Casino Employees Oppose Indoor Smoking Through Comparison to Canadian Forest Fires
The US Midwest and East Coast are still experiencing unhealthy haze and orange-colored smog due to wildfires in Canada. New Jersey's governor, Phil Murphy, had to close state offices on Wednesday because of deteriorating air quality conditions.
Wildfire smoke has traveled several hundred miles south, reaching New Jersey. Casino workers are drawing parallels with their smoke-filled workplaces and the Canadian wildfire smoke. CEASE, Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects, formed last summer when the emergency health order related to COVID-19 expired. This led to a temporary ban on indoor smoking at the nine Atlantic City casinos.
CEASE has since expanded to Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Kansas. The organization issued a statement, saying, “The wildfires hundreds of miles away have a significant impact on our ability to breathe clean air on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Allowing indoor smoking in casinos has a major impact on workers and nonsmoking guests.”
The Canadian wildfires are causing unhealthy air conditions through the entire Midwest and East Coast. AirNow.gov, a platform created by the US Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that all of New Jersey is currently experiencing “unhealthy” air.
CEASE has been pushing New Jersey lawmakers to close the casino smoking loophole, which was created by the 2006 Smoke-Free Air Act. This act forbids indoor smoking in the majority of public places, but made an exception for casinos. The organization claims that two bills, Assembly Bill 2151 and Senate Bill 264, have enough co-sponsors to be sent to Murphy's desk if the General Assembly addresses the issue.
Murphy claims that he supports banning smoking in Atlantic City, but the legislature needs to implement this measure. He has brushed off claims from the gaming industry that prohibiting smoking would hurt revenue and cost a quarter of the casino workforce.
Democratic leaders in New Jersey are believed to be stalling the anti-casino smoking measures until the November elections are finished. All 120 Assembly and Senate seats are at stake during this election.
CEASE leaders are growing impatient and demanding immediate action, saying casino workers can't wait any longer for the lawmakers to force their employers to relocate smokers outside. The CDC argues that even casinos with designated smoking and nonsmoking sections contain harmful levels of secondhand smoke and carcinogens in the purported nonsmoking areas. The organization urges, “It has been almost two years since smoking was permitted back inside Atlantic City casinos. As people seek refuge from the smoke by staying at home or in smoke-free offices, we keep calling on our elected officials to pass legislation to close the casino smoking loophole and safeguard our health.”
