Smoke Free Mon County -- Letters of Support

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Letters of Support

From healthcare professionals to students to business owners, there is broad-based community support for a comprehensive smoke-free regulation in Monongalia County

Group Mourns Passing of a Champion
THE DOMINION POST -- October 15, 2009

The members of Smoke Free Mon County, along with scores of others, mourn the tragic death of Kingwood resident, Ronald H. Phillips, earlier this month. This Vietnam War veteran, dedicated youth coach and community servant, who never smoked, died of complications related to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Mr. Phillips was certain his illness was caused by his exposure to secondhand smoke and sent us more than 20 pages of correspondence in the past year in support of smoke-free air.
   He was a great source of inspiration and encouragement as we faced setback after setback in our pursuit of safe air for all. His death is an enormous loss. We wish to convey our deep appreciation and most heartfelt sympathy to the Phillips family as they grieve. We’ve lost an American hero and a wonderful man.
   Mr. Phillips swore he’d fight for smoke-free air “until he drew his last breath.” Sadly he has.

“I am dedicated to helping make our public areas and establishments totally smoke free. It is my hope, that my children and grandchildren will not suffer the same fate which plagues me today. I can think of no other gift, which you could give our children and grandchildren, than to do everything in your power, to provide them with a smoke free environment.”
-- Ronald H. Phillips, February 27, 2009

Catherine Whitworth
Smoke Free Mon County

EDITORIAL
An Anniversary We Can’t Forget
County Holding Its Breath 40 Years After Passage of National Smoking Act
THE DOMINION POST -- August 25, 2009

As 40th anniversaries come and go this year, don’t forget this one.
In 1969, Congress passed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act. It banned cigarette advertising on television and radio and required every pack of cigarettes be labeled: Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health.
A lot has changed since then, but at the very same time, here in Monongalia County, a lot of things have stayed the same, too.
Today, 20 counties, including our neighbors in Marion County, on Aug. 1, and in nearby Harrison County, have banned smoking in public places.
Neighboring Pennsylvania last year also became the 33rd state to enact a statewide smoking ban. However, the Monongalia County Board of Health continues to ignore this issue, despite the dangers of second-hand smoke.
A clean-air initiative tabled by the BOH in May 2008 hasn’t drawn its last gasp, but don’t look for any breaths of fresh air from this board anytime soon.
Yet, we are beginning to get the impression that the BOH may not be required to do anything to ban smoking in public places.
In recent months, not only have several restaurants and bars gone smoke free, but the city’s major medical facilities, including Monongalia General and WVU hospitals, are also pulling the plug on smoking Nov. 19.
WVU has meanwhile appointed a task force to research and report on a proposed campus-wide smoking ban that has already won the Student Government Association’s endorsement.
Still, decades after the surgeon general’s dire warning first appeared on cigarette packs, smoking in West Virginia continues to be a life-and-death pursuit.
The state is second only to Kentucky among smoking related deaths of its residents. Percentages of adults and teens who smoke in West Virginia are some of the highest in the nation.
That’s why even though the BOH has refused calls to renew the debate on a smoking ban, we continue to call on it to fulfill its obligation to the public .
Nothing is being gained by the BOH’s refusal to take up a proposed smoking ban in public places. If anything, the board’s credibility is now seriously compromised, if not already up in smoke.
One would assume that the BOH will revisit this proposal before it becomes an island in a sea of nonsmoking venues, but we’re not going to hold our breath.
Yet, our newspaper is not about to forget the BOH’s obligation to the public’s health, even though some of its members apparently have.
If it take 40 days and 40 nights or another 40 years, we won’t let this issue go out.

[Charleston Gazzette] Smoking Editorial Off-target
THE CHARLESTON GAZZETTE -- August 17, 2009

As president of the Kanawha Charleston Board of Health, I am writing in response to the Gazette's editorial stating that the Board should give preferential treatment to the Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center in Cross Lanes and exempt it from the Clean Indoor Air Regulation that went into effect July 2008.
I must say that I am surprised, and a little disappointed, at the Gazette's very narrow and shortsighted responses. I expected more from a newspaper with a reputation for championing the rights of the people. Being safe in public establishments is certainly a right that should be maintained.
As a Board of Health, we take our responsibility to the people of Kanawha County very seriously. We studied all of the latest and most thorough scientific research for almost a year and a half before making the decision to expand Kanawha County's Clean Indoor Air Regulation to include bars and gambling establishments. We took our lead from the 2006 U.S. Surgeon General's report that stated unequivocally that no level of secondhand smoke is safe. Exposure has immediate detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and cancer. Death rates from regular exposure are as much as 30 percent higher than that of unexposed nonsmokers.
We also studied reports from dozens of other locations that had enacted 100 percent clean indoor air regulation. Looking at objective sales indicators, every reliable economic study finds that, in the long term, sales rebound and, in some cases, exceed sales prior to the enforcement of the regulation. Going smoke free has even attracted new business, reduced maintenance expenses, decreased absenteeism and lowered insurance costs.
While tobacco companies maintain that separate smoking sections, with ventilation, are adequate, there is no credible data to prove this. Current scientific knowledge shows that ventilation systems are incapable of removing all toxic components of secondhand smoke from the air. We now know, beyond dispute, that secondhand smoke is a carcinogen.
Due to a tough economy, most gambling establishments throughout the country are showing double-digit losses, including those in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, which do allow smoking. There is no clear evidence that the Clean Indoor Air Regulation has caused the loss of funds for the race track or the city of Nitro. Tri-State does have the opportunity to market the race track and gaming center to the thousands of people who like to gamble and breathe clean air at the same time - something they promised to do when they asked for our votes.
As a Board of Health, we are forced to make unpopular decisions at times to protect the health and safety of the people that we serve. We make each decision only after looking carefully at the best available scientific evidence, whether it involves dealing with the H1N1 virus, maintaining clean water or making sure restaurants are following safe food handling practices. Maintaining clean indoor air also falls within that realm.
In response to the Gazette's cryptic comment that Board of Health members are allowed to be paid up to $100 for each meeting, that is true. However, no Kanawha Charleston Board of Health member has ever taken any money for participating in Board of Health meetings. We accepted the appointments to the board because we care about Kanawha County and want it to be a healthy and safe place to live.

Brenda C. Isaac, President
Kanawha- Charleston Board of Health.

EDITORIAL
Smoking Out Appointments
Decision on Returning Member to Health Board Ill-serves Public
THE DOMINION POST -- July 29, 2009

   The Monongalia County Commission used smoke and mirrors Wednesday.
   But its unanimous reappointment of August Lucci to his third five-year term on the county’s Board of Health didn’t fool anybody.
   One commissioner indicated it was “normal procedure” to reappoint a board member if he or she previously served “faithfully” and wanted to continue serving.
   Though we are not sure of his definition of “faithfully,” we take it to mean that board member will toe the line and vote for the status quo. What’s really disappointing about this appointment to the BOH is that the County Commission had a viable candidate.
   What recommends Lucci over the other candidate, who was actually knowledgeable about public health?
   This harkens back to the appointment of a local businessman several years ago over a longtime physician to the BOH, who was far more qualified to represent the interests of public health.
   What do such appointees to a Board of Health have that offsets the credibility that members of the medical and public health community have?
   Especially board members who seemingly don’t see secondhand smoke as a public health hazard.
   We cannot help but think that such appointments are based on something other than who would best serve the public’s health. Political favors, maybe?
   Of course. But more to the point, we suspect it’s the candidate’s position on efforts to ban smoking in public places.
   Ironically, we doubt these decisions are reached in smoke-filled rooms, but this issue is all the difference.
   But another kind of irony was in the air Wednesday. On the day the commission reappointed someone to the BOH, who has only served to drag his feet on a countywide smoking ban, the area’s major health centers announced plans for a smoking ban inside and outside their facilities this fall.
   It’s conceivable that the issue of smoking in public places might take care of itself. Such an initiative across WVU’s campus is on the agenda, while other restaurants and bars are considering like efforts.
   The County Commission has not served its constituents well. From here on, we recommend appointments to any public board provide for term limits. This would make way for new ideas and take a little bit of the politics out of these appointments.
   Though we don’t see the commission acting on this idea, the issue of secondhand smoke will continue to smolder.
   And rather than dying out, we look for it to eventually catch fire.

Lucci’s Reappointment Not in County’s Interest
THE DOMINION POST -- July 29, 2009

If August Lucci is reappointed to the Monongalia County Board of Health, we can be certain that the public health of residents will continue to be of low priority while the interests of a small but well-connected segment of the business community will be protected.
   I wish the [Monongalia] County Commission would share with us what special expertise Lucci contributes that would be valued above that of someone who has dedicated her career to health and wellness.
   Lucci’s motion and voting record has effectively prevented any action on the most important public health issue in our county, exposure to secondhand smoke.
   His close connections to those who oppose smoke-free air are well known. While he has been silent on the issue, his actions confirm that he will place the opinion of bar owners over that of the U.S. surgeon general, worldwide health authorities and our own county health officer.
   Given Sam Chico’s, and Bob Bell’s [BOH members] strident opposition, if Lucci is reappointed, the chances of passing an adequate clean indoor air regulation in Monongalia County within the next several years will go up in smoke.

Catherine Whitworth -- Smoke Free Mon County

Campus Buzz
Clements’ Turn to Tackle Smoking
THE DOMINION POST -- July 26, 2009

According to the ANRF, the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, there are 305 completely smoke-free colleges and universities within the United States.
    In case you haven’t noticed around campus, WVU is not one of them.
    Despite this, according to Tobacco Free Mountaineers president Chris Roberts, a majority of the student population supports a smoke free campus. Through a survey conducted by the organization, members discovered 68 percent of students moderately or strongly agree with a smoking ban.
    So why has nothing happened?
    The good news: There has been progress.
    This past February, our Student Government Association voted unanimously to make WVU smoke-free. The bad news is that it’s now out of the SGA’s and student hands. Now it’s a topic for WVU’s Staff Council — which, Roberts said, discussed the issue just last week — and Faculty Senate to decide on.
    As for the Faculty Senate, members discussed voting to support a countywide ban in 2008. In a close 30-32 vote, it was rejected. Nearly a month later, members called for a revote and, after a revised version of the original motion was presented, it was approved.
    In the end, however, I think the decision falls on the most powerful voice: the new university president, James Clements.
    Despite all of the past discussion, the fact remains that secondhand smoke is still widespread, and according to the American Cancer Society, still causes around 3,400 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers annually. Add that to the tendency to disregard long-term health problems, and young people are especially vulnerable.
    Catherine Witworth, chair of Smoke Free Mon County, said students face incredibly “disproportionate exposure” to secondhand smoke because for many young people, work in bars and restaurants is all they can find.
    And if you think about how much time the average student spends in establishments with indoor smoking each semester, each visit unknowingly breathing in chemicals such as arsenic, benzene and over 50 others known to cause cancer, the issue becomes more serious and more urgent.
    In a Winter 2000 West Virginia University Alumni Magazine article about the university’s history by Barbara J. Howe, who was a history professor in 1923, West Virginia’s State Fire Marshal banned smoking indoors, including the buildings of WVU.
    Five years later, university President and smoker, John Roscoe Turner, disregarded the ruling, leaving secondhand smoking an untouched issue until 1990, when the university officially ruled against it.
    In light of an inconsistent past of smoking regulations at WVU, as well as the Monongalia County Health Department’s blatant dodging of the issue, this fall is Clements’ moment to make things right.
    It’s his moment to not only demonstrate that WVU is a progressive, intelligent and health conscious university but also to prove to students, faculty members, staff, and the community as a whole, that he has our best interests in mind.

DANIELLE CLEMENTS is a senior English major at WVU. She can be reached at campuslife@dominionpost.com.

GUEST EDITORIAL
Let FDA police cigarettes; Oversight best option to
reduce the number of deaths from tobacco
THE DOMINION POST -- June 6, 2009

It took decades of scientific and political battles before cigarette makers would admit the obvious: Cigarettes kill people. Warnings about the dangers of smoking are now plain on every pack sold in America. It took years of brawling in statehouses before tough antismoking laws exiled smokers to the sidewalks. Now, there’s another fight — no, another chance — to stop kids from starting this lethal habit and to help adults quit. The U.S. House has voted overwhelmingly to allow the federal Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco, much as it oversees prescription drugs. That’s a smart move. Under the proposed law, the FDA would gain power to: Force tobacco companies to disclose the ingredients in their products. Let’s end the guessing game about what’s in a cigarette. The FDA could decide whether to set caps on certain chemicals in tobacco, or to change the composition of cigarettes to make them less dangerous to smokers and people around them. It could curb nicotine levels.
   Force tobacco companies to expand the size of warning labels on the package.
   Restrict advertising and promotion. Tobacco manufacturers couldn’t use misleading terms like ‘‘light,’’ ‘‘mild’’ and ‘‘low tar.’’ Research suggests that such cigarettes may be even riskier than standard cigarettes. One theory: People compensate for the lower nicotine level by inhaling more deeply or smoking more.
   Crack down on sales of tobacco to kids. The FDA would work with states to beef up enforcement and could levy its own fines for retailers who sell to kids.
   Now, the concept of tobacco regulation strikes some people as absurd. Here’s a product that, when used as directed, kills people. But prohibition is hardly an option. This country has some experience in trying that with alcohol.
   FDA oversight is the best option for reducing the 400,000 deaths each year attributed to tobacco use.
   Even Altria, the parent company of industry leader Philip Morris USA, has embraced this bill, saying such regulation ‘‘would provide some clear guidelines for products that could potentially reduce the harm caused by smoking.’’
   It has been nine years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the FDA had no power to regulate tobacco. So, Senators, pass this bill. President Barack Obama, a smoker who has struggled to quit, says he’ll sign it.
   Cigarettes will never be safe. But the FDA can make sure smokers know what they’re getting — and understand the risks.

THIS EDITORIAL appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday. This commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post.

EDITORIAL
Issue Continues to Smolder
One Year Later, Smoking Ban Remains Tabled by Health Board
THE DOMINION POST -- May 31, 2009

It’s like a Three Stooges’ routine. You know the one, “Slowly I turned ... step by step ... inch by inch ...”
We refer to the reaction to the Monongalia County Board of Health’s continued refusal to put a countywide smoke-free initiative to a vote.
And before anyone jumps to conclusions, our reference to the Stooges is not to the three members of the BOH, who have effectively blocked a vote on a smoking ban.
Almost to the day, a year ago, the BOH tabled a decision on a proposed smoking ban, that has been smoldering ever since. Smoldering in restaurants like The Texas Roadhouse, Boston Beanery’s Suncrest location and the Varsity Club. Burning on WVU’s campus, where a proposal has been launched by students to make the campus smoke free.
Almost like a stench that lingers way too long, and eventually sinks into the fabric of our community, the BOH needs to clear the air on this issue.
   Just like boards of health in 18 counties statewide have. Or like one of the 33 states with statewide smoking bans have.
   These initiatives are not an effort to be trendy. No, the truth is that second-hand smoke is linked to numerous diseases, including cancer.
   And by not passing a smoking ban, the BOH has failed to fulfill its mission to protect the public’s health.
   It’s not a question of whether this initiative will inconvenience or upset someone? Or if someone’s profit margin shrinks?
   That’s not the issue. The issue is that the public’s health continues to be put at risk, as a result of the BOH’s inaction. And if someone wants to argue this issue on a dollars-and-cents level, we suspect that the drop in health care costs would more than compensate for any losses elsewhere.
   But bad habits don’t die easy. Folks wouldn’t be fighting so hard to restrict access or to allow it if it didn’t mean something. This fight will continue in Monongalia County.
   The only question is how long it will take to get another crop of signatures on another petition. And which seat on the BOH will change next to shift its balance and give this clean indoor-air initiative a chance.
   Despite our disappointment with the BOH’s decision a year ago, this is still a temporary setback. Eventually, the BOH’s ignorance will be overcome, by a court, by the state or by referendum, or all three. And someday we will look back and wonder why this took so long and was so hard.
   Considering where this issue was not that long ago, this is no measure of the slowness of change. It’s quite the opposite.

GUEST COMMENTARY
Don’t Give Up on the Tobacco Tax — It’s a Matter of Life and Breath
THE DOMINION POST -- April 26, 2009

As the last seconds ticked away on this year’s legislative session, the House of Delegates approved Senate Bill 414, a bill that if signed into law by Gov. Joe Manchin will establish a cabinet-level position to coordinate health care reform efforts in state government.
   Up until the passage of this bill, the 2009 legislative session could have been called a big disappointment. Other key health care bills, including a tobacco tax increase and calorie labeling on restaurant menus, were defeated.
   While the Legislature failed to pass a tobacco tax, there are those of us who believe that an increase will inevitably occur whether it’s later this year or during the 2010 session. Let’s hope that is true. According to the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Kids, raising West Virginia’s cigarette tax to the national average would: Keep more than 30,300 kids from ever starting to smoke. Convince 19,800 adult smokers to quit. Prevent almost 15,000 premature deaths in the future from smoking. In the long term, save more than $700 million in health care spending, including almost $175 million in Medicaid spending.
   This increase in tobacco tax couldn’t come at a better time. West Virginia has the second highest smoking rate in the country, with about 2,700 kids becoming daily smokers each year. If we can price kids out of market by raising the tobacco tax, we will both save lives and reduce healthcare costs.
Few realize the impact that smokers have on the cost of our health-care system and the state’s economy. Smoking leads to high rates of cancer, heart disease and cardiovascular disease. The cost to treat these and other smokingrelated illnesses cost West Virginia’s health care system almost $700 million each year. This is why it is so important to increase the tax, but also to offer smokers every available means of quitting whether that is through the state Tobacco Quitline, the Public Employees Insurance Agency or Medicaid.
   More than 3,800 West Virginians smoker die each year, and an additional 410 nonsmokers die prematurely from exposure to secondhand smoke. These deaths exact a heavy toll on families across the state.
   While tax increases are generally unpopular, this is not the case with increasing tobacco taxes. A recent poll conducted by West Virginians’ Campaign for a Healthy Future found that by a two-to-one margin, West Virginians support raising the cigarette tax from 55 cents to $1.
   West Virginia should not accept the status quo. We have the ability to make significant changes. We should not accept having the second highest smoking rate in the country with the correspondingly high cost of health care. We have an opportunity to prevent our youth from ever starting to smoke. If you do not start smoking by age 20, you are highly unlikely to ever start. Nor should we accept having high rates of chronic illnesses like diabetes, lung disease and asthma. It is time that we should all agree that the status quo is unacceptable and provide the leadership needed to protect our youth by passing an increase in tobacco taxes. If not now, when? And if not us, who?

PERRY BRYANT is executive director of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care. He lives in Charleston. This commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post.

A Member's Letter to the Dominion Post (unpublished)

To the Editor:

It was fine for you to list the smoking ban issue as meriting being on your "most influential" list since it brings attention to the issue. Sadly, our Board of Health has continued to do nothing. And as long as nothing is done, the health of employees who are subjected to secondhand smoke continues to be at risk. Clearly people who advocate public health have no influence on those Bored, er, Board of Health members. I suggest that if you develop a "least influential" list, the smoking ban proposal should be on that list too.
To add insult to injury the photograph that accompanied the story was of the Morgantown Mall. This Mall, in December of 1991 begged the BOH to exempt them from a smoking regulation it was considering. With no debate the Board opted to permit the Mall to allow smoking in sections of its facility. We started a trend 17 years ago, when the 1991 regulation went into effect in April 1992. Since then most of our counties have passed Mon County by enacting stronger regulations. An example of how far behind we are is this very same Mall, which permits smoking in a restaurant, the fumes of which emit into the Mall; furthermore it has no objection to people smoking right by the entrances. And as far as our BOH is concerned, that is perfectly fine.

Robert Anderson -- Morgantown

If you've got a letter supporting the smoking ban, don't wait for the Dominion Post to publish it. We know a lot of excellent letters go unpublished, so send it to support@smokefreemonc.org and we'll consider posting it here.

EDITORIAL
House Bill 2932 A Smoking Gun
Measure To Give Politicians Final OK On Restrictions Should Be Snuffed
THE DOMINION POST -- March 23, 2009

Little about this legislative session has been extraordinary. If anything, it’s been consumed by shifting revenue estimates and the recession — issues a little drier and gloomier than most. However, at the same time, there’s been no shortage of nonsense bills, either.
    Everything from the Barbie bill to proposals for pay raises for public employees, not to mention drug testing of welfare recipients.
    As a result, it has not always been easy this year to discern measures that are actually serious about balancing the budget from those that are a waste of time as this legislative session winds down.
    But one bill that caught our attention recently actually poses a threat. That legislation, House Bill 2932, injects the poison of politics into public health. And not surprisingly, the bill comes from our own region — the delegation that represents most of Marion County and slivers of Monongalia County.
    What this bill would do is require county commissions to approve any public health department restrictions on smoking in public or private venues.
    The sponsors, including Delegate Mike Caputo, D-Marion, insist that it is not about overturning smoking bans or limiting their restrictions.
    Instead, Caputo says the legislation would bring ‘‘transparency’’ to the policy-making process of public county health boards. His reference is pointed at the Marion County public smoking ban passed in March 2008, with little public notice, which we took exception to here, in April 2008.
    However, what’s odd is that this bill applies only to smoking regulations — not any other health regulations or rules those boards might enact. And despite the mistakes made in Marion County’s example, this is a wrong trying to make things right.
    This is also bad public policy-making, since boards of health were designed specifically to be beyond the reach of politics.
    The idea is to prevent situations where a politician could overrule health inspectors closing a restaurant for violations because the owner is a friend of the commissioner. Or a debate could ensue to deal with an outbreak of botulism. But what’s almost surreal about this bill is that county commissioners appoint the members on local boards of health. That usually suffices most political whims. At first blush it would appear that what HB 2932 wants to do is allow county commissions to make sure its appointees get it right.
No one’s naive enough to believe that politics don’t intrude in every aspect of public life.
However, if there’s anywhere that politics should be set aside, it’s in matters of public health and safety. Balancing interests we understand, but putting the public at risk to appease anyone’s family, friends or constituents is politics at its worst. Maybe that’s why this legislative session seems so normal.

