Posted on 10/20/2007 1:52:53 PM PDT by Wheee The People
Poll: Two-thirds of Wyoming voters support statewide smoking ban
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - A statewide poll shows that two-thirds of Wyoming voters support a ban on smoking in public places, including restaurants and bars.
The poll, commissioned by the American Cancer Society in Wyoming and other health organizations, also found that 74 percent of registered voters believe the right of customers and employees to breathe clean air outweighs smokers' right to light up indoors.
"It shows that the people of Wyoming would absolutely support a smoke-free Wyoming," said Loretta Wolf, spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society in Wyoming. The American Cancer Society and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, a national group that supports smoke-free legislation, also helped pay for the poll.
Harstad Strategic Research Inc. of Boulder, Colo. conducted the poll between Sept. 26 and Oct 1. They contacted 504 registered voters across the state. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.
A poll commissioned last year by the Casper Star-Tribune found 57 percent of Wyoming voters supported a comprehensive, indoor smoking ban. That poll, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc., surveyed 625 Wyoming voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The new American Cancer Society poll found that 92 percent of voters say they would go to restaurants more frequently or at least as frequently as they currently do if smoking were prohibited in them.
Only 6 percent of voters said they would go to restaurants less frequently if indoor smoking were outlawed, while 8 percent said they would be less likely to frequent bars.
While 66 percent of voters supported a statewide smoking ban, the American Cancer Society poll found 32 percent opposed it. Democrats and Republicans supported the ban at about the same level, 67 percent and 68 percent, respectively.
Support for the ban also remained constant among people of different ages, with support only varying a few percentage points between voters aged 18 to those 60 or older.
The poll found that 70 percent of women supported a smoking ban compared to 61 percent of men.
More than 70 percent responded that they believe exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke is harmful to people's health. Twenty-seven percent of voters surveyed said that exposure to secondhand smoke is "just somewhat" or "not at all" harmful.
The poll results were released while a legislative committee is considering whether to introduce smoke-free legislation at the upcoming budget session in February.
Wolf, of the American Cancer Society, said her group is pushing for a comprehensive bill that includes a ban on smoking in bars, restaurants or other businesses. About 27 states have adopted smoke-free laws but the restrictions vary.
Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, chairman of the Labor, Health and Social Services Committee, has said he only intends to introduce the bill in next year's budget session if a majority of the committee members supports it.
Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, sponsored a similar bill in the last session, but it failed to make it to the House floor for a first-reading vote. Lawmakers anticipate a tough fight in the coming session if the bill moves forward.
Dan Hatanelas, manager of a bar in Cheyenne, opposed a citywide smoking ordinance that became law last year. He said he would also oppose statewide legislation.
However, Hatanelas said that a statewide ban might be more fair to businesses in Cheyenne that now must compete against nearby Laramie County businesses that are exempt from the local ban. He said his bar saw a 19-percent drop in revenue during the first 12 months of the local ban, which took effect in August 2006.
"I'd hate to see anything happen, but maybe on a statewide basis it would be less traumatic for us," Hatanelas said.
In addition to Cheyenne, the cities of Laramie and Evanston have adopted their own smoke-free ordinances. The Rock Springs City Council is considering a similar ordinance. Voters in Casper rejected a proposed ban in 2000.
Information from: Star-Tribune, http://www.casperstartribune.net
Well, time to take a break and watch a movie. See ya. BTW, been on the local news two days in a row that opposition to the OheilO smoker ban is heating up among small business owners.
Exactly. And I was very shocked by it.
I still can’t figure out his statement about the 1st Amendment.
For all that, though, I’d never seen his name before, and I’m fairly active on the board.
Keep up the good work in shutting him/her down.
If there is an on-line link that you know of, send it to me or post the article.
??? What statement about the 1st amendment?
Oops. Not the First. The Preamble. Reading too many things at once.
I’m a little slow...why don’t you post the section of the 1st amendment that you are alluding to and you think I’m talking about.
No worries...I've done the same myself...
Unfortunately, not one of our FOUR local tv stations has a WORD about it on their websites. Figures. Too bad, some of the people interviewed gave excellent points (One bar owner: “If there was an advantage to having a non-smoking bar, you’d think someone would have tried it over the last-what?-one hundred years?”).
Of course, all four had THIS on their sites:
http://www.nbc24.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=59699
Still more unneded big brother-passed by a republican legislature and signed by a democratic governor. Can’t have any other form of legalized gambling...gotta protect that lottery, don’t ya know. This state is rapidly approaching Michigan for first place in the midwest government idiocy department. It’s almost like the two ruling bodies are at war to see who can totally destroy their state first.
My brother-in-law just told me about this this past weekend. I wasn’t even aware of it. Most of my sisters (I have three) and brothers-in-laws are fed up with this state and want to get out. Ohio used to be a really great state. I don’t understand what’s happening. I suppose the state’s constitution is the constitution and, therefore, will have to be amended (talk about being picky though). I suppose the people of Ohio will have to continue to go out of state. I see so many people wasting money on the lottery. You have better odds playing slots. At least most times, you can win enough to keep playing for a little while. Ohio used to have such a good government. We’ll have to keep pressing on. :-) I voted against the slots issue last November (even though I enjoy playing them) for the sole reason that I did not want people to count on that for education dollars.
I dunno about that statement we used to have a good government-at least not where the governor is concerned-they’ve been getting progressively worse in my lifetime, regardless of party-Rhodes, Gilligan, Voinovich, and, to top it all off, Taft, the absolute worst one EVER for the state, and he and his Rockefeller ‘country club’ group-Petro, sweaty Betty, Noe,etc; have screwed the party here for probably decades. But, guv aside, I agree the REST of our elected officials were better, for the most part, because other than taxes, they pretty much left you alone at least. Taft got more left wing crap passed than any democrat could,including outrageous taxes. Engler started putting nails in Michigans’ coffin, and Grandhole is finishing the job.
The problem is once you give the inch, and allow a ban in a business.
Then it’s on to apartments.
Then own house, and if you have kids they take them away for child endangerment.
Then another wack-o group comes along, and does the same thing about meat/religion/guns.
I’m pretty sure they didn’t stand outside bars, or convenience stores when the poll was taken.
I think I’m going to start my own poll, and walk up to as many smokers as I can find.
I couldn’t agree more.
I live in Cheyenne, I absolutely hate the smoking ban. Right now I drive about 5 miles out of town just to have some place I can sit down, and smoke in.
I know these polls are false. I could produce a petition where 90% of the people thought smoking should be up to the owner.
If I could find a group that was working on a petition I’d do it.
“Wyoming would absolutely support a smoke-free Wyoming” that right there is a lie. I know that. It’s not absolute support. It’s faking the polls. Go to Jackson WY, and do your poll, ask people everywhere, not just outside non-smoking restaurants in Casper.
That’s texas not wyoming.
I do think there’s some truth to that arguement. It’s important that the public at large let the government know that they aren’t going to sit still for that kind of crap. I don’t support the no-smoking effort going any further than it has, and I’ll join any of you opposing attempts to add more classifications to the no smoking efforts.
Prove it lift the ban.
Thanks that was interesting.
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