One more reason for smoke-free dining

VIRGINIA lawmakers really don't need more evidence that banning smoking in restaurants is in the best interests of public health. What they need is to take the cigarettes out of their ears, so they can hear what their constituents are saying, and the tobacco industry's money out of their pockets, so they can do what their constituents are requesting.

But here's more evidence in support of a restaurant smoking ban: A new study indicates that young people who live in communities with strict limits on smoking in public places are less inclined to take up the deadly addiction.

Researchers at Boston University's School of Public Health report that teens who lived in towns with bans on smoking in restaurants, workplaces and other areas were 40 percent less likely to smoke than teens who lived in towns with weak bans or no restrictions at all.

"If they perceive a lot of other people are smoking, they think it's the norm," said Dr. Michael Siegel, the lead author of an article published this month in a national journal on pediatric and adolescent health.

Earlier this year, cities in Hampton Roads tried and failed to convince the General Assembly to grant them the authority to enact bans on smoking in restaurants. Norfolk officials approved restrictions last fall, then flip-flopped on their vote in May.

The great fear in Richmond - aside from raising the ire of tobacco-industry contributors - appears to be that a ban on smoking will force restaurants into bankruptcy. But numerous studies indicate that business remains steady or even improves.

In many states, residents have made it clear that they want smoke-free dining establishments, and their elected officials have responded. In 2002, for example, a whopping 71 percent of voters in Florida approved an amendment to the state constitution to ban smoking in restaurants and most workplaces. Early-bird specials and waterside dining remain alive and well.

Virginia lawmakers should follow the rest of the nation's lead, exhibit less fear of the tobacco industry and show more concern for public health - particularly the health of young people.