GUEST COMMENTARY
Light Up Tobacco Tax
Timely Medicine for State’s Health and its Economy

THE DOMINION POST -- March 22, 2009

   Imagine you had the power to save 14,800 West Virginians from premature death, improve the health of 5,000 babies, keep 30,300 young people from becoming addicted to a dangerous drug, and save taxpayers millions of dollars. Gov. Joe Manchin and the Legislature have exactly that opportunity by passing Senate Bill 420/House Bill 2746, which hikes the cigarette tax by 65 cents per pack.
   West Virginia ranks worst of all states in the use of tobacco. We have one of the highest rates of smoking among teens and pregnant women — two populations especially vulnerable to the bad effects of smoking. Tobacco use is the major cause of preventable disease, disability and death. High rates of cancer, heart disease, and poor birth outcomes are all attributed to smoking.
   Hardly a family in West Virginia has not experienced the tragic effects of tobacco. My father, a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 48 and died 18 years later. After losing one lung, he never again worked a regular job and became increasingly disabled as the years went by. Like so many men of his generation, he started smoking as a teenager in the Army and was not able to shake the habit until cancer claimed a lung.
   Opinion polls across the state and nation show strong public support for tobacco tax increases to deter this behavior. According to research by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, these polls note broad support across demographic and partisan lines. To balance state budgets, citizens favor cigarette-tax increases to other tax increases or to budget cuts. They also believe that at least a portion of the tobacco tax revenues should be used for programs to prevent and reduce smoking, especially among youth.
   Yet the tobacco tax bills are languishing in the Legislature. Leadership on the issue is coming from Sen. Roman Prezioso, D-Marion, and Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne, who chair the health committees in their respective chambers. Last year they championed the creation of a special committee to study the problems of health and health care in West Virginia. They engaged hundreds of citizens to develop recommendations for change. The single most important recommendation to come out of that process was to increase the tax on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.
   In presenting the recommendations to their committees, Prezioso and Perdue spoke passionately about the harm that cigarette smoking wreaks upon the state’s citizens. Nothing is more urgent, Prezioso said, than protecting the health of our children. Nothing will do more to reduce the cost of health care than to address the plague of tobacco addiction. It’s no surprise that the two physicians in the Senate, Dr. Ron Stollings, D-Boone, and Dr. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha, are cosponsors of the tobacco tax bill. Delegate Barbara Hatfield, DKanawha, a nurse, is co-sponsoring the bill in the House.
   Education and smoking cessation programs help reduce tobacco use, but nothing has been more effective in curbing use than high excise taxes. Numerous studies have documented that cigarette price increases lead to significant reductions in smoking among smokers and to fewer new smokers. The research suggests that a 10 percent increase in the real price of cigarettes can be expected to reduce cigarette consumption by 2 percent to 5 percent for adults. Among young people, a 10 percent increase is expected to decrease consumption by 6 percent or more.
   Since 2002, 44 states and U.S. territories have increased their cigarette tax rates. Currently, 27 states have a cigarette tax rate of $1 per pack or higher. Thirteen states have tax rates at $2 per pack or more. The proposed increase in West Virginia’s cigarette tax would raise the tax to $1.20 per pack, the national average. The state Tax Department estimates that the tax increase would bring in an additional $110 million in state revenues.
   There are legitimate concerns that tobacco and other “sin” taxes are regressive, imposing a disproportionate burden on lower-income people. To reduce this unfairness, most of the tobacco tax revenues should be dedicated to public programs that benefit those people and their families. For example, using the revenues to match federal dollars for Medicaid would provide $440 million for health care for the uninsured, extending coverage to another 70,000 West Virginians.
   The governor has a lot of clout, and he can be very persuasive when he wants to get something done. So, what is he waiting for? Members of the Senate and House should all be clamoring to add their voice in favor of a measure that would do so much to improve the health and economy of West Virginia.

RENATE PORE
is a health policy analyst for the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, based in Charleston. This commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post

State Must Be Vigilant in Fight Against Tobacco
THE DOMINION POST -- February 26, 2009

The grades are out and the state of West Virginia is failing to protect public health from the dangers of tobacco. Recently, the state received an “F” for every category (excise tax, smoke free air, prevention and cessation spending and cessation coverage) in the American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control 2008 report.
   Adult smoking rates in the state increased from 25.7 percent in 2006 to 26.9 percent in 2007, and high school smoking rates jumped from 25.3 percent in 2005 to 27.6 percent in 2007. While much of the nation has seen their smoking rates drop, ours has increased.
   Many good programs are happening in West Virginia such as Freedom From Smoking, Not On Tobacco, Teens Against Tobacco Use and RAZE, but we need to do more. Tobacco is the No. 1 preventable cause of death in our state, killing 3,900 people every year, and costing our state $690 million annually in health care costs. We can no longer ignore this substantial financial drain.
   This must be the year that West Virginia leaders finally pass policies that not only protect our children from a lifetime of tobacco addiction but also reduce the crushing burden that tobacco use places on our healthcare system and economy.
   The American Lung Association in West Virginia will continue to advocate for cleaner air and more stringent tobacco control and prevention programs in 2009. Now is the time to improve the health of all citizens here and pass strong tobacco control policies.

Tim Higgins -- Charleston
American Lung Association

CAMPUS BUZZ
Will Ciggy Bans Go Up in Smoke?

THE DOMINION POST -- February 15, 2009

Last week, members of the WVU Student Government Association voted to endorse a resolution that would make the campus completely smoke free.
    WVU’s current smoking policy — enacted in 1990 — prohibits smoking in campus buildings and university-owned vehicles, but allows faculty, staff, students and visitors to smoke outdoors and in residence halls, with permission.
    To date, 260 college campuses have gone smoke free, according to Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, a group that lobbies for smoke-free policies.
    Before WVU’s resolution can take effect, interim WVU President C. Peter Magrath must review it and decide what measures should be taken. Things to consider are whether to designate smoking zones and how to establish campus boundaries.
    Monongalia County doesn’t have a good record for enacting smoking policies. In May, the Monongalia County Board of Health indefinitely tabled a ban on indoor smoking in public spaces and workplaces, including restaurants and bars — a measure the WVU Faculty Senate, after two tries, voted to support.
    I’ll make a prediction: WVU will take its grand old time passing SGA’s policy, just as the countywide one was tabled before.
    Why, you ask? Simply due to the fact that city and university officials are generally afraid of the backlash. In fact, they’ll avoid it at all costs — even at the cost of the public’s health.
    We all know the dangers of secondhand smoke, and in spite of what many choose to think, it is a problem on WVU’s campus.
    On any day of the week, students are met with a cloud of smoke at the second-floor entrance of Armstrong Hall, on the platforms of PRT stations and at the front doors of the Mountainlair.
    A five-minute walk to class becomes a smoke break when stuck behind someone lighting up on the sidewalk. Still, there’s nothing that gets the public more riled up than the idea of banning smoking in any way. And that is exactly what officials have to fear.
    Secondly, coming up with a policy that is fair is sometimes just too much hard work.
    I suggest that the city and university toughen up and put in the hours to create policies that protect the public.
    Maybe WVU doesn’t need a total smoking ban. But laying the groundwork for an effective policy that includes designated smoking areas, visible campus boundaries and punishment for violators, is a step in the right direction.
    As for the backlash, take it with a grain of salt.
    I assure you that, in spite of what many think, the writers of the U.S. Constitution never meant for the public to have the liberty of lighting up a three-inch weapon of mass destruction.

KAREN SNYDER is a senior journalism student at WVU. She can be reached at campuslife@dominionpost.com.

EDITORIAL
Students Not Ones to Butt Out; SGA Proposal on Smoke-free
Campus Deserves Consideration by WVU
THE DOMINION POST -- February 11, 2009

Smoking is one of the leading causes of some grim statistics, and also continuing controversy.
Although the Monongalia County Board of Health (BOH) was once considering a ban in all public buildings, that proposal was tabled indefinitely last May.
However, WVU’s Student Government Association (SGA) last week put the issue of secondhand smoke back on the table. The SGA unanimously adopted a resolution, with one abstention, to develop a smoke-free campus policy. Currently, WVU’s policy on smoking — developed in 1990 — bans smoking in campus buildings and vehicles, but provides for it outdoors and in dorms.
The smoking resolution is now on WVU interim President C. Peter Magrath’s desk for consideration after it undergoes further deliberation with senior officials. Although Magrath may eventually leave this resolution for his successor to act on, we applaud the SGA for taking the initiative on this issue.
It’s encouraging when a student organization gets involved in something that makes a real difference in people’s lives and their health. The SGA is on the right track by taking this issue seriously and by urging change through the proper channels, which will allow for a review.
Obviously, some will question whether there should be designated smoking areas outside, how campus boundaries are defined, the impact on events at the Coliseum and Mountaineer Field, and on residences halls and fraternities as well. At the same time, others will interject that the research on secondhand smoke since 1990 is conclusive and no provision should be made for smoking on campus.
We are on the record for supporting a ban on smoking in all public buildings and workplaces in Monongalia County and believe the BOH should revisit this issue at once.
However, for now, we defer to Magrath and his administration on the SGA resolution on smoking. But, we encourage further debate across WVU’s campus, including in the Faculty Senate, on how to best address secondhand smoke.
Unlike the BOH’s response to issues of secondhand smoke, WVU’s leaders need to keep this initiative on the agenda.
We suspect that the SGA’s resolution will undergo some changes when, and if, any new policy is formulated, but we urge WVU not to simply blow smoke at this subject, as Monongalia County’s BOH has decided to do.
It will be interesting to see what, if any, provisions WVU includes in its response to this resolution and how quickly they are implemented.
But what’s even more engaging here is that students are not simply willing to accept what is, but are asking questions.

WVU Has Good Reasons to Go Smoke Free Soon
THE DOMINION POST -- February 11, 2009

Smoke Free Mon County would like to express our support for the smoke-free campus resolution passed by the WVU Student Government Association on Feb. 4. There are abundant reasons to implement a smoke-free campus policy.
   A smoke-free campus supports health and improves the quality of life for students, employees and visitors by reducing their exposure to the health hazard of secondhand smoke.
   Additionally, a smoke-free campus helps prevent young adults from initiating tobacco use. The vast majority of freshmen are tobacco free when they arrive on campus. However, far too many students begin smoking when they are exposed on a daily basis at WVU. Allowing smoking on campus reinforces the notion that smoking is a socially acceptable, sanctioned behavior.
   A healthy campus environment translates into increased student success as well as cost savings for the university from reduced maintenance and employee health care costs.
   A smoke-free campus policy will remove the clouds of smoke that students, staff, patients and visitors breathe each time they enter or leave a building. Students with asthma will no longer have to risk their health to attend classes. Respiratory patients will no longer be forced to inhale cigarette smoke to attend their medical appointments. And Mountaineer fans will not have to be subjected to smoke in order to purchase refreshments at Mountaineer Field.
   Secondhand smoke isn’t merely a nuisance. The U.S. surgeon general confirms that the health of nonsmokers is adversely affected by the smoke of others. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
   WVU is the flagship institution for the state in research, health care and education. It should continue to lead by setting the gold standard in providing a healthy, smoke-free campus. WVU can make a difference in promoting healthy lifestyles by going smoke free campuswide.
   We applaud Tobacco Free Mountaineers and the SGA for their desire and initiative to assure clean air for all who come to WVU. And we urge WVU to join the 260 or more colleges and universities that have adopted smoke-free campus policies.

Catherine Whitworth -- Smoke Free Mon County

Magrath Can Lead Us Toward Healthier Future
THE DOMINION POST -- February 10, 2009

I would like to thank WVU President C. Peter Magrath for the experience I had while attending WVU for my graduate studies in public health. It has come to my attention that on Feb. 4, a resolution was unanimously passed by the Student Government Association to implement a campus-wide smoking bad.
While enrolled in WVU’s School of Medicine, students were expected to direct their educational pathways and conclusions based on scientific, peer-reviewed literature. As I’m sure Magrath is aware, the adverse health effects associated with smoking are widely published across a vast amount of literature. When the time comes for him to choose to agree or disagree with the decisions made by those select students, who represent the student body, I hope he arrives at a conclusion based on scientific, published facts. The state of West Virginia typically falls on the “butt” end of many health issues. I challenge Magrath to “ignite” this state and university in a step forward to a healthier future.

Wesley Howard -- Morgantown

EDITORIAL
Why WVU Should Go Smoke Free
THE DAILY ATHENAEUM -- February 9, 2008

This week, the president’s office will review a proposal from the Student Government Association to implement a campus-wide smoking ban.
The current smoking policy has not been changed since 1990.
Smoking is not allowed indoors, and individual deans decide where students can smoke outside of their respective buildings.
The proposed ban would not permit smoking anywhere on campus, indoors or outside doors.
A campus-wide smoking ban is the measure most consistent with our school’s reputation as the leading college in the state for health research and history of innovative policies.
But even if a ban is not enacted, the current policy is outdated and needs to be revised.
Some will criticize a full ban as a restriction of personal rights, or the singling out of one of many environmental carcinogens.
Individual freedoms should not impose on the rights of others to live a healthy life.
Secondhand smoke is being singled out because it is a carcinogen people cannot choose to avoid.
A ban is substantiated if there is adequate research legitimizing a need, students and staff are behind it, and it fits with West Virginia University’s mission.
In the last 19 years, Americans have learned more and more about the health hazards of smoking and secondhand smoke.
According to a 2006 report by Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, nonsmokers are 25 to 30 percent more likely to develop heart disease and 20 to 30 percent more likely to develop lung cancer if exposed to cigarette smoke at home or work.
“The scientific evidence is now indisputable: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults,” Carmona said.
The report concluded that “nonsmokers need protection through the restriction of smoking in public places and workplaces.”
The report was “an analysis of the best research on second-hand smoke,” according to The Washington Post.
The Tobacco Free Mountaineers found support for a ban among students they surveyed. In a poll of 500 students, 68 percent moderately or strongly agreed with a campus-wide ban, according to The Daily Athenaeum.
In this poll, 80 percent of those surveyed were nonsmokers.
The American College Health Assessment is a survey of students nationwide.
In the 2004 assessment, 79 percent of students considered themselves nonsmokers (never smoked or had not smoked within the last 30 days).
So the Tobacco Free Mountaineers’ survey is not biased to include a disproportionate number of nonsmokers, especially since West Virginia’s smoking rates are higher than other states.
According to the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, 260 college campuses are now entirely smoke-free, both indoor and out.
In West Virginia, only the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine made this list.
In West Virginia, Bethany College, Davis and Elkins College, Fairmont State College, Glenville State College, Marshall University and Mountain State University have smoke-free residential housing policies.
If WVU wants to remain competitive, it can’t afford to fall behind.
The current policy is also inconsistent with the University’s goals.
WVU’s Prevention Research Center conducts studies to benefit the people of Appalachia by reducing health disparities.
Researchers at the PRC worked with the American Lung Association and West Virginia Department of Education to develop Not-on-Tobacco, a successful, nationally-known youth smoking cessation program.
WVU is also home to the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, “West Virginia’s most comprehensive cancer treatment, research and education facility,” according to the Web site.
The Translational Tobacco Reduction Research Program is a collaboration of both centers and conducts research on tobacco prevention and control.
The dangers of secondhand smoke are no longer in question. With student and faculty support and our University’s prominent place in health and tobacco research, the logical next step is for the campus to go completely smoke-free.

Erin Beck, Columnist

EDITORIAL
An Air of Failure about County; American Lung Association Report
Cites Weak Smoking Regulation
THE DOMINION POST -- January 26, 2008

When an association dedicated to breathing gives your air a failing grade, you might want take a deep breath and think about it and your lungs. Or not, as the Monongalia County Board of Health has done for more than a year now. Recently, the American Lung Association gave our county an F as part of its State of Tobacco Control report. It’s true we weren’t the only county to flunk, we were one of eight out of 55 to be precise. But the reason we failed is more disconcerting — our weak clean-indoor-air regulation. As one ALA leader put it, Mon County received an F because its regulation is inadequate in protecting all county residents from secondhand smoke. This week the Board of Health will meet. We are not aware of any efforts to revive a proposed countywide smoking ban that was tabled in May 2008. Though we doubt being flunked by the American Lung Association made an impression on our Board of Health, it should have. Despite the arguments for a total smoking ban in all public places, this remains a health issue, not a business decision. But if anyone thinks the BOH can continue on in its business-as-usual fashion, we remind them that the test of time is on a reinvigorated clean-indoor-air act’s side.

Kudos to Harrison for Approving Smoking Ban
THE DOMINION POST -- January 17, 2009

Kudos to Harrison County for enacting its countywide smoking ban. Harrison County is now the 19th county in West Virginia to have such a ban in place. Tobacco use is the No. 1 preventable cause of death in America. Tobacco-related diseases such as lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease kill more than 392,000 Americans each year, and another 50,000 die from exposure to secondhand smoke, yet our Monongalia Health Department refuses to vote on such a ban.
   “Let’s just table the issue and hope it goes away” seems to be the way the Monongalia Health Department has chosen to deal with this issue.
   Monongalia County is a progressive and prosperous county in so many ways, yet when it comes to protecting the health of the citizens of this county the Health Department refuses to discuss or vote on a ban on tobacco smoke in public places.

Daniel L Crawford -- Morgantown

Shortly after this letter was published, the Harrison County Board of Health caved to pressure by bar and video lottery interests and suspended their new regulation. The Harrison BOH acted in the best health interests of their county, but unfortunately did not have the courage to see it through. -- SmokeFreeMonC.org

Board of Health Needs to Live Up to its Name
THE DOMINION POST -- December 3, 2008

Your editorial on the Monongalia County Board of Health’s (DP-Dec. 10) continuous stall was on the mark. For well over a year the Board of Health has had an opportunity to live up to the very mission it is supposed to follow — protect public health. Smokefree Mon County, along with other concerned citizens have been asking them to pass a comprehensive smoking ban, but, to no avail.
   You wrote that it took nine consecutive days to get BOH President Sam Chico to reply to your inquiry about what the Board was going to do. And in his reply he seems to be saying he is willing to participate in a “discussion.” I do not know what that means, but clearly, if he was ready to support a smoking ban he might not have been so vague.
   It looks like there are three solid votes against a comprehensive ban. Anything short of that fails to protect people from secondhand smoke. Nineteen counties in our state enjoy such a ban. Yet the Monongalia County Board of Health seems to think it has the right to thumb its nose at the U.S. surgeon general, Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center’s director, Dr. Scot Remick, and the Department of Community Medicine Chair (and occupational health expert) Dr. Alan Ducatman — all of whom have made a strong case that secondhand smoke is a major health hazard that people need protection from.
   I agree with your conclusion, “Thank you. You’ve had your time.” We need a Board of Health that is not Bored of Health.

Robert Anderson -- Morgantown

EDITORIAL
Time to Light Up Board of Health
Tabled Smoking Ban is a Leftover Best Served at First 2009 Meeting
THE DOMINION POST -- December 11, 2008

   The Monongalia County Board of Health appears to be blowing smoke at the clean indoor air initiative.
   Since the BOH tabled a vote on the proposal in May it has remained in limbo. The comprehensive ban was first introduced as a model proposal in November 2007. It would bar smoking in all public places and workplaces.
   The BOH appeared to take the matter seriously earlier this year. It held a lengthy public comment period and heard extensive testimony from top health experts, while similar smoking bans in nearby Harrison and Marion counties passed.
   At the November meeting, the BOH heard from WVU students, who echoed the sentiments of previous speakers when they asked the board “to stand up for the rights of non-smokers.”
   And, although efforts to ignite a fire under the BOH to address this proposal have flared up and died out during the past year, at no time has the smoking ban been put to a vote.
   Worse, trying to pin down the board on its intentions concerning the ban is much like, well, trying to grab smoke.
   Late last month, for example, we contacted the BOH for an update on its smoking ban plans. After no immediate response, we inquired again, and again, and again, and again, and again — for nine consecutive days (except for Thanksgiving Day) only to receive the following statement: “The Board of Health recognizes the community interest in the clean indoor air act/smoking ban. As you [The Dominion Post] have noted the board has tabled the issue. However, the Board recognized during the last Board meeting that the atmosphere surrounding the topic was improving and was pleased with the way the public portion of the meeting had gone.”
The first part of that response is a simple recognition of the obvious, but it is the second portion that makes us pause. BOH President Sam Chico III said he was pleased with how students presented themselves in the November meeting. Consequently, he said, he is “willing to participate again” in discussion of the ban. In September, he shared the opposite opinion about smoking ban advocate Catherine Whitworth when she addressed the board during the public portion.
Chico said he felt as though he was driving a vehicle needing repair and that Whitworth’s “pit crew” was coming at him (instead of the vehicle) with a “blow torch and sledgehammer.” He went on to say that he won’t participate in discussion of the matter until the “pit crew” finds new tools to use. When Whitworth asked for a clarification of his comments, Chico’s response was: “Thank you. You’ve had your time.” We urge the BOH to put a proposed smoking ban on its agenda and vote on it at the Jan. 29 meeting. And, we urge the public to attend the meeting and speak out one way or the other. If the Monongalia County Board of Health doesn’t finally handle this matter, we suggest that the public’s message to the board echo that of its president: “Thank you. You’ve had your time.”

