Smoke-Free St. Louis City

Show your support for smoke-free air in St. Louis!

2009-06-25T14:48:02Z

SMOKE-FREE ST. LOUIS CITY RALLY

TUESDAY JUNE 30

11am

City Hall (1200 Market)

Smoke-Free St. Louis City will be holding a rally in support of smoke-free air in St. Louis City. You're invited to hold signs, hand out fliers and come and show your support to make our city healthy and smoke-free! Don't worry about lunch, we'll provide pizza for supporters who come to the rally and testify at the hearings and we'll also have signs, T-shirts, buttons, etc. All you have to do is show up!

ST. LOUIS CITY PUBLIC HEARING ON SMOKE-FREE AIR

TUESDAY JUNE 30 and WEDNESDAY JULY 1

12pm

City Hall (1200 Market)

The Health and Human Services Committee of the Board of Aldermen will be hearing public testimony on the proposed smoke-free bar and restaurant law in St. Louis. We encourage all coalition supporters to attend, make their voice heard and let our city's leaders know just how many people are passionate about a smoke-free community! Only residents of St. Louis City will be allowed to testify, but anyone can submit a written testimony. This may be our one and only chance to make St. Louis smoke-free and we need you to help make it happen!

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Coalition Director Diana Benanti, diana.smokefreestl@gmail.com or at 314 535 0114. Please pass on this information to all your friends and contacts!

When do you think St. Louis will go smokefree?

2009-06-17T14:48:23Z

One of our favorite St. Louis blogs, UrbanReviewSTL(www.urbanreviewstl.com), is asking readers when they think the City of St. Louis will go smoke-free.

"Clayton will go smoke-free in July 2010. Regardless of your view on such laws, at what point do you think the City of St. Louis will go smoke-free, if ever?

The possible answers are:

Before the end of 2009
January 2010
same time as Clayton - July 2010
January 2011
Only upon a statewide ban
January 2012
Never -- not for City or Missouri
By January 2015
Unsure/Don't Care"

What do you think? Take the poll!

Clayton will likely be smoke-free in July 2010

2009-05-27T20:58:47Z

The Clayton County Council voted 5 to 1 last night in favor of smoke-free bars and restaurants. The one "no" vote came from a council member who didn't think the bill was strong enough. The Council will hand down their final decision in July.

Clayton Smoking Ban Gets Initial OK

By Margaret Gillerman

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

CLAYTON -- Clayton officials on Tuesday took a giant step toward stamping out smoking in public places by giving initial approval to a smoking ban that would affect workplaces, stores, restaurants and hotels. They also urged other local governments to enact smoking bans so the entire region could go "smoke-free."

Clayton would become only the second among the 91 municipalities in St. Louis County to enact a ban if the aldermen and mayor approve the bill after one more reading. Ballwin is the other.

Mayor Linda Goldstein said she was willing for Clayton to lead the way and approve a ban even without similar bans by other governments but added she hoped others would follow.

"Tonight we face a big decision, one I hope will lead other municipalities to move forward on behalf of their citizens," Goldstein told the board and an audience that included many restaurant owners who opposed the ban.

"Some people have urged Clayton not to go it alone ... to wait until there is a county or statewide ban," Goldstein said. "I agree that a more widespread ban would be ideal and I promise to continue my efforts with other municipalities and St. Louis County and city to take a regional approach to this issue. If we pass this ordinance, Clayton will serve as an example to other municipalities and will give them encouragement to pass similar legislation."
Alderman Michelle Harris also issued a challenge to other municipalities to join Clayton.

Final approval of the Clayton ban is mostly assured. All the six aldermen and the mayor spoke passionately about their support of a smoke-free Clayton. Alderman Alex Berger III cast the only dissenting vote and said he did so only because he wanted the ban to be stricter and extend to Clayton's parks and green space.

Clayton's ban would have some exceptions, including allowing smoking in tobacco shops, cigar bars and 20 percent of hotel rooms. In a compromise with opponents, the ban would allow smoking on businesses' outdoor patios.

