Governor to sign historic public health law 

      Topeka, KS. Feb 25, 2010:    The Kansas House of Representatives today approved a historic public health bill for Kansas.  A statewide public smoking bill that restricts smoking in public places and workplaces including restaurants and bars is headed to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.   Kansas will join 34 other states that have enacted smoking restrictions in public places. 
       

      “We thank the Kansas legislature and Governor Mark Parkinson for leading Kansas into a smoke free future,” said Jake Lowen of Clean Air Kansas. “The slow bullet of second hand smoke exposure has been stopped.  Kansas can look forward to reduced cancer rates, fewer heart attacks and decreased health care costs.” 
       

      For the past decade Kansans have asked law makers to provide protections from second hand smoke. The smoke free train started in Salina with the first local smoke free ordinance and then the momentum rolled across the state. Citizens called their legislators, wrote letters to their newspapers, and traveled to Topeka. Grassroots efforts for a smoke free state reached a crescendo this year. “The voices of thousands of Kansas could not be quieted or ignored,” Lowen said.   
       

      “Our next step is to encourage our members and all Kansans to support hospitality businesses as they transition to smoke free environments. Experience shows us that going smoke free is good for health and good for business.”