Athens Passes Comprehensive Smoke-free Ordinance

Athens, La. – (October 9, 2019) – The Village of Athens Mayor and Board of Alderman last night unanimously voted in favor of protecting the health of Athens residents and all employees by extending the state’s current smoke-free ordinance to include bars and gaming establishments within the town. The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) and members of the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Louisiana (CTFLA) applaud the Mayor and Board for their vote.

"The Village of Athens is so excited about becoming a smoke-free community,” said Athens Mayor Ann Brown. “Everyone deserves to work in a smoke-free workplace"

The smoke-free measure, voted on and passed by on Tuesday, October 8, will ensure all residents and employees (including bartenders, gaming establishment employees, and entertainers) will be protected from the dangerous health effects of secondhand smoke in their workplaces. When the ordinance goes into effect on November 12, 2019, Athens will become the 26th municipality in the state of Louisiana to become smoke-free. This brings the total population of Louisiana residents protected by smoke-free ordinances to 1,047,556.

“The passing of the Athens comprehensive smoke-free ordinance is a get step forward in protecting the health of all residents and workers,” said Feamula Bradley, TFL Regional Manager. “We thank the Mayor and the Board of Alderman for their support throughout this process and look forward to the implementation of the ordinance.”

For more information on the growing movement to protect all Louisiana employees from secondhand smoke, visit www.HealthierAirForAll.org or contact local representative, Feamula Bradley at 318-402-3702.

Individuals interested in quitting tobacco products can visit www.QuitWithUsLa.org or call 1-800-Quit-Now.

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The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) engages in local and statewide tobacco control policy efforts that focus on tobacco prevention and initiation among youth, eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, promote cessation services, and identify and eliminate tobacco-related disparities. TFL is guided by best practices in tobacco control and envisions a healthier Louisiana by reducing the excessive burden of tobacco use on all Louisianans. For more information visit www.tobaccofreeliving.org. To find out more about the dangers of secondhand smoke and show your support for a smoke-free Louisiana, visit www.healthierairforall.org. To learn more about quitting tobacco, visit www.quitwithusla.org.

About the Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC)

Founded by the Louisiana State Legislature in 2002, the LCRC is a public-private partnership designed to promote education about cancer and conduct important research on the diagnosis, detection, treatment, and prevention of cancer in Louisiana. The LCRC partners with the public at large and four major cancer research institutions in Louisiana: LSU Health, Tulane University, Ochsner Health System, and Xavier University. More information about the LCRC is available at www.louisianacancercenter.org.

About the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI)

LPHI, founded in 1997, is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit and public health institute that translates evidence into strategy to optimize health ecosystems. Our work focuses on uncovering complementary connections across sectors to combine the social, economic, and human capital needed to align action for health. We champion health for people, within systems, and throughout communities because we envision a world where everyone has the opportunity to be healthy. For more information, visit www.lphi.org.