Virginia Beach
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine called for a statewide ban Monday on smoking in restaurants and bars, framing his second effort for the legislation as a common sense New Year’s resolution needed to improve health.
Flanked by lawmakers who said they will sponsor smoking-ban bills this year, Kaine made the announcement at Hot Tuna Bar & Grill, a smoke-free restaurant on Shore Drive.
“This year, we can make a meaningful resolution that we’re going to live healthier,” he said.
The proposal, which came two days before the start of this year’s General Assembly session, probably will spark “healthy debate” among legislators, said Del. Kenny Alexander, D-Norfolk. Alexander said he would support a compromise such as allowing people to light up after posted nonsmoking hours.
At the same time, lobbyists for Virginia’s tobacco producers
are expected to oppose more smoking restrictions.
“Restaurants can already opt to do it on their own, so the argument would be, 'Is the ban really necessary?’ ” Alexander said. “It will be very tricky legislation, and we’ll need to be careful in drafting it. I guarantee you, you’ll see a lot of amendments to it.”
While restaurant owners are lining up on both sides of the debate, most local city leaders and health advocates are behind Kaine.
In a parallel anti-smoking effort, officials from Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth are asking the General Assembly to give them the authority to ban smoking in their city’s restaurants. Suffolk is planning to do the same. The Norfolk City Council voted last year to ban smoking in city restaurants but delayed the measure until March 31, giving other cities time to gain state approval for a ban.
Last year, lawmakers considered a bill that would have banned smoking in restaurants unless owners posted signs that smoking was allowed. Kaine amended that proposal, calling for a statewide ban in all restaurants. The House rejected Kaine’s amendment 59-40, and Kaine vetoed the original bill.
A bill calling for the smoking ban is expected to be introduced in the House.
Sen.-elect Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, is expected to introduce a similar bill in the Senate.
“I’ve always been a believer that the less government in our lives the better, but I believe the government has the responsibility to protect its citizens,” said Northam, a pediatric neurologist, who also attended Monday’s news conference.
Last year, Richmond-based Philip Morris USA orchestrated a lobbying effort to defeat Kaine’s smoking-ban amendment. A ban still goes “too far,” said Bill Phelps, a company spokesman. “We believe that business owners, particularly owners of restaurants, are the most familiar with how to accommodate the needs of their patrons, and they should have the flexibility to determine their own smoking policy.”
Some restaurant owners said the ban is needed to protect workers from secondhand smoke.
“No one likes working in that environment,” said Matt Falvey, an owner of Hot Tuna, Shorebreak restaurant and bar and Peabody’s nightclub – all smoke-free Virginia Beach venues.
Still, Christopher Savvides, president of Black Angus Restaurant on Atlantic Avenue, worries about overregulation, especially when so many businesses already have snuffed out smoking. About 560 Virginia Beach restaurants have voluntarily gone smoke-free, according to Virginia Beach Restaurant Association officials who support a statewide ban.
Nat Stowe, owner of Nat’s Surf Sports Grill on Laskin Road, where smoking is allowed, said he and other owners should be able to make their own decisions.
“If we give them the right to do this, what’s next?” Stowe said. “I know that smoking is politically incorrect, but if the governor said red meat is bad for you and ordered that steak and hamburger be taken off the menu, everybody would be up in arms about it.”
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
Susan E. White, (757) 222-5114, susan.white@pilotonline.com
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BBinVB, there already are pools for those...but did you know...
..The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) passed by Congress Oct 2006 (which was secretly added to a Port security bill) without a vote last year, passed in the middle of the night without anyone any the wiser but a few of the congressmen in cahoots to get it shoved through, makes it illegal for financial institutions to process money for internet gambling anymore, that includes card playing such as spades, backgammon, poker, and such. Where was your freedom to vote for or against that then? Freedoms being slowly deteriorated..you betcha...And just what did internet gambling have to do with the Ports Security Bill...??? Nothing! You tell me...Now we are in a heap of trouble with the WTO over this...and guess what, it's all coming out of your pockets! BBinVB, there already are pools for those that like peeing and not peeing, you just aren't aware of it..all public pools are peed in and thanks for the chuckle tho...glad i don't like swimming...
No, it's definitely the smoking
As stated previously, I am an asthmatic and also allergic to cigarette smoke. Other fumes in the air may bother me from time to time but it's rare and it doesn't keep me from going about whatever activity I was trying to go about. Smoke from someone's fireplace or fumes from a factory are only bothersome as I drive past the area and they dissipate quickly. Eating dinner (and trying to socialize a little while before and after the meal) is torture when sitting in a restaurant that has a smoking section. Not to mention going to one of these restaurants means coming home with stinky clothes and hair. I don't think it should be up to rude smokers to determine where I can and cannot go out. They're not allowed to keep me from going to a store or other businesses, why restaurants? This comparison has become cliche recently, but it's true. Would it be fair for pools to have a peeing section and a non-peeing? All those who like peeing in the pool could go swim and have a good time. Those who don't pee in the pool would just have to tolerate it or stay home.
