WEST HOLLYWOOD—The city of West Hollywood will be kicking off the Fresh Air WeHo campaign starting January 1, 2012 in an effort to promote good health as well as limit the exposure of secondhand smoke. There will be a two-part Fresh Air WeHo campaign that will provide smoking cessation programs and information to West Hollywood residents to raise awareness on the newly approved ordinance.

A campaign to promote good health kicks off in West Hollywood. Photo courtesy of city's official website.

According to the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, the City of West Hollywood is Los Angeles County’s third-most cigarette affected region, with about 19.6 percent of the county population identified as smokers.

According to research, tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds that cause serious health issues and may contribute to  approximately one in five deaths each year within the United States. The effects of second hand smoke are just as dangerous, as secondhand smoke can contain more than 7,000 chemical compounds, some of which may be connected to lung cancer in non-smokers.

According to the West Hollywood Smoking Ordinance, the ban prohibits residents from smoking within five feet of any outside location including restaurant patios, cafes and food courts as well as ATM machines, information kiosks, banks, theaters or other public venues such as car washes, vehicle service establishments or valet parking pick-up areas.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Tobacco Control and Prevention Program are co-sponsoring the Fresh Air WeHo campaign.  

Los Angeles County and the City of West Hollywood offer several programs to WeHo residents who are interested in smoking cessations. There are numerous such programs, including the West Hollywood Recovery Center (which offers Nicotine Anonymous 12-step meetings). The location of this center is 626 N. Robertson Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Interested readers may also visit www.thewhrc.org.

Asian Pacific AIDS & Intervention Team (APAIT) Health Center also offers smoking cessation information trainings and tool kits and the L.A. County of Public Health offers help as well.  The California Smokers Helpline also can help, and can be reached at 1-800-NO-BUTTS (1-800-662-8887).

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