The ban would not be implemented until July 2010 to allow for the economy to improve and for restaurants to prepare for the change.

Unlike recent public hearings on the smoking issue, the chamber had some empty seats and there were no rallies outside. But some restaurant owners showed up to voice their still strong concerns about the ban.

Alan Richman, owner of Sasha's Wine Bar, asked the board to consider amending the bill to "grandfather in" existing businesses until other municipalities adopt bans.

Natasha Creel, an owner of Roxane's, suggested that Clayton allow smoking for late night business at bars after the kitchens have closed. Frank Schmitz, leader of the Clayton Restaurateurs Alliance, said after the meeting that he objected to the exceptions for hotels but not for restaurants.

Anti-smoking advocates, parents, students, other residents and local doctors have turned out in force at City Hall in the last two months to champion the ban.

At the same time, the group of restaurant owners who belong to the Clayton Restaurateurs Alliance have packed meetings to denounce the proposal, saying it could force some of their businesses to close. They've told the aldermen that with the terrible economy and highway closings the timing couldn't be worse. They fear they'll be isolated with the ban and that customers will go to other nearby communities that allow smoking.

Several aldermen said they were sensitive to those concerns and favored the one-year delay in implementing the ban.

Alderman Judy Goodman, among others, said that public health was the main issue in support of the ban. "Continuing to allow smoking in Clayton seems incompatible with our priorities and our duty to protect the health and safety of this community," Goodman said.

2009-05-08T18:10:24Z

Mayor Slay's State of the City Address Includes a Call To Action on Smoke-Free Workplaces

..."It is not unreasonable to expect the City to take the lead in progressive policies in the region - and one way you can do that is by discussing, modifying as necessary, and passing Alderwoman Lyda Krewson's smoke-free bill. Nothing quite says "regressive place to live" to young people like resisting a change already made in 29 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico."

For full text of the speech: http://www.mayorslay.com/news/display.asp?prID=1076

2009-05-07T17:34:52Z

Letter To the Editor from Alderwoman Triplett:
St. Louis is Ready to be Smoke-Free
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 5/7/09

St. Louis is positioned to take a giant step forward in addressing the health and safety of every resident. A bill to ban smoking in public places like bars, restaurants, and casinos is being considered by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. If St. Louis city and county both enact such a law, our region will join many others (including nearby cities such as Ballwin and Columbia, Mo.) as smoke-free.

The U.S. surgeon general's office concluded that secondhand smoke causes heart disease, emphysema and cancer in non-smokers through exposure to the same deadly carcinogens as smokers.

Creating a smoke-free city is a public health issue that city leaders cannot take lightly or ignore. Our citizens have the right to breathe clean and healthy air. Whether one is a patron at a restaurant, an employee working a minimum-wage service job or a mother protecting her family's health, this is a basic right to which we all are entitled.

Promoting a smoke-free environment is not infringing on personal rights; it's ensuring everyone can breathe clean air.

Critics point to anecdotes and inaccurate data to suggest a smoking ban would have a negative impact on businesses. This is untrue. Every independent economic study demonstrates the opposite. More often than not, smoke-free bars and restaurants benefit from increased sales and patronage.

Becoming smoke-free is an opportunity for St. Louis to gain a competitive edge. By promoting itself as forward-thinking and progressive, our city will attract employers, large companies and national conventions that only do business in cities that promote public health and clean air. By becoming smoke-free, St. Louis will reinvent itself and refocus on our most important concern: the health and welfare of its citizens.

Kacie Starr Triplett, St. Louis
Alderwoman, Sixth Ward

2009-05-05T18:34:02Z

It's The Right Thing To Do

He said, he said and lots of political positioning have been in the news regarding the latest smoke-free proposal for the City of St. Louis.

Alderwoman Lyda Krewson's Board Bill 46 would prohibit smoking in bars, restaurants, casinos and other workplaces in the City of St. Louis, but ONLY IF St. Louis County passes a similar measure. What does that mean for us?

