The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #53566

Donna Bacchi, MD, MPH, Center for Tobacco Prevention and Control, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 3601 4th Street, Mailstop 9406, Lubbock, TX 79430, 806 743-4481, donna.bacchi@ttuhsc.edu

As the number of cities with smoke free ordinances continues to grow, there has been an increasing effort to overturn them. The tobacco industry often works through front groups to put the issue to public vote. Advocates need to know effective strategies for successfully addressing this issue and the cost involved. In November 2001, 5 months after the Lubbock City Council passed a comprehensive smoke free ordinance, the Vote For Freedom coalition obtained enough signatures for a referendum to overturn it. Smoke free advocates developed a plan that included doing surveys to identify supporters and the messages to use, developing media and written messages, developing a timeline to get voters to the polls and raising money to support the effort. A detailed description of the collaborative effort between local, state and national groups, crucial elements of the plan that affected the outcome, and the ways other communities can benefit from the experience will be presented.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the presentation the participant will be able to 1)Articulate the steps necessary to successfully overcome legislative challenges to recently passed smoke free legislation,
• Develop a plan for addressing legislative challenges in their own community

Keywords: Tobacco Policy, Advocacy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.