Close to vote, smoking ban debated
By Audrey Spalding
Show-Me Institute
In about a week, Saint Louis County voters can decide whether to prohibit smoking in most public areas, with exceptions for a number of places, including casinos and bars that take in little to no revenues from food sales. With the vote impending, County Councilman Barbara Fraser, who sponsored the bill, and Bill Hannegan, the area’s most active critic of proposed smoking bans, met to debate its merits at the Center of Clayton on Monday. A small crowd of about 20 people showed up.
If voters pass the countywide ban on Nov. 3, a similar ban will take effect in Saint Louis city and other parts of the state may follow suit. Fraser, when asked by an audience member what the implications would be for the state if the legislation were passed, said the county legislation could be a stepping-off point for state and local governments.
“So goes Saint Louis County, so goes the state,” she said. And later: “Let’s be not only the economic engine of the state, but the public policy engine of the state.”
Fraser argued that the health benefits of banning smoking from many public places far outweighed concerns about property rights, and that concerns about the negative impact on businesses was unfounded. She said that if a person looked at the unbiased, peer-reviewed research, the evidence said that smoking bans did not harm private businesses, and helped reduce diseases associated with smoking.
“Smoking bans save more than a half million lives each year,” she said.
Hannegan disagreed, stating unequivocally that the ban would have large, negative consequences for area businesses. An estimated one of every five jobs at city bars would be gone if the city and county ban were in place, he said. And, on top of that, Hannegan said, the ban isn’t an equitable one.
“It does not create a level playing field,” Hannegan said. “You can still smoke on the casino floor.”
He called the legislation “hastily crafted for political reasons,” alluding to Fraser’s campaign for state senator for the 24th district.
Hannegan, who also attended meetings concerning a city smoking ban, said politicians in general were more interested in social engineering than in what was best for their constituents.
“It was really chilling to listen to restaurant and bar owners plea for their economic lives and watching politicians basically go on a power trip,” he said, referring to the city smoking ban hearings. “It was about themselves, it wasn’t about the good of Saint Louis.”