Greenwood closer to smoking ban

By JASON MICHAEL WHITE, Daily Journal staff writer

A proposal that would prevent smokers from lighting up in Greenwood restaurants and workplaces gained preliminary approval from the city council Monday night.

The council voted 6-1 to impose a citywide smoking ban. It would not apply to bars and fraternal lodges, such as Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. Council member Ron Deer voted against the ordinance because he opposes government putting restrictions on the rights of individuals and private business owners, he said.

About 60 people attended the council meeting, and it appeared most were in favor of the smoking ban. Proponents spoke of concern that secondhand smoke poses health risks such as lung cancer of heart disease for customers and employees who do not smoke.

But opponents of the smoking ban said individuals have the right to choose whether to eat or work at an establishment that allows smoking, and that right should not be taken away.

Jim Trisler works in Greenwood and smokes when he goes out for dinner or lunch in the city, an activity he is not allowed to do in Monroe County, where he lives, because of a smoking ban there.

Whether smoking is a good habit is irrelevant, Trisler said. The issue is whether the government should take away his freedom to choose to eat in a restaurant that allows smoking, he said.

Greenwood Mayor Charles Henderson said supporters made good arguments about how government is responsible for regulating safety, but at the same time, he said he does not know where government should draw the line.

He supports excluding bars and lodges from the ban, so consumers still have some choices.

Deer said regulating smoking because of health concerns is similar to regulating fast-food intake because too much fast food can cause health problems, too.

Consumers have a choice whether to eat in a restaurant that allows smoking, and that choice should not be restricted, he said.

The vote Monday is a first step for the proposal. The city council must vote on it a second time. That vote could come as early as Feb. 20.