It’s Business Smart
A statewide smoke free indoor workplace law will protect Mississippi employees from the dangers of
secondhand smoke exposure, save thousands of lives and benefit the state’s economy and taxpayers
by saving millions on health care costs, insurance, maintenance and other costs of secondhand smoke
exposure.
Regulating secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace is no different from other
laws and regulations that protect employees and customers from potentially dangerous
conditions:
 Airplanes are smoke free to protect airline employees and passengers from exposure to
secondhand smoke.
 Sanitary guidelines for food production, storage and serving in the food industry ensure the
safety of employees and consumers.
Without a comprehensive smoke free indoor workplace law, all Mississippians are
forced to pay for a business owner’s decision to allow smoking:
 $719 million each year in health care costs directly caused by smoking
 $216 million covered by the State’s Medicaid program
 $552 per household in federal and state tax burden from smoking-caused government
expenditures
 $1.49 billion in smoking-caused productivity losses in Mississippi
Smoke free policies do not adversely affect business and actually save them money:
 Numerous studies of objective data-including analysis of hospitality tax revenue in Mississippi
– show that when cities go smoke free it does not adversely impact bars and restaurants.
 According to an Environmental Protection Agency report, smoke free businesses ultimately
save money on health care costs, insurance, maintenance and other direct or indirect costs of
secondhand smoke.
 According to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking and
secondhand smoke cost $92 billion in productivity losses each year.
 Analyses of tax revenues from Mississippi communities with smoke-free laws clearly
demonstrated that none of these communities experienced a decline in sales tax revenue from
restaurants and hotels after enacting these laws
The rights of business owners should not result in significant costs to Mississippi
taxpayers. Now is the time for lawmakers to protect the health, pocketbooks and wellbeing of Mississippi taxpayers, employees and customers.
www.smokefreemississippi.org
Smoke-Free Mississippi is a broad coalition of organizations who believe all Mississippians deserve to breathe smoke-free air.
We support a comprehensive, statewide smoke-free indoor workplace law to protect
Mississippians from the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure in all workplaces.
All employees should be protected from exposure to secondhand smoke in the workplace.
There is no safe level of secondhand smoke – everyone deserves to breathe smoke-free air!
American Cancer Society
American Heart Association
American Lung Association
The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi
American Cancer Society, Cancer Action Network
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
Americans for Nonsmokers Rights Foundation
Mississippi State Department of Health
Mississippi State Board of Health
Airgas
American Academy of Pediatrics, MS Chapter
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
A Taste of Chicago, Moorhead
Baptist Hospital N. MS, Oxford
Bear's Deli
Bear's Fitness
Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation
Boerner Law Firm
Brain Injury Association of Mississippi
Brookhaven Ear, Nose and Throat
City of Grenada, Mayor Billy Collins
Chandler Pharmacy, Calhoun City
CMI Families First Resource Center
Consulting Solutions, Inc
Delta Health Alliance
Delta Health Partners Healthy Start Initiative/Tougaloo College
Downtown Jackson Partners
Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses Association
Eupora Head Start
Gilmore Memorial Regional Medical Center
Grenada Lions Club
Humphreys County Health Network
Information and Quality Healthcare
Itawamba Community College
Jackson State University
Jeffries Interiors, Bruce
Landmark Real Estate, Magee
Leflore-Carroll County American Cancer Society
M. Land Company, Inc.
Mississippi Area Health Education Center
MS Academy of Family Physicians Foundation
Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians
Mississippi Alliance for School Health
Mississippi Area Health Education Center
Mississippi Hospital Association
Mississippi Municipal League
Mississippi Nurses Association
Mississippi Nurses Foundation
Mississippi Primary Health Care Association
Mississippi Psychiatric Association
Mississippi Public Health Association
Mississippi School Nurses Association
Miskelly's Furniture
Municipality of Calhoun City, Mayor J.R. Denton
NAPA Auto Parts
North Sunflower Medical Center, Ruleville
North Mississippi State Hospital
Noxubee Civic Center
Olive Branch Family YMCA
Pathway Planning
Paul LaCoste Sports
Plymouth Tube Company
RC Construction
Safe Kids Mississippi
Sharkey - Issaquena Health Network
Shaw Health Council
Southern Mississippi Area Health Education Center
Stars in Motion, Southaven
State Bank
Stepp-Saver Pharmacy, Bruce
St. Dominic Hospital, Jackson
St. Gabriel Mercy Center Inc. - Mound Bayou
Tri-Lakes Medical Center, Batesville
Triple Stop Service Stations
USM College of Health
USM Institute for Disability Studies
Faith Based Organizations:
MS Baptist Convention Board
MS Baptist Convention Christian Action Commission
Assemblies of God State HQ
Bishop Duncan Gray III, Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi
Delta Missions Outreach Ministry
John Perkins Foundation
Mississippi Faith Based Coalition, Inc
Mission Mississippi
100 Concerned Clergy
United Christian Brotherhood
United Pentecostal Church, MS District
We Will Go Ministries
Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Southaven
Calvary United Methodist Church, New Albany
Emmanuel Baptist Church, Macon
Flowery Mount M.B. Church
First Baptist Church, Mathiston
God Cares Ministries, DeKalb
Holiness Church of Christ
Liberty Hill A.M.E. Church
Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Macon
Neshoba Baptist Church
New Horizon Church, Jackson
New Living Way C.F. Church, Greenville
Oak Grove Missionary Baptist , Preston
Oak Hill Baptist Church, Hernando
Paradise Baptist Church, Senatobia
Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church, Meridian
Smith Chapel M.B. Church
St. Peter Church, Pace
Walk of Faith Covenant Church, Mound Bayou