Tobacco Documents Online

Services of Mead Data Central, Ina FZ LEVEL 1 - 12 OF 55 STORIES Proprietary to the United Press International 1989' January 11, 1989, Wednesday, BC cycle ADVANCED-DATE: January 9, 1989, Monday, BC cycle SECTION: Standing Feature LENGTH: 497 words PAGE 30 HEADLINE: Smoking; Anti-smoking group knows how to clear the air BYLINE: By TAMARA HENRY DATELINE: WASHINGTON KEYWORD: Smoking BODY: Robert Rosner really knows how to clear the air, literally and figuratively, and this ability has won him respect from smokers and non-smokers. Rosner, executive director of the Smoking Policy Institute, was recently awarded the Surgeon General's Medallion in a surprise ceremony at the private office of Surgeon General C. Everett Kbop. " You.have a knack for going in and achieving a smoke-free workplace and making people like it,'" Koop said. This month marks the 25th anniversary of the first surgeon general's report that connected smoking with increased risk of lung cancer. Cigarette smoking has been a prime target of Koop, who has called for a " smoke-free society by the year 200011 and announced in May that nicotine in tobacco is as addictive as heroin and cocaine. Statistics show Americans consumed an estimated 573 billion cigarettes las t year, and that 300,000 to 500,000 of them die every year because they smoke. Rosner, whose group is based in Seattle, was clearly surprised by the award; he had dropped by Koop's office for a brief greeting. The surgeon general said " the institute is a credible, visible and centralized information resource committed to protectina people from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke in the workplace and to helping business develop healthy options to smoking in the workplace." The National Cancer Institute described the program as " widely acknowledged as the nation's technical expert on the issue of environmental tobacco smoke and its impact in the workplace.'" The institute has helped determine who may smoke at work and where at organizations as diverse as Pacific Nbrthwest Bell, CIGNA Health-plan of Arizona, Ralston Purina headquarters in St. Louis and the Indian Health LEXISNEXIsLEUesNEXes" I

Services of, W1'ead Data Central, Inc. PAGE 311 Proprietary to the United Press International, January 11, 1989 Service, which is a dlivision,of the Health and Human Services Department. Pointing to a key'5UCCE55 at the Lexington Clinic, a Kentucky medical center, Rosner quipped, ''We got smoking banned in.the middle of the tobacco belt." " The key thing is not whether you choose to smoke.but when and where you choose to smoke, " Rosner said in an interview. " I really have a great deal of empathy for how smokers get treated in this society, and I know what it's like not to breathe. " The institute''s approach is unique. The focus is not on getting people to quit smoking but to help people determine if they are ready to quit smoking a nd the best way to stop. Rosner stressed that most smokers ''already are carrying guilt'' and do not need a"value-laden format'' but an approach ''with a level o r' eness an respect. " Companies and organizations are given a comprehensive list of all the policy alternatives and options so that companies can develop policies based ont heir special needs. Rosner said that a total ban is the most effective response to some company's circumstances, while designated areas are more appropriate solutions for others. W LEXIS@NE x Is' c E x IsOMEx e sO