Smoking is an addictive habit for most people across the globe. The medical fraternity unanimously states that cigarette smoking is the most prevalent cause of preventable morbidity and premature mortality.
Studies show that though in the past decade, instances of cigarette smoking and sales have declined in the U.S, sale of non-cigarette tobacco products have been on the rise. Even though data show declining environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in the workplace in recent times, ETS exposure remains a common public health hazard that is entirely preventable.[i] Despite there being many state and local laws to reduce exposure to ETS, there is no total elimination of nonsmokers’ exposure to ETS.
There are a variety of legislation in the United Sates regulating, restricting, and prohibiting smoking. Smoking, except in designated smoking rooms and outdoor spaces, is prohibited in federal buildings since 1997 by an Executive Order.[ii] A 2004 Executive Order further prohibited smoking “in all interior space owned, rented or leased by the executive branch of the Federal Government, and in any outdoor areas under executive branch control in front of air intake ducts.”[iii]
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was signed on June 22, 2009. As per this legislation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is vested with the authority to regulate tobacco products.[iv]
[i]http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2000/highlights/ataglance/index.htm
[ii] http://ohmygov.com/blogs/general_news/archive/2009/01/01/move-those-ashtrays-no-smoking-within-25-feet-federal-buildings.aspx
[iii] Id
[iv] http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm168412.htm