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by linkup
on Tue May 22, 2007 4:55 am |
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http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070518/NEWS01/70518007/1005/NEWS10
Comments are available following article link
Putnam citizens complain about smoking ban
By JILL OXLEY
The Putnam Herald
WINFIELD -- A barrage of citizens packed the meeting room and hallways of the Putnam County Health Department to address countywide smoking regulations in bars and gaming centers.
The Board of Health was astonished by the crowd.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We had two public hearings on this before it became an ordinance, no one came," said board chair Jeanne Bailey.
County Commissioner Joe Haynes explained to the crowd, "I'm not a smoker, but last year when the proposal for banning smoking was drawn up, I argued the case by myself."
Bill Lanham, owner of Sneeker's LLC in Scott Depot, was the first audience member to speak. "I am speaking as a citizen, and as a business owner in Putnam County. I own a nightclub, everyone that enters is 21 years or older, I have a warning sign on the front door that the customer will be exposed to smoke. They should have the choice to enter or not.
"Twelve days after the ordinance was passed in January I received a notice. I knew nothing about the public hearings," continued Lanham.
Board of Health Director Bob Peck reminded him that the hearings were advertised in area newspapers, but several in the crowd complained that they had not seen the legal advertisements. Attorney Mark A. Sadd, who has been hired to look into the legal issues surrounding the ban, questioned where the advertisements were placed.
Peck answered, "Gazette, Daily Mail, general circulation papers."
Since the ordinance took effect, it has been enforced by sanitarians from the Health Department, who inspect bars for signs of indoor smoking and even in some cases smoking paraphanalia (cigarette machines, cups of water on bar, matches, etc.). "First, we try to educate the business owner," Carrie Eden, sanitarian and supervisor, explained at the April board meeting. "They are typically non-responsive and after the third validated complaint we send it through the prosecutor's office."
A new proposal has been written by Peck that will allow the BOH to bypass the Prosecuter's office. The proposal, if accepted, will also give the BOH the authority to suspend the business' food handling license. It will also, if passed, give the BOH the option of notifying the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission to suspend the establishment's liquor license.
"Once the ABCC pulls, the Lottery Commission will then be able to push a button and turn off the gaming machines. For the first violation, the establishment has 30 days to prove compliance. All the gaming parlors are videoed, so there will be no problem in investigating. The first violation will bring 30-day suspensions, the second violation will bring 60-day suspensions, the third, 90 and so forth," Peck described at the last meeting.
Bar owners, many already feeling the ramifications from the imposed regulations, have joined forces to try to stop the new proposal and to actually reverse the ordinance.
Peck stated, "We may modify the proposal, we may adopt it or we might forget it."
"But it isn't going to happen tonight," Bailey interjected, reminding the crowd that there were two meetings held last year that were not attended.
The BOH was asked why letters were not sent to businesses that would be affected by the regulations. "We didn't receive notification until the ordinance was passed," complained Lanham. Peck said, "We ran legal advertisements. Your lack of knowledge does not excuse you to break the law."
Robert O'Dell, a veteran and owner of O.D.'s Tavern on Rt. 34 in Hurricane reported, "Getting information is nearly impossible. I heard about this meeting on the news, I called the next day to get details and was told the BOH knew nothing about the meeting. The Health Department and ATF just brought me a copy of the regulations on May 3. I closed the bar this evening, just like all the others here and came here to find out that it was for nothing. We'll have to do the same next month. We're losing money. Our business is nearly cut in half. People will go drink where they can smoke. The county is losing money on this, too. So is the state. There are a lot of taxes collected on beer and cigarettes."
Michele Taylor, a single mom, makes her living by tending bar at Sneekers LLC. "I can raise my child and pay for my college education without public assistance because I have a job that fits my schedule," Taylor said, "but this ban has hurt business and if my job is squeezed out because of the smoking ban, what am I to do? The clean air act is supposed to be for the welfare of children. Well guess what? Children aren't allowed in bars."
A petition signed by non-smokers in support of smoking in bars was delivered to the BOH.
The smoker advocates were advised that the BOH had a heavy agenda and would have to cover other business. Bailey told them, "We'll take a look at Peck's proposal in our next meeting, and it will be done in an orderly fashion." Haynes suggested that the meeting might be held in a larger room at the courthouse so that more than half the crowd not be left standing.
Christina Mickey, who represents Smoke Free Initiative of West Virginia commented, "I attend meetings like this one all over the state. I must say this has been the most colorful one.
"When Putnam initiated this ban there were four counties in the state that had passed the ordinance. Now there are 18," she said.
Putnam County Board of Health meetings are on the third Tuesday of the month. The next one is scheduled for June 19. Haynes suggests calling the health department at (304) 757-2541 to double-check the location. |
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linkup
Smoking Lobby Sponsor
Joined: Oct 01, 2005
Posts: 1201
Location: Anywhere but here
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by bobmike143
on Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:28 am |
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Hi,
I have visited a lot of sites which discusses about the various drawbacks of smoking. This is the first time I am visiting such a site which discusses about the ban over smoking. Well what I think is we can’t say that this rule is completely stupid but still a citizen had the right to smoke or not to smoke .if any one around him feels uncomfortable with it then tell him not to smoke or move to some other place. I think that is better.
======================================================
Bobmike
Addiction Recovery West Virginia |
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bobmike143
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Joined: Jul 26, 2008
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by Darkseid
on Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:51 pm |
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Darkseid
Smoking Lobby Sponsor
Joined: Jun 13, 2006
Posts: 1397
Location: Peoples Republik of oHEILo
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by JEEP_GOD
on Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:27 pm |
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JEEP_GOD
Smoking Lobby Sponsor
Joined: Jul 08, 2006
Posts: 1002
Location: Welcome to camp smoke free!!!
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by tnsmoker
on Wed Aug 13, 2008 1:41 am |
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Dark, your spray isn't working. Need to bring out the industrial strength. 
And one wonders why the West Virginia Treatment Center has to pay trolls who can't write coherent English...  |
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tnsmoker
Enthusiastic Smoker
Joined: Mar 22, 2006
Posts: 237
Location: The (former) VOLUNTEER state of Tennessee!
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by Andrew The Cowboy
on Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:52 pm |
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HEY¿ DAMNIT! GET OFF GREAT GRANDMOTHERS BECAUSE i JUST GOT OFF OF YOURS. . . in W.O.W. WORLD 
BTW, I grew up in South Western East Virgina. My ancesters got free cigarettes for centuries because they grew vending machine trees . Some of them were soldiers for various national fags* but I seriuosly doubt that my Great-Great-Great-Grandfather would want his state government (which is funded mostly by Heartless-blk-lunged Coal-Barrons) to waste our tax dollars on sudo-scientic addiction quacks  |
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Andrew The Cowboy
Newbie
Joined: Aug 19, 2008
Posts: 12
Location: Amsterdam, Taxes
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