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PROCLAIMING MAY 31, 2001 AS "WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

WHEREAS, World No Tobacco Day, sponsored by the World Health Organization to call worldwide attention to the impact of tobacco use on public health, has been observed annually, throughout the world, since 1988; and

WHEREAS, The mission of The Coalition for World No Tobacco Day is to direct "attention to the human and economic tolls of the global tobacco epidemic and improve the public health by encouraging people not to use tobacco and motivating users to quit"; and

WHEREAS, The World Health Organization estimates that there are about 1.1 billion smokers in the world, about one-third of the global population aged 15 years and older; and

WHEREAS, More than one million youth in America become regular smokers each year with 12.8% of middle school and 34.8% of high school students currently using some form of tobacco; and

WHEREAS, Short-term health risks of tobacco use include shortness of breath, increased heart rate, exacerbation of asthma, impotence, infertility and increased blood levels of carbon monoxide. Long-term health risks caused by tobacco use include heart attack, stroke, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and

WHEREAS, As a result of the 2000 World No Tobacco Day, awareness of this effort increased by 25% among the total population and 70% among tobacco users. Seventeen percent of those aware of World No Tobacco Day were moved to action such as encouraging someone to quit tobacco use, quitting smoking or otherwise reducing tobacco use; and

WHEREAS, The World Health Organization declared secondhand smoke the focal point for 2001 World No Tobacco Day. Secondhand smoke is an established cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, and exposure to secondhand smoke in the home is a significant cause of respiratory ailments in children and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; and

WHEREAS, As recently as 1991, over 90% of the US population, regardless of their smoking status, had measurable amounts of a byproduct of cigarette smoke in their bodies -- indicating the exposure to secondhand smoke was massive. Significant progress has been made since then in reducing these exposures, primarily through state and local regulations and voluntary policy changes within employers, but only California has achieved the Health People 2010 goal of requiring smoke-free environments in all public spaces; and

WHEREAS, The best way to reduce non-smoker exposure to secondhand smoke, in either public or private places, is to support comprehensive tobacco control programs that reduce youth initiation and promote cessation of smoking among all ages; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby officially proclaims May 31, 2001 as "World No Tobacco Day" and encourages all of its citizens to participate by not starting to smoke, by attempting to stop, and by encouraging others to do the same.