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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Health Groups Rallying at Capitol Today to Protect Freedom to Breathe

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Thursday, April 7, 2011   

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Clearway Minnesota are joining forces today at the Capitol to rally against proposed legislation that aims to roll back the Freedom to Breathe Act.

Physician Courtney Jordan Baechler, a preventive cardiologist with University of Minnesota Physicians, says she's speaking out to protect the landmark legislation because it has proven to be a huge success in helping protect workers against the effects of second-hand smoke.

"For me as a cardiologist, one of the greatest things has been that there's fewer heart attacks. Also, just after one month of the law going into effect, exposure to all cancer-causing chemicals in non-smoking hospitality workers, such as the bar industry, had fallen by 85 percent."

The bill's authors have argued that the law has hurt the bar and restaurant business, but Baechler says her brother owns a bar, and the law actually helped level the playing field for him by having a uniform state law that treats all businesses the same. She adds that 79 percent of Minnesotans overall are in support of the law, and 28 other states also have a smoking ban that protects all workers.

Baechler, who is also the Twin Cities Medical Society representative for the Tobacco Tax Coalition, says the Freedom to Breathe Act continues to carry broad non-partisan support, because many lawmakers understand the social and financial costs of tobacco-related health problems.

"It continues to be the number one preventable cause of mortality. Time and time again, the biggest things that change tobacco use are improving policies regarding it. Whatever we can do to make sure current laws, like Freedom to Breathe, don't get roll-backs is huge."

According to a recent report out from the Minnesota Department of Health, the rate of cigarette smoking in Minnesota has gone down consistently over the past decade and is lower than the national average. The report attributes the trend to a decade of tobacco control policy.

The health organizations are also rallying today in support of the Cigarette Uniformity Act, which would treat little cigars the same as cigarettes. Baechler explains that little cigars are the same size and shape as cigarettes, they come with a filter, they come 20 to a pack, but they currently escape the same taxes and regulations.

"Because of this, they're much cheaper, and they come in all sorts of fruity flavors that make them very appealing to kids. We know one of the biggest issues is getting people not to start smoking at all. So, if we can keep kids from ever starting to smoke, they're less likely to smoke later on."

The full Department of Health report is available at http://bit.ly/e4B4f6.




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