Anti-smoking forces tried to breathe new life into their movement Tuesday by releasing the results of a poll that shows legislation to ban smoking in restaurants and most other public places has lots of public support.
The poll, conducted two weeks ago, showed that 59 percent of those surveyed support a law that would eliminate smoking and smoking sections in public places to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke. The poll showed that only 37 percent oppose it.
In addition, more than two-thirds support the right of customers and employees to breathe clean air. Smoking in Oklahoma restaurants is now restricted to separately ventilated rooms.
"Oklahomans want smoke-free restaurants and bars," said Pat Marshall, the director of government relations for the American Cancer Society. "A smoke-free law will increase business for Oklahoma restaurants and bars."
The poll by Wilson Research Strategies surveyed 504 registered voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 percent.
Anti-smoking groups have thrown their support behind bills pending in the House and Senate that would remove exemptions to anti-smoking legislation approved in 2003. The exemptions allowed smoking in separate smoking rooms in restaurants and stand-alone bars.
Carter Headrick of the American Heart Association said secondhand smoke contains 4,000 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer.
"Secondhand smoke does huge damage to the body," Headrick said.
Connie Befort, the director of advocacy for the American Lung Association, said secondhand smoke is dangerous.
"There are no safe levels of secondhand smoke," Befort said.
"Everyone has the right to breath smoke-free air," Marshall said.
Sen. David Myers, R-Ponca City, said a bill he has authored would ban smoking in all but certain cigar bars and buildings used by veterans groups. He said it is opposed by powerful tobacco lobbyists.
Many Oklahoma restaurants installed separate smoking rooms after the 2003 regulations went into effect. But Myers said only about 120 of the approximately 7,000 restaurants in the state still have separate smoking rooms.
"They realize that the public wants a smoke-free place where they can eat," Myers said.
Myers' bill is pending in the Senate Health and Human Resources Committee. A separate bill by Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, is pending in the House Public Health Committee, but the committee's chairman, Rep. John Trebilcock, R-Broken Arrow, said he was inclined not to give the bill a hearing.
"To me it's kind of a private property issue," Trebilcock said. He said restaurant owners made an investment by installing separate smoking rooms to comply with the 2003 rules.
"We don't need to pull the rug out from under them a few years later," Trebilcock said.
Cox, an emergency medicine physician at Integris Grove General Hospital, said he was disappointed. He said 24 other states have similar anti-smoking laws.
"All 24 states have a healthier work force than we do," he said.
"It's a public health issue," Cox added. "If we had a physician or someone in health care in charge of this committee, I suspect it would get a hearing."
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
