Posted on 07/17/2002 12:44:33 PM PDT by SheLion
Although bar and restaurant owners were urged to attend an informal discussion on second-hand smoke in the workplace, only two showed up last night as the Board of Health took up the issue.
Only 92 people voted in an online poll conducted by The Standard-Times that asked whether the town should impose a smoking ban in restaurants and bars. Of the 92 who voted, 41 percent said there should be a ban in order to protect public health. Nearly 24 percent said regulations aren't needed because some businesses have smoking and nonsmoking areas available. Another 13 percent said regulations are needed because restaurants wouldn't impose them voluntarily.
"I like the idea of protecting the worker," said Judith Coykendall, regional director of the tobacco control program. She said while patrons are the main focus of the smoke-free debate, it's often the workers who are overlooked. She noted a number of restaurants employ teens who can't legally smoke, yet must breath in second-hand smoke at their jobs.
Ms. Coykendall said 53,000 people in this country die each year from second-hand smoke-related illnesses.
Rick Rousseau, owner of Assonet Village Pizza at 66 S. Main St., said his business offers a nonsmoking area. He said he believes it should be up to the restaurant owner to voluntarily have a smoking or nonsmoking restaurant, or make accommodations for both. He said if someone walks into a restaurant and sees smoking and isn't comfortable eating there, they have the right to leave and go somewhere else.
Nick Rentumis, who owns the Pantheon Restaurant at 19 S. Main St., runs a smoke-free facility. He noted when it was formerly the Buffington Family Restaurant there was smoking allowed. He said he cleaned up the place "for the kids." A former smoker who quit some years ago, Mr. Rentumis said he feels good and strong. He said his business hasn't suffered because it is a smoke-free business, but rather it "grows better every day."
D.J. Wilson from the Massachusetts Municipal Association said he remembers when he was a child and people would smoke in the grocery stores as they did their food shopping. He said imposing regulations on smoking in public facilities isn't over-regulating, but rather health boards catching up on the dangers of smoking.
Resident Dan Lopes said it should be up to individual businesses to decide their smoking regulations. He was strongly against government regulations being forced down their throats. He said when he goes out to eat with his young son, they sit in a non-smoking area. However, when he goes out with his wife, he said they like to sit where they can smoke.
Selectman John S. Ashley agreed, saying it isn't up to the board to become dictators.
He suggested if the board ordered all workplaces smoke-free the next step might be ordering all private homes to be smoke-free. After all, he pointed out, if the regulation is to safeguard children and teenage workers, aren't these same children exposed to the hazards of second-hand smoke at home if the parents smoke in the home? Selectmen Chairman Mark A. Howland said he wondered if surrounding communities becoming smoke-free would cause an influx of smokers into Freetown's restaurants and bars, making smoking a real problem.
Selectman Lawrence N. Ashley said his main concern was with teens working in establishments where smoking is permitted.
Ms. Coykendall said second-hand smoke is in the same category as asbestos.
WHAAAT??!!
"You wouldn't send anybody in to work where there is asbestos," she reasoned.
The board decided to continue the informal discussion to 30 days from now and in the meantime would do more research on the issue.
This story appeared on Page A10 of The Standard-Times on July 16, 2002.
Smart Man!
Where the heck did she come up with THIS???
I don't remember that one.
Exactly! No one is holding a gun to their head, making them breath second had smoke, though the tobacco prohibitionists would have you believe otherwise.
Only 92 people voted in an online poll conducted by The Standard-Times that asked whether the town should impose a smoking ban in restaurants and barsOh yeah, there's a lot of teens working in bars, no doubt.:snip:
Selectman Lawrence N. Ashley said his main concern was with teens working in establishments where smoking is permitted.
-Eric
Ah, another reformed harlot. ;^)
What an ironic name for the town.
I can understand no smoking at McDonalds and Burger King where the kiddies hang out. But by golly! A BAR?? Give me a break! That is NO place for a kid, smoking or not!
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