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Please feel free to use some of these points for your phone call or e-mail.
You should also add some of your own comments to make it your own.
When making your call or writing your email:
- Keep it brief! Legislators are much more likely to
read your comments if they are brief and to the point..
- Focus your contact on “local control”. That is the
ONLY thing we are asking our elected officials to support this session (see
below for local control definition).
- Make sure your facts are accurate (see more
information in talking points below).
Background Information:
- In 1993, North Carolina passed a law stating that no
local government could pass an ordinance stronger than the state law as it
relates to smoking in public places. That means that Mecklenburg County
cannot legally pass any smoking related ordinances the way the law reads
currently.
- Mecklenburg County is asking for an exemption from the
state law described above during the 2007 legislative session so that
Mecklenburg County will be able to regulate smoking in public places if it
chooses to. This is called “local control”.
Talking Points:
- In June 2006, the Surgeon General released his latest
report on secondhand smoke. This report clearly stated, among many other
things, that there is NO safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that
separate ventilation systems and smoking and non smoking sections in
restaurants do not protect anyone from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
- In a recent independent poll of Mecklenburg County
registered voters, results showed that 80.6% of those polled thought
Mecklenburg County should have local control. Additionally, 75.5% of those
polled wanted comprehensive smoke free workplaces including restaurants and
bars.
- In Mecklenburg County, 4 towns (Cornelius, Davidson,
Pineville and Mint Hill), the City of Charlotte and the Mecklenburg County
Commissioners all voted to support regaining local control in Mecklenburg
County. Five out of those 6 votes were unanimous!
- In a recent study conducted in Mecklenburg County restaurants and bars,
the Mecklenburg County Health department found that the air quality in
restaurants that allow smoking in designated areas (smoking sections) was 5
times worse than smoke-free venues and 12 times worse in venues that allow
smoking anywhere. In one venue, the air quality was, on average, 28 times
worse than the average smoke-free venue.
- The overwhelming majority
of studies on the economic impact of smoke free air laws clearly show that
there is no negative impact after these laws go into effect. In fact, there
is often a positive impact on business and tourism!
- Thousand of people have signed the Smoke Free
Mecklenburg petition to support local control and smoke free workplaces.
- It is clear that there is a high
level of support in Mecklenburg County on this issue among the people as
well as our local elected officials. It is our hope that the
representatives and Senators we elected to represent us in Raleigh will hear
us loud and clear and vote to support regaining local control for
Mecklenburg County!
- I am a constituent in your District
and I support regaining local control! I am asking you, as my elected
official, to support it too!
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