they aren’t acknowledged by the U.S. Census Bureau, there are basically two demographic groups of people … Those who would dump their old toilet on the banks of the Wabash River or a rural roadside. And those who wouldn’t.
-
MARK BENNETT: Performing under the radar: Toiling for years behind the scenes, Terre Haute native J.T. Corenflos finally earned a splash of musical recognition
People who diligently work to make others shine are a rare breed.
-
Season of Day 2s arrives
Calendars in Cincinnati contain one extra holiday — Opening Day, traditionally the first Monday in April.
-
MARK BENNETT: Amid tragedy and chaos, the hopeful smiles of youth could not be repressed
The image jars the viewer. On its own, the old photograph appears ordinary. Three smiling kids.
-
MARK BENNETT: A century later, ‘On the Banks of the Wabash’ still rises above Indiana politics
Music and politics share one commonality — people who like a style different from yours are nuts.
-
MARK BENNETT: Digit dialing a thing of the past, but telephoning is still a numbers game
You’ve heard of child prodigies who can play Mozart on piano or perform calculus at the age of 5.
That wasn’t me. -
MARK BENNETT: After years of preparation, 60 immigrants will gather in Terre Haute on March 14 to pledge their allegiance to the United States of America
It will have been a long and difficult road, but it will be an emotional moment when they raise their right hands and begin the oath of citizenship
-
MARK BENNETT: The fall and rise of a ‘Young Titan’
Broken. Humiliated. Discarded. Finished.
Few of us think of Winston Churchill in such bleak terms. -
MARK BENNETT: Trying to keep momentum of acceptance within the community a key part of Jeff Lorick’s job
Second-graders’ eyes and minds function differently.
They see the future unjaded. Their possibilities stand tall, not yet choked by the adult weeds of prejudice and bitterness. -
MARK BENNETT: For Glenda Ritz, being educator, ‘not a politician’ still makes good political sense
Educator, not a politician.
Glenda Ritz emphasizes that distinction about herself. -
MARK BENNETT: Falling short of the big prize will produce lessons nonetheless
This is a day for Roman numerals.
Americans seldom use them. And when we do, humility is not our purpose. -
MARK BENNETT: Forgotten Message: Advice from ‘The Mick’ should be remembered in wake of Lance Armstrong’s troubles
The two comments were almost identical.
-
MARK BENNETT: A sense of Americana constant passenger as iconic Corvette motors through milestone birthday
On my last ride at the wheel of a ’Vette, I was a wide-eyed teenager, guiding my brother’s almost-new, orange 1976 model.
-
MARK BENNETT: Sculptor from North Carolina to capture image of Indiana’s first black state legislator
Well-meaning parents try to instill strong character in their kids.
“Don’t be afraid to stand up for your beliefs,” moms and dads will insist, “even if you stand alone.” -
MARK BENNETT: Heart ailments, avoidable health issues affect high numbers of Vigo residents
Many folks in Vigo County will analyze digits on their bathroom scales this month. After all, January and fitness resolutions are traditional partners.
-
MARK BENNETT: For some people in the Wabash Valley, happy holidays require a little help
Picture yourself as a kid, not yet 5 years old, growing up in a small house in Terre Haute.
-
MARK BENNETT: Beware Ignorance and Want and reap the benefits of early education
Pretend that Charles Dickens is about to become Indiana’s next governor.
-
MARK BENNETT: In spirit of season, calculate your fiscal cliff impact, then argue
Envision “chestnuts roasting on an open fire.”
-
MARK BENNETT: Members of Congress should be free to consider all sides of an issue
Attempting to trump the U.S. Constitution requires some nerve.
-
MARK BENNETT: An unbudging Congress standing on opposing sides accomplishes little
Sausage patties, hugging a scoop of scrambled eggs and a couple slices of toast on a plate, and chased with nearby steaming black coffee.
-
MARK BENNETT: Hoosier voters issue mandate on Bennett’s school reforms
Mike Pence, Mitch Daniels and Indiana legislators should respect the votes of 1,315,026 Hoosiers.
-
MARK BENNETT: Elections, governing would look a lot different if everybody voted
A raffle ticket purchase usually comes with a disclaimer — “you must be present to win.”
-
MARK BENNETT: On Election Day, as Vigo County goes, so goes the United States
Hempstead sounds like a fine place.
-
MARK BENNETT: Upcoming PBS documentary focuses on nation’s voting irregularities, through Hoosier eyes
As America prepares to choose its governmental leaders, voters are being relentlessly asked how much they trust elected officials.
-
MARK BENNETT: Quest for knowledge keeps going as Elliott Gould prepares to speak in Terre Haute
As our conversation began, Elliott Gould was in the midst of learning. He was reading a book.
- More Mark Bennett Opinion Headlines
-
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Officials: Truck Hit Bridge Before Collapse
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
Jersey Shore Open for Business
First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
Two Suspects in Murder Known to London Police
Sheriff: No Sign Killing of 2 Kids Was Planned
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Today in History May 24
Raw: Utah Teen Arrested in Death of His Brothers
New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Trout's cycle a boost for Angels
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece
NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
