Alright, this is getting a little out of hand. The New York Times reported today that the city Health Commissioner is looking to get rid of smoking at public parks and beaches.
In my opinion, the increasing number of smoke-free air laws just makes our current policy efforts look laughable. New York City restaurants have been smoke-free since 1995, and we can hardly get enough support from our lawmakers to do that much 14 years later. Places like Chicago and LA got rid of smoking in beaches and playgrounds in 2007 and we still allow smoking in bars and restaurants! To people outside of our city, we might as well still be smoking in the Galleria, that’s how backwards we look to outsiders. How can we expect to compete on a national level if we refuse to get on the same level as everyone else.
This is just such a no-brainer. It bears repeating: North Carolina passed a smoke-free air law this year. It doesn’t exempt bars. How can we honestly still think that exempting bars with 75% alcohol revenue is a good idea? Not “we” per se, but how can our elected officials not see the forest for the trees?
Someone commented on our Facebook page today, saying that one should go to Fair St. Louis and look at all the hoosiers. But I don’t buy that. Coming from Illinois, I can guarantee you that at the Illinois State Fair, the hoosiers come out of the woodwork, and their whole state is smoke-free. Of course, we shouldn’t judge or stereotype people, but the only way we’re going to break this “Missouri=hoosier” stereotype is if we change our thinking, and listen to those that have come before us. Every single economic impact study done in a smoke-free community has found a neutral impact on business. So why do our lawmakers think St. Louis will be any different?
