Remember No Tobacco Day

To the Editor: Redwood Valley Rancheria's Breathe Again Project supports protecting our families from secondhand smoke in advance of World No Tobacco Day

The Center for Disease Control has determined that there is NO safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.*

American Indian/alaska Native (AI/AN) youth had the highest exposure to indoor secondhand smoke cigarettes as compared to all other youth, and the percent of AI/AN youth had similar outdoor exposure for vapes.** Indoor exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke -16.6 percent compared to 11.8 percent.

Outdoor exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke- 52.5 percent compared to 55.1 percent.

As a member of the Redwood Valley Tribe, I am committing to keeping my family safe from outdoor exposure to secondhand smoke in advance of World No Tobacco Day on May 31. I pledge to ask guests to go at least 30 feet from my doors or windows before they light up or vape, and I pledge not to allow any guests to smoke or vape in my car. I am calling on my friends and neighbors to do the same.

As a former employee of the Coyote Valley Casino for 11 years, I was pleased when they re-opened smoke free after COVID because I worked there when they did allow smoking and I suffered from headaches due to the excessive amounts of secondhand smoke. Since I've stopped breathing all that secondhand smoke, I no longer suffer from headaches. Breathing clean oxygen is great! Using Commercial Tobacco products is a choice, but the lingering secondhand smoke that affects non users is not. I encourage everyone to support World No Tobacco Day on May 31.

*The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General — Pubmed (nih.gov) **Tobacco Use Among California American Indian / Alaska Native Youth.

— Jaime Gutierrez, Community Outreach Coordinator, Breathe Again, Redwood Valley Rancheria