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EDITORIAL: Bans rarely an answer  

Add more ammunition to the arsenal of anti-smoking efforts with the latest report on secondhand smoke from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to researchers, more than 1 in 5 high school and middle school student are passengers in cars while others are smoking. (One caveat: In the case of the high school students, the study did not determine if they were in cars with their parents or their peers.) . . .

But turning smokers into criminals isn’t the answer. Raising cigarette prices has been somewhat effective, although that has created a black-market trade that will only get worse.

Attempts at prohibition didn’t work with alcohol. And let’s be honest: It hasn’t worked with drugs. Why would we expect it to work with tobacco?

Education would be a more worthy effort, if we spent as much time — and funding — on discussion as we spend trying to dictate individual behavior.

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Councilman: Don't bet on smoking ordinance in Myrtle Beach  

Some Myrtle Beach city council members say the odds are not in favor of a smoking public smoking ban in the city.

Following North Myrtle Beach's vote to institute a smoking ban in public places, Myrtle Beach is now sandwiched between Surfside Beach and North Myrtle Beach, both of which voted for smoking bans.

Some restaurant workers, like Dirty Don's Oyster Bar and Grill Manager Rebecca Utley said they wish Myrtle Beach would institute a smoking ban to alleviate confusion.

"I think we should go ahead and make a law here as well so we can get in line with North Myrtle Beach and Surfside [Beach]," Utley explained. "I think it just makes things more consistent for tourists when they come down."

Bodo's German Restaurant and Pub Owner Patti Gregory said she does not want Myrtle Beach to vote in a ban because she feels it encroaches on her rights.

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Four years later, Surfside Beach adjusts to smoking ban 

North Myrtle Beach City Council is scheduled to take a final vote Monday on an ordinance that would ban smoking in public buildings. If it passes, North Myrtle Beach would not be the first Grand Strand community to ban smoking.

Surfside Beach did it in 2008. Surfside Beach town leaders and some business owners like it, while others say it has cost them a lot of business and money. But all seem to agree that it would be better if every town in the area offered the same level playing field.

At the Surfside Bowling Center, Monday was a busy day for league bowling. The bowling alley's manager said business in the lounge hasn't been nearly as good as it used to be, before the town enacted its indoor smoking ban.

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KELLY: Blowing Smoke 

Being a hookah owner, I was honestly more than a little skeptical about going to a hookah bar to smoke. I expected to be ripped off with the price and given a crappy setup to smoke on. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong during my visit to Friend’s Cafe. The food was reasonably priced, with a 10-percent discount given if you plan to smoke while you are there. On top of that, you can’t beat $2 mixed drinks (Mon. – Thurs., from 6-9 p.m.) which were pretty generous on the alcohol. . . .

To finish out this week’s column, I would like to just take a moment and respond to a few questions that I got from readers last week about the health concerns related to smoking hookah. Obviously, smoking anything is not something that your doctor is going to recommend you do (unless of course you happen to live in California), but smoking hookah is very different than smoking other tobacco products like cigarettes. Shisha is just tobacco leaves and molasses ­— no rat poison, no fiberglass shards, no other hazardous chemicals that were originally designed to kill other organisms. Furthermore, no studies have positively linked hookah smoking and cancer. So while it isn’t going to make you healthier, smoking hookah is not nearly as deadly as other tobacco products. As I said last week, I will never claim to be an expert in this subject, but causal use causes less damage to one’s body than a night of heavy drinking. To top it off, hookah smoking isn’t addictive like cigarettes can be, so you can smoke as much or as little as you please.

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As NMB considers smoking ban, cities with limits say they're doing fine  

North Myrtle Beach could be a step closer to being smoke-free, at least in public, after Monday’s City Council meeting.

Meanwhile, locations that have already passed similar limits say the move has done little to harm business, although many urge for a larger statewide ban rather than piecemeal municipal rules.

The North Myrtle Beach council is expected to take its final vote on the city’s proposed public smoking ordinance Monday night.

A close majority of the council gave its initial approval Jan. 23 to the ordinance that would limit smoking in indoor public places. The rule is similar to ones adopted by Surfside Beach and Greenville. Atlantic Beach has also passed a nonsmoking ordinance.

Myrtle Beach is not having any discussion on the subject at this time, city spokesman Mark Kruea said.

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Smoke Free Horry to host founder Of Smokefree America  

Representatives from Smoke Free Horry today announced Patrick Reynolds, grandson of tobacco company magnate R.J. Reynolds and founder of The Foundation for a Smokefree America, will speak at Horry-Georgetown Technical College in Conway on January 18.

A grandson of cigarette company founder R.J. Reynolds, Patrick first spoke out publicly at a Congressional hearing in favor of a ban on all tobacco advertising (1986). Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said in 2003, "Patrick Reynolds is one of the nation's most influential advocates of a smoke-free America. His testimony is invaluable to our society." Reynolds' family is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

"We are excited to welcome Mr. Reynolds to the Myrtle Beach area and wencourage everyone to come out and hear the important messages he has to share about the dangers of tobacco use," said Larry White, program director of Smoke Free Horry.