Isn’t It Board’s Duty to Protect Citizens’ Health?
THE DOMINION POST -- December 3, 2008

On Nov. 13, I went to the Monongalia County Board of Health meeting. After completion of the obligatory beginning duties, the audience was dismissed because the board skipped to the executive session. When everyone was allowed to return, smoke-free information was presented. But no further action was taken.
   In 1964 people knew little of the dangers of smoking. We have come a long way from the days of smokefilled conference rooms, airplanes and even schools. Today we know all too well the health impact of using tobacco products not only to the smoker, but also to the people around the smoker. Second-hand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States. It is the culprit behind 38,000 deaths every year, including 3,000 lung cancer deaths among otherwise healthy nonsmokers. Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 substances including more than 40 carcinogens.
   Why must the Board of Health continue to ignore these health issues? Having a smoke-free community benefits all. In fact, many cities, including Charleston, have reported an increase in profits in restaurants and bars following smoke-free passage. Why not Morgantown?
   Since the start of smoke-free communities, it has become clear that concerns about the business costs of smoke-free policies are unfounded. The facts are that smoke-free laws are good for businesses: They’re good for the people who frequent them, and they’re good for the people who work in them. Research published in leading scientific journals has consistently and conclusively shown that smoke-free laws have no adverse effects on the hospitality industry and, in fact, can actually be good for business.
   It must be taken into consideration that while restaurant and bar patrons can choose in which places they spend their time, workers do not have the same choice. No one should have to choose between a job and good health.
   Second-hand smoke is the reason why today there are more than 1,600 smoke-free communities. I am proud that my community is among those working on smoke-free initiatives that will save and protect our health. It is time that the Monongalia County Board of Health members stepped up and did something to protect the health of the residents in our community. Isn’t that their duty?

Gerri Angoli -- Morgantown
Four-time cancer survivor

Hospitals Congratulated for Stance on Smoking
THE DOMINION POST -- November 25, 2008

On Nov. 20, WVU Hospitals East adopted a tobacco-free campus policy for its Berkeley and Jefferson County hospitals. Hats off to them!
   They have joined a large and growing group of hospitals that have eliminated tobacco use on their property. This is an important step in protecting hospital staff and patients from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and in speeding the recovery of hospital patients.
   Hospitals that allow smoking are sending the wrong message. What sense does it make to force respiratory patients to walk through a cloud of tobacco smoke to attend their treatment appointments?
   Surgical outcomes are worse and recovery periods are longer for tobacco users. Tobacco use slows wound healing and increases the rate of wound infections. Chemotherapy is less effective and treatment costs are higher for patients who use tobacco, whether or not the illness is tobacco related. The Monongalia County Tobacco Prevention Partnership and Smoke Free Mon County extend our appreciation and congratulations to WVUH-East and all West Virginia hospitals that show their commitment to patient and employee health by going tobacco free.

Catherine Whitworth
Monongalia County Tobacco Prevention Partnership & Smoke Free Mon County

Secondhand Smoke Not Healthy for Women, Girls
THE DOMINION POST -- October 30, 2008

October has been set aside to increase breast cancer education and awareness in the community. One in eight, think of that, one in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in her lifetime. The statistics can be discouraging. Family history, race, age and genetics are risks that women can’t change to alter the odds of having breast cancer.
   But women can lower their risk of breast cancer by changing risk factors that can be changed. This includes limiting alcohol use, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly and opting to breast-feed their infants.
   The role of cigarette smoking in causing breast cancer is being researched. Certainly the hundreds of chemical compounds in cigarette smoke have already been labeled as poisonous or carcinogenic and are linked to causing lung cancer and heart disease. But there is new evidence that links secondhand smoke exposure to a 90 percent increase in breast cancer risk, especially in premenopausal nonsmokers.
   The most dangerous period of risk seems to be from the adolescent years until the age of first pregnancy when breast tissue matures. Secondhand smoke exposure during this time can cause genetic alterations in the breast tissue when it is the most sensitive.
   Where do non-smoking women get exposed to smoke? Three major environments were identified in the studies. They included childhood exposure to secondhand smoke from parents, adult exposure in the home and adult occupational or workplace exposure.
   If there wasn’t reason enough to avoid smoking around your children, protecting your daughters from breast cancer is one more. Smokers that light up in the home are adding another risk for mothers, wives, sisters and daughters that are already facing tough statistics.
   The great majority of the staff in the hospitality industry is made up of young females. Certainly they deserve the same smoke-free work environment as their peers in other occupations.
   If you are a smoker, when you see groups of women or girls, remember the odds: One in eight will be diagnosed with breast cancer and by refraining from smoking around them you are giving an immeasurable gift to their future wellness.

Elizabeth H. Hess, M.D. -- Clarksburg

EDITORIAL

Smoking Ban Still a Burning Issue
Local Board of Health Needs to Heed Public Opinion, Facts

THE DOMINION POST -- September 28, 2008

Our newspaper’s lead headline in Thursday’s edition could have easily read “BOH snuffs out public opinion.”
That would have at least reflected the sentiments or efforts of Monongalia County Board of Health’s chairman, Sam Chico, on further public discussion of a clean indoor air proposal.
Despite the BOH’s inaction on a proposed smoking ban by omitting it from its agenda, this issue is not about to go away. The Board of Health can quote our newspaper on that, if it likes.
And it’s apparent from the public comment period at Thursday’s meeting that the BOH can also quote the public on that, too. At least when it decides to let the public actually speak its mind.
   When the
   board meets again in November, the issue of a smoking ban will have been before it for one year. In that time not only have Marion and Harrison counties’ boards of health passed clean indoor smoking bans, but our neighbors in Pennsylvania became the 33rd state with some sort of statewide smoking ban.
   Although the BOH’s chairman blew smoke at another board member’s comments about Washington, D.C.’s, smoke-free regulation, it stands to reason if a city more than 10 times larger than Morgantown can live with such a ban, so can our county.
   And our nation’s capital, is just one example. Other examples include cities like Chicago, New York, Philadelphia; towns like Columbia, Mo.; states like Washington, California, Florida and Delaware; nations like Italy, Ireland and Spain.
   Oh, and did we mention 20 counties in West Virginia now prohibit smoking in all public places, including bars?
   You get the idea — but the the BOH doesn’t. Admittedly, these smoking bans are not all created equal. Exemptions abound in some, while others are strictly interpreted.
   But all were a direct result of indisputable facts and findings that secondhand smoke is linked to numerous diseases, including cancer.
   Some areas also approved the bans as a way to cut healthcare costs.
   Although at least three board members appear to be prepared to obfuscate and obstruct all efforts to approve a smoking ban in Monongalia County, we urge the other two to carry on efforts to pass a countywide smoking ban.
   Especially the newest board member, Robert Wheeler, who we expect to be among those making sure this issue doesn’t fade away. Second-hand smoke is a public health issue, not a business issue.
   The Board of Health needs to do the right thing. Delay is said to be the worst form of denial, but in this case it borders on dangerous.

Board of Health Needs to Act on the Facts
THE DOMINION POST -- September 21, 2008

Recent published articles on West Virginia’s health goals (DPSept. 1) and declining life expectancy for West Virginians (DP-Sept. 5), support Smoke Free Mon County’s position that the Monongalia County Board of Health must step up to protect our county residents from tobaccorelated disease.
   West Virginia’s Healthy People 2010 Plan was developed by public health officials, individuals, organizations and private businesses across the state. It is consistent with federal goals and guidelines. One objective of the plan is “to increase the number of counties covered by CIA [Clean Indoor Air regulations] and to increase the strength and breadth for those with existing regulations.”
   The plan recognizes that improving the health status of a state requires the work of many.
   Government agencies, doctors, teachers, social organizations and private employers are all identified as necessary partners. And we have strong support from all of these!
   Unfortunately, according to the West Virginia Code and the state Supreme Court, the duty to pass regulations to eliminate public smoking rests squarely with local boards of health. The BOH’s decision to table an indoor smoking ban or to consider denying protection to those who work in the hospitality industry flies in the face of scientific proof that secondhand smoke is deadly.
   Despite federal and state health goals and objectives, they do not act. We are surrounded by counties whose boards have decided to protect the health of their citizens by enacting 100 percent regulations, but our board continues to drag its feet. Why?
   BOH members are holding their personal opinions about health policy in higher regard than the U.S. surgeon general, doctors, researchers and the collaborative efforts of an entire state. The citizens and workers of Monongalia County are the victims.
   The health status and life expectancy of West Virginians is among the worst in the nation. We are not willing to allow Monongalia County to become the worst in West Virginia.

Catherine Whitworth
Smoke Free Mon County -- Morgantown

GUEST COMMENTARY
Singing The Praises of Smoke-free
THE DOMINION POST -- September 14, 2008

   Many letters have been written regarding the proposed ban on smoking in bars and gaming establishments. I would like to address a health issue that has not been mentioned: that of the link between environmental tobacco smoke and allergies. I would like to relate a personal experience illustrating the ill effects of ETS upon allergy sufferers.
   Last Saturday I received some garments that had been altered in an establishment where smoking is permitted. My clothing stunk. I tried to air out my garments to remove the stench, to no avail. On Sunday I wore one of the aromatic dresses to church, a bad idea. Within 15 minutes of putting the dress on, my eyes were watering, and my throat was sore. I did more coughing than hymn singing that morning. Since my service role in the church is that of congregational hymn leader, I was not happy.
   This incident brought back some unpleasant memories of a time in my life when exposure to ETS forced me to alter my educational and career plans. When I entered college, faculty and students were permitted to smoke in offices and in classrooms. The stench of tobacco permeated all of the buildings in which I took classes, even the school of music where I took voice lessons. Several of my professors lectured while smoking. Consequently, I began to have severe problems with my throat and sinuses. I had entered college with a plan to major in French and in voice. I was a talented mezzo-soprano, with dreams of becoming an opera singer. Those dreams had been fostered by music teachers in high school, and by a close friend of my parents who had been an opera singer in her youth. And, I was my mother's favorite singer. But, involuntary exposure to tobacco
ruined my dreams. In my sophomore year of college, I was forced to change my major to French/ English. I even had to drop out of my church choir. There was to be no more singing for me, for a very, very long time. For many years, even as I achieved academic honors in college and soldiered on in my "Plan B" career, I was heartbroken.
   Many years later, in my 50s, I was able to regain my ability to sing. In a truly miraculous turn of events, I am now able to sing better at age 61 than I did at age 17, and better than I had ever dreamed possible as a young girl. I now use my talent to the fullest in the service of God at Suncrest United Methodist Church. But, I missed out on almost 40 years of using the talent that God gave me, all because I was exposed to poison. I was a captive audience in a respiratory sewer — my college classrooms.
   Employees of bars and gaming establishments are also a captive audience. They must endure the smoke in order to make a living. Rather than looking at these employees in the abstract, let us personalize the scenario. There are two college students in my church congregation with exceptional vocal ability. When Eric and Kallie sing, in the words of one congregant, "They give Linda a run for her money." I want these two young folks, whom I hold in high regard, to glory in the gifts that God gave them. Let us hypothesize that one of them took a job in a smoking-permitted workplace to pay for tuition. Let us also add allergy and/or asthma to the mix. Should Eric or Kallie be forced to endure the same heartbreak that I felt when a gift bestowed upon me by my Creator was smothered — almost permanently — by human behavior? I think not.
   For the sake of their fellow human beings, I am asking the Monongalia County Board of Health to honor their mandate as guardians of the public's health, and ban environmental tobacco smoke from all workplaces in this county.

LINDA A. LILLY

is an administrative assistant at WVU's Department of Community Medicine. She lives in Morgantown. This commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post.

Mon Health Board Can Take a Cue From Around the State
THE DOMINION POST -- August 30, 2008

Despite vocal opposition from bar and video lottery owners, three members of the Harrison County Board of Health have shown great leadership in passing an exemption-free smoking ban that protects all of its workers, residents and visitors. We applaud these BOH members who were willing to fulfill their duties as public health officials despite the unpopularity of the regulation with a minority of the population.
   Similarly, we have great respect for the Kanawha and Marion county boards of health for their refusal to cave to pressure from those who want to intimidate them into rescinding their regulation just weeks after implementation. They refuse to ignore their sworn duty to prevent disease and protect health despite personal threats and strong-arm tactics by those who believe they profit from unrestricted smoking in public areas.
   No one can credibly assert that the clean indoor air regulation was the sole cause of summer revenue drops for video lottery establishments. Gambling and bar profits are down nationwide, quite possibly due to reduced disposable income brought about by recent inflation. Bar owners can protest, threaten and attempt to sue, but health board members can rest assured that the W.Va. State Code and the W.Va. Supreme Court firmly support their authority and obligation to protect the public from the health ravages of secondhand smoke exposure.
   Smoke Free Mon County has not backed away from its support of a smoking ban in our county. Smoking in a public place is a serious health hazard — period.
   No amount of exposure is safe. This should be the only consideration by a county board of health and should never have been a point of debate. Twenty of West Virginia’s local boards of health agree and have had the integrity to carry out their obligation to protect all of the public even when it angered a small but vocal segment of the population.
   Why are our Monongalia County public officials deliberately delaying action and settling to lag behind so many rural and metro counties while our workers and patrons continue to be exposed to poisonous air? Smoke-free air for Monongalia County is on hold only because three members of the Board of Health lack either the sincere desire or the courage to act. This may be a philosophical debate or a political dilemma for others, but for appointed public health officials, it is their sworn duty to protect the public’s health.
   Sam Chico, county board of health chairman, says the board will address the issue of smoke free air “when the time comes.”
   That time is now.
   The 80 percent nonsmoking majority knows that it is well past time for our board of health to do its job. The majority will not back down from its demand for a simple and fair clean indoor regulation that provides protection for everyone.
   The board meets again in September. Will they rise to the occasion and restore Monongalia County’s status as a leader in public health policy, or find yet another excuse to delay performing its duty to the citizens they are appointed to protect?

Catherine Whitworth
Smoke Free Mon County -- Morgantown

EDITORIAL
One Habit Teens Can Live Without: Cessation Initiatives Focused at Youth Not Just Blowing Smoke
THE DOMINION POST -- August 18, 2008

How many times do adults have to be told our job is to set healthy standards — not compete with our kids for whose are lowest? For instance, the smoking rate for adults in West Virginia is higher than it is among high school students, according to the state Division of Smoking Prevention. Some might think, “praise be,” while others might ask, “what kind of example is that?”
Truth be told, the difference in the numbers of adults and high school students smoking is negligible — 1.4 percent. That’s all that separates the 26.7 percent of adults and 25.3 percent of teens who smoke in West Virginia. Obviously, many, if not most, of these high schoolers are not even old enough to legally smoke. And the vast majority of the others we cannot help but regret are already smoking. Other data on teen smoking — relative to West Virginia — is just as discouraging, including low tobacco taxes, weak cleanindoor laws, etc. However, we are encouraged by programs like Not On Tobacco — a nationally, school-based smoking cessation program created by an assistant professor at WVU and a local physician, who is the director of the Prevention Research Center at WVU.
But even more enlightening may be the research another WVU faculty member is undertaking with the data collected from the NOT program. That research is being funded by a $146,500 grant from the National Cancer Institute and another $100,000 grant from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. What these professors hope to discover in the course of their work is why some teens are more successful than others at quitting and what factors into the difficulties other teens experience when trying to quit. The grant from the agency in Maine will be used to facilitate the expansion of the NOT program, which has already won federal accolades.
One consideration these WVU faculty members already have on their short list is creating an Internet-based program that lets teens access NOT from home. Good plan — no one is more comfortable with the Internet than high school students. Our newspaper stands squarely behind initiatives that prevent, dissuade and end smoking among teenagers. Smoking cessation programs for teens should be our focus for many reasons, including the likelihood they will have a far better success rate than adults, simply because adults have smoked longer. We cannot afford to sit by silently and let the worst examples set the standard for the rest of us. This means speaking up for clean indoor air laws and supporting programs like NOT.
Being a teenager does not grant you immortality. What it does give you is a fresh start in life. And life is way too cool to ruin with smoking.

Time for Bell, Kennedy to Do the Right Thing
THE DOMINION POST -- August 15, 2008

Why hasn’t the County Commission filled the vacancy on the Monongalia County Board of Health? The county commissioners have an unprecedented number of qualified applicants from which to choose.
   Commissioner John Pyles is to be applauded for his efforts to fill the BOH vacancy.
   Each of his four attempts to appoint someone to serve on the BOH has died due to a lack of action from commissioners Asel Kennedy and Bob Bell.
   It is clear county commissioners Bell and Kennedy are not interested in appointing a member to the BOH who is well informed on the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure. Nor do they want to appoint someone to the Board who is interested in banning smoking in public places.
   Could it be possible these commissioners are searching for someone with a health background who would agree to ignore the clean indoor-air recommendations of the U.S. Surgeon General — our nation’s highest health authority?
   The scientific evidence is overwhelming:
   Secondhand smoke causes disease; even brief contact with secondhand smoke adversely affects our cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
   Smoke-free environments are the only way to effectively protect people from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke in indoor spaces. No level of exposure is safe.
   Eliminating secondhand smoke in public places would have a tremendous, positive impact on the public’s health and would save countless dollars in health-care costs locally.
   It is time our county commissioners fill the vacancy on the BOH with a person who will not shy away from protecting everyone from the dangers of secondhand smoke, regardless of their age or where they work.

Cecil Pollard -- Morgantown

GUEST COMMENTARY
BOH Cannot Afford to Make a Mistake
THE DOMINION POST -- July 27, 2008

At the Monongalia County Board of Health’s May meeting, after more than six months of discussion, the issue of smoke free air was again tabled. Thursday will bring yet another opportunity to either take action or to continue to stall. Some members of the BOH may be sincerely attempting to draft a clean indoorair regulation that protects some of the public, yet also accommodates the wishes of business owners to choose whether to allow smoking in their establishments. If this is true, please consider the following when crafting the regulation.
   Secondhand smoke is toxic to everyone, both adults and children, whether or not they choose to be exposed. Yes, many other things are bad for people. But the topic at hand and under the purview of BOH is secondhand smoke.
   Young people, though legal adults, do not generally put their long-term health first when seeking employment or participating in the normal social activities of college life. Informed officials must sometimes make decisions that are in their best interest (like requiring vaccines to enter college).
   Exemptions often bring legal challenges, as they are ambiguous and difficult to write in a way that achieves the intended result.
   Providing an exemption for some businesses fails to create a level competitive field.
   Exemptions create inconsistencies that make enforcement problematic.
   Exemptions create problems for adjoining businesses. It is nearly impossible to prevent cigarette smoke from entering adjacent buildings and shared entryways.
   If accommodations such as “smoking rooms” are permitted that require costly construction, it will be very difficult to later strengthen the regulation once businesses make the investment.  Such accommodations are not only ineffective, but are unfair to business owners who can’t afford them.
   Exemptions leave workers and patrons completely unprotected in the very places where the problem is the worst.
   Public health policy must not be written to support and promote addiction to a substance that ravages health and places an enormous economic burden on society. This does not serve the public good in any fashion especially when 80 percent of our county residents do not smoke.
   While initial resistance by a segment of the business community can be expected, the community will adjust and the BOH will be able to rest assured that it took a courageous stand and did the right thing for the health of the community it serves. You are aware that community health statistics dramatically improve and that smoking rates decline after comprehensive public smoking bans are implemented. With absolutely no public health grounds for exemptions, a uniform regulation is clearly the best way to protect citizens and workers.
   The decision to take the only action that will adequately protect the community remains in the BOH’s hands. No one wants to continually revisit this contentious issue. If this is indeed the only health decision the Board of Health will make, I urge it to not make a mistake.

Catherine Whitworth -- Morgantown
Co-chair of Smoke Free Mon County

Ventilation systems only remove odor, not risks
THE DOMINION POST -- July 30, 2008

Regarding the letter to the editor (DP-July 24) on having restaurants install ventilation systems as an alternative to going 100 percent smoke-free: It certainly sounds like a good solution. Unfortunately, ventilation systems only serve to eliminate the odor of cigarette smoke. There is no ventilation system that can get rid of the particles and gasses emitted by cigarettes that contribute to cancers and other diseases. Some research suggests that ventilation systems can even make the secondhand smoke problems worse by circulating poisoned air from areas of a building that allow smoking to other areas of a building that may be smokefree.
   These poisons released into the air include arsenic, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.
   Even if we were only trying to eliminate the odor of cigarette smoke, ventilation systems are expensive. Not all business owners can afford to replace/update these systems.
   Businesses that are 100 percent smoke-free need not worry about installing new and expensive systems that do nothing to protect the health of their employees or customers.
   I sincerely hope the Monongalia County Board of Health sees fit to make an informed decision, based on scientifically valid evidence rather than a decision based on the unfounded fears and/or addictions.
   All employees deserve a safe working environment and business owners deserve a level playing field.

Angela M. Lacey -- Morgantown

Air Filtration Systems Not a Workable Solution
THE DOMINION POST -- July 26, 2008

John P. Kuehn’s suggestion that air filtration could solve the smoking ban controversy is well intended (DP-July 24). If only it were that easy!
   Unfortunately, even the best filtration systems cannot remove all the toxins that smoking releases into the air. Filters make the air less offensive and give people a false sense of security; but according to the U.S. surgeon general, cleaning the air and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate exposure.
   Even the manufacturers of ventilation systems admit that their products do not eliminate health risks associated with secondhand smoke. Of the many disclaimers I have seen, one manufacturer says it best: No air cleaner can protect against the harmful effects of secondhand tobacco smoke. Clean air begins with a smoke-free environment.
   The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Cooling agrees. Their published report concludes that the only means of effectively eliminating health risks associated with indoor exposure is to ban smoking activity. No other engineering approaches have been demonstrated or should be relied on to control health risks from exposure.
   Thank you, Mr. Kuehn, for proposing a possible solution to this dilemma. I wish more people were giving serious thought to this serious problem. However, medical experts and ventilation experts agree, the only way to ensure safety is to ban indoor smoking.

