House Resolution 143

PAG LIN

  1  1                HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2       BY  WHITAKER, STEVENS, BELL, COHOON, SWAIM,
  1  3  D. TAYLOR, THOMAS, MILLER, MERTZ, SMITH, KUHN, FOEGE,
  1  4    WHITEAD, LYKAM, WENDT, GREIMANN, JACOBY, LENSING,
  1  5              HOGG, SHOMSHOR, and OSTERHAUS
  1  6 A Resolution urging all Iowans to kick the habit of
  1  7    smoking.
  1  8    WHEREAS, nearly one=third of all cancer deaths are
  1  9 related to tobacco use according to the National
  1 10 Cancer Institute; and
  1 11    WHEREAS, the National Center for Tobacco=Free Kids
  1 12 reports that 4,600 Iowans die each year from tobacco=
  1 13 related causes and that tobacco use costs Iowa
  1 14 business $824 million per year in lost productivity,
  1 15 and costs the Iowa Medicaid system $235 million per
  1 16 year; and
  1 17    WHEREAS, the same report estimates that 23 percent
  1 18 of Iowa adults and 27 percent of Iowa high school
  1 19 students smoke cigarettes; and
  1 20    WHEREAS, 9,400 Iowa young people under 18 years of
  1 21 age start smoking each year; and
  1 22    WHEREAS, secondhand smoke increases upper
  1 23 respiratory infections, aggravates asthma, and causes
  1 24 heart disease and cancer in nonsmokers who are exposed
  1 25 to the secondhand smoke; and
  1 26    WHEREAS, Just Eliminate Lies clubs have been
  1 27 established at schools throughout the state to dispel
  1 28 the untruths spread by tobacco companies that would
  1 29 have consumers believe that smoking is an acceptable
  1 30 human behavior; and
  2  1    WHEREAS, tobacco use causes more deaths per year
  2  2 than alcohol, illegal drugs, car accidents, AIDS,
  2  3 suicides, fires, and murders combined; and
  2  4    WHEREAS, tobacco use is the most preventable cause
  2  5 of serious illness; and
  2  6    WHEREAS, the Iowa Quitline has been established to
  2  7 help smokers quit by calling 1=866=U=CAN=TRY; NOW
  2  8 THEREFORE,
  2  9    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
  2 10 That Wednesday, March 31, 2004, shall be declared Iowa
  2 11 Kick Butts Day and that all Iowans who smoke are
  2 12 encouraged to quit smoking for the day and to take
  2 13 serious steps to quit smoking for good.
  2 14 LSB 6920HH 80
  2 15 rj/gg/14