ON THE MARK... Smoking Ban In Bars
Commentary                                                             By Mark Hallburn
Publisher
PutnamLIVE.com

It's hard to believe, but the subject of banning smoking in bars and restaurants is making the news again.

You may recall that about a year ago the Putnam County Board of Health voted to ban smoking indoors in all workplaces in the county. That included bars and restaurants. This was a common-sense decision that was long overdue. It's a decision that has undoubtedly saved some lives and saved taxpayers and private citizens money by reducing tobacco-related illnesses.

However, an upset bar owner discovered a technicality that voided the vote. So now the board must vote again. This time I hope they send a message to everyone by reinstating the ban with tougher fines. In fact, I hope they make smoking illegal ANYWHERE in public. Indoors, outdoors, in parks, on sidewalks, anywhere outside your own home.

Stuff THAT one in your pipe and smoke it!

Why am I so adamant against smoking? Against any form of tobacco use? Because when tobacco use is banned in public, everybody wins. Even the bar owners who are screaming to have their businesses exempted.

There are a few basic tenets of business:

1) Good business people care about their customers.

2) Good business people care about their employees.

3) Good business people care about themselves.

4) Good business people cherish repeat business.

5) Good business people keep overhead down.

6) Good business people market themselves to the majority of society.

So when bar owners say that banning smoking is bad for business, it becomes obvious that they aren't good businesspeople.

Some facts:

1) Smoking kills customers.

2) Smoking kills employees.

3) Smoking kills business owners.

4) Dead customers don't come back to businesses.

5) Ashtrays cost money to buy, clean, and to pay employees to remove from tables to clean.

6) Air conditioning filters cost money to change more often because of cigarette smoke.

7) Those nasty cigarette butts go to landfills where they sit for decades as they slowly rott. We don't need more pollution in the air or the ground.

By now the bar owners, if they chose to continue reading this column, are, well, fuming. That's OK with me.

For months now I have been reading the whining comments by bar owners. I am not impressed.

Yes, in the short run, I am sure business is down. But in the long run, killing your customers won't help business.

Answer me this, bar owners:

1) Do you provide health insurance to the employees that you endanger by exposing them to cigarette smoke? I didn't think so.

2) Do you give discounts to those customers that don't clog up your air conditioning filters?

3) Do you believe you have the right to make a buck at the detriment to the health of other people?

4) Many businesses across America have seen an increase in customers and profits when they banned smoking.

5) Do you know that the State of West Virginia spends about a BILLION dollars every year in tobacco-related health care? That's a BILLION-with a BIG B!

You may have noticed that PutnamLIVE.com has never run advertising for tobacco products, bars, or strip clubs. That's because I believe that business owners have a moral and ethical responsibility to make a positive impact on society. Creating a deadly environment for your customers, your employees, even yourself while you make a quick buck is unethical, irresponsible, and immoral.

Finally, I loved the argument of the guy that claimed he bought a fraction of the beer to sell that he purchased in the months before the smoking ban went into effect. I still laugh at his comment. From where I sit, sending less inebriated drivers onto the road is a good thing. A very good thing. And that, my friends, may be the best reason to ban smoking in bars.

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