Jump to full article: Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch, 2009-02-06
Author: OLYMPIA MEOLA AND JEFF E. SCHAPIRO TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS
Intro: VIDEO: Legislators discuss smoking ban
The Republican-controlled House of Delegates -- the last barrier to a further clampdown on smoking in public -- could vote as early as Monday to ban lighting up in restaurants and bars across a state built in part on the riches of tobacco.
Heralded by a bipartisan group of lawmakers as an advancement for public health, the proposed smoking prohibition -- already favored by the Virginia Senate -- would represent an expansion of restrictions enacted more than a decade ago that were written largely by tobacco interests.
The new rules, however, and their narrow limitations quickly drew fire from health advocates as weak and from restaurateurs as government meddling in the marketplace.
"This is a political issue, not a health issue," said Thomas Lisk, a lawyer-lobbyist for the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association.
The prohibition would make exceptions for private clubs and restaurants with a designated smoking room that is physically separated and independently ventilated . . .
High-dollar restaurants and chains may be able to meet all the stipulations, but new walls and air systems could push mom-and-pop shops out of business, critics argue.
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