Letter to Mesquite City Council, April 10, 2018
Dear Mayor Litman and Councilmen Ballweg, Green, Rapson, Withelder and Wursten,
Recently, we were informed that all but one member of the City Council refuses to hold a public hearing to discuss a Mesquite ordinance that would save lives and money in our community by making public indoor spaces smokefree.
We’re disappointed and frustrated by this news.
By refusing to take action, a majority of the city council is ignoring the health and welfare of Mesquite residents, workers and visitors, as well as the millions of dollars secondhand smoke costs our community in unnecessary health expenses each year.
For months now, we’ve attended City Council meetings to provide you with information that clearly shows the health benefits of going smokefree. We’ve provided you with scientific research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Surgeon General, and numerous other sources.
We haven’t been expressing opinions, we’ve delivered FACTS. The health impacts of secondhand smoke are proven. It causes lung cancer, heart disease, asthma attacks, heart attacks and numerous other health problems.
Secondhand smoke kills 34,000 Americans each year due to heart disease, 8,000 Americans each year due to stroke, and 73,000 non-smokers in the U.S. each year due to lung cancer.
Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk for lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent.
Recently, you heard study findings that show Mesquite residents will save millions of dollars each year if the city passes a comprehensive clean indoor air ordinance. These savings total $13.3 million over five years and $2.6 million annually. In our opinion, by refusing to act a majority of this body is specifically choosing to ignore this information, too.
We wonder why is a majority of the City Council refusing to even discuss a community health policy that will save lives and money in our community?
We know that most voters in Mesquite support clean indoor air. They demand action.
We hope that you will re-consider and show leadership in our community by discussing and approving a clean indoor air ordinance that will save lives and money here in Mesquite. Refusal to do so means more preventable death and disease, and millions of more dollars in health care spending.
Sincerely,
Mesquite Citizens for Clean Indoor Air
Stand up for clean, smokefree air in Mesquite!
If you haven’t already signed up to support our effort, please do so now!
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