Rest of the Story Author on Maine Things Considered

On MPBN's (Maine Public Broadcasting Network's) Maine Things Considered yesterday afternoon, Rest of the Story author Dr. Michael Siegel argued against proposed legislation to ban smoking in cars with children. Click here to listen to the segment.

The Rest of the Story

While proponents of this legislation may indicate that they do not support banning smoking in homes, they should. If the hazards to children from smoking in cars are so severe that government needs to intervene to regulate the health risks to which parents expose their children, then certainly the problem of secondhand smoke exposure in homes, where children spend many more hours, is even more important and children deserve protection.

Whether proponents support home smoking bans or not, the same reasoning that would justify car smoking bans also justifies home smoking bans, and even more strongly.

One point I made in the radio interview which was not aired was the possibility that this legislation could harm children's health by causing parents to roll up their windows while smoking in fear that the police may pull them over.

I doubt that any anti-smoking group will have the courage to oppose this legislation, even though it leads naturally to supporting legislation to ban smoking in homes.