Well, it could mean the bill passes with flying colors at the Board of Aldermen, only to sit on the shelf for months or years, with no secondhand smoke protections for anyone in St. Louis. It's promising to see a comprehensive bill be introduced, but if its implementation is delayed, what does it accomplish? Why go through the arduous task of bringing this to the fore of public consciousness, only to hit a political brickwall?

Sadly, what's been left out of the news coverage and comments on this proposal is the very reason for its existence--saving and improving lives, and making our community healthier and happier.

Too often in the smoke-free debate, the health of patrons and workers is overlooked. With 4,000 chemicals and 60 known carcinogens, secondhand smoke is dangerous to nonsmokers. Every major medical and public health organization asserts that secondhand smoke is harmful. The scientific evidence is overwhelming. The U.S. Surgeon General in 2006, stated, "the debate is over and the science is clear--secondhand smoke causes death and disease in nonsmokers."

We forget to think about bars and restaurants as workplaces. If someone walked into your office right now and lit a cigarette, you would probably look at them as if they'd grown two heads and a tail. We have the luxury of smoke-free offices, but some 13,000 bar, restaurant and casino workers in St. Louis City are not afforded that same protection. Bar and hospitality workers are among the most exposed and least protected from secondhand smoke and have a significantly greater risk of dying from lung cancer than the general population. Of the 1,100 bars and restaurants in the City, less than 10 percent are smoke-free.

Opponents often say "just get another job," but most can't. In this economy you can't just quit a job and hope to get a new one. Those who serve our meals and drinks in St. Louis need the flexible hours and good pay that working in a bar, restaurant or casino affords. No one should have to choose between their health and a paycheck, and everyone has the right to work in a safe and healthy environment.

It doesn't matter where you are employed - workers should be protected from the dangers of secondhand smoke in bars and restaurants in the same way they are in other workplaces.

It's the right thing to do.

2009-04-30T19:18:32Z

At public hearing, support is strong for smoking ban in Clayton
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/29/2009, By Margaret Gillerman

CLAYTON -- Anti-smoking advocates, parents, students and other residents turned out in force Tuesday to tell their city leaders -- first at a rally and then at a public hearing -- that they wanted them to enact a smoking ban.

At a rally outside City Hall, Clayton High School students and younger schoolchildren waved posters that read "Honk if you want a smoke-free Clayton." And many drivers honked.

A few dozen parents and other advocates -- including representatives of the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and American Lung Association -- cheered on the students and carried their own handmade signs against smoking.

The rally, organized by a group calling itself Smoke-Free Clayton, was followed by a public hearing for residents on the proposed smoking ban inside City Hall before the Board of Aldermen.

Nearly all of about 20 people who spoke in the packed council chamber expressed strong support for a smoking ban in public places that is being considered by the board.

Three speakers disagreed. They said they believed in allowing restaurant owners to set their own policy and letting patrons choose where they want to dine.

"Hopefully, individual businesses will be able to choose their own destiny," said Dominic Bertani, a longtime resident and owner of a hair salon.

A coalition of Clayton restaurants opposes a smoking ban. There will be a separate public hearing on May 12 for local businesses -- including the restaurant owners -- and people who work in Clayton to voice their opinions.

Clayton Mayor Linda Goldstein said she wants to hear from all sides before taking action. "We want to be very inclusive," she said.

At Tuesday's hearing, several physicians spoke about the health risks of smoking.

"We should not wait for other communities or legislative jurisdictions to act," said Dr. Jerry Cohen, a cardiologist and a professor emeritus at St. Louis University. "Clayton should be out in front; we should be leaders and we will no doubt find that other communities will follow us."

Resident Barry Freedman cited some of the many communities -- some in Missouri -- and states that already ban smoking in restaurants.

"This is really a public health issue," he said. "Is the health of Clayton's citizens less important than the citizens of New York or California or our neighboring state of Illinois or any of the other states that have enacted smoke-free laws?"

