Got a flier in the office today that looks like a mailer for Joe Citizens to send to their legislators calling for a statewide solution to the municipal smoking bans like Charleston’s.
As a citizen of South Carolina I am requesting your support for compromise legislation on smoking restrictions. Business owners who have age restricted venues that have a large adult smoking customer base should have the choice to allow smoking in their establishments. … You have the opportunity to preserve adult choice, defend small business owners and protect the jobs of hospitality employees.
The return address on the flier is listed as ABC Stores of SC, whom, we’ll assume, is not as directly impacted as much as the restaurants and bars they supply. I’ve got my doubts that there will be any movement in the Statehouse before the courts make a decision on those local ordinances that have been challenged.
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The best idea would be for the state legislature to pass a statewide smoking ban. That way there is an even playing field across the state, and no confusion from town to town as to what the law actually is. Probably half the other states have done this, with more about to do so.
I live in Ohio, and we have a restrictive smoking ban. Smoking bans do not level the playing field. They level the local businesses that are affected by the bans. Since Ohio passed its law a year ago, hundreds of privately owned bars have gone out of business. Others are on the brink. Add to that is the lack of the ability to enforce the bans. Ohio has over 20,000 violations since enforcement began 7 months ago. For every appealed $100 fine, as most violations are, the cost to the state is $350. Then, there is the actual enforcement agency problem. 11 of Ohio’s 88 counties have opted out of enforcement and given that chore back to the state because they could not afford the personnel to enforce the law. Is that what you call a “level playing field” Is that what you want for South Carolina?