Questions abound on new smoking ban

COLUMBUS (AP) — Nursing homes, bowling alleys, VFW clubs, restaurants and city health departments all brought different concerns to a confab on Ohio’s new smoking ban Monday.

Whether they liked or disliked the outcome of November’s election — in which Ohio voters approved a statewide smoking ban — everyone had questions on the rules for carrying out the ban as drafted by the Ohio Department of Health.

Will unsightly no-smoking signs really have to be posted so abundantly, even in nursing homes?

Could employees of private clubs smoke on the premises if the clubs make them members?

Don’t no-smoking window stickers on vehicles break Ohio traffic law?

Shouldn’t cities have the right to post their own phone number on the signs, rather than forwarding all calls to the state?

The second meeting of the Smoking Ban Advisory Committee was merely for the Health Department to gather information, but at times it got testy.

The ban took effect Dec. 7, but it is not being enforced until the rules are worked out. State officials said Monday that they are moving as quickly as possible, with the next meeting scheduled for Jan. 4.

David Corey, a lobbyist for the bowling industry, said the department’s draft rules are overreaching and could hurt affected businesses even more.

“The bowler is to the point of being afraid to come out of his house,” Corey said. “He can’t drink, he can’t smoke. We’re becoming the state of no fun.”

Socrates Tuch, legal counsel to the department, said rules will always have critics.

“This is standard,” he said. “We’re overreaching to some, underreaching to others. It all comes down to perspectives and opinions, and we’re taking it all into account.”

He said the rules may be revised based on comments gathered Monday from advisory board members and other interested people. But, he said, certain things are required by the ballot language, such as the fact that the state — not local health departments — must be the first responders to complaints.

As a result, the proposed state rules call for every no-smoking sign to carry the Health Department’s phone number exclusively — a requirement Columbus environmental-health administrator Keith Krinn said is cumbersome and unnecessary.

“There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here,” Krinn said, noting that the city already has a smoking violation hot line operating to enforce its own smoking restrictions. He said about 9,000 businesses have posted no-smoking signs that would have to be changed under the new rules.