Jump to full article: NJ.com blogs, 2009-10-21
Author: Star-Ledger Editorial Board
Intro: The legislature, after allowing casinos to escape the statewide indoor smoking ban in 2006, has refused to close this loophole. Lawmakers continually have chosen casino balance sheets over the health of the average Joe. But this is a moral, not economic issue: What amount of money makes it acceptable to put people's lives at risk?
We know the answer: None.
And that's why there's a tobacco stain on New Jersey's soul.
The Atlantic City council has a second chance to do the right thing and pass a casino smoking ban immediately. . . .
Opponents of the ban insist gambling and drinking and smoking go together. Well, actually, they don't. Studies have found that the majority of gamblers don't drink and 82 percent of them don't smoke.
Through all of the debate, one argument remains indisputable: Second-hand smoke kills.
But in New Jersey, cash trumps cancer risks.
"A 100 percent smoking ban would be catastrophic," said Mark Juliano, CEO of Trump Entertainment Resorts. "Right now, we can't face another negative."
Since when is saving lives a negative?
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