The legislative process and procedural mechanisms

¶ … nurse in one of the local hospitals in Louisiana, I have noticed that many children are hospitalized with various health issues like ear infections, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, rhinitis, pneumonia, sinusitis, and sore throats. These medical issues have become common among students in the region without a clear understanding of the major contributing factors. In attempts to identify the main factors resulting in the illnesses, I have conducted state-wide analysis of the problem. The analysis has indicated that most of these children are exposed to secondhand smoke, which has enhanced the rates of these diseases. Children in this state are increasingly exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke in various environments. It is reported that over 294,000 children below 18 years and 91,000 children below 5 years regularly share breathing space with smokers in their own homes throughout Louisiana.

The scope of this issue contributes to the need to establish measures that will lessen exposure to secondhand smoke, especially in spaces that are regularly accessed by children. The most appropriate measure for dealing with the issue is enacting Smoke-Free law that would prohibit smoking in many enclosed public places or environments.

Background

As previously mentioned, children in Louisiana are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke or secondhand smoke in various settings and environments ("Secondhand Smoke and Children," n.d.). The State's Department of Health and Hospitals report that nearly 300,000 and 100,000 children below 18 and 5 years respectively regularly share breathing space with smokers in their respective homes. The exposure to secondhand smoke poses several health risks to children including the risk of Sudden Infant Death (SIDS), which is twice as much in a household or home with a smoking parent. This exposure causes nearly 2 million incidents of chronic middle ear infection on an annual basis and close to 500,000 incidents of bronchitis and nearly 200,000 cases of pneumonia in children below 5 years on a national annual basis. The increased rates of various clinical conditions among Louisiana children are attributed to the fact that secondhand smoke is the leading source of indoor air pollution since it contains approximately 5,000 chemical compounds.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011), 25 states and the District of Columbia have enacted comprehensive statutes that ban smoking in indoor environments like restaurants, workplaces, and bars to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke. These comprehensive smoke-free statutes have been crucial in lessening health care issues associated with exposure to secondhand smoke, especially among children. While the laws do not completely eliminate secondhand smoke, they significantly lessen medical conditions associated with exposure to it. Therefore, Louisiana will significantly benefit from enacting comprehensive smoke-free laws to protect non-smokers, especially children, from exposure to the smoke and eventual health risks. An example of a state that has enacted such laws is Arizona, which passed the Smoke-Free Arizona Act A.R.S. §36-601.01. The law is viewed as a landmark statute that has helped Arizona to clear the air and protect people and the environment.

Assessment

The enactment of this legislation would help many households in Louisiana to save costs associated with increased medical expenditures in treatment of health issues that are brought by exposure to secondhand smoke. Moreover, the state will lessen its health care expenditures since the law will address the major factors that contribute to increased health risks and issues, which in turn increase expenditures in health care. Therefore, this legislation will have considerable positive financial impacts on households and the state.

The Smoke-Free bill is likely to be supported by the smoke-free movement in Louisiana as well as a huge portion of the public. The smoke-free movement will support this bill because of its campaign towards the enactment of legislation that focuses on enforcement of smoking bans in various settings across the state to protect the public from harmful effects of secondhand smoke. The movement's support will also be based on its campaign for lower smoking prevalence and lesser tobacco consumption. In contrast, a huge portion of the public will support the bill because it contributes to improved health of the population, especially children.

However, the bill will receive huge opposition from manufacturers of cigarettes and the entire tobacco industry. Similar to Arizona, the Louisiana tobacco industry and manufacturers are likely to spend millions of dollars in opposition to the bill ("Arizona," n.d.). These manufacturers and the industry will oppose the bill through establishing and sponsoring a counter-initiative campaign. The industry's opposition will be fueled by the fact that the bill would likely contribute to reduced tobacco consumption, which will in turn contribute to lesser profits or revenue for the tobacco industry.