Kaine back again on smoking ban

Virginia's governor is taking another run at banning smoking in restaurants statewide. Good for him, and for Norfolk's new senator, who is carrying the bill in the Senate.

The proposal died last year after critics said the ban was too broad, that it would have applied to hot dog stands and any other place food is sold.

This time, in exchange for a ban indoors, Gov. Tim Kaine is recommending that restaurants and clubs be allowed to have a smoking section outdoors, as long as the area cannot be enclosed.

If that's what it takes to pass the legislation, fine. But judging from the negative reaction from the lobbyist for the state Hospitality and Travel Association and Retail Merchants Association, passage won't be easy.

Advocates argue that Virginia needs a comprehensive prohibition on smoking in restaurants, not a piecemeal approach that allows this town and that one to ban smoking if they wish.

State law does not allow a local option, although some local governments are lobbying for one. Here's a compromise: Allow a regional option. Let South Hampton Roads, home to more than 1 million of the state's 7 million people, enact a ban on smoking in restaurants in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. Allow Northern Virginia the right to ban smoking in that region.

Kaine and Norfolk Sen. Ralph Northam, the pediatric neurologist who is sponsoring the bill, point to the statistics on deaths and illnesses related to secondhand smoke as the chief reason for pushing for a ban.

Levels of secondhand smoke in restaurants and bars are two to five times higher than in smokers' homes, and two to six times higher than in office workplaces, according to the American Lung Association.

Secondhand smoke is responsible for 1,700 deaths per year in Virginia, the state Department of Health estimates. The state also spends about $125 million a year on health care related to secondhand smoke exposure, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

A statewide ban on tobacco in restaurants would be the best approach. If lawmakers with Big Tobacco ties won't go along with the broad ban, they should heed the wishes of a region united in its efforts to make its businesses healthier for patrons and employees.