Lung Association gives county, cities an F

Glenn County and its cities received an F in controlling tobacco use by the American Lung Association.

The organization's annual The State of Tobacco Control 2012 report grades the federal government and all 50 states and the District of Columbia on tobacco control efforts, its officials said.

A separate, but related report grades California and its cities or counties on local control measures such as smoke-free outdoor environments, smoke-free housing and reducing tobacco product sales.

This report indicates Glenn County, Orland and Willows are not doing enough to curb smoking.

"If the Orland City Council had passed (an outdoor smoking) ordinance in December, our grade would have been raised to a D-minus," said Sharon Lazorko, Glenn County Health Department tobacco project coordinator.

Lazorko is working with a group of Orland High School students belonging to Students Working Against Tobacco to get the smoking ban passed.

If approved, the ordinance would prohibit smoking within 20 feet of primary business entryways, around public playgrounds and picnic areas and in outdoor cafes.

The City Council has discussed the measure since December, made a number of revisions, and is on its way to a vote in February.

But it has not passed the proposed ordinance and may not approve it based on comments made by council members concerned about infringing on private property and individual rights following complaints from business owners and smokers.

Other than that, city offices do not allow smoking nor does the library in Orland or the recreation center near Lely Park.

Willows does not have any bans on smoking in outdoor areas or parks, City Manager Steve Holsinger said.

There are smoking bans in any public facility including city-owned buildings, he said. Smoking also is prohibited within 20 feet of business doorways and open windows.

"Beyond that, we have established no other restrictions," Holsinger said.

He added, "The air quality in Glenn County and the city of Willows is better than that in most metropolitan areas."

Holsinger also said he does not know if there is any better way to protect the air quality than what the city is doing no matter where in the U.S. you are located.

"I'll bet the air is cleaner here than it is at their (the Lung Association's) headquarters," he said.

Chico, Anderson and Susanville reportedly made advances in their standings by trying to protect residents and visitors from secondhand smoke, the association said, but Northern California is still falling behind in these efforts.

Lung Association data gave Chico, Anderson and Shasta County a "D" for their overall performance, which was the highest in this region.

Shelly Brantley, with the association's Chico office, said the grades are based on local legislative policies to protect non-smokers against secondhand smoke and children and teens from purchasing tobacco products.

"It is the policymakers who can raise a city's or county's grade," Brantley said.

The grades range from A through F, she said, but there are very few As and Bs awarded in the North State right now.

Lung Association officials also are lobbying for the passage of the California Cancer Research Act on the June ballot which would raise the state's tax on cigarettes by $1.

California now charges 87 cents a pack in tax - far below the national average of $1.46, association officials said.

Money from the tax would go to cancer research and cures related to tobacco products and tobacco use prevention, Brantley said.

Contact Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com.