Restaurants prepare for smoking ban

Glenn Martin, director for the Rockingham County Department of Public Health, is educating the public and local restaurants about the upcoming smoking ban, effective Jan. 2, 2010.

With grant funds given by the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund, the health department has put up billboards in Eden, Reidsville, and one on U.S. Highway 220 near Madison and Mayodan. The department was also able to buy coasters for restaurants with information on where to go if smokers want to quit.

Martin said he thinks this has been an issue for a long time and that most restaurants are in support of the new law.

“A number of restaurants in the county have already gone smoke-free, and I think they are very supportive of the legislation because it always had them in the middle,” Martin said. “When you have about 75 percent of your customer base who doesn’t smoke and 25 percent who do, it becomes a challenge to satisfy both groups.”

Martin said even with a separate area for smoking and air filters, there was no way to separate the smoke from air. With heat and air conditioning, the same air with smoke in it would circulate throughout the entire building.

“Whenever a person would go out and dine in a restaurant, they were subjected to secondhand smoke if that establishment also had smoking on the premises,” Martin said. “There’s a large amount of people who avoid eating out altogether because many restaurants are known for the amount of secondhand smoke that’s present when they go in.”

Packets were mailed out to restaurants in the area during the first week in October from Raleigh. Those packets contained a letter from the local health director, a letter from the state director, no-smoking signs which need to be posted inside the restaurant, and a preparation kit for getting started with compliance.

All restaurants will have to be in compliance with the smoking ban on Jan. 2, and Martin said this should be plenty of time for them to be ready.

“The law was enacted back in May 2009, and the only thing they really need to do is post the no-smoking signage and remove the ashtrays from the establishment,” Martin said. “If they have a customer who comes in smoking, they need to ask them to extinguish their cigarette or tobacco product.”

If customers do not comply with requests to extinguish tobacco products inside restaurants, law enforcement can be called and a citation can be issued. If the restaurant is not in compliance with the new law, there can be administrative penalties ranging from a warning to a $200 fine for each offense.

Information released from the U.S. Surgeon General’s office said secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds and can be more harmful because it is inhaled at lower temperatures. The National Toxicology program also estimates that at least 250 chemicals in secondhand smoke are toxic or carcinogenic.

For more information on secondhand smoke, visit http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco, and information on the legislation can be found at http://www.ncga.state.nc.us.