Our Constitutional form of government is dead
Some just won't admit it. It is time for the French solution.
Own up to it..
It is not the smoking that bothers anyone, it's the thought of such a habit one has. People, the air you breath is filled with garbage. Why pick on just one small aspect of it? You really make no sense at all. Banning smoking isn't going to clean up the environment...look around you! My goodness. I really can't believe how blind you are. We have plastic bags, plastic soda can holders , all kinds of garbage being tossed out on the wayside and you scream over a butt? We have toxic fumes from grills, fireplaces, backyards,restaurant kitchens, factories and you scream over a cigarette. I am so amazed that we have lost all common sense over this one small habit. Put some energy into something that really matters, such as our country becoming a country for spanish speaking illegals. Now that is a fight worth fighting. Where else can one be so discriminated against except the USA. Push 1 for English 2 for Spanish? What happened to all the other languages we speak? Why should we push 2? It is still America , or is it?
smoking and public health
Banning smoking in restaurants is not the return of the third reich, in spite of the comments some have left here. It is about having clean, non-poisonous air in public accommodations such as restaurants. Private business owners, restaurants included, have many rules they must follow. They must provide a safe environment for both patrons and employees and there are various laws to ensure this. Fire safety, how meats and dairy are handled, how insecticides are stored, accommodations for the disabled, proper handwashing procedures are all rules mandated to protect patron and/or employee health. Ridding restaurants of carcinogenic smoke seems in line with these other measures. Also, employees have a right to a healthy work environment....do you think these restaurants are going to pay for the illnesses that these employees are likely to develop after years of working in a cigarette-smoke laden environment? These restaurant jobs don't provide health insurance. Who do you think will foot the bill for any illnesses or diseases that strike the friendly waitress who works in your neighborhood pub for several years? We the taxpayers will foot the bill. Banning smoking in restaurants is prob
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto....
As previously stated, by 2020 it will not matter. I used to smoke, but quit of my own decision. If I only had Kaine and Clinton to make these decisions for me earlier, and show me the way. Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto..........
Regarding "private businesses"
Think about the "private business" aspect that people who likes to subject others to second-hand smoke in restaurants are so adamant about. Are not grocery stores privately owned businesses? What about Target? Beauty salons? Office supply stores? 7-11? These aren't public or government establishments. If the general public and employees are protected from hazards due to the foolish, disgusting habits of others in these privately owned businesses, why should restaurants be any different?
I'm against further control by the government, but
I can't help being disgusted by all the smokers who feel that people who can't stand smoke or really can't physically tolerate it for health reasons should just mind their business and have no desire to visit places where smokers choose to puff. As an asthmatic and someone who is allergic to cigarette smoke, there are lots of places I simply cannot go because it isn't safe for me to be there. I start coughing and wheezing when someone next to me at a stoplight is smoking with their windows down. Dare I sit in the lobby of a restaurant with a smoking section and that lobby is near that smokers... Burning, itchy eyes are just the beginning.
Wm D Tabor DDS, no truer words have been said...
My father fought in this 1954 rebellion to gain our freedom to come to this great country and he paid a dear price for it. Him and my mother both were in holding camps with us kids and they were beaten daily until he managed to escape with all of us. I am here as a witness of just what an inch of government encroachment can and will do on ones freedom if continued to be allowed. My most horrible day was when I heard from our own presidents lips, that we should be a dictatorship so he could rule alone, without question..my heart sank to my knees thinking, yes, it is happening again. A little piece at a time and no one is LISTENING! Smoking? It stinks, it is offensive and I can walk away FREELY because I can. What will be next on their agendas, if these bans come to pass? This is just testing the waters people! I don't even want to think it for it could be more horrible than a butt in the street or a puff of smoke in the air! Keep letting them strip away others freedoms..your in line next and do not think it won't happen to you too!
This is a Slippery Slope....
Any situation or circumstance where some small, undesirable situation permits the gradual and inexorable weakening of personal responsibility/rights by government that is promulgated by the public for the greater good of our state - is a bunch of HORSE-HOCKEY!
From an old Arabian proverb: "If the camel once gets his nose in the tent, his body will soon follow."
If adopted, the legislation will mark the inception of supervision and control of private business by the State.
Whether or not you are a smoker or a nonsmoker....YOU DO NOT WANT GOVERNMENT MAKING THESE DECISIONS!
