Smoke Free Indy

Super Smoke Free Bar Guides

editor — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:42:43 +0000

Proposal 18 was passed by the Indianapolis City-County Council on Monday night and is awaiting Mayor Ballard’s signature! Unfortunately, it will not be implemented prior to the Super Bowl this weekend. So until all of Indy’s bars and taverns are smoke-free, we have created two bar guides to help residents and visitors find smoke free Indy bars and clubs. A downtown guide will be printed and distributed to downtown hotels and is available here and a guide for those of you who will be visiting other areas of the city can be found here. Please thank these smoke free bars for protecting the health of their patrons and workers!

Don’t see your favorite smoke free bar on these guides? Email info@smokefreeindy.com and we will be sure to add them!

Some Indy Bars Go Smoke-free Before the Super Bowl

editor — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:31:49 +0000

Several Indy bars have decided to make the switch from smoking to non-smoking before the Super Bowl. In a recent WTHR 13 news story, bar owners and managers stated that the potential for passage of a stronger smoke-free air law and the influx of visitors for the Super Bowl were major catalysts for the decision.

New Secondhand Smoke Economic Impact Study Released

editor — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:17:18 +0000

Researchers from the Bowen Research Center at Indiana University School of Medicine have released a new economic impact study that examines the costs associated with secondhand smoke exposure in Marion County. The study reports these costs to be $195 million annually in medical care and lost years of expected life. Read the full report here.

ICVA Supports a Smoke Free Indy

editor — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:56:29 +0000

The Indiana Convention and Visitors Association announced last week that they support Proposal 352 which will strengthen Indianapolis’ current ordinance to cover more businesses, including bars, bowling alleys, and hotel/motel rooms.

Smoke Free Indy Launches Ad Campaign

editor — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:58:26 +0000

Smoke Free Indy Radio Ad & Smoke Free Indy Print Ad Smoke Free Indy has launched a new ad campaign in support of protecting all workers from the dangers of secondhand smoke.

2011 Big Ten Bar Guide

editor — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:00:16 +0000

Smoke Free Indy is proud to announce the release of the 2011 Big Ten Bar Guide featuring the NCAA selected bars for each Big Ten School and a list of Indianapolis’ smokefree downtown bars. Print off a copy of the guide today if you are downtown to watch the games.

If you root for a team that is in a smoky bar, make sure to let the NCAA know that next year you prefer a smokefree bar. Also let us know about your experience visiting Indianapolis; info@smokefreeindy.com.

Smoke Free Indy Big Ten Bar Guide Press Release: March 9, 2011
FOUL PLAY: THREE SCHOOLS ASSIGNED SMOKING HOME BARS FO RTHE BIG TEN Smoke Free Indy to provide list of downtown smoke-free venues to basketball fans

Town Hall Media Coverage

editor — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:29:30 +0000

News coverage of Smoke Free Indy’s, November 30, 2010, town hall with the University of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College, Marian University, Martin University and IUPUI on the need to make all Indianapolis businesses smoke free.

Town Hall Coverage WTHR Channel 13

Town Hall Coverage WXIN Channel 59

News Release: Local Universities Ask City Leaders to Make Indianapolis Smoke Free

editor — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:12:07 +0000

November 30, 2010

Indianapolis – On November 30, representatives from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College, Marian University, Martin University and University of Indianapolis, came together to ask city leaders to make all Indianapolis’ workplaces smoke free. The meeting, which took place at the Christian Theological Seminary, highlighted the need to protect the community from the dangerous effects of secondhand smoke exposure and to bring Indianapolis up to par with other world-class cities.

Out of the 20 largest U.S. cities, Indianapolis is one of five that does not have a 100 percent smoke free air law. With the fast-growing number of cities around the nation going completely smoke free, there is no doubt of the economic and health benefits of such a law. Why it is taking Indianapolis so long, is the only question left to answer.

“The majority of our students support smoke free policies. Young adults comprise the majority of the population still exposed to secondhand smoke. We want to be able to offer our students a safe environment not only on campus, but also in the community where they work, live and play,” said Kory Vitangeli, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at University of Indianapolis.

Universities are not the only group speaking out in support of a comprehensive smoke free air law in Indianapolis. Influential business, community and faith leaders, including leaders from Indianapolis’ five hospital systems, have all voiced their support and urged our leaders to enact a smoke free air policy to protect all workers without delay.

