Pro-health: Potential ordinance for smoke-free city parks is good news

posted on: Aug 4, 2015

By Hassan Jaber
Guest Columnist

The Dearborn City Council is currently considering an ordinance that would ban smoking in all city-owned parks. As an organization deeply committed to the health and well-being of our community, ACCESS supports this ordinance.

Cigarette and hookah smoking have become a serious issue in our parks. Even outdoors, secondhand smoke poses a risk to anyone nearby, especially our children. Each year, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services estimates 1,740 non-smokers die from secondhand smoke exposure in our state. Of even graver concern than cigarettes is the hookah. A typical hookah session produces around 150 times greater smoke volume than a cigarette. Chemicals found in hookah smoke have been linked to bladder, lung and oral cancers, as well as heart disease.

Proposed smoking bans are often controversial, and the current situation in Dearborn is no exception.

Of particular concern is the notion that a smoke-free parks ordinance is “anti-Arab”. At ACCESS, we can think of few things more “pro-Arab” than advocating for the health of our friends, families and neighbors. The notion that smoking is an inherent quality of Arab-American culture is simply untrue. Like the rest of the state, most Arab Americans in Michigan are non-smokers. While it is true that our community has a higher smoking rate than the state, or national average, we should not consider smoking an element of cultural identity. If anything, elevated rates of tobacco use among Arab Americans should highlight the need for policies like smoke-free parks.

Ultimately, smoke-free parks are not a matter of ethnicity. Everyone in Dearborn enjoys its parks

system, and everyone in Dearborn deserves a fun, relaxing and healthy experience. Eliminating smoking from Dearborn parks is a “pro-health” position that aligns perfectly with ACCESS’ goal of promoting healthy lifestyles among Arab Americans and the community at-large.

Hassan Jaber is the executive director of ACCESS, the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services.Grounded in a grassroots commitment to serving our community, ACCESS has a 44-year history of providing health, education, employment and social services. An Arab American nonprofit of excellence, ACCESS empowers communities in Southeast Michigan to improve their economic, social and cultural well-being and extends this mission nationally through advocacy, arts, culture and philanthropy.

Source: www.pressandguide.com