From: tac@cheztac.com
Date: Tue, 04/10/07
We're passing on this message from Jim Bergman, of the Smokefree
Environments Law Project, about a story on smokefree housing, airing
TONIGHT (Tuesday, April 10), on CNN.
There are a few links to smokefree housing resources at
http://www.smokefreedc.org/housing.htm
---
MEDIA ALERT: CNN's Paula Zahn Now show is planning to air a segment on
smoke-free multi-unit housing on Tuesday evening, April 10 th,
sometime during the show, which airs at 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. EDT. As
always, this could change at the last minute, but that's what I've been
told by the producer as of Saturday noon.
The segment focuses on the efforts many of us have been making to gain
the adoption of 100% smoke-free policies in apartments, condominiums and
related multi-unit housing. A special focus is expected to be on the
adoption of smoke-free policies in publicly-assisted housing. While one
can never be certain what will make it onto the show, we know that
taping was done at the elderly/disabled housing operated by the
Marysville Housing Commission in Michigan, where two residents - one in
favor of their smoke-free policy and one opposed - were interviewed, as
was the Director and the Chair of the Board. I was also interviewed in
Ann Arbor. I believe that an opponent of smoke-free policies, probably
from FORCES or some related tobacco industry front group, will also be
on the segment.
This CNN segment follows a USA Today article on April 4th with the
headline "Public housing kicks smoking habit". These two media pieces
were being worked on simultaneously and will serve to highlight the
value of and need for smoke-free policies in multi-unit housing. The
USA Today article can be accessed at
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20070404/a_smoking04.art.htm
There have also, in the past two weeks, been a number of articles on
this topic in the Canadian press, including much media about an Ontario
survey that showed strong consumer demand for smoke-free multi-unit
housing. To access many of these and related articles, go to our Recent
ETS News site at http://www.tcsg.org/sfelp/news.htm and scroll down.
Much credit is due to the many folks in the health, tobacco control, and
housing communities in the U.S. and Canada who have recognized that
smoke-free policies in multi-unit housing are as important as smoke-free
workplace and public places laws and have begun to actively seek their
adoption. The growing media interest in this issue will greatly assist
us all in these efforts.
Jim Bergman, J.D.
Smoke-Free Environments Law Project
Co-Director
The Center for Social Gerontology, Inc.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
jbergman@tcsg.org
http://www.tcsg.org
http://www.tcsg.org/sfelp/home.htm
http://www.mismokefreeapartment.org
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never
will. If there is no struggle, there is no progress. -- Frederick
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