Alex Lubman -- Morgantown

BOH has the Authority to Enact Clean Air Laws
THE DOMINION POST -- July 7, 2008

The state Ethics Commission has issued a “dismissal order” on a conflict of interest of three of the [Monongalia County] Board of Health members. This is good news as it now clears the path for the BOH to vote on the proposed clean indoor air regulations. One of the “powers and duties” of the BOH, according to state Code (Chapter 16 article 2-11.(ii)) is “environmental health protection including the promoting and maintaining of clean and safe air.” It is the BOH’s directive to enforce public policy. It was expressed by members of the BOH that the conflict of interest complaint was a roadblock to voting. Since this perceived roadblock has been removed, it’s time for the BOH to vote.
   Voting for clean indoor air is not new to state law. According to the state Supreme Court (214 W.Va. 818, 591 S.E.2d 744 dated 2003): “It is clear from the face of the statute that local boards of health have been granted express responsibility for promoting and maintaining ... clean and safe air which may include adoption and promulgation of rules consistent with state public health laws and the rules of the state department of health and human resources that are necessary and proper for the protection of the general health of the service area and the prevention of the introduction, propagation and spread of disease.”
   In addition the court states “Clean indoor air regulations of local boards of health that place restrictions on smoking in enclosed public places (1) are consistent with the findings of the Legislature that smoking may cause lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and other serious health problems, (2) advance the legislatively prescribed public policy to provide the state with a citizenry free from the use of tobacco, and (3) fall with the bounds of authority granted by the Legislature to such boards.”
   With regards to the BOH’s consideration on exempting certain establishments that serve liquor because they are “private” not public places, the Supreme Court further ruled clean indoor air shall be applied to all businesses the public may enter. West Virginia Code 60-7-2 (1967) Repl.Vol.2000) (214 W.Va. 818, 591 S.E.2d 744 dated 2003): “We note, however, that, notwithstanding their designation as ‘private’ clubs, these establishment are subject to regular inspections for other purposes deemed necessary for the safety and health of the public, such as inspections for the cleanliness of kitchens and the proper handling of food sold on the premises or compliance with fire code requirements. Thus, we find no constitutional or legislative bar to such establishments being subject to the provision of smoking regulations, or any other type of health or safety regulation, solely because they are licensed to sell alcoholic beverages.”
   The BOH has the power and duty to enact clean indoor air regulations. Any argument contrary has been before the state Supreme Court. The BOH also has the responsibility to enact a comprehensive indoor smoking ban. It is past time for the BOH to put the issue to rest by assuming leadership, ending the delays and passing a smoke-free regulation that can be fairly applied and will provide protection to all.

Dave Harshbarger -- Morgantown

BOH Should Approve Ban on Smoking Immediately
THE DOMINION POST -- June 21, 2008

The seemingly endless debate concerning the smoking ban has begun to defy all logic. The task of the [Monongalia County] Board of Health is to protect public health. It is not economic impact or development. The question before the board seems to be a simple one: does secondhand smoke in public areas negatively affect the health of nonsmokers?
   Any reputable peer reviewed study of this question always answers yes. Given the overwhelming amount of data to support the adverse affects of secondhand smoke, how can the board vote for anything other than a stringent ban on all smoking in public places, including establishments that serve alcohol?
   The board is negligent in their responsibility by not implementing a smoking ban.
   Much of the debate has turned to who is on the board and what connections they have. It seems to be a common theme in West Virginia that those serving in public office often have “connections” that at the very least lend themselves to perceptions of a conflict of interest.
   The Monongalia County BOH is not immune from this West Virginia virus. Like it or not, in the eye of the public, perceptions are reality.
   To avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest, responsible public officials with certain “connections” should remove themselves from any vote that creates exceptionally loud discourse.
   The deafening volume of the smoking ban debate should force the BOH members to honestly and ethically review how they are perceived in the public eye.
   The BOH should make every effort to protect the public health. They should approve the ban as soon as possible. Any economic impact or development issues should be left to other politicians.

Chris Nichols -- Morgantown

It’s No Wonder BOH’s Ethics Under Suspicion
THE DOMINION POST -- June 12, 2008

Some members of the community have raised questions about Smoke Free Mon County’s ethics complaint against three members of the Monongalia County Board of Health. BOH Chair Sam Chico has said that this action resulted in a delay in passing a new clean indoor-air regulation. Three members of the BOH have made it clear they are not in favor of passing a simple, fair, smoke-free regulation that protects everyone. They maintain this position even in the face of overwhelming evidence that secondhand smoke is a public health hazard. Their actions and comments indicate that they favor exempting the very places where the most secondhand smoke exposure occurs.
   When our BOH members ignore worldwide health authorities and pander to the business interests of their friends and relatives, they should not be surprised to have their motives questioned and to be accused of unethical behavior. When the BOH’s chairman ignores that body’s by-laws, he should expect to be called to task.
   When one county commissioner who participates in making appointments to the Board of Health also sits on the Board of Health, he should expect people to question his motives. Meanwhile, incredibly, a second county commissioner states that the BOH’s role “is not a health thing” and that the board requires “people who are more business-minded.” He too, should expect to be subject to public scrutiny. BOH by-laws require the board to protect and promote public health. With three businessmen serving, there is more than enough business interest representation on the BOH.
   Chico scolded Smoke Free Mon County for questioning the board’s ethics. Yet he refuses to address our complaint in accordance with the board’s own bylaws. The BOH has been asked to address the issue of secondhand smoke at every meeting since April 2007. Smoke Free Mon County presented the board with a model regulation in November 2007. In March 2008, after having had the regulation in their possession for months, it appeared most members had not even read the document. As long as they continue to ignore the facts and shirk their duty, Smoke Free Mon County and a growing segment of Monongalia County’s population will continue to question their motives, their ethics and their ability to lead our community.
   Ask yourself: What motivates these men? It is clearly not the health of our community that guides their decisions. It is time for the majority of residents who want to see this regulation passed to call them out. The phone number for the local health department is 598-5100. Give them a piece of your mind.
   While you are voicing your concerns, contact the County Commission at 291-7257 or attend its next meeting and let them know you want a qualified candidate appointed to the BOH; one who will promote public health.

Catherine Whitworth
Valerie Frey-McClung
Smoke Free Mon County -- Morgantown

Monongalia County Health Officer Urged BOH to Approve Smokefree Regulation
(Smoke Free Mon County obtained this letter by Freedom of Information request)

Dear Board Members:

I am writing this letter to inform you of my support for the proposed smoking ban which you as a Board will be voting on March 27, 2008. I strongly encourage the Board to vote for the ban as proposed.
There is a great amount of evidence supporting the dangers of second band smoke exposure. It is our obligation as the Public Health Department to protect all of our citizens from the dangers of any health risks. The main argument against this ban is the infringement on a person's liberties. However, in any case where a health risk has been imposed on an individual those liberties are lost. The job of the Health Department is to investigate those health risks and do what is mandated by our state code to protect the person. Many nations, states, and countries have recognized and implemented total smoking bans in public places.
A public place is an establishment, which the public is invited to come into. We currently are allowing our citizens to be exposed to toxins if they want to bowl, gamble, eat out, or have a drink at the local bar. All these establishments are required by law to serve safe food, drink and air. If the Health Department were called in to one of these places to investigate a faulty heater which was putting out a toxic substance, we would certainly be expected to act on it and force the business to fix the problem. Toxic air due to smoking is no different than due to a faulty heater.
The argument that it is a person's choice to enter or not to enter into any of these establishments does not hold up either. If that were the case, that argument can be used against any environmental health exposure. If a person lives near, works near, travels by, or entertains himself near a toxic substance, the comparable solution to reduce his/her health risk would be to move, change jobs, take another route, or go somewhere else to entertain himself. I hope the public health solution would be to clean up the toxic substance.
On March 27th, I strongly encourage the Board to choose the public health solution, which is to clean up the toxic substance and not to expect the public to go somewhere else to breathe clean air. Please vote aye for the proposed smoking ban. Keep Monongalia County at the cutting edge of public health in our state.

Sincerely,

Vincent P. Kolanko, M.D.
Monongalia County Health Officer

Vote of ‘No Confidence’ in Our Board of Health
THE DOMINION POST -- June 4, 2008

I think it is terrible the way the [Monongalia County] Board of Health is continuing to delay taking action to protect public indoor air.
   I am sure the Board doesn’t have lengthy debates about the business consequences of requiring a clean kitchen, so why such angst over regulating clean air?
   The Board’s inaction makes me think that the recent questions about conflicts of interest of some board members are probably valid. Can the citizens of Monongalia County vote “no confidence” in this Board?

Karen Fitzpatrick, MD -- Morgantown

Put Public Service Before Self Interest
THE DOMINION POST -- June 3, 2008

It is well past time for the Board of Health to pass a comprehensive clean indoor air regulation in Monongalia County. The harmful effects of environmental tobacco smoke are clear and well known.
   Local boards of health sometimes face difficult decisions because of perceived conflicts between the rights of individuals and the health of communities. In this instance, the Board seems to be extensively influenced by a small group of employers who contend that their rights to allow smoking in their business places are of higher priority and of greater significance than are those of the public’s right to a environment free of cigarette smoke.
   Principles of fair and ethical policy decision making strongly dictate that those who have conflicts of interest on a policy issue should refrain from taking part in, and voting on, that issue. Consistently, members of the Board who have fiscal conflicts of interest should abstain from all deliberation regarding the proposed smoking ban.
   Ironically, there is no scientific evidence that clean indoor-air legislation has negative consequences on businesses. Even if it did, that should not be a concern of a county board of health.
   It is both mind-boggling and infuriating that our local Board sees fit to delay action, withhold information, and respond as it has to a county smoking ban. It is time for the Board to act with courage and not cowardice, public service rather than self interest, and health protection rather than disease promotion.

Geri Dino, Ph.D. Director
Prevention Research Center -- Morgantown

Shame on BOH for Delay of Vote on Smoking Plan
THE DOMINION POST -- June 3, 2008

The actions of the Monongalia County Board of Health are appalling.
   Board members Robert Bell, Sam Chico and August Lucci have succeeded in delaying the vote on the issue of indoor smoking beyond the tenure of a board member who was in support of the clean air ordinance.
   Now, with supporter Dorcas Davis gone from the board, these members will be free to abstain from voting on the measure without having to worry that an effective clean indoor-air ordinance will pass.
   These three board members’ business and political interests have gotten in the way of their duty, and are an example of the corrupt small town politics that are responsible for maintaining the miserable health status of West Virginia compared to the rest of the nation.
   That said, congratulations and thanks are in order for Davis and other individuals who have taken on roles of public service in sincerity. It seems that here in Monongalia County such sincerity is hard to find.

Jared Pomeroy -- Morgantown

Defending Our Health May Require Restricting Rights
THE DOMINION POST -- June 1, 2008

Michael Bridges of Cheat Lake is firmly in favor of his right (DPWednesday), and that of anyone else, to smoke. I have no quarrel with that.
   I don’t know whether Christina Mickey, to whom Bridges addresses his letter, objects to his smoking in his own home.
   Having had to stop smoking a pipe decades ago, because of cancer indications — and having lost relatives on both sides of my family to cancer — and having had cancer surgery myself last year, I am as firmly opposed to having to breathe someone else’s smoke as Bridges is to anyone’s regulating his smoking.
   I don’t know anyone who gleefully rubs his or her hands together at the prospect of reducing somebody’s pleasure; the point is that I object when someone else’s pleasure endangers my health.
   When I’m walking in the country, I object to the noise of ATVs impinging on the quiet, but ATV legislation is based on safety more than on one person’s pleasure becoming another person’s nuisance. I myself play Highland Scottish bagpipes, and I have been lucky so far in not finding myself with neighbors who object. But people usually either love or hate the sound of bagpipes; if Bridges lived above me and objected to the sound, I would be obliged to find someplace else to practice.
   Likewise, I would regret his or anyone else’s smoking near my home, but I wouldn’t try to regulate their behavior in their own home. If laws are eventually passed that regulate people’s right to smoke outside their homes, I will breathe easier and won’t be obliged to hold my breath every time I pass a smoker on the street. Since I am a musician and sometimes play in bars, I can’t do much about the fact that I sometimes come home stinking of cigarettes merely because I’ve spent a few hours not far from smokers.
   Alcohol, exhaust fumes, fatty foods all have their lovers and their detractors. I am not trying to deny anyone’s right to indulge in them when they can do so without threatening the lives and health of anyone else.
   If I were to be forced to stay home because a drunk driver might hit me, to travel only to certain smoke-free places because I might encounter a smoker who cherishes his or her right to smoke as much as I do my right to breathe, I would feel as discriminated against as Bridges does himself.
   Speaking unofficially for others whose health is impaired, we are not trying to abridge anyone else’s rights.
   But if defending our own lives and health impinges on those rights, we can’t help feeling that collateral damage in the form of some restriction of rights as unavoidable when we are doing what we can to retain our lives.

Daniel Musick -- Morgantown

What’s Next to Protect the Public’s Health?
THE DOMINION POST -- May 29, 2008

If you own or operate a bar or video lottery business in Monongalia County, you are probably happy with the Monongalia County Board of Health. The rest of us are shaking our heads in disbelief. Many of us want to know why our BOH is dodging its duty, which is to protect public health.
   The board’s obligation is not simply to protect children, or patrons and employees of whitecollar businesses. Their charge is to protect the health of everyone. State law requires that local boards of health maintain clean and safe air. Clean indoor air is not optional.
   Standards for local boards of health are posted on the secretary of state’s Web site. According to these public health rules: “The board shall provide ... a safe and healthy environment, and maintenance of clean and safe air ... through a program of routine public health environmental education and control.”
   The BOH has the facts. They can’t claim ignorance. It’s time board members explain why they are refusing to protect everyone from secondhand smoke. Why are bar and video lottery owners dictating public health in Monongalia County?
   Our public health rules and laws about clean air have been upheld by the state Supreme Court. Perhaps it is time for a legal challenge. Is that what it will take to get our BOH to act?

Cecil Pollard -- Morgantown

Bell Should Not Vote at Thursday’s Meeting
THE DOMINION POST -- May 28, 2008

At the special meeting of the Board of Health in April to discuss the smoking regulation, [Monongalia] County Commissioner Bob Bell’s rather hostile questions and statements tells me that he does not understand nor care about public health.
   He seems much more concerned with the opinions of a few bar owners than the needs of the public. They [the public] elected him to his post — not a bar owner who has contributed to his campaign.
   Bell should resign his seat on the Board of Health. Since he isn’t about to do that, at the very least, he should not vote at this Thursday’s meeting on the smoking regulation.

Robert Anderson -- Morgantown

Ethics Commission May Want to Look at BOH
THE DOMINION POST -- May 28, 2008

I am a private citizen and taxpayer in Monongalia County. Last Thursday evening, I happened to tune in to “The Law Works” on WNPB and learned about the state Ethics Commission. Then, when I read the attached editorial in Sunday’s The Dominion Post, I thought that this issue might very well warrant the Ethics Commission initiating a complaint and investigation. It seems that at least one member of the Monongalia County Board of Health may have a conflict of interest regarding the Board’s ongoing consideration of a proposed regulation that would ban smoking in restaurants, bars, etc.
   Perhaps the ethics panel is already aware of this situation. If it isn’t aware of this issue and if it’s worthy of consideration, then I will be satisfied I have brought it to its attention. At the very least, the Ethics Commission may have reason to offer counsel to members of the BOH before they vote. As I understand the issue no board members have recused themselves from deliberations on this issue in public meetings of the BOH to date.
   Note that the Board of Health plans to meet on Thursday to vote on this proposed regulation.

Robert M. Castellan -- Morgantown

Nonsmokers Majority, Not Just a Niche Market
THE DOMINION POST -- May 28, 2008

Mel Bankhead’s letter to the editor (DP-May 20) amusingly generalizes all supporters of smokefree air as tee-totaling prohibitionists, assuming that people who don’t want to breathe cigarette smoke want to outlaw drinking.
He and many other local bar owners fail to understand simple economics. Some 80 percent of our county’s residents are nonsmokers. That’s more than just a niche market. Many of the people who want to see the smoking ban pass would very much like to enjoy the area night life without having their eyes and throats sting, their clothing and hair reek of smoke, and without exposing their lungs to carcinogens.
While we appreciate those restaurants that offer a smoke-free dining experience, our entertainment choices are extremely limited. To my knowledge, Rain is the only bar in the county where a person can listen to live bands and enjoy a cocktail without having to breathe other people’s smoke. The 80 percent of our county residents who do not smoke would like more choices. They want to go bowling, sing karaoke, watch sports, and for those who imbibe, drink. If most of your clientele are smokers, have you ever pondered why that is? And, yes, there are even potential customers who might like to visit an adult business like Bankhead’s, if it weren’t for the toxic air.

Catherine Whitworth
Smoke Free Mon County -- Morgantown

GUEST COMMENTARY
Clearly, Some Board of Health Members Should Step Aside
THE DOMINION POST -- May 18, 2008

You don’t have to smoke for smoking to harm you. That’s why last November the Tobacco Prevention Partnership asked the Monongalia County Board of Health to update its outdated clean indoor-air regulation. The BOH was asked to follow recommendations from the U.S. surgeon general and prohibit smoking in all public places and workplaces in the county.
   Smoke-free policies are nothing new. Indoor smoking has been successfully banned in 12 countries, 22 states and 17 West Virginia counties because secondhand smoke is a known health hazard.
   The smoke-free policy proposed for Monongalia County has widespread local support, including the backing of members of the medical community, many local businesses, WVU student and faculty groups, the Morgantown City Council, The Dominion Post and The Daily Athenaeum.
   State law gives local boards of health the responsibility of regulating indoor air. The Monongalia County BOH exists to protect and promote public health; that role is stated clearly in the board’s bylaws. The board has been presented with a mountain of scientific evidence on the dangers of secondhand smoke and the benefits of smoke-free policies, including the summary of the latest surgeon general’s report on secondhand smoke and fact sheets like these found on the Centers for Disease Control Web site:
   Smoke-free policies improve air quality.
   Smoke-free policies improve health.
   Smoke-free policies reduce smoking.
   Smoke-free policies do not hurt the hospitality industry.
   The evidence shared with the BOH is so compelling that it is difficult to understand why the board would choose not to act. Yet, it continues to evade the issue, propose broad exemptions and stall.
   Why? Perhaps it is because three members, Sam Chico, August Lucci and Bob Bell, have clear conflicts of interest.
   A conflict of interest exists when the actions of someone in a trusted position (such as members of the BOH) are influenced or perceived to be influenced by the outside business interests of that individual, a close friend or a relative.
   Chico, BOH chairman, owns a chain of 40 convenience stores, and profits from cigarette sales. According to the National Association of Convenience Stores, cigarettes account for roughly 37 percent of sales at convenience stores. Since smoking bans have been shown to increase quit rates and decrease cigarette sales, Chico has an obvious conflict of interest. Less smoking is good for public health, but likely bad for Chico’s business. Clearly, he should step aside.
   Lucci is employed by his nephew, who provides leadership and financial backing to the group opposed to the proposed smoke-free regulation. Lucci’s nephew and employer owns or has interests in a bowling alley, a Hot Spot and a bar, all of which he claims will suffer if a smoke-free policy passes. Undoubtedly, Lucci is in a position to be influenced through his employment and family relationship. Clearly, he should step aside.
   The three members of the County Commission decide who sits on the Board of Health. Commissioner Bell appointed himself to the BOH. He also appointed Chico to the board at the time of numerous controversies involving Bell’s own conduct on the BOH. The Dominion Post reported that “Chico submitted a letter of interest just one day before the vote” that seated him on the board over a local physician.
   Bell’s campaign finance disclosure shows the Chico family and related businesses contributed at least $6,000 to Bell’s campaign, representing nearly half of all contributions more than $250. Coincidentally, the vice president of Suburban Lanes Inc. also made a $1,000 contribution to Bell’s campaign. Suburban Lanes is the establishment that employs its family member, August Lucci. The public could easily perceive that Bell has a conflict of interest. Clearly, he should step aside.
   Boards of health are intended to be free from political pressure to ensure the public’s health is considered above all else. Governmental bodies, such as the Monongalia County BOH, should perform their duties with integrity and in a manner that avoids even the appearance of wrongdoing. For this reason, BOH bylaws forbid members to participate in issues where a conflict of interest exists.
   At the March BOH meeting, Chico and Lucci were charged with having conflicts of interest regarding the proposed smoke-free policy due to the nature of their businesses. The board violated its bylaws when it dismissed the conflict of interest assertion, rather than putting the matter to a vote.
   Competing personal and professional interests make it difficult for board members Bell, Chico and Lucci to fulfill their BOH duties impartially. Even if no improper action occurs, a conflict of interest creates the appearance of impropriety that can undermine public confidence.
To remove all doubt that personal interests might affect their actions, Lucci, Chico and Bell should voluntarily abstain from further discussions and all votes on the proposed smoking regulations under consideration by the BOH. Clearly, they should step aside.

Valerie Frey-McClung

is co-chair of the Smoke Free Mon County Coalition. She lives in Morgantown. This commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post.

Tobacco Companies Opt for Profits Over People
THE DOMINION POST -- May 16, 2008

Last week, according to Mel Bankhead, we were “mercenaries.” His latest desperate claim about smoking ban supporters is that we are all unwitting “pawns” of the evil pharmaceutical empire. Even if drug companies were funding smoking bans to sell more product, their actions pale in comparison to the tobacco industry.
   For decades, the tobacco companies’ own studies showed that cigarettes were addictive. While denying that fact to the public, they manipulated the amount of nicotine in cigarettes and added substances to make them more addictive. When it became clear that smoking causes a multitude of health problems, the tobacco industry mobilized its resources to block laws restricting tobacco use. That’s the only reason a product that kills about half of the people who use it is still legal at all. Tobacco companies spend $13.4 billion marketing their products in the U.S. and $132 million in West Virginia to replace the customers they kill. Then there’s the development of strawberry, watermelon, and banana flavored products to get young people hooked. It’s hard to top tobacco companies for capitalism at its worst.
   Tragically, smokers are the ultimate industry pawns. An overwhelming majority of the people who begin smoking will quickly become addicted. Many people manage to quit, but far too many remain addicted for life. People who are addicted to a substance like tobacco pay an enormous price, not only in the money they throw away. The real price is ruining their own health, and if they smoke around others, the health of their families and co-workers. Many addicted smokers understandably oppose a ban on smoking in public establishments because it will disrupt the routines they’ve built to satisfy their need for that next cigarette.
   In Morgantown, the group fighting so hard to keep the Board of Health from implementing an effective public smoking ban, like the tobacco industry, will gladly destroy your health as long as they can turn a profit from it.

