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The Eagle Pass City Council are all in favor of the proposed smoking ban ordinance set forth by interim City Planner Daniel Tijerina. A fairly lengthy presentation was made by Tijerina at Tuesday’s meeting in which he highlighted the dangers of second hand smoke and its effects on the community. “ We have strong support for the ordinance; Council member Sifuentes has championed this cause from day one and organizations such as the Maverick Coalition Against Drugs are also in favor” said Tijerina.
The City of Eagle Pass, through the Planning Department, recently conducted a non official survey to get the community’s thoughts on the smoking ban; the survey results were overwhelmingly positive according to Tijerina who has met with bar and restaurant owners in the community. In fact most bar and restaurant owners are in favor of the smoke free ordinance, according to city officials who are fully aware of the dangers to the community.
The U.S. Surgeon General concluded in 2006 that there are "no safe levels" of secondhand smoke exposure. Among adults, exposure to SHS causes approximately 50,000 deaths in the United States each year. The Surgeon General also concluded that smoke-free workplace policies are the only effective means to eliminate secondhand smoke in public places.
If passed, Eagle Pass will join a long list of Texas cities that have outlawed cigarette smoking in public places. Other cities such as San Antonio have gone to greater lengths to keep smokers away from non-smokers. The new San Antonio ordinance passed last month, includes bars and restaurants, thereby protecting the service workforce and the patrons of such establishments. The City Council will make a final decision on the ordinance in the coming weeks.
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