“At Marian University, we are committed to educating the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. The ‘body’ component means a healthy lifestyle,” said Ruth Rodgers, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Marian University. “We are excited that in July 2011 we will join hundreds of college campuses across the United States in going completely tobacco free. We are excited to join other local universities in supporting the passage of a smoke free air law covering all businesses in Indianapolis.”###

Smoke Free Indy is a coalition of state and local public health organizations, community based organizations, physicians, businesses, schools, the faith community, and Marion County residents dedicated to reducing secondhand smoke, tobacco usage and tobacco initiation through education, prevention and advocacy. For more information visit: www.smokefreeindy.com.

Do you want to quit smoking?

editor — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:15:40 +0000

Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is launching a new study that may be able to help. Participants will be randomly assigned by computer (like flipping a coin) to one of two online smoking cessation programs. The goal is to learn which program is the most effective at helping people quit.

Participants in both programs will receive:

• Interactive tools for dealing more effectively with urges to smoke

• Step-by-step guides for quitting smoking

• Personalized plans for quitting and remaining smokefree

• Electronic links for reaching one-on-one expert help for quitting

Participants will be asked to complete online questionnaires, including a brief six-month follow-up survey. There is no cost for participating in this study, and participants will not be paid. Risks and eligibility requirements are described on the study’s website.

To enroll in this study, please visit www.webquit.com.

New Smoke Free Indy Poll Released

editor — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:27:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

July 21, 2010

70% of Indianapolis Voters Support Law Making Bars, Restaurants And Other Workplaces Smoke-Free

Voters back measure to protect workers and customers from secondhand smoke

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 21, 2010) – A new poll released today finds that 70 percent of Indianapolis voters support passing a law to make all restaurants, bars and other workplaces smoke-free. The poll shows broad support for the law, including large majorities of men and women, whites and African-Americans, and Democrats and Republicans across Indianapolis.

“Now is the time for the City-County Council and Mayor to reconsider what a significant majority of Indianapolis voters desire - to have all restaurants, bars, and other workplaces be smoke-free. Voters agree that Indianapolis should protect all of its workers and customers from harmful secondhand smoke and join the growing list of great cities that have gone smoke-free,” said Vincent C. Caponi, CEO, St. Vincent Health.

The survey of 500 likely Indianapolis voters was released by Smoke Free Indy and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Smoke Free Indy is a coalition of public health organizations, community-based groups, physicians, businesses, schools, the faith community, and Marion County residents.

By a 70 percent to 27 percent margin, the poll found that voters support a law in Indianapolis that would prohibit smoking in most public places, including workplaces, public buildings, offices, bowling alleys, restaurants and bars. This includes fifty-six percent who strongly favor the law. Support cuts across party lines, including 63 percent of Republicans, 67 percent of Independents and 78 percent of Democrats.

The survey also found among Indianapolis voters:

• By a margin of 62 to 27 percent, voters are more likely to support a candidate who supports the smoke free law over one who opposes it.

• 84 percent believe that secondhand smoke is a health hazard, including 58 percent who say it is a serious health hazard.

• 72 percent believe that the right of customers and employees to breathe clean air in restaurants and bars is more important than the right of smokers to smoke and businesses owners to allow smoking.

• 80 percent believe all workers should be protected from exposure to secondhand smoke.

• 86 percent say bar and restaurant workers have the same right to breathe clean air as office employees.

“Voters recognize what the Surgeon General’s report found, that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and they want a strong law that protects their right and the right of all workers to breathe clean air. People across Indianapolis understand that it is wrong to force workers to choose between their jobs and their health,” said Dr. Ray Henderson, currently practicing cardiologist and Immediate Past President, Indiana Black Expo Board of Directors.

To date, 550 cities across the country have passed smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars. Of the 20 largest U.S. cities, 15 are protected by such laws. Indianapolis is one of the five that are not.

The need for protection from secondhand smoke in all workplaces and public places has never been clearer. Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including at least 69 carcinogens. The U.S. Surgeon General has found that secondhand smoke causes lung cancer, heart disease, serious respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome. The Surgeon General has also found that secondhand smoke causes tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S. each year, there is no safe level of exposure, and only smoke-free laws provide effective protection from secondhand smoke.

The evidence is also clear that smoke-free laws protect health without harming business. As the U.S. Surgeon General concluded in a 2006 report, “Evidence from peer-reviewed studies shows that smoke-free policies and regulations do not have an adverse impact on the hospitality industry.”

The survey was conducted by the polling firm Public Opinion Strategies. The poll has a sample of 500 registered likely Indianapolis voters and was conducted July 8 and 11, 2010. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4.38 percentage points.

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