Enjoys smoke-free environment

To the editor:

I am a retired Valley resident who enjoys not cooking. I like to eat out. I am grateful for the many places these days where I can enjoy a meal without a ribbon of cigarette smoke wafting by my table, spoiling my enjoyment.

So a big thanks to the Smoke-Free Workplace campaign for making dining smoke-free possible in Palmer and many other places. What I’d like to see happen now is for the Legislature to provide all Alaskans with that pleasure.

Of course, my dining experience is hardly the most important reason we need a smoke-free Alaska. The health of those who work in a smoke-filled workplace is potentially being damaged. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke increase their risk of heart disease and lung cancer by up to 30 percent.

It is simply wrong to subject workers to that risk, often workers who have no other employment options. It is one thing to deliberately jeopardize one’ s own health; it is quite another to risk the health and enjoyment of others. It is time that we take seriously the dangers of cigarettes and recognize that, just as we cannot drive cars in ways that endanger others, we should not be allowed to contaminate the indoor air in public places.

We all need to be writing our representatives in the Legislature, urging them to get this important law passed before the fast-approaching end of the session.

Judy Donegan

Palmer