Tag Archives: tobacco

Fighting Politics -As Usual

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This is a sort of convoluted story that without the background is difficult to explain, but I’ll try my best.

As you probably know, Colorado has been in the limelight as far as national politics go. We had the Democratic National Convention here and Barack Obama made his acceptance speech. In the past couple of years we have had “W” himself visit Greeley, twice. And just this week we had Palin in Loveland (Monday) and Biden in Greeley (Tuesday). We are a hotbed for politics because we are a fairly “purple” state, especially Northern Colorado. (All this talk about red, white, black and blue makes me certain that politics is just one big brawl with a huge bruise in the end!)


This picture has not been edited in any way- It’s hilarious!

Anyway, while Greeley is generally pretty conservative, it has (surprisingly?) been one of the more progressive cities when it comes to tobacco policies (which is part of my job). Greeley passed the strongest smokefree policy of the state, led the way for Tobacco Free Schools and prohibited cigarette vending machines. Last year, around this same time of year, we took on US Smokeless Tobacco and along with huge community support and Tobacco Free Weld County Coalition, the City Council passed the ‘No Free Tobacco Giveaway Ordinance’ which prohibits giving away free tobacco to anyone in Greeley. One city councilwoman, Debbie Pilch, led the charge to help move this ordinance to the point where it would be voted on. In the end, this was a huge victory for the health of the public, and while this explanation gives it no justice, suffice it to say that it was not without controversy (and very stressful).

http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=79148
This is a link to the article when I was on the news, I’ll put the video up once I can find it

Fast forward to this year. We decided to support Debbie Pilch in her run for County Commissioner and placed one of her signs saying as much in our yard. This weekend we went to get our mail and noticed a ticket from our Home Owner’s Association’s management company that basically said, “Please remove your political sign from public view”. This is incredible! Whatever happened to freedom of speech? Well, it turns out that this ticket is completely illegal and the Colorado state congress even passed Senate Bill 100 (SB 100) for just this reason; that is, to protect homeowner’s rights that HOA’s were systematically ignoring. Now we have to contact our Management Company and explain this to them. And THIS is after we had to kick out the last management company (a neighborhood coup d’etat) for essentially stealing from our neighborhood (collecting unauthorized fees, fines, and much more).


The Sign in Question, Can you Even See it?


The Ticket

The moral of the story: I don’t think you can ever get away from Politics -especially without a fight!

Update: Still swinging away, Britton’s conversation with the management company went a little something like this:

So I called.

Me: “I live in clover creek and got a notice to take down my political sign”
her: “yep”

Me: “well….I don’t think you can do that. Its part of SB 100 that protects me”
her: “well its in your covenants”

Me: “well that’s not how it works (aka SB 100 trumps our covenants and bylaws) ”
her: “its in there”

Me: “that isn’t what I meant….tell ya what. Why don’t you send me the part in the covenants, we’ll start there

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Secondhand Smoke Article in Newspaper

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An article I wrote for the newspaper in July has finally been printed today (see above or below)! It is part of an effort alongside United Way to educate the community about the health hazards of secondhand smoke, especially for children.

I believe Puerto Rico is one of only a few places in the US that disallows smoking in cars with children! Definitely ahead of the curve. Puerto Rico went smoke free in all bars and restaurants around the same time that Colorado did (July 2006) and they were smart to include casinos right away, unlike Colorado that had to wait until last January.  

The Facts about Secondhand Smoke.

Did you know that one in five children in the United States is exposed to secondhand smoke on a regular basis? This is staggering because tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure are the leading causes of preventable death and disease. The majority of Colorado residents know secondhand smoke is harmful, but many smokers continue to smoke in their homes and cars, exposing children to secondhand smoke.

Secondhand tobacco smoke is a mixture of more than 4,000 chemical compounds. More than 60 of these are known to cause cancer. It is a Group A carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) like radon or asbestos. Secondhand smoke comes from both the smoke exhaled and burning from the end of a cigarette.

Exposure to secondhand smoke has been associated with an increase or worsening of many conditions. These include chronic coughing, wheezing, chest discomfort, severe respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, eye and nose irritation, ear infections, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and low birth weight for babies of women who smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy.

Why It’s Even Worse for Children Than Adults.

Because children are growing, they breathe more air than adults per pound of weight. In a smoke-filled room or car, children absorb greater doses of smoke than adults do. The breathing zones of children are also closer to the floor, where heavier chemicals tend to accumulate. These chemicals and pollutants accumulate in carpets, fabrics, and walls. Children eat, play, crawl, sit and sleep on these very surfaces.

Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are also more likely to become smokers. This is due to both modeling the behavior from adults and having early exposure to nicotine, the addictive component of tobacco. Children with even one parent who smokes have five times the level of nicotine by-product in their system as those without a parent smoker.

So what can be done to protect kids from the harms of tobacco? By following these 10 guidelines, parents, caregivers and family members can protect children from tobacco:

1. Quit tobacco. This is the best thing someone can do for his or her health and the health of loved ones. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free nicotine patches and coaching. This is especially important if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
2. Never smoke in an automobile used to transport children, even when they are not present.
3. Smoke outside only, away from vents, doors and windows.
4. Use a “smoking jacket” that is kept outside. Don’t wear clothing you smoke in around children-chemicals are absorbed into fabrics!
5. Wash your hands and face after smoking.
6. Get rid of any used cigarettes lying on the ground where children play.
7. Dispose of cigarette butts or chew cans in a safe place away from children.
8. Never let anyone smoke near your child.
9. Tell friends and family members about the dangers of secondhand smoke to protect all children.
10. Talk to your children early and often about not using tobacco.

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