Pierce County Smoking Ban in Effect

02/26/2004

As of today [THU], smoking is banned in bars and restaurants in Pierce County. A court of appeals commissioner yesterday [WED] reinstated the ban after it was overturned last month. KUOW’s Derek Wang reports.

IN HIS RULING LAST MONTH, PIERCE COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE RONALD CULPEPPER SAID ONLY STATE GOVERNMENT COULD PROHIBIT SMOKING IN BARS AND RESTAURANTS. HOWEVER, STATE COURT OF APPEALS COMMISSIONER ERNETTA SKERLEC YESTERDAY RULED OTHERWISE AND RESINSTATED THE BAN. SKERLAC PLANS TO ELABORATE THROUGH A WRITTEN STATEMENT LATER THIS WEEK. DR. FEDERICO CRUZ, DIRECTOR OF THE TACOMA-PIERCE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, PRAISED THE DECISION. HE SAYS THE PIERCE COUNTY BAN FILLS THE LOOPHOLES THAT LEGISLATORS LEFT IN THE STATE’S CLEAN INDOOR AIR ACT WHICH BANS SMOKING ALMOST EVERYWHERE. For whatever reason they exempted the hospitality industry. Our board said no there’s no logic to that. Workers in hotels should be protected just as they are in factories, in bars as they are in office buildings, and so they established a stricter rule. We feel it’s very consistent with what the state had intended all along. CRUZ SAYS LETTERS WILL BE GOING OUT TO RESTAURANTS, AND BARS, ANNOUNCING THE REINSTATEMENT OF THE BAN. BUSINESS OWNERS COULD FACE A FINE OF 100 DOLLARS AND HAVE THEIR LICENSES REVOKED, IF A CUSTOMER IS FOUND TO BE SMOKING. OPPONENTS OF THE MOVE SAY IT WILL DRIVE CUSTOMERS AWAY, TOWARD INDIAN CASINOS AND OTHER JURISDICTIONS WHERE SMOKING IS ALLOWED. CRUZ DOUBTS THAT WILL HAPPEN BASED ON THE FIRST THREE WEEKS THE BAN WAS IN EFFECT. We did not see people leaving the establishments that they routinely went to, the local taverns, the bars that people frequented when they were smoking establishments, they continued to go to them after the ban was in place. We do not expect any more changes in business patterns. CRUZ SAYS THE CASE WILL PROBABLY END UP BEFORE THE STATE SUPREME COURT. UNTIL THEN, NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO SMOKE IN BOWLING ALLEYS, CASINOS, BARS AND RESTAURANTS IN PIERCE COUNTY. I’M DEREK WANG, KUOW NEWS.