On Thursday during the lunch hour, PSU’s Smith Memorial Center is going to be swarmed with “local entertainers and public health advocates.” For what, you ask?

[They] are joining up for a smokeout rally at Portland State University on Nov. 16 to promote smokefree bars and making healthier entertainment choices.

Student advocates will dress up as waiters with gas masks to underscore the health hazards secondhand smoke poses to the more than 35,000 workers not covered by Oregon’s Smokefree Workplace Law and their customers.

WHY:
Secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard. It contains more than 50 cancer-causing chemicals and many other toxins, including formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and arsenic. Nearly 80 percent of Oregonians do not smoke, and a growing majority of people prefer smokefree establishments.

P.S. — Now that Dems control the state legislature, what do you think are the chances of a smoking ban’s passage?