SitNews - Stories in the News - Ketchikan, Alaska

Viewpoints

Second Hand Smoke in Cars
By Rob Holston

 

February 08, 2007
Thursday


This letter is condensed from "Vehicular Homicide", a column published in SitNews on Nov. 21, 2006.

It is time to enact a law that prohibits smoking in any vehicle where children are present.

Red-necked smokers will clamor to their soap boxes, expounding upon their rights to smoke in their own vehicles but I pray lawmakers decide in favor of our children. Violators of this statute should pay a fine, equal to the amount they probably spend on their precious smokes each year. That would be, in round figures about $2,000. A smoking couple could spend $80,000 over the course of 20 years raising a couple of kids. That's the second way that smokers victimize their children, by depleting the family budget for their own nicotine-enhanced pleasures.

If you remain unconvinced, please "google" SECOND HAND SMOKE and print several reports on how second hand smoke effects children.

Recently, Alaska Attorney General, David Marquez was part of a formal plea to the motion picture industry to include non-smoking messages with their productions. Marquez thanked the Weinstein Company as the first company "....taking responsibility for protecting our children from the danges of smoking." I'm sure we can count on him and his office for supporting this legislation to protect Alaska's children from the scourge of second hand smoke in vehicles.

Any child in a vehicle, windows up or down, is a victim to second hand smoke when there is a smoker in the vehicle and this form of child abuse needs to be stopped. It is time that this state step up to the plate and pass the legislation necessary to protect our state's children from the harm of second hand vehicular smoke. It is the state's responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Children in these circumstances need help and they need it now. Please support legislation to combat second hand vehicular smoke effecting children.

Rob Holston
Ketchikan, AK


Received February 08, 2007 - Published February 08, 2006

About: Retired school teacher, owner of a non-smoking business & a freelance writer of a health column published on SitNews.

Related Column:

Vehicular Homicide By Rob Holston - he state of Alaska issues drivers licenses to those who qualify to drive on state road systems. The state of Alaska issues licenses for vehicles to be driven upon the road systems of Alaska. Our state has enacted laws to protect people from each other in the form of traffic laws, of course, but also in "click-it-or-ticket" laws and child restraint laws. It is now time for our state to enact a law to protect all children within vehicles upon public and private properties within the borders of our state from the toxins of second hand smoke. It is time to enact a law that prohibits smoking in any vehicle where there are children present and recognizing such practice as a form of child abuse. - More...
Tuesday - November 21, 2006

 

 

Note: Comments published on Viewpoints are the opinions of the writer
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sitnews.

 

Send A Letter -------Read Letters

E-mail the Editor at editor@sitnews.us

Sitnews
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska