Group pushes to ban smoking at Pennsylvania casinos
The group aims to amend the Clean Indoor Air Act to eradicate a loophole that permits smoking at venues such as casinos.
US.- A group is pushing to amend a house bill in order to permanently ban smoking in casinos, bars and other establishments.
The Breathe Free Pennsylvania Coalition comprises various anti-smoking organisations including the American Lung Association, The American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Association.
It aims to amend the Clean Indoor Air Act of Pennsylvania to eradicate a loophole that permits smoking at venues premises such as casinos.
House Bill 2298 was introduced by state Rep. Dan Frankel to disallow the right for establishments such as bars and casinos to permit smoking at their own discretion.
The Pennsylvania Health Department prohibited smoking on such premises as part of reopening measures after the coronavirus lockdown, but the policies are not written in law.
Speaking at a virtual meeting of the Breathe Free Coalition, Frankel said: “Exposure to second-hand smoke kills approximately 41,000 non-smokers in the U.S. every single year.
“It made sense before the Pandemic, but the idea of rolling back these protections once they’ve already been put in place is absolutely inconceivable.”
Last month two Las Vegas casinos imposed a total ban on smoking indoors, and panelists at the National Indian Gaming Association recently discussed the positive aspects of banning smoking across casino premises.
