It's The Right Thing To Do

He said, he said and lots of political positioning have been in the news regarding the latest smoke-free proposal for the City of St. Louis.

Alderwoman Lyda Krewson's Board Bill 46 would prohibit smoking in bars, restaurants, casinos and other workplaces in the City of St. Louis, but ONLY IF St. Louis County passes a similar measure. What does that mean for us?

Well, it could mean the bill passes with flying colors at the Board of Aldermen, only to sit on the shelf for months or years, with no secondhand smoke protections for anyone in St. Louis. It's promising to see a comprehensive bill be introduced, but if its implementation is delayed, what does it accomplish? Why go through the arduous task of bringing this to the fore of public consciousness, only to hit a political brickwall? 

Sadly, what's been left out of the news coverage and comments on this proposal is the very reason for its existence--saving and improving lives, and making our community healthier and happier. 

Too often in the smoke-free debate, the health of patrons and workers is overlooked. With 4,000 chemicals and 60 known carcinogens, secondhand smoke is dangerous to nonsmokers. Every major medical and public health organization asserts that secondhand smoke is harmful. The scientific evidence is overwhelming. The U.S. Surgeon General in 2006, stated, "the debate is over and the science is clear--secondhand smoke causes death and disease in nonsmokers."

We forget to think about bars and restaurants as workplaces. If someone walked into your office right now and lit a cigarette, you would probably look at them as if they'd grown two heads and a tail. We have the luxury of smoke-free offices, but some 13,000 bar, restaurant and casino workers in St. Louis City are not afforded that same protection.  Bar and hospitality workers are among the most exposed and least protected from secondhand smoke and have a significantly greater risk of dying from lung cancer than the general population. Of the 1,100 bars and restaurants in the City, less than 10 percent are smoke-free.

Opponents often say "just get another job," but most can't. In this economy you can't just quit a job and hope to get a new one. Those who serve our meals and drinks in St. Louis need the flexible hours and good pay that working in a bar, restaurant or casino affords. No one should have to choose between their health and a paycheck, and everyone has the right to work in a safe and healthy environment.

It doesn't matter where you are employed - workers should be protected from the dangers of secondhand smoke in bars and restaurants in the same way they are in other workplaces.

It's the right thing to do.