Catherine Whitworth
Smoke Free Mon County -- Morgantown

Three Members of BOH Ignoring Sworn Duty
THE DOMINION POST -- May 7, 2008

   One thing became clear at the April 16 [Monongalia County] Board of Health meeting. There can be no doubt that Board members Sam Chico, Robert Bell and August Lucci are ignoring their sworn duty to protect the health of all members of the public.
   It is clear that Chico understands that secondhand smoke is a serious health threat. He repeatedly expressed a desire to ban smoking in those places his family frequents; hotel rooms and hospital entrances. Yet he seems unwilling to limit exposure to secondhand smoke for other segments of the population.
   Bell does not want to consider the matter at all. Clean indoor air is a local issue, but Bell wants someone else to tackle the problem. In previous meetings, when evidence of the health ravages of secondhand smoke was presented by experts, Bell dodged the topic raising irrelevant questions pertaining to hairspray and radon. He has conveyed no understanding or concern about the issue of secondhand smoke.
   While Dorcas Davis and Donna Tenant have indicated a desire to protect the public from a toxic substance, Bell, Chico and Lucci are willing to overlook overwhelming evidence from credible authorities.
   Two clean indoor air proposals have been submitted to the BOH, one from the Monongalia County Tobacco Prevention Partnership and one from the Morgantown Bar and Video Lottery Association. Both state that secondhand smoke causes cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness in healthy nonsmokers. Both proposals state that smoking bans remain the most viable and cost-effective solution for protecting patrons. Current regulation states that where the need to breathe smoke-free air conflicts with the desire to smoke, the need to breathe smoke-free air shall have priority.
   Given these facts, there is no defensible reason a BOH would not protect any person’s health, employee or customer. Secondhand smoke is a proven and preventable health hazard. Yet three BOH members are apparently unwilling to protect patrons or workers in the places where the greatest exposure to secondhand smoke occurs.
   The BOH’s job is to protect the health of the entire public: not only children; not only themselves or their families. What sense does it make to exempt the very businesses where the health problem is the worst? The only explanation we can come up with is that these three members of the BOH are more concerned about their own interests or are succumbing to pressure from the owners of bars, gambling spots and tobacco retailers than protecting the public’s health. If they are unable to fulfill their obligation to promote public health and prevent disease, the citizens of Monongalia should insist that they resign immediately.

Catherine Whitworth and Valerie Frey-McClung
Smoke Free Mon County -- Morgantown

Many People Volunteer Time to Better Community
THE DOMINION POST -- May 4, 2008

Mel Bankhead may be short on the facts but he sure can deliver a punch. Like when he alleges that Smoke Free Mon County’s members are “mercenaries” getting paid to “ram a smoking ban down the public’s throat.”
   While it comes as no surprise that some health professionals and organizations do join us in our efforts, the vast majority of our 70 members and volunteers receive no compensation for working to improve indoor-air quality.
   Smoke Free Mon County has no dues, cash contributions or treasury to pay salaries. Would Bankhead also have us believe John McGraw, an employee of a local bowling facility, is having his pay docked by his boss for the time he spends generating form letters, spouting garbage on the radio and writing regulations to expand public smoking in Monongalia County?
   Given that Bankhead and his bar, bowling and gambling cronies are only defending their own personal profits, it must be beyond his comprehension that there are many people who volunteer countless hours trying to improve their communities.

Catherine Whitworth
Smoke Free Mon County -- Morgantown

Food Service Staff Suffer Secondhand Smoke
THE DOMINION POST -- May 3, 2008

Food service workers, especially those who work in bars, have more exposure to secondhand smoke than workers in any other profession. Women make up the majority of food service workers, so they face greater risks from secondhand smoke.
Young women who are frequently exposed to secondhand smoke are nearly twice as likely to develop breast cancer as those who are not exposed. Secondhand smoke accounts for nearly one-third of breast cancers among young women workers in the food service industry.
The Monongalia County Board of Health has this information. I trust they will use it in fulfilling their duty to protect the health of everyone who lives, works or visits in this county by passing the ban on indoor smoking.

Barb Howe -- Morgantown

Wellness Program Backs Clean Indoor-Air Proposal
THE DOMINION POST -- May 3, 2008

The Wellness Program of the WVU Health Sciences Campus would like to express our full support of a clean indoor-air regulation that restricts smoking in all public areas and places of employment in Monongalia County.
   As you know, Morgantown was recently named a Well City by the Wellness Councils of America. This is an admirable accomplishment, and demonstrates that many employers within our community are truly committed to protecting and promoting the wellness of their employees.
   Yet in the heart of our downtown , right next to the banners proclaiming our Well City status, the streets are lined with establishments that continuously expose both employees and patrons to the toxic and cancer-causing effects of secondhand smoke.
   Secondhand smoke is an entirely preventable hazard to our workforce that can be eliminated through the passage of a clean indoor-air regulation that protects everyone. Exemptions for certain types of establishments imply that it is acceptable to poison one group of workers or patrons, but not another.
   It is not the job of the Board of Health to determine which individuals are worthy of protection and which are not. Given the concrete evidence that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, we strongly urge the Monongalia County BOH to honor its responsibility to protect the health of all citizens by enacting this regulation.

Sara Lauren Fehling
Health Educator -- Morgantown

Board Should Not be Blinded by Smokescreen
THE DOMINION POST -- April 27, 2008

In his letter to the editor (DPApril 19), David Martinelli advised the Board of Health to “drop the proposal” for a smoking ban in public places in Monongalia County. The basis for this recommendation was a recent study that finds a correlation between smoking bans and drunk driving.
   Martinelli glosses over some important details from this study that controvert his suggestion. First, the authors of the study acknowledge that smoking bans have positive health benefits, and in no way do they demonstrate that traffic fatalities “more than offset any health benefits that can be expected from the proposal” as claimed by Martinelli.
   Second, the authors found that this effect did not occur in the counties that had large college towns, possibly due to a concentration of bars within walking distance of most patrons.
   Therefore, this study most likely does not apply to our situation in Monongalia County.
   Most importantly, the relevance of this study to the proposed smoking ban is highly questionable. The primary question before the Board of Health is whether secondhand smoke presents a serious health risk to the citizens of Monongalia County.
   The data is indisputable that this is the case, as even the Bar and Video Lottery Association has acknowledged in its counterproposal. Drunk driving, while of great concern, is a separate issue, which must be addressed by policies specifically targeted at reducing this reprehensible practice.
   I sincerely hope that the board is not blinded by this smokescreen, and that it act as its charter demands, and ban smoking in all enclosed public spaces.

Stephen DiFazio -- Morgantown

Government Should Step in on Health of Nation
THE DOMINION POST -- April 27, 2008

I’d like to put my two cents in also about cigarettes and alcohol.
   I’m a nonsmoker and nondrinker, but I have seen over the years the destruction and sadness and health problems it keeps bringing to our nation and the addiction that grows worse from day to day.
   I know the folks who have this addiction don’t like what I’m writing, but the government needs to finally step in and think of the real health of the nation. There are many other addictions, and we are in need of help.

Ruth Shagula -- Morgantown

Board of Health Obligated to Protect Community
THE DOMINION POST -- April 27, 2008

The [Monongalia County] Board of Health is facing a critical decision in the coming weeks, a choice that will impact this community’s future well-being. The BOH must decide who warrants protection from secondhand smoke and whether the perceived “rights” of a small segment of the business community outweigh health considerations for the public.
   Most residents of Monongalia County do not smoke. Most of us would prefer a smoke-free environment when we go out to socialize with friends and family. Yet our choices are limited by those businesses that feel no obligation to provide safe, smoke-free air.
   The time has come for Monongalia County Board of Health to act in the best interests of the majority. Adopt an indoor smoking ban that protects everyone, everywhere.

Karen Benchoff -- Morgantown

BOH Members Not Acting like Public Health Officers
THE DOMINION POST -- April 27, 2008

After attending the Board of Health meeting April 16, I found it disconcerting that [Monongalia County Board of Health Chairman] Sam Chico and Bob Bell, a member of the BOH, warned those in attendance the cleanindoor proposal may take further study and the BOH should not be confined to a decision by June 1.
   This goes against a previous statement that a vote would occur by June 1 prior to BOH member Dorcas Davis’s stepping down from the board (who happens to support clean-indoor air).
   Chico would now like to see exemptions added for certain establishments and add language to protect us from nuisance smoke at hotel rooms where someone previously smoked and visually unappealing smoking in front of hospitals. Trying to appear more inclusive, he is avoiding focus. The issue is direct exposure to secondhand smoke. That’s it.
   It is also amusing to listen to Bell’s irrelevant questions — excuse for not reviewing the proposal on clean-indoor air prior to the meeting, and request for information he has already been given (on other counties with cleanindoor air). His behavior is not one of a public health official.
   So vote, please vote and let the public know where you stand.

Dave Harshbarger -- Morgantown

Board of Health Should Show Some Leadership
THE DOMINION POST -- April 26, 2008

As many readers are fully aware, the debate over a clean air ordinance to make public places smoke free continued last week with a special meeting of the Monongalia County Board of Health to discuss the measure. The meeting was largely dominated by discussions on smoking restrictions in hotels with a noticeable avoidance of the much more controversial and important issue of smoking in bars and nightclubs.
   Bars and nightclubs are significant in this discussion because they represent the highest public exposure to secondhand smoke. However, the board seems keen to only allow a cursory discussion of smoking in these locations. In one of the few instances where smoking in bars was mentioned, BOH chairman Sam Chico stated that a ban on smoking in all public establishments would be “beyond the leading edge.”
   West Virginia communities should not be content to lag behind the leading edge. Citizens should not be forced to sacrifice our health while our public servants wait for some magical number of other communities to show real leadership.
   This said, I want to challenge that in going smoke free, Monongalia County will not be “beyond the leading edge” as Chico conjectures. Our BOH would in fact be showing real leadership by joining other areas of the United States that have gone smoke free.
   The list includes more than 20 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 240 other counties and cities (including many in West Virginia). Clearly, comprehensive smoke-free regulation has some precedence. This is in part due to health boards across the country who have shown integrity and courage by not caving to self-serving special interests.
   Let’s demand Chico and the other BOH members embrace their leadership roles and provide all residents of Monongalia County with protection from secondhand smoke in all public places.

Jared Pomeroy -- Morgantown

County Board Obligated to Protect Our Health
THE DOMINION POST -- April 26, 2008

I recently missed out on a great entertainment experience because of the current, inadequate smoking regulation in bars. The best 1980s cover band on the East Coast played a local bar, and I had to persistently turn down my friends’ offers to join them for a night of fun.
   When asked in astonishment why I wasn’t going, I had to reply that I didn’t want to spend my evening in a smoke-filled bar because of the effects I would feel afterwards such as tight lungs, coughing and sinus irritation.
   Also in recent news, Sam Chico (the chairman of the Monongalia County Board of Health) made it clear at the recent BOH special meeting that he is only willing to take action on smoking situations that affect him and his family personally (e.g., hotel rooms and hospital entrances).
   While I agree that stronger smoking bans need to be in place in those locations, I don’t agree that smoking in bars and restaurants should be ignored (regardless of age!).
   As a young citizen, I would like to visit bars and restaurants for entertainment and cuisine. As a nonsmoker and health-conscience individual, I require that those establishments be smokefree in order for me to visit them.
   Unlike the BOH members, I don’t have the power and obligation to enact regulations to protect my health. Therefore, I expect Board of Health members to adhere to their duties and protect everyone’s health regardless of age, personal experience or business relationships.

Melissa Taylor -- Morgantown

No Public Health Reason For Not Supporting Ban
THE DOMINION POST -- April 22, 2008

I attended the Board of Health meeting on March 27, to support the regulation that would guarantee smoke-free air in all public places in Monongalia County. Clean air supporters showed up in large numbers, including a fair number of WVU students even though it was spring break.
   Many individuals spoke respectfully and reasonably during the public comment period to urge the BOH to pass the 100 percent smoke-free air regulation.
   Dr. Scot Renick, director of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, expressed concern, presenting research that substantiates the fact that we are a nation facing a dramatic increase in the incidence of lung cancer in nonsmokers. He attributed secondhand smoke exposure as the one significant factor in this increase.
   I’ve experienced this personally. My father died 3 years ago from complications of lung and heart disease. Each time a physician viewed his chest X-ray their first question would be “how long have you smoked?”
   My father never smoked a day in his life. His lung and heart disease were the result of exposure to secondhand smoke acquired while sharing office space at work. In the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s the knowledge and facts concerning the harmful side-effects from exposure to cigarette smoke were relatively unknown. Fortunately, current research provides us a much clearer body of knowledge to base, for the good of all, our decisions today.
   At the BOH meeting a member of the audience asked the board if they could name a single public health reason for not supporting the proposed public smoking ban — it is the Board of Health’s responsibility to separate myth and misinformation from facts. The facts are known, secondhand smoke kills. No other argument can dispute this fact. The Board of Health has a clear responsibility to protect everyone from exposure to secondhand smoke in Monongalia County.

Sue Turnbull, RN, Clinical Nurse Educator
WVU Student Health Service -- Morgantown

Morgantown Needs to OK New No-smoking Policy
THE DOMINION POST -- April 18, 2008

The prolonged debate over whether to ban smoking in public places in Monongalia County perplexes me. Why in the world would our Board of Health, whose duty is “to protect the public health,” even hesitate to allow smoking to continue in public places? This is not an issue of imposing on other people’s civil liberties, but doing what is right in the name of health.
   Nonsmokers should be able to go out in public in areas without experiencing the negative effects of other people’s cigarette smoke. Smokers can chose to smoke, but can do so in areas that don’t harm others around them.
   And nonsmoking bans in public places have been adopted everywhere — we are certainly one of the last to jump on the bandwagon.
   Smoking is bad for your health any way you look at it. West Virginia has the highest rate of smoking of any state in the country, and any effort to help reduce our high smoking rate should be given consideration. The state’s high smoking rate only produces negative results — unnecessarily overburdening our hospitals (it is proven that smokers have far more health issues than nonsmokers), increasing our health insurance costs, creating an inefficient work force (smokers miss more work than nonsmokers) and making the area less attractive to live in for those moving in from outside the state.
   If the BOH refuses to believe that adopting a nonsmoking policy in all area bars and restaurants will not harm the public, then they are not fulfilling their duty to the people of Monongalia County.
   It is a sad state of affairs when a local bar and video lottery lobby overrides what is the right and moral thing to do in the name of good health.
   And it has been proven over and over again that adopting a nonsmoking policy does not have a negative effect on bar and restaurant revenues. In fact, in the Washington, D.C., area a ban had the opposite effect.
   Stand up for what is in the best interest of this community and help support a ban against smoking. In the end, everyone will win. You know the old saying, “if you have your health, you have just about everything.” Why is this concept so difficult to understand in Monongalia County?

Ann D. Turnicky -- Morgantown

Public Opinion Favors New Smoking Regulation
THE DOMINION POST -- April 18, 2008

The Dominion Post’s excellent editorial on Sunday noted that the [Monongalia County] Board of Health’s primary job is to protect the public’s health. Right on. I also agree with the editorial’s point that public policy should not be determined by public opinion. I want to correct one misperception though.
   The editorial implies that a majority of people oppose the stronger smoking regulation. Some may think so because those opposed to the regulation collected more signatures than those who support it.
   True, they did, but that’s not a valid measure of public opinion. You have to consider how the signatures were collected. The BOH did not design the comment period to be a vote or a scientific study.
   There are more reliable measures of public opinion. One is the 2007 West Virginia Adult Tobacco Survey. This scientific survey found that 63 percent of state residents believe that smoking should not be allowed in any indoor work areas.
   That of course includes bars, restaurants, video lottery establishments and bowling alleys. Only 30 percent thought smoking should be allowed in some areas, and a mere 5 percent thought it should not be restricted.
   So, even a large majority of smokers think smoking should be restricted!
   These findings are in line with the current WAJR poll, which is not scientific, but at least reaches a cross section of the public.
   The WAJR poll asks, “Are you in favor of a Monongalia County-wide smoking ban?” To date, 64 percent favor the ban and 36 percent oppose it. (To participate in the poll, go to wajr.com, and scroll to the poll on the left of the page.)
   The editorial said the paper’s editorial position would not be swayed by public opinion. Rather, it will be based on its view of what’s best for the community. Not to worry.
   A solid majority of the public shares your opinion and surely appreciates your willingness to stand up for it.
   Thanks for supporting the important effort to make Monongalia County a healthier, cleaner place to live and work.

Alex Lubman -- Morgantown

Why Are There Questions on Secondhand Smoke Risk?
THE DOMINION POST -- April 17, 2008

It gives me great pride to report that my husband and I are both ex-smokers who have chosen to live a healthier life. The decision was easy. The process was difficult, but we did it. We did it because we knew that smoking was killing us. Secondhand smoke kills people too, even nonsmokers.
   My father owned and operated a bar throughout his adult life. He never smoked. Yet, cancer took his life.
   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that the three top causes of lung cancer are smoking, radon gas and secondhand smoke. Research has proven there is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure. Even brief exposure can be harmful.
   I cannot understand why our local [Monongalia County] Board of Health is dragging its feet. If I worked in a building with known asbestos exposure or radon gas exposure, the BOH would be expected to take measures to protect my health immediately.
   Why then is there any question about protecting me, and other nonsmokers, from secondhand smoke?

Toni Morris, RN -- Morgantown

Bar and Video Group’s Regulation Ridiculous
THE DOMINION POST -- April 16, 2008

As many of you know, the [Monongalia County] Board of Health decided in its last meeting to postpone a vote on Smoke Free Mon County’s proposed ban on smoking in public areas to consider a version of it modified by Morgantown’s Bar and Video Lottery Association. I recently reviewed copies of both versions of the ban — side-by-side. Major changes were made that defeat the purpose of a public smoking ban, and create a counter-proposal that fails to protect people from secondhand smoke. Here are my findings on the bar owners’ alternative proposal:
   Redefines “public place” to only include areas available to people under the age of 18.
   Defines a bar as any area that holds a license to sell alcohol to the public, including areas of nonsmoking establishments that are separated from nonsmoking areas. Allows unregulated smoking in bars and video lottery establishments. Permits all outdoor seating areas to allow smoking. Removes bar and video lottery owners and employees from nearly any responsibility in enforcing the measure (it will be the responsibility of the health department to hire enough health officers to ensure compliance; owners and employees will not even be required to ask a person to stop smoking in a nonsmoking area).
   Changes wording regarding smoking at building entrances; the words “15 feet or more” were removed.
   Furthermore, this is all being proposed by redefining public space to only include areas available to people under 18, and allowing bars and video lotteries to be exempt from smoking regulations. In effect, citizens should not expect a single change from the current smoke-filled environment if the opposition’s version of the regulation is the one that’s passed.
   One of the biggest issues the bar owners have raised with the smoking ban is that it violates the rights of individuals. More explicitly, they claim it takes away freedom and liberty. The bar and video lottery owners are not defenders of individual rights. In their altered regulation, they make it clear just how little they care about notions of personal liberty.
   Their true (and unfounded) fear is that they might suffer a decline in business. Their proposal added a provision to Smoke Free Mon County’s proposal that would prohibit smoking in vehicles in which “any children under the age of 18 are present, either at the time of such smoking or on any ... regular basis.”
   The bar and video lottery owners have made a pitiful attempt to disguise continued exposure to secondhand smoke as some sort of effective cleanair regulation. Their counter-proposal is a mockery, and I only hope our BOH will not join their ranks. Let’s all encourage the BOH to pass Smoke Free Mon County’s original proposal.

Jared Lee Pomeroy -- Morgantown

If Dirty Kitchens Not OK, Why is Dirty Air All Right?
THE DOMINION POST -- April 15, 2008

   The Monongalia County Board of Health needs to do the right thing and ban indoor smoking in all public places without compromise. I visited Ireland after they had implemented their nationwide ban of indoor smoke in all public places. I spoke with numerous smokers in the pubs in Dublin and was told that, although there was initial resistance to the ban, now the majority of smokers agree that the ban was a good thing. The pubs were more enjoyable with no smoke and it wasn’t a big problem to step outside to have a cigarette. The pubs continued to thrive because the ban was uniformly applied to all public places.
   Comprehensive smoking bans have been implemented in more than 16 states in this country, in numerous countries including France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and even Mexico City! New York City has been smoke-free since 2003 and one study showed that bar/restaurant revenues, jobs and liquor licenses increased in the 10 months after the ban.
   As a family doctor, I care for many people who have health conditions that are greatly worsened by exposure to indoor smoke. For some patients with asthma or chronic lung disease, even brief inadvertent exposure to smoke can cause severe symptoms. The scientific evidence about the harmful effects of indoor smoke on nonsmokers is great.
   One study found a 27 percent decrease in heart attacks in Pueblo, Colo., in the six months after implementing an indoor smoke ban. Since presumably smokers continued to smoke at home, most of this benefit was to nonsmokers. It is known that transient exposure to tobacco smoke causes changes in blood clotting characteristics and blood vessel constriction which could contribute to triggering a heart attack. The health department should implement this ban to protect nonsmokers. Smokers have the right to smoke, but not the right to make others around them suffer harmful effects. Many people, smokers and nonsmokers, dislike having burning eyes and stinking clothes after coming home from a bar or restaurant.
   Individual bar owners may wish to have smoking establishments, but they should be required to maintain a clean air environment because they serve the public. The health department wouldn’t permit some bars to have dirty kitchens, and so they should not permit some bars to have unhealthy air. Bar and restaurant revenue and public health will be best protected if the ban is applied uniformly to all indoor public places. Board of Health, the citizens of this county need you to do the right thing.

