3/5/2011
Even though he still feels like deciding whether or not to allow smoking should be up to individual bar owners, Tracy Hawk says he isn't a fan of a proposed new exemption to the state's ban on smoking in public places.
House Bill 2340 would create a new exemption under which bars authorized to sell lottery tickets under the Kansas lottery act could permit patrons to smoke.
An association of drinking establishments is behind the bill, which was introduced by Rep. Joe Seiwert, R-Hutchinson. Seiwert said the bill's purpose is to bring bars in line with an exemption that allows smoking in state-owned casinos.
Not exempting casinos?
The bill has been referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services. that committee also has another bill before it that would eliminate the casino exemption altogether. The chair of the committee, Rep. Brenda Landwehr, Wichita, did not return phone calls seeking comment about the bills.
Hawk, who owns a vending machine service and Maggie Mae's bar, 409 S. Broadway, says he's against the smoking exemption for casinos.
But he says he's also against strong-arming bar owners to add lottery offerings to their businesses just to enable smoking.
"A lot of places would put lottery in to allow smoking. But that's wrong," he said.
Even smokers support it
Since the smoking ban took effect July 1, there have been surveys showing that even smokers support the measure by 54 percent, said Rep. Charlie Roth, R-Salina.
"Support cuts across both parties, in all sections of the state. It's pretty conclusive, in my view," Roth said.
The bar and private club owners who are backing the campaign to amend or repeal the smoking ban have put together an 18-page brochure attempting to counter many of the claims of those who promoted the ban adopted by state lawmakers last session.
They mailed copies to all state legislators and distributed it at public forums in Hutchinson and Wichita.
Bans hurt businesses
Articles in the booklet argue that studies are faulty that show second- and thirdhand smoke are dangerous to patrons and workers and that smoking bans nationwide have detracted significantly from personal rights and commerce.
The booklet charges that the anti-smoking movement is driven by private profit. It says that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has contributed more than $200 million to anti-smoking groups and created the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids with a $20 million grant in 1996.
Yet the foundation continues to be supported by Johnson & Johnson, the maker of Nicoderm and numerous other smoking cessation products.
"There's no reason Kansas needs any more exemptions than any other place that's been through this before," said Dr. Trent Davis, a Salina neurologist and the chairman of the public policy committee for the Salina Area Tobacco Prevention Coalition. "We know what works."
Significant evidence
Davis said there's significant evidence showing that a disproportionate number of medical patients are smokers. The rest of society is paying the bills through higher health insurance premiums and higher taxes to support Medicaid and Medicare, he said.
"These are people hopelessly addicted and they'll resist anything that restricts their ability to smoke when they need to," he said. "Once you start letting (smoking) back in, you'll find other folks who feel unfairly targeted saying, 'I deserve an exemption, too.' "
n Reporter David Clouston can be reached at 822-1403 or by e-mail at dclouston@salina.com.
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