By David L. Rawle
Contributing Writer

The other day my wife and I went to a popular local restaurant. “Smoking or non-smoking?” we were asked. “Non-smoking,” we said. Our non-smoking booth was separated from an adjacent booth in the smoking section by a thin, four-foot-high wall.

While the smoking booth was technically in the bar area, there was really nothing but air between the two sections. And that’s the way it is in virtually every Charleston area restaurant.

Smoke, of course, travels by air. And since there really is very little differentiation between smoking and non-smoking sections in our community’s restaurants, all of us are subjected to second-hand smoke.

The facts on second-hand smoke are crystal clear: It kills.

Second-hand smoke contains more than 50 carcinogens and annually kills more than 38,000 non-smokers. Furthermore, second-hand smoke increases insurance premiums, health care costs and absenteeism.

That’s why more than 72 municipalities and five states have passed laws that prohibit smoking in almost all workplaces, restaurants and bars.

Entire countries have passed similar laws, including Ireland. Yes, Irish pubs are completely smoke-free. Italy, the land of “la dolce vita,” is now smoke-free. Scotland and parts of Australia are smoke-free too.

Charleston has not yet acted upon a strong smoking ban, perhaps preferring to study the issue further, especially in terms of understanding what the consequences of such a ban might be.

After all, restaurants and bars are a vital part of our economy, and we wouldn’t want to take an action that would be economically onerous for them.

I wonder, now, whether there isn’t enough compelling positive evidence for Charleston to join with other responsible communities and enact a much stronger smoking ban.

Start with the evidence from New York City. One year after enacting its ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, as well as workplaces, New York reported, “The data is clear. The city’s bar and restaurant industry is thriving, and its workers are breathing cleaner, safer air.

“Since the law went into effect, business receipts for restaurants and bars have increased, employment has risen and the number of new liquor licenses issued has increased—all signs that New York City bars and restaurants are prospering.

“The vast majority of New Yorkers support the law and say they are more likely to patronize bars and restaurants now that they are smoke-free. And, most importantly, the health of all New Yorkers is now protected from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke.”

The New York City results are repeated in study after study conducted throughout the world. Irish pub workers reported a 30%-40% drop in negative health symptoms. So did bar workers in Norway.

Interestingly, smoking bans not only benefit victims of second-hand smoke, they also benefit smokers as well. Research reports that a 30% reduction in smoking is an inevitable result of a strong ban as smokers cut back or quit.

Following the enactment of strong smoking bans, communities from Helena, Mont., to Peoria, Ill., have reported the number of heart attacks there have dropped by almost one-half.

The evidence is crystal clear: A strong smoking ban improves a community’s health and its economy. It improves the economy not only because restaurant and bar sales actually increase, but also because of its positive effects on health insurance, health care costs and absenteeism.

But what about the issues of government intrusion and personal freedom?

To those who are concerned that a smoking ban represents government intrusion on business, I would ask, “Are child labor, fire safety, food handling and other health laws too intrusive? Or do they simply enforce standards that are in service of the greater good?”

And to those who fear some loss of personal freedom, I would ask, “What about the freedom of non-smokers to breathe clean air? Citizens may not have a right to clean air, but certainly no one has a right to foul it.”

Charleston is in the national spotlight. We are a model community in many ways. We have taken time to act upon this issue because it could be very consequential.

But now that we recognize that those consequences are overwhelmingly positive, isn’t it time to “butt out” for the good health of our citizens and our economy?

David L. Rawle is chairman of Charleston-based Rawle Murdy Associates Inc., a marketing, advertising and public relations firm. E-mail him at drawle@rawlemurdy.com or visit his blog at http://davidrawle.blogspot.com >

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