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3 <br />AMENDMENTS TO THE <br />ORANGE COUNTY ORDINANCE REGULATING SMOKING IN BUILDINGS <br />OWNED BY OR LEASED TO ORANGE COUNTY AND MOTOR VEHICLES <br />OWNED BY OR LEASED TO ORANGE COUNTY <br />BE IT ORDAINED THAT THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF ORANGE <br />COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, hereby amends its Ordinance Regulating Smoking in <br />Buildings Owned by or Leased to Orange County and Motor Vehicles Owned by or <br />Leased to Orange County by deleting the Ordinance in its entirety and replacing it as <br />follows: <br />ORANGE COUNTY ORDINANCE PROHIBITING TOBACCO USE IN BUILDINGS <br />OWNED BY OR LEASED TO ORANGE COUNTY AND PUBLIC ' <br />TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES OWNED BY OR LEASED TO ORANGE COUNTY <br />WHEREAS, tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of premature death in <br />North Carolina and the nation; and, <br />WHEREAS, secondhand smoke has been proven to cause cancer, heart disease, and <br />asthma in both smokers and nonsmokers; and, <br />WHEREAS, the 2006 Surgeon General's Report on the health consequences of <br />involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke states that the scientific evidence indicates that <br />there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. The 2006 Surgeon General's <br />Report documents that separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air, and <br />ventilating smoke cannot eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke; and, <br />WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that all <br />individuals with coronary heart disease or known risk factors for coronary heart disease <br />should avoid all indoor environments that permit smoking; and, <br />WHEREAS, exposure to secondhand smoke is expensive, costing the nation $10 billion <br />per year, $5 billion in direct medical care costs, and $5 billion in indirect costs according <br />to the 2005 Society of Actuaries; and, <br />WHEREAS, The 2006 Surgeon General's Report documents that eliminating indoor <br />smoking fully protects nonsmokers from exposure to secondhand smoke; and, <br />WHEREAS, Orange County provides support to employees who want to quit the use of <br />tobacco products. These employees are also encouraged to talk to their health care <br />provider about quitting; ask about appropriate pharmacotherapy available through the <br />county health insurance plan or employee's insurer and use the free quitting support <br />services of the North Carolina Tobacco Use Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW <br />(1-800-784-8669).