The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: This presentation describes the experience of Guam, a US Territory in the Pacific, in ensuring the passage of sound smoke-free legislation.

Guam currently has the highest adult smoking prevalence of all US States and Territories. The 2002 Youth Tobacco Survey, the 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey and smaller community-based surveys indicate that second hand smoke exposure in public places ranges from 60-80%.

In early 2005, the 28th Guam Legislature's Health Committee introduced a bill to ban smoking in all enclosed public places. The bill was suddenly moved to the Finance Committee, whose Chair belongs to a family that owns one of the island's largest tobacco distributorships.

Methods: Tobacco control advocates used a variety of strategies to support the passage of a sound version of the bill. These strategies included forming multisectoral partnerships among allied organizations and agencies, collecting and disseminating relevant data on customer preferences and the economic impact of smoke-free legislation in other areas, securing expert testimony from recognized leaders in the health, legal and business sectors, utilizing a complementary media advocacy campaign and involving the global tobacco control community through Globalink.

Results: The Finance Committee produced a weak version of the bill. However, because of the groundwork undertaken by the tobacco control community and continued grassroots support for a strong smoke-free law, a stronger version of the bill was eventually passed and signed into law. While not as all-encompassing as the original bill (bars are exempt), it paves the way for an enhanced tobacco control policy environment for Guam.