Among the other speakers was Siobhan Jones, a senior at Clayton High School. Jones said that students learn about the health hazards of smoking in school.

"But then we go to the restaurants in Clayton and we are bombarded with secondhand smoke." she said. She urged the board to "reinforce what we learn in school."

Suzanne Langlois, a Clayton resident who attended the rally and hearing, said: "Everybody has the right to breathe clean air, fundamentally."

2009-04-06T18:33:21Z

Why St. Louis Must Act...

St. Louis City is a remarkable city - its neighborhoods and downtown are the heartbeat of our region. And a smoke-free policy is fundamental as our city strides towards a rebirth.

As the smoke-free debate in St. Louis heats up, there's been the typical discussion around a statewide law instead of a local one. We can all agree that protecting as many people as possible from the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure is the goal. However, enacting a statewide smoke-free air law is challenging in the best of circumstances and can be very
formidable, and even counterproductive.

Unfortunately, in Missouri, the tobacco industry is at its strongest at the state level, where they have a significant amount of influence through their lobbyists and financial connections. However, it cannot maintain a presence in every city council across the country. Thus, a law that will actually protect patrons and employees from secondhand smoke has a greater likelihood of passing at the local level. States that jump the gun too early typically pass weak laws that include exemptions and language that does little to get the smoke out of bars and restaurants.

Additionally, before a statewide smoke-free law can be successful there needs to be strong smoke-free air laws in effect in a significant number of communities in the state. For example, Illinois had over 50 local community coalitions working together on their statewide law and major towns already had strong smoke-free laws on the books (Chicago, individual Chicagoland suburbs, Springfield, Champaign, etc).

In Missouri, 13% of the population is covered by a strong smoke-free law. Most states that are successful in a statewide initiative have somewhere close to 30-50% coverage. Missouri cities with comprehensive smoke-free laws include: Columbia, Kirksville, Chillicothe, Lee's Summit, Independence, Ballwin, Kansas City.

Local laws, even in geographically small and close communities, have been implemented across the country with great success. Washington, D.C., the Chicagoland Suburbs, Dallas/Fort Worth to name a few. Hiding behind excuses like these and waiting for the "state to do something" does nothing but delay protection from secondhand smoke for all of us.

What are we waiting for St. Louis? This is St. Louis City's chance to be a leader in our region and improve the health of everyone. It's time to stand up for St. Louis' right to breathe clean air.

2009-04-02T21:22:31Z

NCAA Women's Final Four in St. Louis City

As St. Louis gears up to host the 2009 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four, visitors to our fair city might be in for an unpleasant surprise - smoky bars & restaurants.

Fans and players from Louisville, Connecticut and Stanford have been enjoying smoke-free bars & restaurants in their hometowns for years. Nearly 3,000 cities and 25 states are smoke-free. Sadly, St. Louis City isn't one of them.

Our city lags behind when it comes to common sense public health. St. Louis has been voted the worst city in the nation for asthma sufferers, was named the top haven for smokers by Forbes Magazine, and Missouri recently got an "F" on the American Lung Association Tobacco Control Report Card. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data proves that smoke-free laws reduce exposure to secondhand smoke among workers and the public, reduce cigarette consumption rates, increase successful quit attempts and reinforce efforts to reduce tobacco use among children--all positive changes.

We urge our city's leaders to act soon to protect everyone's right to breathe smoke-free air and move us forward toward real progress. To make your voice heard, join us.

2009-03-25T15:38:56Z

While the premise for smoke-free laws is protecting public health, that message is far too often lost in the debate over economic impact. Yesterday, officials from Indiana University released a report illustrating that the fear of business loss is unfounded.

New Report from Indiana University:
Smoke-Free Workplace Laws Save Lives and Money Without Hurting Business
March 24, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS--In the debate over smoke-free workplace laws, both sides brandish research about the health and economic impact of such measures. The studies often contradict one another. That makes it difficult for legislators voting on the issue and reporters covering it to know what to believe.

