Smoking OK in more bars, restaurants

Study’s authors call for Georgia to toughen law.

The percentage of bars and restaurants in Georgia that allow smoking has nearly doubled after the statewide smoking ordinance was passed, a study found, prompting the authors to call for reforms to the state law. On the local level, however, a group that plans to advocate for a stronger ordinance for Augusta is still in the educational phase.

A study in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease found that between 2006 and 2012 the percentage of bars and restaurants that allowed smoking increased from 9.2 percent in 2006 to 17.6 percent in 2012.

However, the percentage that allowed smoking without restriction in dining areas decreased from 28.4 percent to 7.7 percent while the percentage that had designated, separate areas for smoking increased from 20.6 percent to 46.2 percent. A large amount, 75 percent, permitted smoking in outdoor areas such as patios.

Of particular concern to the researchers was the large increase that allowed smoking while minors were present, from 18.7 percent to 60.7 percent, which the authors speculate could be due to the increase in designated and outdoor smoking areas.

Georgia’s smokefree law was enacted in 2005 in part to shield children from secondhand smoke but it contained exemptions for places that do not admit anyone younger than 18 or that have separate designated smoking areas with independent air-handling systems.

The weaknesses of the exemptions point to the potential for increased exposure to secondhand smoke that the law was supposed to help prevent, the study concluded.

“Lawmakers and community leaders must act quickly to implement comprehensive smokefree legislation because 100 percent smokefree laws have the potential to save thousands of lives and millions of dollars in health care expenses annually,” the authors wrote.

The study is concerning, said Dr. Stephen Goggans, director of the East Central Health District that includes Augusta.

“Anytime you get a report that there’s an increase in the potential number of places people could get exposed to secondhand smoke I think that’s concerning, because of secondhand smoke being dangerous and having such significant negative health effects,” he said. That’s particularly true for children because it is likely to have a bigger impact on them, Goggans said.

“We know that secondhand smoke causes more asthma attacks,” he said. “Asthma is a problem in this area; we have high rates of asthma in this area. It causes more ear infections, bronchitis. Those are all significant things.”

Two previous attempts at passing a tougher smoking ordinance through the Augusta Commission have failed but local advocates including the BreathEasy Coalition and Healthy Augusta are not giving up. The group has been running ads featuring local leaders pushing the idea that a smokefree law would protect workers and would simply ask people to step outside to smoke.

But the group has not yet approached the commission formally about passing a tougher ordinance, said Jennifer Anderson, chair of the coalition.

“The good news is the commissioners, in my way of thinking, seem very open and they’re listening and they are concerned about the health of our community and that is encouraging to me,” she said.

A study in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease found that between 2006 and 2012 the percentage of bars and restaurants that allowed smoking increased from 9.2 percent in 2006 to 17.6 percent in 2012.