ANR helps communities pass strong smokefree laws and fight Big Tobacco.
Our mission is to promote smokefree air through prevention education programs, information dissemination, technical assistance, training, and lobbying. We have decades of experience, and specialize in how to prepare for tobacco industry interference, build support locally, and pass effective smokefree laws.
Happening Now
ANR on Facebook
Everyone deserves to be protected from harm in the workplace, and this includes being protected from exposure to deadly #secondhandsmoke. Are you or someone you know being exposed to secondhand smoke at work? Contact us: https://nonsmokersrights.org/contact-us
For the latest news from ANR, please follow us on Facebook.
PA House Holds Hearing on Smokefree Air
After an 8 year hiatus, the House Health Committee held a hearing to close loopholes for bar and casino workers in the Keystone State. Check out the coverage and testimony from CEASE, ASHRAE and more!
Just Launched - Smokefree 901!
A collaborative community coalition is now live from the infamous Memphis area code – Smokefree 901. Follow along, support this campaign and get involved today!
GET ANR’S PROFESSIONAL ACCESS (PROACCESS) TODAY!
FOR A $99 ANNUAL FEE, YOU WILL HAVE:
-
Access to all recorded virtual Clearing the Air® Institute sessions
-
Discounted registration fee for the in-person Fall 2024 Clearing the Air® Institute
-
Access to Marijuana and Smokefree Air Office Hours Scientific Recordings
-
A 25% discount on the four-part self-paced “Marijuana and Smokefree Air 101” series and bonus materials (until 12/31/23)
-
ANR’s Spring and Fall mailed newsletter, UPDATE
-
Monthly ANR e-newsletter, Weekly Research Citations, and daily Secondhand Smoke & Tobacco Related News curated and emailed to you
And more!
Register for Professional Access here. Our team has resources and expertise in local and state smokefree laws as well as Tribal policies and regulations, and emerging issues related to housing, electronic cigarettes, smokefree gaming, or policies around legalized marijuana.
37.3% of U.S. Workers Are Not Protected From Secondhand Smoke.
The darker the state the healthier it is.
The others are not so healthy. In total, the states with lighter blue represent areas where many people are still unprotected from secondhand smoke in their workplace.
Who is At Risk?
Bar, Restaurant, and Casino Workers and Musicians
Hospitality industry and casino workers still have the lowest level of smokefree protections and have the highest cancer rate of any occupational sector in America. Across the United States, only 58% of workers are fully protected by a local or state law requiring workplaces, and restaurants, and bars to be smokefree. That leaves more than 4 out of 10 workers still unprotected from the serious health risks caused by secondhand smoke.
Their stories are full of successes, as well as heartbreak.
Smokefree Casinos Smokefree Music CitiesExposure Disparities Also Exist by Age, Income, Ethnic Group, and Home-Ownership Status
41% of Children
ages 3-11 are exposed to secondhand smoke and its harmful effects.
34% of Young People
ages 12-19 are affected by secondhand smoke.
21% of Those 20 Years and Older
are affected by secondhand smoke.
African Americans are Disproportionately Impacted
47% of Black Americans encounter secondhand smoke. That's twice as much as White Americans (22%) and Mexican Americans (24%).
You Can Make the Difference
As the public has learned more about the health dangers associated with secondhand smoke, people have supported smokefree polices as a way to address this easily preventable cause of premature death and chronic disease.
Cities and states without a smokefree law, or with a weak law that is not 100% smokefree in all workplaces, should take heed and pursue a smokefree law before more workers and residents are unnecessarily placed at risk for disease and possibly death as a result. It’s no longer a question of who will be next to go smokefree, but who will be last.
ANR is here to support smokefree campaigns nationwide. As smokefree campaigns progress, the tobacco industry and its allies will be watching your every move. Big Tobacco will be organizing its allies in the hospitality and gaming industries at this stage, but its activities are typically hidden from the public.
Above all, educate yourself. Forewarned is forearmed!
Do you have a secondhand smoke issue?
ANR Can Help
Our Other Sites
ANR FOUNDATION
Our sister organization, the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation (ANR Foundation), is a non-lobbying, educational nonprofit organization (501 (c) 3), which creates smokefree lists and maps, and provides information on issues of smokefree air and tobacco control. Our goals include educating the public about the health effects of secondhand smoke and the benefits of smokefree environments.
Protect Local Control
When a community's elected officials move to protect their citizens against the health hazards of secondhand smoke, the usually influential tobacco companies are suddenly powerless. So they try to close the door to local ordinances via preemption at the state level. ANR has a wealth of materials relating to preemption and local control to help citizens oppose this industry strategy.
Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights is the leading national lobbying organization (501 (c) 4) dedicated to nonsmokers' rights, taking on the tobacco industry at all levels of government, protecting nonsmokers from exposure to secondhand smoke, and preventing tobacco addiction among youth. ANR pursues an action-oriented program of policy and legislation.