Everyone can agree that methamphetamine is a serious health issue. Our own Rep. Rod Hamilton authored a bill addressing the problem, acknowledging that "meth poisons the systems of anyone around." Rep. Hamilton, however, didn't offer leadership last week when he failed to vote to protect all employees from another substance that can also poison the systems of anyone around ... secondhand smoke.
Maybe he doesn't know secondhand smoke contains 11 known cancer-causing agents and 250 toxins. Permanent health risks it offers to children and adults include asthma, cancer, and heart disease. The surgeon general stated there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. A poison is a poison ... our elected official should be working to protect our public health.
If it's good to protect our kids from the poisons of meth, it's just as good to protect our kids from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Rep. Hamilton needs to make the connection and vote yes for the Freedom to Breathe Act.
