Smoke-free ordinances are no different from mandatory restaurant inspections or the rules posted at a community beach. Such laws defend public health and protect us from serious illness. What's more, smoke-free laws are good for business. The death and disease caused by secondhand smoke is completely preventable, and a strong public health policy is the surest way to guarantee protection from secondhand smoke.

Thankfully, more and more communities are saying no to secondhand smoke. Across the country, 2,650 municipalities have passed laws that restrict public smoking. Twenty-two states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C. have passed laws that require all restaurants and bars to be smoke-free, and more than 50 percent of the U.S. population is now free to work and play in smoke-free communities.

"Banning smoke from public places is the fairest thing. Fair to the people who don't smoke, fair to the public health, the state economy and local business. Fairest to the generations of kids who haven't started [smoking] yet." —Jeff Sims, Madison

It's a great beginning. But there's more we can do.