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New Indiana Law Warns Hoosiers Regarding Health Effects on Babies Whose Mothers Smoke.  A new Indiana law requiring tobacco warning signs to be posted prominently by all retailers who sell tobacco and on all tobacco vending machines warns Hoosiers about the health effects on babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy.  The new law, which took effect July 1, requires all retailers that sell tobacco to post a notice that states “smoking by pregnant women may result in fetal injury, premature birth and low birth weight.  For assistance in quitting smoking call: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)”.
New Indiana Law Warns Hoosiers Regarding Health Effects on Babies Whose Mothers Smoke

INDIANAPOLIS – A new Indiana law requiring tobacco warning signs to be posted prominently by all retailers who sell tobacco and on all tobacco vending machines warns Hoosiers about the health effects on babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy.

The new law, which took effect July 1, requires all retailers that sell tobacco to post a notice that states “smoking by pregnant women may result in fetal injury, premature birth and low birth weight.  For assistance in quitting smoking call: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)”.

The Indiana Tobacco Quitline is a free hotline for people seeking help in ending their addiction to tobacco; 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) will be featured on the signage, which must be printed in letters at least one half-inch high.

Karla Sneegas, executive director, Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation agency, says “…declines in smoking by pregnant Hoosiers will require an overall decline in smoking by all women of child bearing age. The new signage law is one more tool in our statewide effort to address the burden tobacco use places on our entire state.”

“We are pleased to join with Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation in bringing attention to this new law,” says Alex Huskey, superintendent, Indiana State Excise Police. 

Huskey says the Excise Police will work to enforce the law, which carries with it a Class C infraction for failure to post and/or maintain the signs.  He also stated that the new signage may be downloaded from the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission’s web site (http://www.in.gov/atc/index.htm).

Sneegas says the new law addresses a critical health disparity for Indiana.

“Smoking by pregnant women in Indiana is nearly double the national rate; that equates to more than 15,000 babies each year whose health and fragile lives are compromised because of their mother’s nicotine addiction.”

Nearly 18 percent of Indiana women smoke during their pregnancy, a rate almost twice the national rate of 10 percent.  Smoking during pregnancy costs Hoosiers 28 million dollars every year.

Smoking during pregnancy is also associated with poor health outcomes:

  • Twenty to thirty percent (20-30%) of the cases of low birth weight babies can be attributable to smoking. 
  • Women who smoke during pregnancy had more than twice the risk of delivering a low birth weight baby. 
  • Babies with mothers who smoked during pregnancy have twice the risk of SIDS and infants of nonsmoking mothers. 
  • Women who smoke have a higher incidence of ectopic pregnancy. 
  • Pregnant smokers also have a 30-50% higher risk for miscarriage than    nonsmokers. 
 

Retailers can access the sign at http://www.in.gov/atc/files/2008ATCTobaccoPOSandDoorSign.pdf.

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