FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 22, 2010

Glendale officials today responded to a Los Angeles County assessment of smoking rates. The City was listed as having a smoking prevalence of 15% while the County average was 14%.

Glendale Neighborhood Services Administrator Sam Engel says people should keep in mind the LA County survey was conducted in 2007. “That was well before our most recent effort to curtail exposure to second-hand smoke which began in 2008,” says Engel. He noted as a national trend, smoking prevalence has held flat since 2002.

The report contains a number of recommendations for communities to adopt in an effort reduce prevalence of smoking. Glendale has already implemented all but one of the recommendations which is a tax on cigarette butts.

Engel noted the City has been recognized by the American Lung Association for its efforts to reduce second hand smoke. “Glendale has taken steps to reduce the impact of their smoking on non-smokers, earning a letter grade of “A” from the American Lung Association, for two years running,” says Engel. “We are the only large City in California with such a consistent record.”

Engel added that the Glendale City Council has consistently recognized that the two issues associated with smoking – the accepted social behavior and the chemical dependency caused by tobacco – have to be addressed in order to reduce the prevalence of smoking in a community. The strategy that the council adopted along with the Second-hand Smoke Ordinance included three parts:

• Enforcement

• Education

• Cessation/Prevention (which target these two issues)

Now that the City is in the second year of implementation, the emphasis has shifted to Enforcement and Cessation programs. Classes have been scheduled for the fall, and will be promoted in through various media.

Glendale is well-positioned to implement cessation programs within the community and make a significant impact on smoking prevalence, not counting for the transient nature of population shifts. The City is working with Glendale’s three major hospitals (and their associated community relations programs) and Kaiser Healthcare which serves a number of Glendale residents & employees. Kaiser offers a variety outreach programs to their members about healthy lifestyles & regularly promotes/provides smoking cessation programs.

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