Smoking ban and the ensuing fire storm..
from several posters here. It's amazing to see so many up in arms about this subject, and how some have turned it into their own political forum; some have gone as far as bash certain political figures as if doing so will make a change. Some have accused certain political figures of fanning the flames(no pun intended)for their campaign efforts. The only realistic post I have seen so far, states that it should be left up to the individual restaraunt or pub owner. I could not agree more. I am sure the debate will continue regardless of what gets decided and/or what is bill is actually passed. Not only will the debate continue in Richmond, but here locally as well. Some posters make claim that smoking is not a right...yeah it is. It's totally up to the individual. Some claim that there is some hidden government conspiracy to take over pubs and resturants and control every move we make. Yes, I agree the measure is a bit overbearing, and it should indeed be left up to the individual restaruant owner.
To much government control
It's wrong, plain and simple wrong! Individual business should have the right to make this decision on their own without the government stepping in. If this bill passes, I hope every smoker will get their cigarettes from neighboring North Carolina; then you will see how much that affect your taxes in the future. Then many of you will start complaining again because complaining and telling others what to do is what you do best. Remember this, gun control and the use of cell phones haven't seen their day by our law makers, but the day is coming when you will get your share of government contol.
Katet
You say it is sick to state an analogy of something from the past. I feel so sorry for you. I think it is sick and sheepish to complain about something because it offends you, when you don't even understand it. It was meant to point out how so many people will follow someone elses agenda without even thinking about the end results, their own loss of freedoms and rights. It shows the hypocracy of people like Kaine and the city councils in this area. If they are so concerned about our health, then ban the sales of cigarettes altogether. But they would never pass a law like that because THEY (the city and state)would lose to much money. If they wanted to pass a just law, then make it where the establishment owners decide, and the patrons decide. Not people that don't even patronize the specific establishments. As for operating the ovens, the people that were down trodden by the government back then, were the ones that were forced to operate the ovens. Have a nice day.
I am a reformed smoker
Yes, I quit in 1996. I can smell smoke on someone's clothes 6-10 ft away. Do I like it. . . No!
Is it MY job or responsibility to regulate for someone else what they can and cannot do.
I can choose to go to a resteraunt that allows smoking, and I can choose not to.
Le me make MY choices, as well as letting the Resteraunt owners make their choices. This is NOT the role of government!!!
Leave it up to the
Leave it up to the restuarant/bar owners to decide if they want a no smoking establishment or not. Patrons then have the choice to eat/drink
where they enjoy a meal with or with out smoke. The wait staff and others
working in bars/restuarants have a choice where to apply for a job.
If the smoking ban becomes law I recommend the next thing to outlaw
in bars/restuarants is the cell phone, make those who wish to receive and
make calls do it from the outside along with the smokers. their habits are just as offensive to diners.
What is really sick....
is to see the term "freedom fighter" used as a perjorative and to have people celebrating the likelihood that the tyranny of the majority will triumph over individual rights.
It is truly sad that some people here can look with glee at the demise of all that made America 'the shining city on the hill' Reagan reminded us we could be.
Even a cursory reading of the history of Europe in the last century would reveal that the minimal risks of secondhand smoke are trivial compared with the danger posed by governments that place the collective above the individual.
"Private" business owners...
You know, I'm glad that more places are deciding to become smoke free. But if memory serves Big Daddy Kaine said that he would not do just this thing because it would be like instituting a "police state". Never the less, the business owners should decide not the government. If they ban Cig's Rob Maz, where will Hillary get the money for Child Healthcare, SCHIPS? What about the states that already depend (read as already budgeted) from the Settlement? Where will Hillary get the money for all the other programs already tied to the Tobacco Tax? Do you really think Hillary is going to put out of business those who farm Tobacco especially since we subsidize them anyway to continue the addiction. Your government is just as complicit in addicting the country to smoking, where's the law suit against them?
Richard M.
You are a very sick and immature person to bring up Nazi's and saying you would like to be the oven operator for the "sheep" who are proponents of smoke free air. I intend to make a formal complaint against you since I feel you do not deserve a forum to spew such vile thoughts. If you are a smoker, it's obvious the dangerous chemicals have polluted your brain as well as your body. Please see your General Practioner and Psychiatrist immediately. Your twisted thinking is as dangerous to others as your second-hand smoke.
Sad isn't it?
So many people with such a narrow view of life..if smoking was the cause of all our ills, we all would be dead. Smoking has been a custom for centuries and that will never be stopped just as drinking, gambling and sex. It's part of our lifestyle we were raised with. One could try to change another by demanding to do it their way but isn't that imposing ones will upon another once again? As I said, smoking is small stuff...take your blinders off and look at the BIG picture...what isn't being banned that is hurting you a 1000 times more than a puff of smoke from a cigarette. Many of your children in the near future will be born deformed due to the allowable spewing of carcinogens from other sources in the air. Why isn't anyone screaming over this? Because one feels mightier when one can take anothers pleasure away..I pity all of you for not seeing this for what it really is..a gesture from politicians..who really don't care for if the did, we wouldn't have ozone alerts now would we?
Who cares
ALL smoking will be banned by 2020 anyway. Sooner if Clinton gets in there.