The public-smoking ban approved Wednesday by the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health shows why the Legislature must take control this issue.
A lawsuit challenging the board’s action is promised by the Washington Restaurant Association, which says state law specifically allows smoking in restaurants, bowling alleys and similar venues. As we have argued before, state lawmakers should change that in an effort to protect the population from the health dangers of second-hand smoke.
Public momentum is building toward such a ban, because it’s for society’s greater good. Preventing the many health maladies caused by second-hand smoke beats paying to treat them later.
A statewide ban also would prevent the unfair situation faced by Pierce County restaurants located near a county border, who say they could lose business to a nearby competitor whose patrons are allowed to smoke. We would argue that such establishments might actually find themselves at an advantage, drawing more non-smoking customers from the other side of the line. Either way, a statewide ban would largely take care of the issue. It also would prevent a confusing patchwork of rules that differ from county to county or city to city.
Dr. M. Ward Hinds, health officer of the Snohomish Health District, said attorneys are analyzing Pierce County’s decision to see if similar action could stand up here. "We must continue to be progressive and offer better protection, particularly to workers who are exposed to second-hand smoke," Hinds said.
But local governments like the Snohomish Health District are ill-equipped to fund legal challenges, and they shouldn’t have to when it comes to smoking in indoor public places. The Legislature should stamp out this smoldering issue in the upcoming session.
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