To help alleviate the confusion, the Indiana University Center for Health Policy conducted a comprehensive review of existing research about the health and economic impact of smoke-free workplace laws. It released the findings of that review today.

"There's a lot of information out there about whether smoke-free laws hurt business. Some of that information is intentionally misleading," said lead author Eric Wright, Ph.D., director of the Indiana University Center for Health Policy and associate dean of the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI. "As a neutral, university-based research organization, we were able to sort through the conflicting research and draw bottom-line conclusions that should help legislators at the state and local level in their consideration of smokefree workplace laws."

"What's more," said Wright, "Studies based on unverified data or published in journals that are not peer-reviewed are not credible. Our review shows that when biased, unqualified studies are left out, what remains is clear: Smoke-free workplaces are good for business and good for workers."

Key findings of the research analysis:

While secondhand smoke has been definitively linked to many kinds of health problems, the most significant health consequence related to secondhand smoke is death. Some 50,000 nonsmokers die annually in the United States due to secondhand smoke-related illnesses. In 2007, 1194 Hoosiers died from diseases definitively tied to secondhand smoke.

Servers, bartenders, dealers and other workers in restaurants, bars and casinos may regularly be exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke. The levels of secondhand smoke in bars are 240 to1850 percent higher than those in other workplace smoking environments, such as offices, factories, warehouses, hotels and other service-oriented places. Casinos have secondhand smoke levels 300 to 600 percent higher, while restaurant smoke levels are 160 to 200 percent higher than those in other workplace smoking environments.

Smoke-free workplace laws do not have a negative economic impact on restaurants and bars. Though business owners fear that smokers will stay away from restaurants and bars that ban smoking, the data show that the hospitality industry has not lost revenue because of smoke-free workplace laws. The IU Center for Health Policy's analysis found that 47 of the 49 studies on the economic impact to the hospitality industry concluded no adverse affect.

Smoke-free workplace laws do not hurt casino business. While fewer objective peer-reviewed studies have been conducted on this issue, available research shows no negative revenue impact on total gambling revenue or the average revenue per machine.

The public supports smoke-free casinos. Surveys show that 70 percent of New Jersey residents and 91 percent of California residents prefer smoke-free casinos.

Smoke-free workplaces save employers money. Employers who protect their workers from secondhand smoke see savings as a result of improved worker health. Workers are more productive and less likely to be absent, and their employers also enjoy reduced health insurance costs and facility maintenance costs.

Secondhand smoke exposure costs Indiana money. Indiana spends $390 million dollars per year on healthcare costs related to secondhand smoke in the workplace.

Hoosiers support smoke-free workplaces. Three out of four Hoosiers support smoke-free workplace laws.

Click here for the full report

2009-03-16T17:29:43Z

Update: Smoke-Free Columbia, Missouri

In January 2007, Columbia, MO became 100% smoke-free in its bars and restaurants.

More than 2 years later, sales tax data shows that the bar and restaurant industry has increased and there are now more bars and restaurants post-ordinance compared to pre-ordinance.

Most importantly, the health of bar and restaurant employees and patrons is fully protected from the hazards of secondhand smoke. St. Louis City should follow suit with its own strong and simple smoke-free policy - it's the right thing to do.

2009-03-10T15:42:30Z

A Great Letter to the Editor!

Economic fears of smoke-free laws unfounded
Suburban Journals, March 7, 2009

To the editor:

A recent study by the City of Houston, Texas, examined the effects of its smoke-free bar and restaurant law and found the ordinance did not have a negative impact business.

As St. Louis debates the merits of becoming smoke-free, false fears of economic loss seem to plague progress. The only unbiased, accurate means to measure economic impact is to compare sales tax receipts for years before the smoke-free law, with all quarters after the law is enacted.

Houston , along with hundreds of other communities, has conducted these studies and they all show the same thing - no adverse impact on business.

St. Louis and its leaders have fallen victim to predictions of economic doom and that's a shame.

This myth originated with the tobacco industry and its public relations firms in the 1980s.

