She walked into the room with an air of mystery. It was there next to the dollar machine that he saw her. The song “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” played as they stared each other down. The room reeked with the recycled pollution of the careless cigarette. She coughed. He then lit her cigarette as she took a whiff. Then she blew the smoke back into his face. There they were coughing themselves to an eventual death.
Smoking may have been glamorized in movies of the ’30s and ’40s; however, there is nothing glamorous about lungs turning black from decay. Today there are still areas where smoking is a part of the establishment. People don’t have the right to smoke in public places.
There are many well-document sources which state the dangers of secondhand smoke. According to the American Lung Association there are about 600 toxins in cigarettes. When they are lit they can release more than 4,000 chemicals. About 50 have been proven to cause cancer. Do the research.
The World Health Organization, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Surgeon General, and the California Environmental Protection Agency have all classified secondhand tobacco smoke as a Class A carcinogen to which there is no safe level of exposure.
So why do we still endure smoke being blown in our faces in order to enjoy a bit of well-deserved fun at tribal casinos?
Smoking has been banned inside businesses with employees and virtually all other workplaces in California since 1998. This is thanks to the California Smoke-free Workplace Act.
Why are Indian casinos, who are masters at meeting customer needs and desires in so many ways, lagging behind on this issue? Sixty-one tribal casinos currently operate in 26 California counties. They employ over 60,000 workers. It is estimated that the number of employees in tribal gaming and resort properties will exceed 80,000 within two years. Yet, staff and patrons of Indian casinos are still waiting for the same clean air that has been guaranteed in all other California entertainment spots for over a decade.
The scientists and economists have been telling us for years and now customers are speaking loud and clear — everybody wins with smoke-free Indian casinos. What are you waiting for? It’s time for a new deal.
To comment on this story click here to be directed to Facebook.
