Communitywide smoking ban would benefit region

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS in Lexington and Richland counties should ban smoking in both bars and restaurants.

Columbia and Richland County need to follow through on recent discussions of such a ban. And to make the initiative fully effective, other Midlands governments should join in as well.

Local governments should seize this opportunity to strike a blow for the health of the entire Midlands, but especially those who work in these businesses. Employees shouldn’t be forced to work in smoke-filled environments. The U.S. Surgeon General has declared that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke.

Last year, the three hospital systems in the two counties — Lexington Medical Center, Palmetto Health and Providence Hospital — joined together in support of smoking bans on their premises. The governments should follow suit and send a clear message that this is a smoke-free community that cares for its workers and the many who frequent public accommodations.

As more and more local governments adopt bans, some have chosen to exempt bars, which is unacceptable. All employees are captive at their work places, and governments shouldn’t protect one set of them while leaving others exposed.

Columbia is among those that have approved a ban that exempts bars. The measure hasn’t gone into effect because the city must make changes to comply with a recent S.C. Supreme Court ruling. While the court said cities and counties can ban smoking, the governments can’t criminalize violations. So, Columbia City Council, which passed its ban last year with a stipulation it wouldn’t go into effect until the court ruled, is changing its law to require civil, rather than criminal, penalties.

Now, with Councilman E.W. Cromartie, who sided with the one-vote majority to exclude bars, indicating he might change his mind, Columbia has a huge opportunity. Mayor Bob Coble is proposing that the city seize it, and enact a total ban. Mr. Cromartie — and others who previously voted not to protect bar workers — would be wise to join Mayor Coble and council members Tameika Isaac Devine and Anne Sinclair in favoring a total smoking ban.

The council has given first reading to its modified smoking ban and will review further details at its meeting today. It also will get a first look at Mayor Coble’s proposed amendment calling for a complete ban. The council will set a public hearing on the matter and could take a final vote next month.

Richland County began its own review of the issue Tuesday, at the behest of County Council Chairman Joe McEachern. The council should follow his lead and enact a total ban.

The possibility of a ban has been discussed in the past by Lexington County Council as well. Council member Jim Kinard summed up the issue well back in 2006: “I hate to infringe on people’s rights. But people who don't smoke have rights, too.”

Many restaurants and bars fear a limited ban — one that isn’t adopted by the entire community or exempts bars — would encourage patrons to abandon them for nearby competitors whose patrons are allowed to smoke. Local governments can address those fears, as well as the overriding need to protect workers from completely unnecessary exposure to carcinogens, by making public accommodations in the Midlands smoke-free.