David Laufer of Philip Morris said it best in 1994, "The economic arguments often used by the industry to scare off smoking ban activity were no longer working, if indeed they ever did. These arguments simply had no credibility with the public, which isn't surprising when you consider that our dire predictions in the past rarely came true."

Despite the fact that these declines have never come to pass in any community in the country, the opposition has not stopped trying to use this myth to divert attention away from the health-basis of smoke-free air laws.

Let's try to keep our eye on the ball, St. Louis. For those few who didn't know it already, the U.S. Surgeon General, numerous scientists and doctors have confirmed that secondhand smoke causes cancer, heart disease and serious lung problems.

It's a no-brainer to protect all patrons and employees from the carcinogenic smoke that lurks in St. Louis bars and restaurants.

Vihar Sheth

2009-03-03T21:12:35Z

Study: Houston smoking ban had no effect on bar business
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
By Lee McGuire / KHOU 11 News

HOUSTON -- Lighting up to country music at an Irish pub was something Scottie Nelson thought he'd have to abandon with the smoking ban.

"I was concerned at first because I wondered where we go," said Nelson. "But it didn't really end up changing anything."

Two years ago, Houston expanded its smoking ban to include almost all public spaces.

To see if the ban affected bars and restaurants, the city of Houston spent $12,000 on a study. They learned that the ordinance did not have a discernable impact for either improving business or reducing it.

"It's reassuring that we did the right thing. We protected workers who often don't have a say in where they can work," said Houston Mayor Bill White.

There are a lot of factors that can effect business sales. They range from the economy to the time of the year.

"I would say that in the first year we experienced a slight drop in sales, but we are back to where we were before the smoking ban. We're probably just surpassing that as far as sales," said Jill Schoeffler, who works at Brian O'Neill's Irish Pub.

Brian O'Neill's Irish Pub built a patio, which has made smokers like Nelson happy.

"We sit out there and enjoy a fine cigar and a pint of the good stuff," said Nelson.

http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou090225_mp_smoking-ban-study.2cba93e.html?npc#

2009-02-20T02:06:51Z

February Happy Hour at Amsterdam Tavern!

Thanks to all of you who came out to the February Happy Hour at Amsterdam Tavern. We had a huge turn out and lots of new supporters. A special thanks to Lyle and the owners of Amsterdam for their support and help. Below are a few pictures from the event - more on Facebook. With your help, it's only a matter of time before St. Louis City is a smoke-free community.

2009-02-12T18:32:17Z

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Suburban Journals:
Region could see more smoking bans
By Shawn Clubb, February 10, 2009

When the Ballwin Clean Air Act snuffed out smoking in most public places, it meant the end of business as usual at the French Quarter Bar and Grill.

But it didn't mean the end of business.

French Quarter took a hit when the smoking ban took effect for bars and restaurants on Jan. 1, 2006, said Brian Armstrong, a co-owner of the business at 14766 Manchester Road. At one point, it was so dead at the French Quarter that the owners would park out front to make it look busy.

"We had no customers, but it caught on after a while," Armstrong said. "We remodeled. We redecorated. We developed a new crowd."

If proponents of local, regional and statewide smoking legislation have their way, more businesses might have to reinvent themselves.

Smoke-Free St. Louis City has ramped up publicity for its efforts. Five St. Louis County mayors have asked the County Council to revisit smoke-free legislation. A Ste. Genevieve state representative is seeking a public vote on a statewide ban. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn just signed legislation to make that state's ban more enforceable.

These omens all foretell one ending - more bans, said Bill Hannegan of Keep St. Louis Free, an organization opposed to smoking bans.

"What happens in a lot of communities is the opposition to a ban gets worn out," he said. "It's difficult to keep a fight like this up forever." (story truncated, click here for rest)

Smoky St. Louis City

The Smoke-Free St. Louis City coalition has been active for more than two years, focusing on public education.

The coalition has begun spreading it's message in a variety of ways. It is active on the social networking Web sites. It has underwritten programs on public radio, bought radio ads and a billboard ad.

For full story, click here.