MLK Day 2015

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. A day to remember his dream of equality as well as the work that's been done by many to make that dream a reality.

 

Today I am reminded of my trip this summer to Washington, D.C.

 

While I had been to D.C. before, I had not yet seen the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial that was erected in 2011. I had seen pictures of it's construction and on one of the most beautiful days in May I was finally able to see the Memorial in person. It took my breath away.

 

 



After short walk from the Lincoln Memorial where MLK delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963, I entered the Memorial through two slabs of granite. "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope" is inscribed on one slab, a powerful line from MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.

 

The photo's doesn't do the monument justice. I couldn't capture the immense size and power of the Memorial with a camera.

 

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. day is a reminder to us all that more work is needed to fulfill Dr. King's dream of equality. One particular inequality that stands out to me surrounds tobacco use. The graph below pulls data on the impacts of tobacco and it makes disparities in tobacco use pretty obvious.

 

We've seen tobacco rates declining and in December 2014 the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced a record low smoking rate of 18%. Unfortunately, compared to the overall number, specific populations (see below graph) did not experience that same all time low.

 

 

It's no coincidence that these populations smoke at higher rates than the state average. Marketing of tobacco products is heavily targeted to these specific communities. And they aren't the only groups disproportionately affected by tobacco. Those affected by mental illness smoke at a MUCH higher rate than the national average. 

 

re:TH!NK and coalitions all throughout the state are working to decrease tobacco disparities in our community by connecting adults with quit smoking resources and involving youth and adults in local tobacco prevention and control activities.

 

Today, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, let's remember the dream of equality and the strides we have taken as a country to get there. While work is still needed to achieve equality, we are on our way. We can make Dr. King's dream a reality.

 

-Anna 

E-Cigarettes and Wisconsin's Smoke Free Air Law

I recently received a phone call from a woman confused about e-cigarettes. While taking her grandchildren to lunch she noticed people using e-cigarettes inside the building, the same building her grandchildren were eating and playing. She didn’t think e-cigarettes were allowed indoors and after asking the manager, she was told the truth, e-cigarettes are not covered under the Wisconsin Smoke Free Air Law.

So what are e-cigarettes? Whether an e-cigarette looks like a cigarette, a pen, or something completely different, the basic structure remains the same (see photo).

Like traditional cigarettes, the user is not the only person affected by e-cigarette use. The aerosol or “vapor” from e-cigarettes has been found to contain harmful substances like nicotine, propylene glycol, arsenic, aluminum, and lead. Propylene glycol is a known “food grade” substance used to absorb extra water and retain moisture in medicine, cosmetics, and food. While small amounts can be eaten safely, it has not been proven safe when inhaled. Unlike the stomach, lungs do not have acid to break down food and/or chemicals. Most of us can remember accidently inhaling water and the coughing fit that followed. Our bodies know what the lungs need and crave… clean air.

In 2014 Wisconsin reported the lowest smoking rates ever in adults and youth, however, at the same time reports also came in showing a drastic rise in e-cigarette use. Using e-cigarettes indoors re-normalizes smoking. Youth today have never seen a tobacco ad on TV and can barely remember when people could smoke inside public places. E-cigarettes use indoors has the potential to reverse decades of progress in preventing tobacco use and addiction to nicotine.

E-cigarettes are new, unregulated products and the long term effects of use are still unknown. What we do know is e-cigarettes contain nicotine which is an addictive substance, they give off an aerosol containing harmful substances, and they threaten our ever popular State-wide Smoke Free Air Law.

State prevention experts agree, we need to let scientists and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do more research on e-cigarettes and until we know more, we need to keep e-cigarettes out of public places.


-Anna