From the editorial board of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

End of an error
Friday, Jan. 04 2008

For years, tiny Sauget has been known in neighboring St. Louis mainly for the
malodorous emissions of its chemical plants and the bustling nightclubs that
operate in their shadow.

But a new day dawned in Illinois early Tuesday when smoking in public
buildings, restaurants and bars became illegal. That means that Sauget's air --
the air inside its nightclubs, at least -- is cleaner than the air in most
Missouri restaurants and bars. That's a victory for the overwhelming majority
of people who don't use tobacco and don't want their health damaged by having
to inhale the smoke of others.

There is no safe level of second-hand smoke, the U.S. Surgeon General reported
in 2006, and its harmfulness is clear. Children exposed to second-hand smoke
have drastically higher rates of severe asthma, lung problems and repeated ear
infections. Adults exposed to it have higher rates of lung cancer and heart
disease.

Tobacco industry apologists -- and some understandably nervous owners of small
businesses -- tried to kill Illinois' clean indoor air bill by predicting dire
consequences if it was enacted. The big day has come and gone, and there has
been remarkably little uproar in the casinos, bars and restaurants of Illinois
thus far. Nor is there likely to be as time goes on; 21 other states already
have clean indoor air laws in effect, as do numerous cities and towns including
New York and Louisville, Ky.

At the same time that Illinois began its new smoke-free era, so did Portugal
and France. The laws even cover Paris' famously smoky cafes. Ireland banned
indoor smoking in 2004 -- even in pubs. Britain, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Norway
and other European countries have followed with at least some smoking
restrictions.

Missouri, however, remains stubbornly stuck in the past, allowing the minority
of smokers to poison the air that everyone else must breathe.

St. Louis County Council members knocked down a proposed smoking ban in 2006.
Those who opposed it said they feared it would harm small restaurants and bars.
There is no denying the personal and financial demands on the owners of
restaurants and bars and the endless hours of hard work they devote to
businesses that sometimes survive on small profit margins. Their concerns about
a potential loss of business are understandable.

But studies conducted in states and cities that banned smoking have shown
little or no economic impact, especially after an initial period of adjustment
to the new rules. Many locales -- including famously feisty New York City --
actually saw bar and restaurant businenss increase after indoor smoking was
banned.

With Missouri lagging behind on clean indoor air laws, smoking rates among
young people in the state remain among the nation's highest. There is clear
evidence that bans on public smoking, combined with high tobacco taxes and
aggressive education efforts, can reduce youth smoking.

Illinois lawmakers deserve credit for standing up against the powerful tobacco
lobby and its allies and for the right of all people -- nonsmokers, business
owners and their employees and even smokers -- to breathe clean indoor air.

Missouri lawmakers should join them and clear the air indoors.