Karen Fitzpatrick, MD -- Morgantown

BOH Needs to Look at Itself in the Mirror
THE DOMINION POST -- April 14, 2008

As a newcomer to Morgantown, I was surprised that a comprehensive smoke-free air law protecting health and safety of employees and citizens in Monongalia County had not passed to date.
   I was even more surprised about the debate related to proposed smoke-free air legislation within the Monongalia County Board of Health, which according to its bylaws is an agency whose object is “... to achieve a healthy community by protecting and promoting public health through education, training, community awareness, provision of health services, and advocacy.”
Entire countries, states and hundreds of localities across the United States have passed comprehensive smoke-free air legislation to protect all workers and the general public from secondhand smoke exposure ... surely these localities, states, and countries are acting to protect and promote the health of their citizens.
   Designated smoking areas and ventilated areas are not effective means of preventing secondhandsmoke exposure. We unequivocally know “there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.”
   I recently attended a meeting in Seattle, and was fortunate enough to hear a closing address given by the U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Richard Carmona. He discussed the opposition and political pressure faced in releasing the 2006 report on secondhand-smoke exposure and commented that as the surgeon general you are the “... doctor of the American people ...” and you must “... look in the mirror and face yourself ...” in this position every day. I am asking members of the Monongalia County BOH to look in the mirror and face themselves each day as the protectors and promoters of public health for this county and to be true to their charge established in Article II of their bylaws: “... by protecting and promoting public health.”

Cindy Tworek, Ph.D.
WVU School of Pharmacy -- Morgantown

EDITORIAL
The Facts Don’t Blow Smoke -- BOH Should Fulfill Duty to Public, Not Public Opinion
THE DOMINION POST -- April 13, 2008

   The Monongalia County Board of Health doesn’t need public opinion on its side — it has the facts.
   In the coming weeks, the BOH is going to review and discuss two proposed initiatives on public smoking and more than 3,500 public comments that were submitted to it earlier this year. It has also heard from the public at several meetings on this issue.
   Some might think otherwise, but the purpose of this public input has not been for reasons of polling or surveying opinion.
   The BOH’s primary obligation is to protect the public’s health, and there’s no one who can make a reasonable argument that smoking is not hazardous to your health.
   And it’s empowered by the law of the land to do that within the public domain.
   We have already endorsed the Monongalia County Clean Air Coalition’s proposal that bans smoking in all public locations and in workplaces, and we won’t change our mind for public opinion.
   It’s been said where facts are few, experts are many. In this circumstance, the facts are overwhelming, but those with the most opinions pretend to be the experts — with the fewest facts.
   Admittedly, some elected and even appointed public officials do make decisions based upon public opinion research, but that’s not the way it’s supposed to work.
   That’s why we elect and appoint our representatives. They make the decisions based on facts and conscience, not public opinion. If our nation were to put every issue in the form of a public referendum, the gridlock in Charleston and Washington might look promising.
   We are not discounting public opinion. This section of our newspaper publishes it daily. Yet, in this instance, regarding the BOH, it should only be for informational purposes that might shed light on this issue — not determine who’s for it and against it.
   Especially when the evidence is so well documented. This issue is not revolutionary, either. Cities, counties, states and nations have banned smoking in all public venues — including Chicago, New York state, Italy and 17 counties in our state.
   All of these places and hundreds more have smoke-free restaurants and bars.
   There’s no reason to have a BOH if it’s sole purpose is to rubber-stamp public opinion. Clearly, we are never going to be able to regulate or legislate common sense, but we can regulate and legislate public health and safety in public places.
   The reason BOH exists is to make such decisions, without kow-towing to politics or public opinion.
   How could the BOH not support a smoking ban that protects everyone? Only by ignoring the facts and its responsibility.

New Proposal Actually Expands Smoking Areas
THE DOMINION POST -- April 13, 2008

Mel Bankhead recently wrote (DP-April 9) about the supposed merits of the Morgantown Bar and Video Lottery Association’s proposed “smoking ban.” Since neither that group, nor the [Monongalia County] Board of Health has offered up any details, I’d like to offer readers a synopsis of some of the major elements of their “regulation.” Rather than banning smoking in public areas, it actually expands smoking far beyond what is allowed by the current regulation.
   A “public place” is defined as only those areas available to people under the age of 18. This excludes video lottery places from meeting any requirements.
   A “bar” is exempt and is defined as any business that holds a license to sell alcohol to the public. Notice that they use the word “sell” instead of “serve.” This change expands the number and types of businesses where smoking is unrestricted far past just bars. Smoking could again be allowed in many restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores and yes, even bowling alleys.
   The workplace provisions of the Tobacco Prevention Partnership’s proposal are completely gutted. Smoking would be permitted in private and multi-party offices, with no effort made at all to protect nonsmokers and nonsmoking areas. Our current regulation has some of the weakest workplace provisions in the state, but apparently they’re not weak enough.
   But even those provisions didn’t go far enough — they also propose to make their “regulation” impossible to enforce. Business owners cannot be held responsible for noncompliance and are not even required to ask people not to smoke. Instead, they are to report the smoker to the health department, who will deploy an official to appear immediately to make them stop; 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This would cost taxpayers roughly $120,000 annually.
   As if all that isn’t ridiculous enough, they also added a provision to prohibit smoking in vehicles in which children are present. Yes, the flag-waving defenders of personal property rights are just fine with telling people what they can do in their own private cars.
   This shows just how disingenuous their “liberty” arguments are. They hope to gain some support by pretending their regulation better protects children — but they know the health department doesn’t have the authority to stop vehicles.
   Please don’t take our word as to the truth of what I’ve written. Go to www.smokefreemonc.org and see a scanned copy of their proposed “health regulation” for yourself. Our BOH could not be taking this parody of a smoking ban seriously, could they?
   Come to the next BOH meeting and tell them to pass a clean indoor air regulation that protects everyone.

Catherine Whitworth
Smoke Free Mon County -- Morgantown

The Way I See the Flap Over Smoking and Coach
THE DOMINION POST -- April 9, 2008

I have read with interest about the continuing debate over the proposed smoking ordinance. I feel when one examines the few indisputable facts in the case, there is one and only one conclusion.
   Fact: Secondhand smoke is harmful.
   Fact: The [Monongalia County] Board of Health’s primary responsibility is to protect the public.
   And Rich Rodriguez should pay the $4 million.

Scott Hanks -- Morgantown

Reader Takes Exception to Defense of Smoking
THE DOMINION POST -- April 8, 2008

For weeks I’ve followed the back-and-forth comments on the proposed smoking ban in Monongalia County. I took some excerpts from one letter in particular that I thought to be absolutely ridiculous.
   “The Board of Health’s recent meeting showed democracy at work and the hint of a true republic.” First off a republic does not equal a democracy. The democracy comes in voting to elect those in office to make decisions (the republic). However, this point is irrelevant. The decision to protect public health is not a matter of democracy, rather a responsibility of law for the Board of Health to uphold.
   “Apparently, some BOH members wanted to actually see what we all had to say about the ban and thus provide for the due process of law and not deny anyone within their jurisdiction equal protection of the law ...” In this matter, the only process due by law is that of the Board to protect the public health as stated before.
   Here’s an idea. Let’s arrest the smokers that leave a trail of litter everywhere they go, and then deny them their rights by law to have a quick and fair trial. Then this statement may actually apply.
   “... Because where rights secured by the Constitution are involved, there can be no rule making or legislation that would abrogate them.” I think a review by the most scholastic of scholars would show that nowhere in the document does it state that a person has the right to smoke in public, yet alone endanger the public at large with its secondhand effects. If anything, the Constitution was written to protect the rights to safety of individuals.
   “... Need to realize that the antismoking groups keep themselves busy with a constant letter-writing campaign to the newspaper and in communication with other nonsmoking groups, who call into radio stations, write health departments and provide support, etc.” Is this not the strategy of any advocate on either side? If I’m not mistaken, it was a local bar owner that had fliers passed around to have everyone show up for the initial proposal to the BOH. I also believe the majority of public comments opposing the ban were in the form of a chain letter with the only difference being the name on each one. This sounds more like a strong-arm violation of the freedom of speech than anything. At least allow some independence.
   I’ve noticed one underlying trait in many of the ban opposing comments — some speak with confidence, but they do so from a point of ignorance. Instead, people should try basing their opinions on accurate interpretation and rational thought. However, if they choose the first, understand that it’s far better to remain silent and be thought of as ignorant, than to speak and remove all doubt.

Larry Johnson -- Morgantown

Thanks to City Council for Anti-smoking Effort
THE DOMINION POST -- April 6, 2008

The Monongalia County Tobacco Prevention Partnership applauds the City Council of Morgantown for easily passing in a 6-1 vote on Tuesday, a resolution supporting policies that provide the maximum protection from secondhand smoke in all public places and in places of employment.
   This position is consistent with the council’s historical support for smoke-free policies and acknowledges a value for public health that is consistent with the “Well City” award recently bestowed on Morgantown.
   We thank the council members for demonstrating commitment to the health and well-being of all of its represented citizens.

Catherine Whitworth
Monongalia County Tobacco Prevention Partnership -- Morgantown

Hope Proposal Doesn’t End Up on Letterman
THE DOMINION POST -- April 6, 2008

The smoking regulation proposed by the Mon County Bar and Video Lottery Business Association is a laugh a minute.
   What would you expect of a public health regulation proposed by owners of strip clubs, bars and gambling joints? If their proposal is adopted, we’ll make national news, not to mention Leno and Letterman.
   No offense meant, but these folks simply don’t have the background in public health (or the incentive) to develop a proposal that safeguards health.
   They are business people, and will naturally and understandably safeguard their business interests.
   The BOH has received excellent advice from doctors and public health practitioners at the WVU School of Medicine. The chairman of community medicine and the director of the Mary Randolph Babb Cancer Center have addressed the BOH.
   These health professionals gave compelling reasons to adopt the original proposal, which protects all citizens. Let’s hope the BOH takes their advice rather than that of the bar owners.
   The association members say the proposal supported by the health community violates their rights and the rights of their smoking patrons.
   Yet this is too good to be true because their own proposal bans smoking in your car if anyone under 18 is present. It’s true! These folks, whose main argument has been “liberty,” want to regulate your behavior in your vehicle — but hands off their bars. I’m not saying this is a bad or good idea, but it sure is inconsistent with the “civil liberties” they claim they want to protect.
   Finally, I am appalled by the “gentleman” who stooped to mocking Catherine Whitworth in a letter to the editor. How childish and undeserved.
   Whitworth is a classy person who is working overtime to improve the health of Monongalia County residents. There’s nothing in it for her but hard work and grief. She respectfully challenged the board. She was completely justified in asking two members to abstain from voting due to conflicts of interest. Let’s hope we don’t make Letterman.

Alex Lubman -- Morgantown

Make Decision in Best Interest of Public Health
THE DOMINION POST -- April 6, 2008

In a recent letter to The Dominion Post, a writer suggested readers Google “pro-smoking” to find out what smoking proponents had to say about the debate over secondhand smoke. I took his advice. Here are just a few of the arguments I found, and the problems with them.
   People who think it’s OK to smoke in public places say proper ventilation makes the air safe. Not so, according to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers. which is the international standard-setting body for indoor air quality.
   Their position is that “ventilation cannot remove all the health risks caused by secondhand smoke.” Their conclusion: “Tobacco smoke does not belong in indoor areas.”
   Some businesses want “minors only” provisions. These would prohibit smoking in venues where minors are admitted. But smokefree regulations are meant to protect all people, not just minors. Adults and minors, employees and patrons. All are equally at risk from toxic chemicals in secondhand smoke. Think about it.
   A business owner in the community advocates and is using “hours provisions.” This approach prohibits smoking at certain times. The problem with this approach is that it doesn’t work. The toxins in secondhand smoke stay in the building for days after the smoking occurs.
   Some business owners, especially those who see this as a personal liberty issue, think it’s OK to permit smoking as long as they post signs stating their policy. The problem with this approach is that it doesn’t help employees who have to breathe the smoky air for eight hours a day.
   Nor does it protect people who enter any way because they are not aware of the health hazards of secondhand smoke, nor the kids that come in with them. Liberty does not extend to harming our innocent neighbors.
   Pressuring workers, who may fear losing their jobs to consent to work in a smoke-filled business, is not a reasonable solution either. Workers should not have to choose between jeopardizing their health and earning a salary.
   The extremely vocal pro-smoking community has one point of view. To my knowledge, no organized group has come to their defense. Shall we accept their point of view, or that of the U.S. surgeon general and other health experts, backed by the research of hundreds of scientists? I urge the Monongalia County Board of Health to consider the source of the information they use to help them make their decision. Then, make the decision in the best interest of public health, the only area they are designated to consider.

Elizabeth Prendergast Associate Director for Community Development
WVU Prevention Research Center -- Morgantown

Habits Shouldn’t Interfere with the Air We Breathe
THE DOMINION POST -- April 6, 2008

Holy smoke! This exclamation has a connection to reporters of the 1800s describing Native American ceremonies and the “holy smoke” drawn from the sacred pipe. It allows one to see the breath which sustains our life each and every moment. It is fair to say that the act of smoking has become somewhat less reverent.
   Smoking is basically the ingestion of chemicals, of which some are established carcinogens. It is accepted that nicotene is the most desired substance for its noticeable effects. One has the freedom to ingest many things in many forms, legal and illegal.
   Seated back to back in public, I might not know that you were eating, drinking alcohol, taking pills, snorting cocaine or listening to music on a headset. But put smoke into the air I must breathe and you are most assuredly forcing yourself upon me.
   Public establishments raise the argument to control their own atmospheres to accommodate smokers. If you don’t like smoke, don’t come in here. Many people don’t like smoke but enjoy the social activity within local businesses, or they endure the hardship if they can’t find work elsewhere.
   So they expose themselves to toxic chemicals because someone chooses to foul the air. Why should the choice fall in favor of environmental and personal degradation? Enforce the nosmoking ordinance in favor of healthful respiration and I would think some habitual smokers could rid themselves, at least partially, of a destructive and costly practice.
   Eat, drink, talk, dance, listen to music without a cigarette. You might come to find how unnecessary it really is.

Matthew Cross -- Morgantown

Only People Who Smoke Go to Bars? Not Really
THE DOMINION POST -- April 4, 2008

The thing I would like the people against the proposed smoking ban to know is that people have hobbies and interests that lead them into a smoking facility. Because of their love, they will deal with the smoke, although deep down they really don’t like it. There’s pool and bowling leagues, and there’s the joy and atmosphere of watching a Mountaineer game in a bar filled with Mountaineers fans. What are we do to, give them up because “we have the choice to be at a smoking facility?”
   That is the stupidest argument for being against the ban I have ever heard. Another dumb argument I heard is that bars are directly linked to smoking, so therefore let’s ban smoking everywhere but in bars. So let’s see here, only people who smoke go to bars? Ummm ... every time I’m in a bar, there are actually more nonsmokers than smokers.
   Everyone likes to go to a bar for drinks and entertainment, not just smokers. Another way to look at “bars are linked to smoking” is that am I to understand that someone who smokes only smokes while he or she is at a bar.... that if they were not a bar, they would not be smoking. Give me a break.
   Smokers smoke all day long, no matter what they’re doing at home, at a bar, driving their car, at the park, etc. So don’t try to tell me bars are directly tied to smokers.
   Everyone hates change, but this a change for the better, so please Morgantown, do the right thing and pass the smoking ban.

Jason Porter -- Morgantown

Board of Health Needs to Show Leadership
THE DOMINION POST -- April 4, 2008

It has been brought to my attention that the [Monongalia County] Board of Health may be considering a compromise that allows smoking in places (bars) with an age restriction of 21 or possibly 18. The Boston Beanery is adamantly against any decision that allows smoking in bars and not restaurants! Our bar sales average 20 percent to 25 percent of our business in our two Morgantown locations. This portion of our business is profitable compared to operating margins on the food business.
   We have a loyal customer base, many who smoke, which enjoys our tavern environment. The last time this smoke issue was addressed, we ended up spending thousands of dollars in both of our restaurants upgrading the ventilation system to provide a quality indoor air experience for all of our guests.
   I informed the Health Department over the years that Boston Beanery would comply and support a ban on smoking in all public places if it is indeed the health board’s position that secondhand smoke is deadly. In that situation, my business would be on an even playing field with everyone in the bar business.
   If a compromise is enacted, I would lose many customers who would find it more convenient to go next door to drink and smoke rather than run outside every 15 minutes in my bar. If a total ban is enforced, people will still go to bars but will adjust to making frequent trips outdoors.
   It worked in Boston, Chicago, in Ashland, Ky., and now even in Fairmont. What makes the BOH so afraid to do it in Morgantown? This change in position brings up even more questions: Does the BOH really think secondhand smoke is deadly? If so, why is it OK to sicken the folks in bars and hot spots?
   Do you have facts suggesting that people over the age of 18 or 21 are not affected by secondhand smoke so as to support your compromise solution? Is the BOH willing to compensate restaurants for all the money put into ventilating systems years ago, when the partial ban was passed? Is the BOH willing to compensate restaurants for lost profits due to customers leaving to go to another bar?
   If the BOH is caving in to special interest groups, I do not appreciate the fact that the board does not respect my business as much as theirs. If secondhand smoke is a deadly problem, show some leadership and pass a total ban. If it is not a deadly problem, drop this whole charade and move on. The public expects the Board of Health to protect them from unsafe conditions, not to play politics. Either it is bad for everyone in public, or bad for nobody!

David Seman, President
Boston Beanery Restaurants

Smoking Rule Needs to be Across the Board
THE DOMINION POST -- April 4, 2008

Damon’s Grille in Morgantown is proud to be a nonsmoking establishment. The fact that we are nonsmoking has in no way kept the business from being profitable; in fact, it is just the opposite.
   Damon’s is one of the few places where a family or friends can get a good meal, enjoy each other’s company and watch a game, all while enjoying a smoke-free environment. From the standpoint of our employees, we are able to watch out for their well-being by providing them a smoke-free workplace.
   If Monongalia County is to go to a nonsmoking standard, I feel that the regulations would have to be the same for all places in the county (restaurant, bar and any other public place).
   The most effective way to enforce the rule is for it to be even — across the board. If the regulations are the same for all, then there is no way in which this can hurt one’s business.

Derick Haddix, Owner
Damon’s Grille -- Morgantown

Mon County Should Clean Up Its Act
www.wajr.com-- April 3, 2008

Rachel writes:
I grew up in Morgantown and now live in Charleston. I’ve always thought of Morgantown as a proactive and enlightened city. I’m disappointed each time I come home to visit and we go out to eat. I’m always caught off guard when the hostess asks our smoking preference. Admittedly, Kanawha County endured its own battled to get a smoking ban, but we finally won that battle. It’s nice to be able to eat out and not worry about inhaling smoke while we’re dining. There were times when I was pregnant that we had to leave a restaurant because the smoke was so bad – and we were seated in the non-smoking section! Let’s face it: smoke doesn’t stay in one area of a restaurant. It permeates through the air affecting us all. I hope that Monongalia County will finally get on board and be clean and smoke-free county.

Indoor Ban Leaves Lots of Room to Still Smoke
THE DOMINION POST -- April 2, 2008

A public smoking ban has worked for years in California — and reduced the number of heart attacks in the first two years of its existence there by 54,000 and a reduction in New York of nearly 4,000 heart attacks in the first year after enactment. It’s important to realize that the proposed ban in Monongalia County is chiefly on indoor smoking. To listen to some smokers, you’d think it was yanking away their cigarettes for good. I’m not sure how many of West Virginia’s 24,231 square miles are outdoors, but it’s got to be a lot. Wouldn’t that seem to be enough for smokers?
   Making public places in Mon County smoke-free is not an attack on smokers. It is about ending secondhand smoke’s assault on the public and workers. It’s about protecting the 82 percent of Monongalia County residents who are nonsmokers and the 18 percent who are smokers from the ugly by-products that foul our indoor air and poison us with harmful toxins.
   The majority of the toxins (84 percent) that cause chronic lung diseases are in the secondhand smoke; bronchitis, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease etc.
   It’s only right that people who wait tables, make drinks and serve food should also be able to work under conditions that don’t endanger their health.
   The federal Environmental Protection Agency has classified eight substances as Group A Carcinogens. One of them is tobacco smoke. The other seven, including asbestos, benzene, arsenic and radon, are illegal in the workplace. There is no safe level of exposure to a “Group A” carcinogen.
   The fact should also be considered that nonsmokers who are fighting lung cancer from secondhand smoke didn’t have much “freedom of choice” in the matter to begin with.
   When public smoking is banned, two things always happen at restaurants, bars and hot spots: People eat, drink, or play the machines and then some people go outside and smoke. That system is not too complicated to understand. I work, shop, eat, visit, attend hospital appointments and meetings and events in Monongalia County.

Beverly Keener -- Fairmont

Hope BOH’s Chico Does Right Thing in the End
THE DOMINION POST -- April 2, 2008

Public health is getting a lot of visibility because of the proposed ban on indoor smoking in public places. Two members of the [Monongalia County] Board of Health have already stated they support clean indoor air in all public places.
   During the Board of Health meeting on Thursday, BOH Chairman Sam Chico stated that he personally would like to protect himself and his family from exposure to secondhand smoke.
   Given his position in the community, I hope Chico will do everything in his power to protect all families and all workers in the county from the toxins in tobacco smoke. I urge Chico and all board members to support public health and adopt a clean indoor air regulation that protects everyone, with no exceptions.
   My grandson has asthma so I know how important smoke-free air is for people of all ages.

Colletta Messenger -- Morgantown

Morgantown City Council Endorses Smoke-free Air

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF PREVENTING EXPOSURE TO SECONDHAND SMOKE

WHEREAS: More than 100 scientific studies demonstrate that secondhand smoke is a hazardous, cancer-causing air pollutant that causes disease and death in health nonsmokers and elevates risk for disease for people exposed to secondhand smoke; and

WHEREAS: Local boards of health, municipalities, various public agencies and private establishments in West Virginia have acted to protect the public health from secondhand smoke by restricting smoking in enclosed public places and places of employment.

