NCAA Women's Final Four in St. Louis City

As St. Louis gears up to host the 2009 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four, visitors to our fair city might be in for an unpleasant surprise - smoky bars & restaurants.

Fans and players from Louisville, Connecticut and Stanford have been enjoying smoke-free bars & restaurants in their hometowns for years.  Nearly 3,000 cities and 25 states are smoke-free.  Sadly, St. Louis City isn't one of them.

Our city lags behind when it comes to common sense public health. St. Louis has been voted the worst city in the nation for asthma sufferers, was named the top haven for smokers by Forbes Magazine, and Missouri recently got an "F" on the American Lung Association Tobacco Control Report Card.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data proves that smoke-free laws reduce exposure to secondhand smoke among workers and the public, reduce cigarette consumption rates, increase successful quit attempts and reinforce efforts to reduce tobacco use among children--all positive changes.

We urge our city's leaders to act soon to protect everyone's right to breathe smoke-free air and move us forward toward real progress.  To make your voice heard, join us.