As a recent graduate of MSU, a current resident of East Lansing and a frequenter of many of East Lansing’s bars and restaurants, I support a comprehensive smoke-free law.
In the article, Consensus hard to find on proposed state smoking ban (SN 5/25), there seemed to be concerns about how business would be affected in a college town. The University of Minnesota and The Ohio State University, both of which are in states with comprehensive smoke-free laws, recently released research that smoke-free laws did not have negative effects on employment in any of 10 Minnesota cities that were tracked for a 45-month period after passing smoke-free legislation.
There are now 37 states with smoke-free laws. Michigan lawmakers cannot ignore the facts any longer.
I am a big supporter of our local businesses, and I would never want to see their business suffer, but I also know that legislation would protect myself, my friends and their employees’ health. I want our businesses to have a fair playing field and healthy environments for all my future fellow Spartans.
That’s why Michigan lawmakers need to pass comprehensive smoke-free air legislation now!
Mary Pettit
2009 MSU graduate
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