WHEREAS: The Morgantown City Council was the first municipality in West Virginia to adopt a clean indoor air ordinance.

WHEREAS: Countywide regulations have been adopted in all 55 West Virginia counties and have won widespread support from the majority of the public; and

WHEREAS: Policies to protect the public from secondhand smoke are most effective when they:

1) are accompanied by consistent public education campaigns addressing the harmful nature of secondhand smoke and

2) place emphasis on the benefits of smoke-free environments and workplaces; be it

RESOLVED: That the undersigned organization joins the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, the American Lung Association and the West Virginia Hospital Association, and the Monongalia County Tobacco Prevention Partnership in supporting policies that provide the maximum protection from secondhand smoke in all public places and in places of employment.

RESOLVED: That the undersigned organization urges its state and local affiliates and partners to join in the West Virginia campaign to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke in public places and in the workplace.

The Morgantown City Council

Why is Public Health So Important to Everyone?
THE DOMINION POST -- March 29, 2008

There has been a lot of coverage of the proposed smoking regulation for Monongalia County. Many folks who have been promoting the regulation are public health professionals. Public health is a field geared toward serving others. Promoting health and preventing disease and premature death are at its heart. Public health experts come from a variety of professional backgrounds.
   Doctors treat individuals; public health workers focus on the health of the community as a whole. Public health involves food safety, water supply, waste disposal and pollution. It involves improving access to health care, controlling infectious disease, and reducing environmental dangers and substance abuse. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop once said, “Health care is vital to all of us some of the time, but public health is vital to all of us all of the time.”
   We have a longer life expectancy today than we did 100 years ago largely due to public health efforts. Public health leaders have taught us that unclean water can cause disease, that drinking and driving don’t mix, and that secondhand smoke is deadly.
   Public health practitioners are motivated by only one thing: the desire to continue to improve the health of our communities. Despite many successes, much remains to be done. The elimination of secondhand smoke in public places is among the most important public health efforts today.
   Public health workers often cooperate with government and community leaders (such as our Board of Health) to create public policies that solve local health problems. Right now, you are witnessing this in action as public health practitioners work with the Mon County BOH to enact a regulation that would protect our citizens from involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke.
   It has never been an easy road. Probably many Model T drivers resented the first stop sign, which infringed on their liberty and questioned their judgment to make the right decision. Most new regulations are resented by those who have to adjust for the public welfare. But these adjustments soon become second nature, and a healthier, cleaner community is the end result. The Board of Health exists to protect the citizens of this county. I feel confident that board members will [eventually] vote to pass the proposed smoking regulation. The citizens of Monongalia County should expect no less.

Valerie Frey-McClung
Translational Tobacco Reduction Research Program
WVU Health Sciences Center -- Morgantown

To the Monongalia County Board of Health:

Those of us on the front lines of healthcare see everyday the damage caused by smoking. We have no doubts that second-hand smoke is just as hazardous.

The ravages of tobacco smoke are reflected in the high numbers of West Virginians with lung cancer, heart disease, and many other chronic illness and disease. Those with allergies and asthma are affected by even the briefest exposure.

Smoke-free air is good for health and would be good for business as well. It would make Monongalia County a more attractive place to live for professionals and their families.

The 1992 passage of the current regulations to ban smoking in most public places was a positive first step - but clearly, we need to do more.

We fully support the ban on indoor smoking in all public spaces and workplaces, including all bars and restaurants in Monongalia County. Let's move forward and work together to make this a healthier smoke-free community for all who live and work here.

Fred Butcher, Ph.D.
Interim Vice President, WVU Health Sciences

Bruce McClymonds
President & CEO, WVU Hospitals

Jeff Neely, MD
President and CEO, University Health Associates

West Virginia Brewing Company

As an individual and business owner, I would support the ban of smoking in public places. As we move toward a more encompassing approach to the overall health of our communities, this is an issue that should not be overlooked or swept aside.
It is an undisputed fact that second hand smoke is harmful. It affects everyone—not only is it a hazard for customers, but also for employees who may be subjected to it for entire shifts. Installing smoke evacuations systems and building separate enclosures is expensive, often inadequate and is failing to address the entire issue.
An enforced ban would give the support and impetus to public establishments to make progressive changes as smoothly as possible.

Ned E. Strauser
Owner/Brewer, West Virginia Brewing Company

Damon's Grille

Damon's Grille in Morgantown is proud to be a non-smoking establishment. The fact that we are non-smoking has in no way kept the business from being profitable, in fact it is just the opposite. Damon's is one of the few places where a family or group of friends get a good meal, enjoy each others company, and watch a game all while enjoying a smoke-free environment. From the stand point of our employees, we are able to watch out for their well-being by providing them a smoke-free workplace.
If the County is to go to a non-smoking standard, I feel that the regulations would have to be the same for all places in the county (restaurant, bar, and any other public place). The most effective way to enforce the rule is for it to be even across the board. If the regulations are the same for all, then there is no way in which this can hurt ones' business.

Derick Haddix
Owner, Damons Grille

Reason for Smoking Ban Personal and Public
THE DOMINION POST -- March 27, 2008

I am in favor of the ban on smoking in all public places and workplaces in Monongalia County. There are several reasons I support smoke-free environments. At the top of the list is the fact that my father was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer a year and a half ago. I have been with him through two surgeries, 38 radiation treatments and six weeks of chemotherapy. He has had countless CT scans and PET scans and basically spent an entire year of his life at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center. He has lost more than 30 pounds and, although he is doing well, he has been through hell and back in the past year. My father is a World War II veteran where companionship and free cigarettes encouraged a smoking habit. According to his surgeon and oncologist, his cancer is due to his nearly 30-year smoking habit.
   Lung cancer is not limited to people who smoke. According to Dr. Ruth Oratz, associate professor of clinical medicine at New York University School of Medicine, 85 percent to 90 percent of lung-cancer cases occur in smokers, but 20,000-25,000 people who were diagnosed with lung cancer in America have never smoked.
   A famous example of a nonsmoker dying only a few short months after being diagnosed with lung cancer is Dana Reeves, the wife of the late Christopher Reeves. Dr. Derek Raghaven, director of the Cleveland Clinics Cancer Center, reported that Dana Reeves was a passive smoker. He was interviewed after Reeves’ death and stated that she was a singer early in her life and that she sang in places where cigarette smoking was prevalent. Raghaven made the following comment regarding her death: “One of the things that isn’t very well-known is that, in many ways, passive smoking is much more dangerous than regular smoking, in the sense that, when you inhale a cigarette, it’s hot, and uncomfortable, and makes you cough. When you’re breathing in passive smoke, there isn’t the same acute reaction. And so you, in fact, inhale more deeply. So she was exposed to passive smoking, as happens in so many parts of the USA. We just haven’t got legislation that’s state-of-theart to protect us.”
   This is where the authority of the Monongalia County Board of Health comes in and they have a chance to be “state-of-the-art.” They are mandated by state law to protect the health of the citizens of the county. As such, I believe that they have no other choice but to enact the 100 percent smoke-free regulation that will protect our citizens from this disease that has affected my life on a personal level and the lives of many others who have been faced with lung cancer.

Trisha M. Petitte, RN -- Morgantown

Secondhand-Smoke Facts Help with the Decision
THE DOMINION POST -- March 26, 2008

As associate director of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, I am keenly and sometimes painfully aware of the cancer burden in our state. The causes of many cancers remain uncertain to researchers and health-care providers. One cancer cause, however, is certain — tobacco. Here are a few fast facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
   Tobacco smoke affects every major organ in the body.
   Cigarette smoking alone is directly responsible for almost 30 percent of all U.S. cancer deaths each year.
   Cigarette smoking causes almost 90 percent of lung cancer deaths.
   Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of lung cancer. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 20-30 percent.
   Secondhand smoke causes more than 3,000 lung cancer deaths among U.S. nonsmokers every year. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke inhale many of the same cancer-causing poisons as smokers.
   As part of my responsibility in the cancer center, I lead a Translational Tobacco Reduction Research Program. My charge is to make sure tobacco prevention research does not stop when we complete the study, but that it becomes the basis for services to help people kick the tobacco habit.
   Still, despite all our research, despite the effective programs, our hands are tied when it comes to the issue of secondhand smoke in our community. We can teach people how to quit smoking, but not how to quit breathing. Science has established that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Beyond cancer risks, secondhand smoke can bring on asthma attacks and heart attacks, and lead to heart disease and other health problems.
   Most of the public is aware that secondhand smoke is bad for our health. This is not an attack on smokers themselves — it is simply a fact. I am a former smoker; I know the challenges of quitting. This is an issue of choice and of protecting those who are exposed to secondhand smoke without a choice. The people who provide the education about secondhand smoke have done their jobs well. Now those who are in a position to ban smoking in public places must do their jobs. I call on the members of the Monongalia County Board of Health to protect our citizens by enacting a regulation banning smoking in all public places.
   It’s the right thing to do. I believe our county can be a leader in the efforts to make West Virginia a healthy place to live and work — and breathe.

Kimberly Horn
WVU Associate Professor
Department of Community Medicine

Why Board of Health has Duty to Do Right Thing
THE DOMINION POST -- March 26, 2008

When listening to talk about the clean air/smoking ordinance, some thoughts came to mind.
   (1) No logical argument can be made to justify the deliberate damaging of one’s health or that of others.
   (2) No argument can change the facts about the consequences of burning cigarettes, that they cause health problems, some deadly.
   (3) To the smoker who would argue about the health issue, I would say simply, save your breath. The verdict is clear.
   (4) If cigarettes/tobacco were on trial for murder, they would be convicted.
   (5) It is the Board of Health, not the board of tobacco, not the board of business. Just health.
   (6) Two board members have made it clear what they have decided, and three are making it clear that they are afraid to go against their buddies.
   (7) The Board of Health is usually an easy volunteer gig, and pretty lucrative, getting paid $100 per meeting (when I was on the BOH it was $10). But sometimes it is no place for cowards.
   (8) The radio survey responders were overwhelmingly in support of the new smoking ordinance. So if this is a democracy, and the BOH is listening, the ordinance will be adopted. But only if it is a democracy.
   (9) Nonsmokers are the majority and becoming more so.
   (10) To any smoker, I would say, I don’t care if you smoke ... it’s fun and I enjoyed it for years. You don’t have to convince me of your right to smoke. All you need to do is keep it to yourself because you’re the one who wants to do it.
   (11) As far as a legal right to smoke, there is no such thing.
   (12) Because of the nature of smoke, smoking is difficult for smokers who want to enjoy their freedom of choice and allow others the same privilege.
   (13) I called the radio station to ask a question of the gentleman who was against the smoking ordinance, but the lines were full and I didn’t get on. I was going to ask him: Are you arguing against this ordinance because you’re concerned about health, or because you’re concerned about money?
(14) And ... Do you think the BOH is or should be concerned about health? Or about money? (15) To BOH members (that is, the three who are going to vote against the ordinance if it ever comes to a vote), I would say don’t be afraid to do the right thing. I mean the right health thing. Remember, your name will go down in this county’s history.

Betty Lemley Wiley -- Westover

GUEST COMMENTARY
15 Years Later, County Waiting on BOH to Act
THE DOMINION POST -- March 23, 2008

By Robert Anderson

In April 1992, Monongalia County was the first county in our state to restrict smoking. This was done thanks to a forward-thinking board of health. That 1992 regulation was so weak it borders on being laughable today (e.g., 50 percent of restaurant seating had to be “smoke free”), but at the time it was a milestone. In 2008, there isn’t any laughter. But there is coughing. We now have one of the weakest smoking regulations in West Virginia.
   Monongalia County enjoys relatively high income and education levels — two indicators of a low smoking rate — yet our current regulation, though stronger than the original one, permits tobacco smoke pollution in restaurants, bars and other worksites, even though the U.S. surgeon general concluded in 2006 that there was no such thing as a safe level of secondhand smoke.
   At a board of health meeting in January there were people from bars and gambling establishments who argued against the proposed smoking ban. They claimed the current regulation was working. However, at that meeting, a health department staff member advised that she has been to businesses that, upon seeing her, suddenly turned on exhaust fans, or closed doors.
   In other words, even the current regulation is not being observed in all cases, never mind the fact that even when the regulation is adhered to, it does not eliminate smoking pollution anyway.
   An opponent also said at that meeting, “If you are going to do this, include everyone. Let’s level the playing field.” In this case, that is on the money. Let’s make it equal for everyone. Let’s have a county where all workers are assured of a smokefree working environment.
   However, even smoke-free offices may not really be smokefree. I have a friend who runs a nonprofit organization. Last August, she told the BOH that secondhand smoke was entering her offices, courtesy of a gambling business that leases space next to hers in a strip mall. Until we have a comprehensive regulation, problems such as these will continue.
   Anything short of a complete ban in all worksites means that some people are denied public health assured for others. One of the arguments that smoking advocates make is that the government does not have the right to interfere with how a business chooses to operate. Making such a statement ignores the fact that all bars and restaurants are subject to health regulations that staff from the health department enforce. It is amazing that if someone spits into a plate of food being served to a customer, that would, of course, be a violation. Yet, in a bar or sections of restaurants, people can smoke all they want, pollute the air for everyone, including employees, and the sanitarian cannot do anything.
   Long before anyone else, the tobacco industry recognized that secondhand smoke was an issue it could not overcome. That is, masters as they were at conning smokers into believing that “light” cigarettes were less hazardous, they knew as early as the 1970s that secondhand smoke was going to be a problem for them. The best they could hope to do was claim that smokers somehow had a “right” to smoke wherever they wanted, and that restaurants and nonsmokers should accommodate them.
   Then, in early 1993, the EPA announced its finding that secondhand smoke was a Group A carcinogen. Millions of tobacco industry documents are available online. One tobacco document I found included this 1993 assessment that a consultant provided to Philip Morris: “... [N]ot only do people believe what the EPA is saying about second-hand smoke, but they appear to have internalized it as well.” Internalized indeed. This same document noted that 45 percent of the public favored a ban on smoking. And this was 15 years ago!
   Fifteen years later, we are still waiting for the local BOH to catch up with much of West Virginia. Moreover, some 20 states and many countries have already gone ahead and passed such prohibitions. It is time for the BOH to act upon the science, act in the interest of residents, employees and guests, and act in accord with its mission to protect public health.

Robert Anderson is the deputy director of WVU’s Prevention Research Center in the Department of Community Medicine.

Kudos to Faculty, Students for Backing Smoking Ban
THE DOMINION POST -- March 23, 2008

I’d like to congratulate the WVU Faculty Senate and the Student Government Association Board of Governors for endorsing the proposed clean indoorair regulation in Monongalia County. The regulation would ban indoor smoking in public areas and work sites.
   The SGA Board of Governors concluded that students make up 20 percent to 25 percent of the county’s population, that many students are involuntarily exposed to secondhand smoke while at public establishments and places of employment, and that WVU promotes education, responsibility and wellness on and off campus.
   My granddaughter is an honor student at WVU. She’s a nonsmoker who works part time in a local, smoke-filled bar. She’s afraid to speak up in support of the smoking ban because she might lose her job. I’m pleased to learn that she is attending a university where both the faculty and the student government realize the importance of promoting smokefree environments. These educators and students are to be commended. They’ve taken their responsibilities seriously.
   I encourage the Monongalia County Board of Health to take its responsibilities seriously, as well. According to the by-laws, the object of the health department is to achieve a healthy community by protecting and promoting public health.
   On behalf of nonsmokers like my granddaughter, I urge the BOH to fulfill its obligation to protect health and adopt the clean indoor-air regulation that guarantees smoke-free environments in public areas and workplaces.

Joyce M. Nail -- Gore, Va.

BOH's Role to Ensure Public Health, Safety
THE DOMINION POST -- March 23, 2008

I urge the Monongalia County Board of Health to approve the proposed clean indoor-air regulation. As a citizen of Monongalia County, I am concerned about the impact of smoking. I feel it is the board’s duty to take every action possible to discourage and control smoking because of the costs to individuals and the public at large. Although this is often portrayed as an individual rights issue, it is clear we all are forced to pay the associated costs of smokers’ health care (from diseases of the lungs, heart, mouth, etc.), early deaths, lost work productivity, littering and polluted air. I don’t want to pay these costs, and no one should have to. Our public space should be 100 percent free of tobacco smoke and tobacco litter.
   One often-overlooked part of the proposed regulation is the requirement regarding building entrances. As a WVU employee, I am forced to breathe smoke when I enter and exit my building because this is where smokers congregate. While I appreciate the indoor smoke-free policy the university instituted in 1990, I look forward to the establishment of a 15-foot clean air zone around building entrances. This is essential to protecting the health of employees at the university as well as other workplaces.
   The BOH must base its approval decision solely on the public health risks and not the “political pressures” of businesses and the tobacco industry. Smoke-free is good business. Smoke-free workplaces attract employers who want lower costs. A healthier Monongalia County would only bring positive outcomes to the economy and quality of life for its citizens, visitors and students. Once our community is smoke-free, my family will be able to patronize the businesses that are not smoke-free.
   The board’s role is to ensure the health and safety of the public. This includes policies that carry out the recommendations of the U.S. surgeon general. The surgeon general’s 2006 report states there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Also, a 1986 report states, “the right of smokers to smoke ends where their behavior affects the health and well-being of others.” Although this statement based on expert advice and decades of research was made 20 years ago, it appears many still fail to grasp it.
   Thanks to the BOH for the work to clear the air in Monongalia County. It’s not easy to stand up to the barrage of negative press. However, regardless of the minority public opinion and pressure, the proposed policy must be approved and enforced for the good of all.

Elaine Bowen -- Morgantown

Some Powerful Comments on Secondhand Smoke
THE DOMINION POST -- March 23, 2008

Many people support the proposed ban on indoor smoking in Monongalia County. Here are a few, powerful comments I heard in support of clean indoor air while working an information booth on the health sciences campus:
   I went to a Morgantown bowling alley and nearly fell over. I left immediately and went to the WVU bowling alley, where they don’t allow smoking.
   I have asthma. Secondhand smoke bothers me. It’s a problem.
   I can’t go to the [Milan Puskar] stadium because my husband has asthma. We can’t get through the crowd of smokers.
   I have to hold my breath when I leave the building because of the secondhand smoke.
   Have you been through the Pylons entrance of the Health Sciences Center lately? You’re surrounded by smokers there. We used to have a policy that banned smoking within 20-50 feet of the [HSC] building, but it isn’t enforced anymore. If Dublin, Ireland, can adopt a smoking ban in pubs, so can Morgantown. We went to the Boston Beanery downtown and we won’t go back. You can’t breathe in there. Where I’m from, people don’t smoke in bars. I miss that. The bar owners in California were afraid too, but everyone just goes outside to smoke. I like to go out dancing and not reek when I go home. I’m from Utah. I couldn’t believe it when I came here and found that indoor smoking was permitted. I like to come home from bars and not smell like smoke. I’m very partial to my lungs. Let the board of health know how you feel about secondhand smoke. Attend their meeting on 9 p.m. March 27, at the Monongalia County Health Department.

Kathie Friend
Translational Tobacco Reduction Research Program

Business Owner Urges OK of Smoking Ban Proposal
THE DOMINION POST -- March 23, 2008

I’m the owner and artistic director of the Northern West Virginia Performing Arts Academy, a dance studio in Morgantown.
   Before moving to my current location, my studio was based in Westover. One of the reasons I chose to relocate was a video gambling business moved in next door to my studio.
   Secondhand smoke from that business poured into my space. Parents and students both complained.
   I urge the Monongalia County Board of Health to adopt a comprehensive indoor smoking ban. That’s the only way to protect everyone from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

Robyn Naugle -- Westover

Why Not Equal Protection for Everyone From Smoke
THE DOMINION POST -- March 23, 2008

I’m a student at University High School. Many of my teachers have discussed the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke. There can’t be any doubts about what tobacco does to people.
What I don’t understand is why different types of workers and customers receive different levels of protection in Monongalia County. Why has the health department banned smoking in grocery stores and malls, but not in bars and bowling alleys? Are people who work in bars less important than the ones who work at the mall? Are grocery store shoppers more worthy than the students who party at the bars downtown? I thought our country was founded on equal rights. Everyone deserves the right to breathe clean air. Shouldn’t the health department’s indoor smoking ban apply everywhere?

Kelsey M. McClung -- Westover

BOH Must Act to Prevent Respiratory Disease
THE DOMINION POST -- March 23, 2008

As dean of the WVU School of Nursing, I feel it is crucial to serve as a role model for the next generation of nurses. That’s why I must speak out in support of the proposed ban on indoor smoking in Monongalia County.
   As a nurse practitioner specializing in respiratory care, I have firsthand experience with lung diseases and the agonizing deaths our patients experience as they fight for every breath. Also as a community health nurse, I know too well the toll that exposure to cigarette smoke has on their families as well as patients.
   I was dismayed to read a letter this week from a retired health professional who wrote that smoking is a “right.” Smoking is really an addiction that is harder to conquer than many “hard” drugs. Rather than enable the behavior that has such proven harm, we must assist those who need our help to live a healthier life. My mother, also a nurse from the generation of the letter-writer, tells me that when they started smoking, knowledge of the dangers were not known, and quitting smoking was the hardest thing she ever did — but she is alive today to see her grandchildren’s children.
   We now know the dangers — not only to smokers themselves but to the public from secondhand smoke. That doesn’t mean we want to send smokers out into the cold, pass judgment, or make them feel they’re not good citizens. We just want clean air and good health for everyone. There are many programs in this community and throughout the state to help smokers quit. (Visit ynotquit.com for more information.)
   I urge the Monongalia County Board of Health to adopt a comprehensive clean indoor-air regulation. Countless cases of respiratory disease will be prevented. And policies that stop air pollution can be positive first steps in encouraging smokers to stop. We will be here to help our neighbors and colleagues to conquer their addiction and improve their own quality of life, as well as ours.

