The Minnesota Department of Health is still trying to put the kibosh on the few bars statewide that are using "theater nights" to openly defy the statewide workplace smoking ban. Meanwhile, instead of closing the theatrical exemption loophole, the Minnesota House of Representatives is trying to further water-down the "Freedom to Breathe" act.
A House proposal, which was tacked on to an unrelated budget bill, would let bars set up shelters for smokers outside the regular business establishments. Picture, if you will, an unsightly shack, tent or lean-to, perhaps with a propane heater in the corner, in which smokers huddle together between trips back to the bar for the next round. On really cold days, they might have to drink their beer quickly to keep it from freezing.
And we don’t think it would stop there. Bars would compete with each other to see who could provide the best "smoking shacks" in the area, and eventually, someone would get a double-wide trailer, heat it, put in some bar stools and wire it with cable TV. Presto — everything a smoker needs, except liquor and someone to serve it. Those, they’d find at the bar next door.
We’re dismayed by the fact that this proposal has occupied the valuable time of some legislators. After so much work has been done to protect the health of workers and give people another reason to kick a deadly habit, it would be foolish to turn around and start making it easier for people to smoke.
Yes, we’ve heard the arguments that some bars, especially in rural areas, are struggling financially, and we don’t doubt those claims. But we’re convinced that over time, nonsmokers who enjoy a smoke-free environment will help these businesses recover some of those losses. Furthermore, we believe people are inherently social creatures who, sooner or later, will opt for good company at their former watering holes over smoking at home, alone.
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Iowa has seen fit to follow Minnesota’s lead. On Tuesday, Gov. Chet Culver signed a law that bans smoking in all bars and restaurants and most workplaces, with the only exceptions being state-licensed casinos and a veterans home. With any luck, soon Minnesota will be surrounded by states with similar smoking laws.
So let’s keep setting a good example, this time by snuffing out an unnecessary and potentially harmful change to an important law.
