By Dan Carrigan and Dianne Wilson
Op-Ed

South Carolina’s Senate Judiciary Committee and a House subcommittee recently passed revised bills that would overturn all nine of the past year’s local smoke-free laws in exchange for one of the nation’s weakest statewide smoke-free laws.

The Senate bill, S. 186, and its companion House version, H. 3119, are masked as a statewide “smoke-free restaurant” bill. But the bills do nothing of the sort. Instead, the language will allow restaurants to “convert” into a smoking-allowed restaurant during hours that they choose and post on their door, so long as they obtain a $100 state permit. During these hours, children would be prohibited from entering the establishment.

So, instead of simply asking patrons to step outside to smoke (and most don’t mind) we are keeping only children out of establishments where a known workplace contaminant is present. The logic of a time-of-day restriction is scientifically flawed. Indoor areas where smoking is permitted are known to contain hazardous by-products of the smoke long after the cigarettes have been extinguished.

The bills do nothing to address the issue of workers exposed to secondhand smoke in indoor areas and do not address secondhand smoke exposure in almost any other type of work place, such as retail establishments, bowling alleys and establishments whose owners secure a permit through this flawed law.

The real purpose of this legislation is to put control of smoke-free laws in the hands of tobacco industry and hospitality lobbyists, who are currently working all over the Statehouse. As public health advocates, we have seen this with our own eyes.

These bills being considered by our elected officials are not supported by any health organization or agency.

States nationwide are repealing laws like the one South Carolina is considering. These laws do nothing to protect the rights of workers forced to breathe in second-hand smoke.

Meanwhile, they tend to be supported heavily by tobacco lobbyists, evidence of which has been abundant in Columbia in recent months.

If passed, this will be a giant step backward in health policy for South Carolina.

The amendments are touted as a “reasonable compromise” that would restrict smoking in restaurants. In fact, there is nothing reasonable about them.

It is unreasonable to tie the hands of responsible local officials who want to protect their constituents from second-hand smoke at work.

It is unreasonable to pass a weak state law that ignores the rights of workers and patrons in certain types of establishments.

It is unreasonable for the state to sanction exposure to secondhand smoke, a proven health hazard containing numerous carcinogens.

Call your legislator. Ask them to support, along with the majority of South Carolina voters, local control of smoke-free laws.

Dan Carrigan is executive director of the Smoke-Free Action Network. Contact him at (843) 509-5272. Dianne Wilson is executive director of the S.C. African American Tobacco Control Network. Contact her at (843) 871-9439.

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