Letter to the Editor: Stop gambling with workers’ health

This November, St. Louis County residents will see a ballot measure that prohibits smoking in parts of gaming facilities. I’m asking all readers to vote NO on this proposal. It doesn’t go far enough to protect public health.
 
Casino employees will be forced to choose between their paycheck and their health. Secondhand smoke causes many of the same diseases as actually smoking, like heart disease, stroke and cancer. And think about those employees who already have heart or breathing problems. They shouldn’t be exposed to smoke in the first place.
 
I know firsthand how cancer affects working families. As an ex-smoker, I saw how my smoking impacted my coworkers around me before I quit. I know how much it affected my family. As a survivor of prostate cancer, I’m fully aware of the difficulty I went through in my treatments and I certainly don’t want others to have to go through that journey because of the secondhand smoke of others. Don’t vote for a half measure smoking law in casinos.
 
We must protect workers’ rights to a healthy, clean-air environment. Vote NO on Prop F.
 
– Keith Whittemore
St. Louis County

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