Local businesses that don’t comply with the state’s tough new smoking law will have three warnings before the case is turned over to prosecutors, local health officials say.
The law, which went into effect this month, bans smoking in schools, bars, taverns, bowling alleys and places of employment. Smoking within 25 feet of business entryways and windows is prohibited.
The emphasis will be on working with businesses, said Pam Wessel-Estes, program manager for the tobacco prevention program with the Snohomish Health District.
However, district inspectors will check to see if businesses meet the law’s requirements, such as posting no-smoking signs and preventing people from smoking too close to doors and windows.
If violations are found, the first letter from the public health agency will simply state the problem. The second letter will ask the business to comply with the law. It also will say that a health district inspector will stop by within 30 days to ensure changes are made.
The third letter will be signed by Dr. M. Ward Hinds, health officer, saying it’s the last opportunity to meet the law’s requirements before the case is forwarded to the prosecuting attorney.
“There’s definitely confusion out there” among businesses over where to allow people to smoke, said Joe Ziskovsky, co-owner of Sporty’s Beef and Brew, a sports bar in Everett.
At his pub, an ash can that used to sit in the front doorway has now been moved 25 feet away, he said. Smokers can light up under an awning.
Ziskovsky said he hasn’t noticed a drop in business because of the smoking ban.
“We’re getting new customers in that we haven’t in the past,” he said.
Christina Faulks, a manager at Final Table Casino in Everett, said a few customers, “I think out of habit,” have lit up cigarettes inside the casino since the ban. “We remind them,” she said. “They run outside right away. They’re usually really nice.”
Even employees who smoke like the smoking ban, she said. “They prefer working in a non-smoking environment, for sure.”
Tim Church, a spokesman for the state Health Department, said the most common problems with the new law are people not complying with the ban on smoking within 25 feet of doors and windows and the lack of no-smoking signs.
Some private organizations, such as the Eagles or veterans groups, are asking if the ban applies to them. The law applies to work places, Church said. “Whether or not you’re a member of the club – if you’re an employee you’re in the work place. This law affects them.”
Overall the public seems to be getting the message, he said. “I haven’t seen any complaints about one individual flouting the law.”
Local businesses can get the required no-smoking signs from the health district, Wessel-Estes said.
A letter will be sent out to about 15,000 businesses in Snohomish County in early January outlining the new law and including a paper copy of the no-smoking signs, said Suzanne Pate, spokeswoman for the countywide public health agency.
Restaurants and other food establishments also will get information on the new law as they renew their annual licenses with the health district.
State and local health officials are working on a policy on how to grant variances for businesses to allow smoking within 25 feet of doors and windows, Church said. The law requires businesses to show “clear and convincing evidence” that smoke will not reach the building’s interior if the variance is granted.
Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
Getting help to quit smoking
For a free copy of information to help you quit smoking or to register for a quit-smoking class, call the Snohomish Health District at 425-339-5237. Check the health district’s Web site at www.snohd. org and click on the link that says “100 percent smoke-free Washington” for more information. For information on the new state law, check the state Health Department Web site at secondhand smokesyou.com.
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