Time for a ban in 56572 Mayor Wayne?

Minneapolis Star Tribune, January 13, 2006

Editorial: St. Paul: At last, a smoking ban
Thune, Coleman went to bat for public health.

Chalk up another victory for clean indoor air and public health. At last, St. Paul will join Minneapolis, Bloomington and Golden Valley as a smoke-free city.
This week, the City Council voted 4-3 for a no-smoking rule for all bars and restaurants. The ban goes into effect on March 31.

Council Member Dave Thune, a pack-a-day smoker himself, deserves praise for both leadership and persistence. Nearly two years ago, he started to fight for a full smoking ban; he continued to push the issue despite considerable opposition from constituents in his ward, which is heavily populated with bars and restaurants. New Mayor Chris Coleman also merits kudos for immediately signing the ordinance into law.

Now that several of the metro area's biggest players in the restaurant/bar arena have made this wise choice, other municipalities, counties and the state should follow. Just this week, New Jersey (excluding the Atlantic City casinos) became the 11th state to adopt a statewide smoking ban. If high tourism and entertainment states like California, New York and New Jersey can continue to thrive with cleaner air, so can Minnesota. It is ironic that a state which once led the nation on this environmental and health issue has fallen so far behind. According to a American Lung Association report released this month, Minnesota (along with half of the nation's states) got an F in the group's annual grading of state tobacco-control efforts.

Among the states that won higher grades are those with statewide bans. Why? Because they work. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the U.S. adult smoking rate declined from 22.5 percent in 2002 to 20.9 percent in 2004. That progress occurred because of increased cigarette taxes, workplace smoking bans and state-based prevention efforts.

Opponents claim that bans violate individual rights and that adults can choose whether to patronize or work in smoking environments. But those arguments don't wash; employees and patrons alike should expect protection from known health hazards. Research shows that lighting up is a leading, preventable cause of death and illness -- both for smokers and secondhand inhalers. Clearly, workers and patrons deserve government protection -- and smokers themselves benefit from further incentives to quit.

Another encouraging outcome of the St. Paul action is that Coleman and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak have pledged to work together to lobby for a statewide ban. Minnesota lawmakers should listen, learn from the cities' experience, and follow their fine example.

56572 Editor's note:
Dave Thune was my High School classmate. We have not spoken in thirty-eight years, until today when I sent him a congratulatory email, to which he responded. With yet another classmate, Mark Voxland, as Mayor of our home town of Moorhead, I feel about as proud as Sam Alito's chums at Princeton. What Dave did, as a smoker himself, is laudable. Would others only follow until we get a statewide ban. Can 56572's leaders not stomach challenging the VFW?