Smoking Ban for Buildings, Kitzhaber Issues

Smoking and other tobacco use will be barred at most state buildings and grounds, including prisons, under an executive order issued Thursday by Gov. John Kitzhaber, who is a physician. “Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Oregon. The human and financial costs are simply too high,” Kitzhaber said in a statement. “By promoting a healthy environment for state employees, clients and visitors, we can create an environment that reduces tobacco use and protects health.” The ban will be phased in over the next 17 months. Smoking will be barred from state-owned buildings by Jan. 1, and from state-leased buildings by July 2013. The second deadline also applies to tenants leasing from the state. The Department of Corrections and the Oregon Youth Authority will have until Dec. 31, 2014, to comply with the ban. Smoking by inmates is already banned under a 1996 rule. Of the 50,000 or so state employees, an estimated 9 percent are smokers. Kitzhaber health policy adviser Sean Kolmer, said that’s under the average of 16 percent for the general population. Kolmer said the order goes hand in hand with Kitzhaber’s effort for coordinated-care organizations, which bring together medical providers within communities to focus on care for 600,000 low-income patients under the Oregon Health Plan. A high number of plan recipients smoke, and Kolmer said reducing that rate is part of an agreement between the state and federal governments.