• No-smoking laws and Kaua‘i restaurants
No-smoking laws and Kaua‘i restaurants
By Charles E. Roessler,
Neighbor Island Tobacco-Free Coalition Coordinator
The New Year marks the first anniversary since Kaua‘i implemented smoke-free legislation, including smoke-free restaurants and many workplaces. Tobacco-Free Kauai, which, along with the 2002 Council members worked to guide this legislation, can take pride in knowing that these kinds of laws go a long way in protecting workers and the public by reducing environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on Kaua‘i.
A recent article in The Garden Island (“Kaua‘i restaurateurs expect more business in the new year”) predicted good news for island restaurants and brought home a point that we made more than a year ago in public testimony: Smoke-free dining is good for business.
In talking with restaurant owners and workers who were reluctant about making the change to go smoke free, I learned that they are very pleased with the results. They commented that it is cleaner in their business establishment and the atmosphere is much more pleasant. With no dirty ashtrays and burns on the tables and seats, maintenance has simplified. They also noted that the customer turnover is faster and they don’t have a line of people waiting for tables in smoke-free areas, since the whole place is smoke free. What a win-win for everyone!
In study after study across the nation, passage of smoke-free workplace and dining ordinances has resulted in better business for those serving the public.
New York, California, Delaware, Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts now all have comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws. And the best news of all is that California, which paved the way with this progressive legislation, is already showing dramatic declines in its lung cancer rates.
Just two weeks ago, Sweden joined Norway, Ireland, New Zealand and Bhutan in passing legislation that requires all public places, including bars, to be smoke free. When nations add up the costs of tobacco use, both in increased medical bills and lost time on the work site, it’s very clear that smoke-free laws are in society’s best interest.
Probably most Kaua‘i residents have met members of our coalition at local health fairs, the County Farm Bureau Fair, in the schools or at other public gatherings.
We hear first-hand the stories of people and families that avoid smoky places and situations because someone has asthma or other lung ailments. This segment of the population, as well as many others who simply can’t stand the smell of tobacco smoke, is now free to dine wherever they want. We often say: “Everyone has a right to breathe fresh air.”
We realize that those who smoke are not bad people – in fact, a number of coalition members are former smokers. It’s hard to quit. Recent studies show that quitting tobacco can be more difficult to do than stopping a heroin addiction. That is why we are working hard to make more cessation services available to the public.
And since nicotine is so addictive, we go into all the schools on Kaua‘i to help prevent young people from taking up the habit. We believe that this is the first stage of drug-use prevention, as tobacco is seen as a gateway drug to other addictive substances. If we can get the kids to never begin the habit, we feel sure that they are less likely to begin using ice and other dangerous drugs.
Last month, at a national tobacco conference held in Boston, Kaua‘i representatives joined others from Hawai‘i in receiving acknowledgment for being the first state in the nation to have smoke-free workplace legislation in every county.
We can be very proud of this accomplishment, for this translates into healthier people living in a cleaner environment. And this is what we’re all about: working for a healthier Kaua‘i.
Tobacco-Free Kauai has a number of programs and services available to deal with the issue of tobacco control. For further information, call 651-6241 or contact the Kaua‘i District Department of Health at 241-3497.
