Jump to full article: Charleston (WV) Gazette, 2010-01-08
Intro: Down in North Carolina, at the very heart of the tobacco industry, the state legislature banned smoking in bars and restaurants, effective Jan. 2. It was a blow to huge cigarette corporations that have dominated the state in the past, employing thousands and helping build Duke and Wake Forest universities.
Virginia, another big tobacco state, likewise passed a statewide ban that took effect Dec. 1 -- but Virginia's new law lets restaurants and bars install separate smoker sections with special ventilation.
So far, 29 states have outlawed smoking in restaurants, the American Lung Association reports, and 24 have extended the ban to bars. The health menace from secondhand smoke has been proven so thoroughly that many legislatures finally are acting to avert sickness and save lives.
If all those legislatures can set statewide rules, why does West Virginia's lawmaking body keep ducking the issue? Why do Mountain State legislators leave the problem in the lap of 55 county health boards? . . .
Legislators in North Carolina, Virginia and many other states faced their public duty. It's time for West Virginia lawmakers to join them.
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