Tobacco Documents Online

DISCUSSION DRAFT Get Involved! Mac/(m)/Advocate Folder -1- Editorial Page GET INVOLVED! A roximately 45 million Americans choose to smoke four adults. that' y s about one in ever Poll smokers as also show that the majority Americans -- non- ell as smokers -- favor public smoking policies for the accommodation of non-smokers and that provide smokers. ~A N/USA Today poll found that 61 percent of all respondent smokers in accommodatin fa ored accommodating both non-smokers and est e urants, while 78 percent favored bo h groups in hotels and motels. `V A consti political clo uen t. And yet, d n that large should wield considerable spite\ ~S., a e the large number of adult, voting-age d in direct opposition to the public's smokers in the U generally toleran anti-smoking moveme attit t has advancing its agenda) publication shows that on several fronts. de towards smoking, the activist been remarkably successful in Even a casual reading of this smoke and smoking are under attack Anti-smoking groups h gaining the support of large e bee a particularly successful in erful federal and pd bureaucracies, such as the Foo 0 Occupational Safety and Health House and the Environmental Prot s also been very effective at enli media to their cause. and ID,r ug dmini~s ra ction ~ ng the Administration, the tion, the White ency. They have ainstream news The end result is that the anti-smoking movment has had an effect upon public tobacco policies and an infl 0 ence on i

N DISCUSSION DRAFT Get Involved! Mac/(m)/Advocate Folder -2- the p blic smoking debate that is far out of proportion to their latively small numbers. Why? And what can we -- the majority of people who believe in accommodation and tolerance -- do about it? A clue to the effectiveness of the organized, activist anti-smoking movement can be found in the very words "organized" a d,"activist." Anti-smokers act. Anti-smokers are well orga ized. Anti-smokers get involved. They collect signatures, wr te letters, call their elected representatives and testify at earings. They are motivated. The anti-sm king movement has a goal and a vision that keeps them both a tive and focused they want to create a smoke free society They may have stopped demanding "a smoke free society by the year 2000," but that does not mean they have stopped working towards their ultimate goal, which is a complete and total ba on all tobacco use by anyone anywhere. Smokers who want t protect their right to choose to smoke and non-smokers wh believe in tolerance and accommodation need to be ust as active and focused. Otherwise, the anti-smoker ' vision could become reality. If we do not speak up, the anti-smoking message is goi we do not get involved, then g to be the only one elected r. Our own silence will be representatives and the media he the anti-smoking movement's grea st ally. When restaurant or other smok in our cities and towns, we must make writing or speaking out at public hear want to raise, cigarette excise taxes, bans are being proposed our opposition known by gs. When politicians to let them know that we consider these st write or call es to be an unfair

f DISCUSSION DRAFT Get Involved! Mac/(m)/Advocate Folder -3- burden, and that we will remember their actions at election tiii~e. We must demand our place at the table when public smoking policies and other issues affecting smokers are being debated. Only by speaking up and taking action will we be able to defend successfully our right to make our own decisions in a free society. # # #