They say businesses should decide for themselves
Jump to full article: West County Journal, 2008-08-26
Author: Shawn Clubb
Intro: A group called Smoke-Free St. Louis City released results Aug. 19 that show the majority of registered voters they polled favor prohibiting smoking in workplaces, bars and restaurants.
In releasing the results, the group cited a 2006 U.S. Surgeon General report on second-hand smoke in which the surgeon general said, "The debate is over. The science is clear. Second-hand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard."
The debate is not over. At least not for a group of St. Louis residents who oppose a governmental ban on smoking in bars and restaurants.Bill Hannegan of the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood is part of a group called Keep St. Louis Free. The group opposes smoking bans in the St. Louis area. . . .
Hannegan said the group is willing to compromise. It put forward a proposal to exempt bars and restaurants that meet a certain standard of air filtration.
"We think air filtration can reduce it to a point that government can leave businesses alone," he said. . . .
David W. Kuneman of Rock Hill serves as director of research for the Citizens Freedom Alliance, a national group that opposes smoking bans and the use of eminent domain. The former pharmaceutical chemist for Monsanto and Mallinckrodt Veterinary said many claims made against exposure to second-hand smoke don't come true when tested.
"We're just not seeing the health benefits anti-smoking groups claim we should get when bans are passed," Kuneman said.
Among the information Kuneman cites are a report issued in 1995 by the Congressional Research Service and a report prepared in 2004 by the National Restaurant Association.
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