Published on: December 24, 2024, 02:09h.
Last updated on: December 23, 2024, 04:10h.
A former New Jersey legislator who was instrumental in drafting the state’s Smoke-Free Air Act almost twenty years ago believes that the exemption for casinos should be eliminated.
Loretta Weinberg (D) served in Trenton for three decades. After representing the 37th District in the General Assembly from 1992 until 2005, the Democrat moved to the state Senate where she represented Bergen County until she retired in 2022. She was the majority leader of the chamber for the final 10 years of her career.
One of her most notable pieces of legislation was Assembly Bill 3730 during the 2004-2005 session. The New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act banned indoor tobacco use in most public places and workplaces.
Weinberg was the main sponsor of AB3730 and later became a primary sponsor of the Senate companion measure, Senate Bill 1926, upon moving to the upper chamber.
AB3730 was eventually replaced by SB1926, which had strong support after compromises were made with “big tobacco” for certain exemptions. The Smoke-Free Air Act was signed into law in January 2006 by Gov. Richard Codey (D).
Time to End the Casino Loophole
In an op-ed published in The Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s most widely circulated daily newspaper, Weinberg called for an end to indoor casino smoking in Atlantic City.
Weinberg explained, “I fought against the powerful tobacco industry and the third-party advocates they manipulated to oppose smoking restrictions. Unfortunately, we had to exclude casino workers to pass the Act. We hoped to close this loophole in the future.”
She continued, “I never imagined that nearly two decades later, casino workers and patrons would still be exposed to harmful secondhand smoke.”
The 2006 Smoke-Free Air Act allows casinos with a state-issued gaming license and a minimum number of gaming machines to designate areas for indoor tobacco use.
Weinberg declared, “It’s time to free our family, friends, and neighbors from the grip of the tobacco industry. They deserve a safe workplace like everyone else.”
Advocating for Change
Weinberg highlighted how the tobacco industry used fear and misinformation in 2005 to rally Atlantic City casino unions and hospitality groups against the state’s smoke-free air bill.
She wrote, “The Surgeon General of the United States recently released a report exposing how the tobacco industry manipulated unions through fear and misinformation to fight against clean air. Workers and unions were misled to oppose their own health and safety.”
While one casino union opposes a smoking ban in Atlantic City, another supports it along with the Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ).
Legislation to close the indoor smoking loophole in Atlantic City is expected to be considered in Trenton next year.
Weinberg concluded, “It’s time for the Legislature to act and end this ongoing injustice. Senator Joe Vitale and others have been advocating for casino workers for years. How many more workers have to suffer before we take action?”