Where There's No Smoke …

by Mary F. Patel

The push for a smoking ban in public places has begun. When City Council convenes Jan. 25 after its long holiday break, one of the first things that Councilman Michael Nutter wants to do is push through his public health bill.

John Street is supporting the bill as well and says he will work with Nutter.

Getting this bill passed should be relatively easy for Nutter. Many restaurants are already smoke-free. Office buildings have been smoke-free for almost a decade. Hence the smokers huddled outside, relegated to a small part of the sidewalk to puff away.

Nutter said he decided to resurrect his old anti-smoking bill because of the concerns voiced by his nonsmoking constituents who have complained about the dangers of secondhand smoke.

"It's a real health issue," said Nutter. "When you're around smoke, it gets in your clothes and hair. Bar and restaurant workers are exposed to smoke for six to 10 hours, and that is a significant impact. Smokers will adjust — smoking in planes was banned and people still fly," he pointed out.

Nutter used Boston and New York as examples of smoke-free cities that have survived.

"When I was a delegate in Boston for the Democratic National Convention this past summer, I noticed how much better it was to have no smoke around when you went out," he said.

Boston's public places have been smoke-free since 1998.

The city first started with a smoking ban in restaurants and then extended it to bars and nightclubs as well as private clubs if it had employees, said Kristin O'Connor, spokeswoman for the Boston Public Health Commission.

"Any building that had employees had the no-smoking policy," she said. "Some smokers went to other cities, but then the state passed a smoking ban."

The law in Massachusetts prohibits smoking anywhere in public where there are employees of any kind.

New York City has not had many problems with its smoking ban, which passed in March 2003, and has not stopped residents from dining out or drinking in bars. "They just go outside," explained Hershal Shevade, spokesman for the New York City Health Department.

"The only complaint we get is the noise level of people gathering outside to smoke and cigarette butts in front of apartment buildings, although I've heard that some bars let people smoke inside late at night. The bar gets a warning and then fines."

Most restaurants here are already voluntarily smoke-free or have nonsmoking sections.

La Colombe, a popular coffeehouse off Rittenhouse Square, went smoke-free two years ago and sales have increased as a result.

Before La Colombe's no-smoking policy, on some days, the air was as thick as smog.

"It would have been ideal if customers came in to chill and had one cigarette," recalled barista Doug Wolfe, a longtime employee who weathered the smoker storm.

"But people came in and smoked an entire pack of cigarettes. It was like, dude, time to stop. We had three giant smoke eaters and that didn't even help. It was disgusting," he said. "Now, they just go outside to smoke."

Bars may not be so receptive because patrons are accustomed to puffing away while they booze and may drink less if they are anxious from nicotine withdrawal. (Private clubs that require a membership will be exempt from Nutter's proposal.)

The Crazy Leprechaun in Port Richmond predicts a negative impact from the ban.

"It's crazy," said Barbara, the daytime bartender at the Leprechaun who would only give her first name. "We would lose all our customers. People like to smoke when they drink."

She added that she wasn't sure where the Leprechaun patrons would go, but didn't think they would drink at home where they could smoke. "That would be boring," Barbara said. (Maybe they'll just stop drinking altogether.)

Although gentlemen's clubs have more restricted access than a typical bar because of their adult entertainment, they are not private and would be subject to the anti-smoking law.

Julius, the DJ at Signatures in Center City, thinks government should stay out of the issue of smoking in the hospitality industry. "We know smoking is bad, but it should be left up to the individual owners," he said.

Nutter said he is prepared for the onslaught of numerous public hearings on the matter, but he is confident the bill will pass.

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