By John Fuquay
RALEIGH— A state House committee passed a bill Tuesday that would ban
most public smoking across North Carolina — the state built largely on
the fortunes of tobacco and that still leads the nation in tobacco
production.
The
committee’s recommendation is to ban smoking in most places of work,
including bars and restaurants. It will soon be sent to the full House.
One
health advocacy group called the legislation “historic” and commended
lawmakers for their efforts to stop exposure to secondhand smoke.
State
Rep. Rick Glazier is a co-sponsor of the bill and said it went through
several revisions to appease concerns of committee members before
passing 9-4. Glazier is not on the committee.
“It’s
not barring anyone from stepping outside and smoking,” he said. “What
it’s saying is when someone’s in an enclosed place, it’s no longer good
policy to allow that secondhand smoke to affect other people.”
Glazier,
a Fayetteville Democrat, introduced a bill that passed earlier this
month in the House, 107-4, that would ban smoking in buildings owned or
leased by state government agencies. It also would give cities and
counties authority to approve local ordinances regulating public
smoking.
“I’m in favor of both,” Glazier said. “They’re getting at two different sets of issues.”
The
bill approved Tuesday by a House judiciary committee is broader than
Glazier’s and was drafted by Rep. Hugh Holliman, a Davidson County
Democrat and lung cancer survivor. Holliman had a sister who died of
lung cancer.
The N.C. Alliance for Health said the bill would save lives.
“While
this bill does not protect every North Carolina worker, this bill will
protect the vast majority of workers and is clearly a step in the right
direction,” said Pam Seamans, the alliance’s executive director.
“Secondhand smoke is a serious public health threat and should be
addressed as such.”
Seamons said a poll last year showed the majority of state residents support a smoke-free workplace.
The
N.C. Restaurant Association generally opposes smoking bans, saying
businesses should have the flexibility to address smoke exposure based
on the desire of patrons or that all establishments should compete for
business under the same rules.
The bill allows exceptions for private clubs, tobacco shops and smoking rooms in hotels and motels.
Rob
Thompson of the N.C. Public Interest Research Group said studies in
other states show smoking bans do not adversely affect restaurants and
bars, whose employees risk high exposure to secondhand smoke.
Across the country, most smoke-free workplaces are designated under local laws.
The
American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation estimates that 29.8 percent of
the population is protected by 100 percent smoking bans at work. The
California-based advocacy group reports that 11 states ban all
workplace smoking and almost 1,000 cities have no-smoking ordinances.
The
U.S. Surgeon General’s Office issued a report last year saying evidence
was indisputable that secondhand smoke is a health hazard that kills an
estimated 50,000 people annually and that no level of the toxic fumes
are safe.
Secondhand
smoke contributes to heart disease, cancer and several adverse health
conditions in children, including asthma, officials say.
In North Carolina, tobacco is the No. 1 crop with about $600million in annual farm income — the most in the nation.
Smoking
has become more difficult in North Carolina in recent years with
smoking bans expanded to some government buildings and colleges.
Two
years ago, lawmakers raised the cigarette tax, which had been the
lowest in the nation. The 35-cent per pack tax is now seventh lowest.
