Smoking Ban Great, But Only A First Step
Chewing Tobacco is a threat to athletes and spectators, that was left out of Chatham-Kent’s recent Smoke-Free bylaw.
It’s a great step forward for the health of our community. No longer will youth, or fellow spectators be subjected to secondhand smoke of any kind.
The move however, I hope, is only a first step. While cigarettes and other lit tobacco products are an excellent thing to rid our parks of, in terms of athletic areas, unlit tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco, and snuff, I hope are on council’s radar.
Having attended hundreds of athletic events across Chatham-Kent in recent years, I frequently see coaches, athletes, and spectators chewing tobacco in the bleachers, dugout, on the bench, in arenas, and surprisingly, during competition.
In fact, I see more people at sporting events using smokeless tobacco, than I do smoking.
While public health programs such as the Tobacco Free initiatives are excellent for education, and some organizations have implemented them effectively, smokeless tobacco products are still a major health concern.
Council’s new bylaw is excellent, a progressive step forward for community health. Chatham-Kent’s public health unit should also be recognized for spearheading this move.
Now however, I challenge them to attack all tobacco products. Unfortunately in sports, there is a culture of using chewing tobacco. Several sports see coaches, and more prominent athletes using chew from a young age, and grow up thinking it’s a regular part of participating in those sports.
If Chatham-Kent is to be a truly healthy community, I hope council will continue to take steps to combat tobacco use of all types in our public parks, recreational areas, and athletic fields and arenas.
While naysayers will attest that without secondhand smoke, chewing tobacco is not harming anyone but the user; I’d argue however, that the precedent and example being set for young athletes is of equal concern to their future health.
So thank you to Chatham-Kent’s council and public health unit; but let’s not let this conversation die, let’s take the next step and continue to develop our Municipal bylaws to protect the health of our athletes, youth, and citizens.
RWJF owner of J&J, maker of the promoted and sponsored smokeless NRT products illegally spent $700 million to lobby for smoker bans. This money is funneled through the alphabet “non profit charity” groups such as the ACS. The IRS needs to investigate this illegal use of funds and the illegal lobbying that is putting folks out of business and on the unemployment lines. These are nothing more than “native advertising” (payola fraud) in “social engineering” (eugenics) using “denormalization” (segregation and hate) for profits.