Turns out it was the Australian Medical Association mentioned in an item on the Australian Broadcasting Company Web site. That AMA has called for major [...]]]> I must admit that when I ran across a news item on ABC online about the AMA calling for outdoor venues to be smokefree, I thought “Whoa! This is big news!”

Turns out it was the Australian Medical Association mentioned in an item on the Australian Broadcasting Company Web site. That AMA has called for major public venues to follow the lead of the Perth Zoo and be smokefree.

A check of the Australian Medical Association’s Web site finds a pretty strong position statement on tobacco and secondhand smoke:

Workers in bars and pubs have just as much right to a safe, smoke-free workplace as anyone else. The only way to protect workers’ health is to ban smoking in all workplaces. … There is no credible research to support the claim that total smoke bans in licensed venues will harm business and cause loss of jobs.

I checked the American Medical Association Web site and found fairly dated information with references about that association supporting state coalition efforts to reduce tobacco use.

So how about it, American Medical Association? Do you want to take a strong stand on smokefree air and follow your Australian counterpart?