The use of public policy to decrease smoking was pioneered by small, grassroots organizations. These “nonsmokers rights groups” were first formed in the 1970s, with the aim of providing nonsmokers the “right” to breathe smoke-free air. Though working at a time when the health hazards of ETS had not yet been documented, nonsmokers’ rights groups helped pass hundreds of local ordinances limiting public exposure to ETS. Early on, they recognized that the tobacco industry was the major obstacle to effective tobacco control and prevention legislation. Grassroots nonsmokers’ rights groups are still a powerful force in many states and communities.
Though clean indoor air laws were aimed at protecting nonsmokers from ETS, they have had other positive effects. They have motivated millions of smokers – especially “middle class smokers” – to quit, and have greatly decreased the number of public smoking role models seen by children. |