The event, which will take place at 6 p.m. in the Burroughs and Chapin Auditorium at HGTC's Conway Campus, building 110, is free and open to the public.

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LETTER: REYNOLDS: Smoking ban needs more pragmatism 

North Myrtle Beach City Council members thinking of voting against the city’s proposed ordinance based on their ideology that we need less government regulation, and should protect business owners above all, should take a closer look.

Ironically, the smoking ban in North Myrtle Beach will be good for business, not bad for it. Numerous studies of municipalities that passed 100 percent smoking bans showed no decline in sales, measured by sales tax revenue paid before and after the bans. In many cases, revenues increased. . . .

We need case-by-case, pragmatic solutions to today’s highly complex problems – a more carefully considered approach to lawmaking. In sum, leaders who adhere to a rigid ideology will prove dangerous to our communities, our economy and our nation.

The proposed smoking ban for North Myrtle Beach is a common sense law that will both protect non-smokers and also be good for the local economy and business. It’s an idea whose time has come – a regulation, and a good one.

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VIDEO: Smokefree Speech Tonight (Interview with Patrick Reynolds) 

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VIDEO: North Myrtle Beach one step closer to smoking ban  

North Myrtle Beach City Hall passed the first reading of a smoking ban ordinance, 4-3 Monday night

Councilman J.O. Baldwin, III argued in favor of the smoking ban Monday night

An audience member at Monday nights council meeting, dressed as a superhero protesting secondhand smoke in public establishments

Many audience members performed a standing ovation when the smoking ordinance passed on first reading. Many others, unhappy with the result, simply got up and walked out of the room

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North Myrtle Beach council passes first reading on non-smoking ordinance  

North Myrtle Beach City Council passed the first reading of the proposed non-smoking ordinance in a meeting Monday night.

This was a big victory for members of groups which have worked to create awareness about second-hand smoke.

"There's been a whole lot of work put into this by a lot of people. This project started over seven months ago," Jay Specter said.

Smoke-Free Horry is pleased with the progress to get municipalities to go smoke free. Surfside Beach and Atlantic Beach have already enacted non-smoking ordinances

"This city had the courage and the foresight and the progressive thought to protect the public health of these citizens here," George Durant with Smoke-Free Horry said.

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North Myrtle Beach council to hold first reading on smoking ban  

North Myrtle Beach City Council is scheduled to meet Monday night to hold first reading on a proposed smoking ban.

Council held a workshop two weeks ago to discuss the issue.

Some tweaks made to the proposal will include whether or not to ban electric cigarettes in public places.

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Men Charged With Cigarette Scheme In South and North Carolina 

Eleven men have been charged with running a multimillion-dollar cigarette trafficking and money laundering operation in North and South Carolina.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports that federal court documents unsealed last week detail the charges against the men, who were arrested in November.

The documents say the men bought 6,800 cases of Marlboro cigarettes at half their market price from people they thought had stolen the merchandise. In reality, they were undercover law enforcement officers.

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Store Selling Cigarettes Without Tax Using Loophole  

An Upstate store owner said smokers can get cigarettes without paying state and federal taxes because of a tax loophole.

M.J. Farah, owner of Jake's One Stop in Pelzer, is offering customers the chance to roll their own cigarettes.

"The customers are taking advantage of a tax cut. They don't have to pay the taxes on the tobacco if they are making it on their own," said Farah. "I have people who drive all the way up here 45 minutes just to come get their tobacco."

Farah recently got three new machines that stuff the cigarettes for customers. He was already selling roll-your-own supplies, but the new machines are less time-consuming and still save smokers money.

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• North Myrtle Beach to take first vote on smoking ban later this month 

People might not be able to distinguish an e-cigarette from a real cigarette in certain situations, which is why the city council has decided to include e-cigarettes in its non-smoking ordinance.

The city council expects to take its first vote on the proposed ordinance later this month.

When city council members made changes to the proposed non-smoking ordinance in December, those changes included not applying the ordinance to e-cigarettes.

City Manager Mike Mahaney said Monday that city staff encourages the council not to include e-cigarettes because he doesn’t want to put law enforcement in a position of trying to determine whether it is an e-cigarette.

But some city council members said it would create a problem if the ordinance doesn’t address it.

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Proposed North Myrtle Beach smoking ban moves forward 

City council met Monday in a workshop session to go over the proposed North Myrtle Beach smoking ban.

Council will do a first reading on the ordinance at the Jan. 23 meeting.

Some tweaks to the proposal will include whether or not to ban electric cigarettes in public places. Construction sites and hallways will fall under the ban if enclosed. Smoking will only be allowed in designated areas in city parks.

A hearty debate began before the workshop between smoker Dick Jones and smoking ban supporter Michael Dunagan. . . .

Workers at Duffy's Street Seafood Shack on Main Street in North Myrtle Beach haven't seen any real drop off in customers since getting rid of smoking voluntarily three years ago.

"It's been really good, I mean no complaints," Waitress Lisa Causey said.

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