Talking Points for Smoke-Free Advocacy

Introduce yourself

• My name is [ ] and I'm from [ let them know if you're from their district ]. I'm involved with the Dakota County Smoke-Free Communities Partnership [ ].
• Let them know why you are interested in smoke-free issues. Remember the elected official's office exists in order to hear and address your concerns as a citizen.

Explain the problem

• About 3,000 nonsmokers die every year in America from lung cancer caused by exposure to secondhand smoke. 1
• At least 35,000 nonsmokers die every year from heart disease caused by exposure to secondhand smoke. 1
• The recent Surgeon General's report indicated there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that exposure of adults to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system. 3
• Tobacco smoke contains a complex mixture of more than 4,000 chemicals. 3 Eleven of the 4,000 chemicals are known to cause cancer in humans. 4

Identify solutions

• I want the City Council to seriously consider an all-inclusive, comprehensive smoke-free workplace policy.

Ask for a commitment

• Ask for a reasonable commitment and follow-up within a timeframe agreed to by both parties. It may be to champion a smoke-free policy or to read policy research you offer send to the legislator's office.

Follow up with a thank you note

• Follow-up calls will let the legislator know you are still concerned and engaged in the issue and will enable you to find out if any commitment has been made or any action taken.
• Legislators are busy, and they may not call you back. Be persistent though polite in calling or emailing until you receive a response.
• Send a thank-you note to the elected official who met with you thanking him or her for his / her time, as well as any additional materials you committed to providing. Share www.smokefreedakota.org as a resource.

1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Annual Smoking Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses—United States 19972001.” MMWR. 2005; 54: 625628

2 Barnoya, J and S Glantz. “Cardiovascular Effects of Secondhand Smoke Nearly as Large as Smoking.” Circulation . 2005; 111:26482698.

3 US Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke: a report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2006.

4 National Cancer Institute. Risks Associated with Smoking Cigarettes with Low Machine Measured Yields of Tar and Nicotine . Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 13 Bethesda, MD. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. 2001.