A bill has been introduced that would ban smoking in Rhode Island casinos. Currently, casinos are exempt from a 2004 law which prohibits smoking in enclosed public spaces. State Representative Teresa Tanzi argues casino workers deserve the same health protections as everyone else.
“Casino workers are Rhode Islanders, parents, caregivers, taxpayers and human beings, and they deserve the same protections as everyone else in our state. It is fundamentally wrong to say that no one should be exposed to secondhand smoke in the workplace, but carve out an exception that leaves one group of workers not only unprotected, but in fact, bathed in smoke every day. There’s no excuse for continuing to endanger their health, and we need to pass this bill to let them breathe safely like everyone else,” said Representative Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, South Kingstown, Narragansett).
Casinos are currently exempted from the 2004 Public Health and Workplace Safety Act, which workers and advocates say has a detrimental impact on casino workers. When Rhode Island’s two casinos reopened in June 2020 following the COVID 19 shutdown, they prohibited indoor smoking as a safety measure. In March of 2022, they reinstated smoking in designated gaming floors.
“This has affected my whole life and the lives of my coworkers,” said Vanessa Baker, who has worked in casinos for 30 years. “During COVID, I could finally breath again, I was off of my asthma medications, I was feeling healthy. Now my asthma is flaring up, I struggle even going to the gym or going hiking because I’m so short of breath.”
The Narragansett Democrat says there's is no excuse for continuing to endanger their health.
We are still waiting for the bill to be scheduled for a hearing and a debate.
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