As Americans celebrated Independence Day 2009, North Carolina teens thanked the legislators who supported the passage of a smoke ban bill (House Bill 2), which will go into effect on Jan. 2, 2010.

The new law provides protection from secondhand smoke in restaurants and bars across the state by prohibiting smoking in those places. It also authorizes an expansion of local control so that local governments can enact ordinances that restrict smoking in other public places, including some work sites.

Many teens are ready to declare their independence from exposure to secondhand smoke. According to the latest North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey, nearly all North Carolina teens believe that secondhand smoke is harmful to them, but nearly two-thirds of middle school students and nearly three-fourths of high school students are exposed to secondhand smoke regularly.

"Passage of HB 2 is an important step in making our state entirely smoke-free," says April Green, a sophomore at Union Pines High School who is part of Union Pines Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU). "Most of my friends and I agree: Since secondhand smoke can hurt our health, we should not be put in situations where we have to breathe others' smoke against our will."

Secondhand smoke, which comes from the burning of a cigarette and exhalation by a smoker, is a known cause of lung cancer, causing an estimated 3,400 lung cancer deaths and also up to 69,600 heart disease deaths each year among nonsmokers in the United States.

"The concern of our program, which is funded by the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund, is the health of our teens," says Brooke Love, a health educator with FirstHealth Community Health Services. "We explain to them that tobacco use is highly addictive, and, if they want healthy hearts and lungs, they need to avoid tobacco use altogether. Smoke-free policies protect them from secondhand smoke."

"Many Moore County teens have taken a tobacco-free pledge," Green says. "We are trying to do what's best for our bodies and our health. Our schools are tobacco-free, and now we're looking forward to being able to eat in our local restaurants without having to be exposed to secondhand smoke."

Anyone wanting more information on advocating for smoke-free policies can visit www.smokefreenc.org.

The North Carolina Tobacco Cessation Quitline (www.quit linenc.com) provides free, private assistance to anyone trying to quit tobacco. To reach QuitlineNC (available 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily, in English and many other languages), can call 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669).