MASON CITY — The Iowa Smokefree Air Act turned 10 years old July 1, 2018. Iowa is one of 25 states that have enacted comprehensive smoke-free laws addressing secondhand smoke exposure in workplaces, restaurants and bars.
Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed the Smokefree Air Act into law in 2008. On the Act’s five-year anniversary, a poll by the American Cancer Society Action Network found 82 percent of registered Iowa voters indicated their support of the law banning workplace smoking and said it had made Iowa a better place to live.
“The Smoke Free Air Act was the catalyst for many smoke-free initiatives,” said Penny McCaslin, Tobacco Program Coordinator for the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health. “Iowans are now protected from second hand smoke not only in the workplace, but in hundreds of parks and outdoor entertainment areas, and smoke-free rentals, many of which are listed on the Smoke Free Homes Registry.”
For more information about the Smoke Free Air Act, including frequently asked questions about the law, visit https://smokefreeair.iowa.gov/. To access the Smoke Free Homes Registry, go to https://smokefreehomes.iowa.gov/ and if you are ready to quit tobacco, call Quitline Iowa at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), or visit www.quitlineiowa.org. Registration specialists and Quit Coaches® are available 24 hours a day.
