April 22, 2025 marked the ten-year anniversary of the NOLA Smoke-Free Ordinance. The city of New Orleans, LA implemented this comprehensive smoke-free air law in 2015 — a historic milestone for public health in Louisiana and the South. To celebrate this lifesaving achievement, The Center’s Ashley Hebert and other advocates went to the city to acknowledge the progress it has made since this change.
The ordinance was a groundbreaking policy that made New Orleans one of the first Southern cities to extend smoke-free protections to bars and casinos. Since then, New Orleans has seen a significant reduction in exposure to deadly secondhand smoke, safeguarded the health of hospitality workers and patrons, and supported people trying to quit tobacco.
The NOLA Smoke-Free Ordinance also set a precedent for other communities across the state. It served as a springboard for closing policy loopholes in Louisiana’s statewide smoke-free air law. The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Louisiana has successfully championed comprehensive smoke-free ordinances in 36 municipalities—protecting thousands more residents and workers.
Why Smoke-Free Air Still Matters
While many public spaces and workplaces have gone smoke-free, casinos remain one of the last indoor environments where smoking is still allowed. This exemption creates serious health equity concerns, especially for Black and Latino workers, who are overrepresented in the hospitality and gaming industries.
Workplace exposure is a major source of secondhand smoke inhalation. Casino workers, unlike patrons, cannot simply step outside. They face chronic exposure to a pollutant that contains over 7,000 chemicals, hundreds of which are toxic and at least 70 of which can cause cancer. Each year, secondhand smoke is responsible for the deaths of approximately 41,000 nonsmoking adults in the U.S.
As we celebrate a decade of progress in New Orleans, we must also recommit to ensuring that all workplaces—especially those employing frontline Black and brown workers—are truly protected. Comprehensive smoke-free policies save lives, promote equity, and are long overdue in all corners of the state.