Georgia Narsavage, Ph.D
WVU School of Nursing

THE DOMINION POST -- March 23, 2008

Clean Indoor Air Has Been a Long Time Coming
THE DOMINION POST -- March 21, 2008

As someone who worked long and hard to promote clean indoor air in West Virginia during the 1980s and 1990s, I am thrilled to learn that Monongalia County will soon consider a long-overdue regulation to eliminate smoking in all public establishments and workplaces.
   During the late 1980s, the idea of regulating smoking in public places was almost unheard of in West Virginia. At that time, a group of Monongalia County residents began to address this problem, based on the 1986 U.S. surgeon general’s report about the health hazards of secondhand smoke.
   The hard-fought progress, involving hundreds of hours of meetings, radio talk shows, letters to the editor and (sorry to say) death threats, came in several contentious stages over many years.
   First, following much debate among the faculty, staff and students (and the blessing of then-President Neil Bucklew), WVU strengthened its weak smoking regulation to ban smoking in most campus buildings. Second, the Morgantown City Council, under the gavel of newly elected mayor Charlene Marshall, adopted a comprehensive clean-indoorair regulation. Third, Monongalia County, with the skillful guidance of health department director Jack Sturms, eventually followed the city’s lead, adopting a similar smoking regulation.
   What was then controversial is now common knowledge. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke causes illness and death that could be prevented. The U.S. surgeon general declared in 2007 that there’s no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and that establishing smoke-free workplaces is the only effective way to ensure secondhand-smoke exposure does not occur in the workplace.
   Thankfully, 16 states now ban smoking in all workplaces, including restaurants and bars.
   I urge the Board of Health to adopt the strongest possible regulation to eliminate tobacco smoke from all public places.

Kenyon Stebbins, Ph.D -- Harbor Springs, Mich.

Business Owners Should Read Facts on Smoking
THE DOMINION POST -- March 21, 2008

In his letter to the editor (DPMarch 16), the owner of a local bowling establishment suggested I should “get my facts straight.” I had failed to mention that smoking was not permitted in his business between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. I didn’t mention this because it is irrelevant.
   Quoting here from a report put out by the American Public Health Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and others: “[Hours provisions] do not provide meaningful protection from secondhand smoke. The chemicals from secondhand smoke linger in a building for days after smoking has occurred. If a restaurant or bowling alley allows smoking at night, employees and customers who are in the venue the following morning will be exposed to these chemicals even if no smoking is allowed at that time.”
   The same gentleman also suggested that you “not let the liberals run your life.” The U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Secondhand Smoke is the source of many of my facts and concerns. This is President Bush’s surgeon general, not Ralph Nader’s. This report concludes: “Eliminating smoking in indoor spaces fully protects nonsmokers from exposure to secondhand smoke. Separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate exposures of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke.”
   Because of this, Michael Leavitt, Bush’s secretary of Health and Human Services, cautions: “involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke remains a serious public health hazard that can be prevented by making homes, workplaces and public places completely smoke-free.”
   Clearly, health is an issue liberals and conservatives can agree on. I am sure folks on both sides of the smoking issue want the healthiest possible environment. I urge owners of businesses that still permit smoking to do some research. You could Google “prosmoking” and find a lot of information produced and spread by tobacco companies. Or, you can Google “surgeon general secondhand smoke” and get the facts. Business owners should read at least the major conclusions of the surgeon general’s report and take appropriate action. One thing we can all agree on: It is important to get your facts straight.

Alex Lubman -- Morgantown

A Constitutional Right to Smoke? No Such Thing
THE DOMINION POST -- March 19, 2008

If there were a legal justification for a special right to smoke, it would come from the Constitution. Constitutional rights include the right to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, due process of law, and equal protection under the law. A constitutional right to smoke would have to fall under one of the recognized constitutional rights.
   The fundamental “right to privacy” is one category of liberty that does receive special constitutional protection. Smokers latch on to this fundamental right to privacy, arguing that smoking is a private choice about which the government should have no say. However, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that the right to privacy relates to an individual’s decisions about reproduction and family relationships. Activities that are protected under the right to privacy include marriage, abortion, contraception and the raising and educating of children.
   The right to privacy does not include smoking. In the words of one court, “There is no more a fundamental right to smoke cigarettes than there is to shoot up or snort heroin or cocaine or run a red light.” The so-called “right to smoke” is a smoke-screen.
   The right to privacy does not include the right to inflict healthdestructive secondhand smoke upon others. Courts have been quick to find that smoke-free public places/workplaces are related to a legitimate goal, since they have long held that protecting the public’s health is one of the most essential of functions.
   A law cannot discriminate against a category of people that is entitled to special protection. The equal protection clause gives special protection to few categories of people. In fact, it only extends special protection to groups based on race, national origin, ethnicity, gender and illegitimacy. The groups that receive special protection share a characteristic determined by the accident of birth. A law violates the Constitution only if it discriminates against a category of people based on race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, or illegitimacy.
   Some people argue that smokers make up a category that deserves special protection against regulations that restrict their ability to smoke at a time and place of their choosing. There is no basis to grant smokers the status of a specially protected group. People are not born smokers as a result of an accident of birth. There is no constitutional “right to smoke.”

Beverly Keener -- Fairmont

Every Day Government Delays, More Graves Dug
THE DOMINION POST -- March 19, 2008

I applaud the efforts in Monongalia County to promote smoke-free public environments. Those of us who work in medicine are well aware of the damage caused by tobacco. I’ve been a cardio-thoracic surgery nurse for most of my professional life.
   In this field, we focus on the heart and lungs. I’ve seen firsthand the harm caused by smoking. Ask any health-care worker what they would change to improve health and I’ll bet eliminating tobacco use tops most lists.
   Recently the World Health Organization reported the tobacco epidemic is one of the greatest public health threats of modern times. The cure for this epidemic will not be found in medicine, but through the efforts of our governments. Why are our leaders reluctant to take actions known to protect the public from the toxins in secondhand smoke? Leaders who are entrusted to protect their citizens can no longer overlook the scientific evidence that demonstrates tobacco’s dangers.
   As a civil society we must insist that our leaders adopt measures known to curb smoking and protect nonsmokers. Each day they delay, more cigarettes are consumed, more heart monitors and oxygen tanks are employed, and more graves are dug.

Julie F. Gray, RN -- Stephens City, Va.

BOH Needs to Live Up to Its Obligations
THE DOMINION POST -- March 19, 2008

I have been following the proposed smoking ban with interest. I will be disappointed if the [Monongalia County] Board of Health allows itself to be pushed around by bar owners and mouthpieces for the tobacco industry.
   Case in point: a quarter-page advertisement, written in the guise of an open letter to the BOH, appeared in Sunday’s edition of The Dominion Post. Nearly identical versions of this ad have appeared in many cities across the country that have entertained smoking bans. This is textbook tobacco industry strategy for fighting these bans.
   They cloak themselves in constitutional and libertarian arguments, when in fact they are simply protecting their “rights” to profit from getting people hooked on a deadly, highly-addictive substance. These personal liberty arguments have no basis in fact or legal precedence. More to the point of the currently-proposed ban, tobacco smoke severely degrades the quality of public spaces, and this represents a clear public health and safety issue.
   I hope the BOH has the spine to do its job, and not cave in to the well-funded and motivated special interests. If not, then I hope the citizenry of Morgantown are duly incensed, and come hunting for the heads of those who vote against the ban.

Steve DiFazio -- Morgantown

Smoke-free Air Laws Similar to DUI Laws
THE DOMINION POST -- March 18, 2008

What economic studies is Mel Bankhead quoting (DP-Feb. 29)? Certainly not the studies submitted to the Monongalia County Board of Health, based on sales tax data, from a period before and after smoking ban implementation. The bottom line is that no credible facts support the doom and gloom claims of economic loss for bar owners. The truth, according to the data of sales tax receipts, is that smoke-free laws either have no economic impact or have a positive impact on business.
   This is a common sense issue, and it’s only about public health — which the Monongalia County Board of Health is charged with protecting.
   As more and more states and communities pass smoke-free regulations and laws, businesses understand that it is to their advantage to appeal to the majority of patrons that demand a smoke-free environment. It is logical to protect the overwhelming majority of people from the negative health impact of secondhand smoke by restricting or banning smoking. The benefits include not only better health, but cost savings to businesses. Fact from the West Virginia Health Statistics Center: 80 percent of West Virginians do not smoke. Even in cases where many of an establishment’s patrons smoke, having a regulation that applies to every business levels the competitive field. Bar patrons are not going to remain at home forever just because they can’t light up indoors. The patrons return and adjust their habits just as they do at the movies, on airplanes and other areas where smoking is not permitted.
   Smoke-free air laws do not make smoking illegal; they simply establish areas free of secondhand smoke to protect the public from secondhand smoke exposure. Smokers may continue to smoke, but not in ways that harm others. Smoke-free air laws are similar to drunk-driving laws, which do not prohibit drinking, but do regulate a certain behavior when it presents a danger to others.
   Bankhead should also research State Code and legislative history regarding his assertion that the Monongalia BOH is “overstepping its bounds.” The law is clear on this: West Virginia State Code (16 2 11 [ii]) states “that local boards of health shall provide ... environmental health protection including the promoting and maintaining of clean and safe air.” The Legislature gave local health boards the authority to pass such regulations, and the legal authority for local boards to protect public health through smoking bans has been upheld by an opinion of the attorney general’s office and by court decisions.
   The BOH needs to maintain a strong public health position and not compromise the passage of a strong, comprehensive clean indoor air regulation.

Catherine Whitworth -- Morgantown

Cancer Society Urges BOH to Approve Proposal
THE DOMINION POST -- March 16, 2008

   Are clean indoor air and saving lives important to the Monongalia County Board of Health? That question will be answered soon. But considering the facts, it’s difficult to understand how the BOH could say no to clean indoor air.
   The U.S. attorney general along with an array of professional medical associations have concluded that secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in nonsmokers. A burning cigarette is a health risk to everyone in the same room. The scientific evidence proves that regular exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke threatens the health of those who don’t smoke.
   Secondhand smoke is linked to lung cancer, heart attacks, asthma and chronic respiratory problems. Because of how tobacco burns, secondhand smoke contains twice as much tar and nicotine per unit volume as does smoke from a cigarette. It contains three times as much of a cancer-causing compound called 3.4 benzpyrene, five times as much carbon monoxide and possibly 50 times as much ammonia. Secondhand smoke from pipes and cigars is equally harmful, if not more so.
   Children are especially vulnerable to the effects of passive tobacco smoke. The following is a list of some of the harmful effects on children:
   Children exposed to secondhand smoke clearly have an increased risk of ear infections, pneumonia, bronchitis and tonsillitis. The EPA estimates that each year, between 150,000 and 300,000 children age 18 months and under get bronchitis or pneumonia from breathing secondhand smoke.
   Passive smoke is known to trigger both increased frequency and severity of asthma attacks in children.
   All workers deserve a safe, healthy, smoke-free work environment.
   In West Virginia alone, secondhand smoke is responsible for killing some 560 people each year. More than 3,900 West Virginians were estimated to die from lung cancer in 2005.
   We strongly encourage the passage of the Smoke Free Monongalia County regulation to save lives and protect our future, our children from health hazards related to secondhand smoke.

James Abraham, M.D.
South Atlantic Division Board of Trustees/member American Cancer Society

Kevin Tephabock
Regional executive director state of West Virginia American Cancer Society

Mary Lough
Mission manager Monongalia County American Cancer Society

Right to Smoke More Slavery Than Freedom
THE DOMINION POST -- March 16, 2008

      The ridiculous message equating tobacco addiction and air pollution with freedom and linking the consumption of the lethal products of the world’s most powerful multinational corporations with resistance is one message that I am sure pleases the tobacco industry every time they see it in print.
   But the millions worldwide who suffer before suffocating to death from tobacco-related diseases, sacrificing themselves and their families for the sake of this industry’s profits, will probably fail to appreciate the irony.
   Equating the words “freedom” or “choice” and any form of tobacco/nicotine (a substance more addictive than coke or heroin) in the same sentence is an oxymoron. This kind of freedom the flag wavers guard so patriotically is more slavery than freedom. Those who buy in to this contradictory message would probably crusade for the “freedom to enjoy the chains of addiction.” Makes about as much sense. Absolutely none.

Beverly Keener -- Fairmont
Regional Tobacco Prevention Coordinator

Morgantown Faculty Senate Can Take a Bow for Changing Mind
THE DOMINION POST -- March 15, 2008

A heartfelt thank you to the WVU Faculty Senate for voting to support a ban on indoor smoking in Monongalia County’s public spaces and workplaces.
Kudos to Faculty Senator Linda Vona-Davis for proposing a renewal of the original motion she had presented in February; to Samuel Ameri, chairman of the Faculty Welfare Committee, for reconsidering his position; and to all 33 senators who supported it. Special appreciation to Justin McLachlan, WVU graduate student and Campus Life columnist for The Dominion Post, for his excellent commentary (DP-Feb 17). Congratulations to Smoke Free Mon County — may the county Board of Health continue to hear our voices.

Patricia Schaeffer -- Morgantown

Health Board Must Act on Secondhand Smoke
THE DOMINION POST -- March 13, 2008

As a member of the [Monongalia County] Board of Health and a citizen, I would like to take this opportunity to address some of the uncertainty voiced as to the BOH’s role and responsibility in the clean indoor-air issue. There really isn’t any need for debate. Our responsibility is to protect and promote public health.
   State Code 16-2-11 (b)(3) clearly gives the BOH the authority and responsibility to protect the health of its represented population.
   Some have said that the BOH members are not elected and therefore should not be able to establish rules. It’s true BOH members are not elected, but we are appointed by an elected body, the County Commission. The County Commission is required to consider a number of factors when appointing members to the Board of Health:
   No more than three BOH members should belong to the same political party.
   No more than two members may live in the same magisterial district.
   No more than two members may be involved in the same business or occupation.
   Members must have knowledge of and interest in public health services.
   When making decisions, BOH members rely on input from the county health officer (a physician), the health department staff closest to a health issue, community members and other health experts. State Code recognizes that health issues must be addressed outside the political arena. Often, health decisions must be made quickly and without political debate. For example, if pandemic flu or another serious health issue strikes, the BOH will have to respond quickly and decisively to protect the public. Our society has prospered because of this ability. Requiring childhood immunizations, pasteurized milk, chlorinated water and food inspections all originated from health officials’ recommendations. These rules have kept us safe.
   Secondhand smoke is a proven public health issue. Health experts across the nation support a ban on smoking in indoor public places. So yes, the BOH not only has the authority to adopt a clean indoor air regulation, but has the responsibility to do so. A BOH that permits the public’s continued exposure to secondhand smoke is ignoring its responsibilities.
   Each day we permit public exposure to secondhand smoke results in more illness. The time for discussion is nearly over. Again, it is our responsibility to pass a clean indoor-air regulation to safeguard public health.

Donna M. Tennant -- Fairview

Morgantown Business and Professional Women’s Club
Resolution of Support for Smoke Free Workplaces in Monongalia County

Subject: Comprehensive smoke-free workplace regulations promote economic growth by reducing employer health care costs and lost productivity. A healthy and motivated workforce is fundamental to the success of any business, large or small. A healthy workforce is essential in ensuring the prosperity of businesses.

Issues: Supporting and enforcing smoke-free workplace regulations is good public policy for a number of health, economic, and liability reasons.

Health Issues: Secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard. The US Surgeon General reported last year, “secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease.” Secondhand smoke causes heart disease and lung cancer, asthma attacks, and sudden infant death. There is no safe level of exposure.

Economic Issues: Numerous studies have shown there is no adverse economic impact on businesses in cities where smoke-free workplace ordinances have passed. Marketing Morgantown as a smoke free community will highlight Morgantown as a destination for business conferences and other tourism venues. Many organizations, such as the Center for Disease Control, only hold conferences in smoke free communities.

Liability Issues: Businesses that continue to allow smoking risk lawsuits for exposing employees and customers to known carcinogens. Secondhand smoke is toxic; it contains more than fifty known carcinogens. Businesses who fail to provide smoke free environments are placing themselves in economic peril.

Resolution: The Morgantown Business and Professional Women’s Club recognizes that smoke-free workplaces lead to a healthier workforce with increased productivity, cleaner and more positive corporate images, reduced insurance costs, and reduced cleaning and maintenance costs. We encourage local Boards of Health, including the Monongalia County Board of Health, to adopt a clean indoor air regulation that ensures a smoke-free environment for all patrons and workers.

Approved on this Date: 3/6/08
Signed: Alexis McMillen, President BPW/Morgantown

Morgantown Chamber of Commerce Vision 20/20 Health and Wellness Committee
Position Paper Supporting a Smoke Free Regulation

Vision 20/20 Health and Wellness Committee
Smoke-Free Air Position Paper

The following is the vision and mission of the Vision of the 20/20 Health and Wellness Committee:

Vision: The Health and Wellness Committee promotes better health for the citizens of
Monongalia County through prevention of disease and available access to those in need. This committee will support specific goals that will increase exercise, healthful nutrition, clean indoor air regulations, mental and spiritual health opportunities.

Mission: Serve as a liaison, promoter, and connector for all healthy lifestyle
organizations and activities in the area.

Position paper issues: Supporting and enforcing smoke-free workplace regulations is good public policy for a number of health, economic, and liability reasons.

Subject: Comprehensive smoke-free workplace regulations promote economic growth by reducing employer health care costs and lost productivity. A healthy and motivated workforce is fundamental to the success of any business, large or small. A healthy workforce is essential in ensuring the prosperity of businesses.

Health Issues: Secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard. The US Surgeon General reported last year, “secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease.” Secondhand smoke has been proven to cause and exacerbate heart disease, emphysema, asthma and cancer. There is no safe level of exposure. West Virginia continues to rank 47th in the nation in overall health statistics. We rank 50th in the nation in smoking.    We rank 49th in the nation with lung cancer death rate. Smoking is linked to many chronic diseases.

Economic Issues: Numerous studies have shown there is no adverse economic impact on businesses in cities where smoke-free workplace ordinances have passed. Marketing Morgantown as a smoke free community will highlight Morgantown as a destination for business conferences and other tourism venues. Many organizations, such as the Center for Disease Control, only hold conferences in smoke free communities.

Liability Issues: Businesses that continue to allow smoking risk lawsuits for exposing employees and customers to known carcinogens. Secondhand smoke is toxic; it contains more than 50 carcinogens.   Businesses who fail to provide smoke free environments are placing themselves in economic peril.

Vision 20/20 Committee’s Position: The Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce Vision 20/20 Health and Wellness Committee recognizes that smoke-free workplaces lead to a healthier workforce with increased productivity, cleaner and more positive corporate images, reduced insurance costs, and reduced cleaning and maintenance costs. A healthier workforce will lead to improved household and community welfare; lower health care costs and greater productivity. We encourage the Monongalia County Board of Health, to adopt a clean indoor air regulation that ensures a smoke-free environment for all patrons and workers of Monongalia County.

Signed:   Grant Stewart and Elizabeth Critch Parsons, Co-Chairs
March 12, 2008

Former ‘Social Smoker’ Urges BOH to Vote YES
THE DOMINION POST -- March 10, 2008

I am a former “social” smoker. I became addicted to tobacco during college, when I was working as a bartender. The money was good and the hours were accommodating to my school schedule.
   I have heard many young people say, “I only smoke when I drink.” I believe that my smoking habit, and many others, would not have progressed if smoking were not permitted in bars.
   Smoking causes so many unattractive and harmful outcomes: a cough, a terrible smell, a powerful addiction and poor health, just to name a few. The citizens of Monongalia County should not be forced to experience any consequence of tobacco use. If all bars and restaurants were smoke-free, patrons would smoke less, and some might not ever start.
   Without a comprehensive clean indoor air regulation citizens are not protected 100 percent. I strongly urge the [Monongalia County] Board of Health to vote YES [on a proposed clean indoor-air regulation].

Candice Hamilton -- Fairmont

No One Should Choose Which Toxins They Breathe
THE DOMINION POST -- March 10, 2008

At the Monongalia County Board of Health meeting in January, several of the bar, bowling alley and video gambling parlor owners in attendance argued that smoking indoors in public establishments was an issue of “liberty.” They asserted that customers and employees are adults who make a free choice to be exposed to tobacco smoke when they choose to patronize or work in an establishment where smoking is permitted.
   However, people are not expected to have to make such choices regarding other health hazards. The average person is not expected to be aware of the extent of the danger from chemical hazards to which they might be exposed to upon entering a building. Regulating authorities are responsible for protecting the public even if the public is unaware or does not even desire protection.
   This is why asbestos, benzene, arsenic, radon and other known human carcinogens are already banned in the workplace.
   We don’t expect customers and employees to choose whether or not they are willing to be exposed to these toxins, just as we don’t expect people to “eat at their own risk” or choose to consume E. coli bacteria or salmonella if they want to order a sandwich from a deli. Health departments regulate the handling of foods to eliminate or limit the risk.
   The members of our BOH have reviewed an enormous body of credible evidence that secondhand tobacco smoke exposure is indeed, a critical matter of public health. I am confident that the officials entrusted only to “promote and protect public health” will not be persuaded by the comments of a small, misinformed segment of the business community.
   Any action other than a vote for an uncompromising regulation providing 100 percent protection would be contrary to the very mission of the Board of Health. Our county citizens would like to be at “liberty” to enter any public establishment without being forced to inhale toxic substances.

Catherine Whitworth -- Morgantown

Smoking in Public Places Not an Issue of Liberty
THE DOMINION POST -- March 9, 2008

When the proposed regulation that would end smoking in all workplaces was discussed during the Board of Health meeting in January, a lot of attention was focused on people’s rights and personal liberty.
   Secondhand smoke exposure is a public health issue, plain and simple. There is no constitutional right to smoke. Of course, people can continue to smoke if they choose, but not in places that harm others. When people smoke in public places, they affect the health of everyone around them.
   Personal liberty has never meant allowing one person’s behavior to hurt another. Protecting the health and safety of the community is the main purpose of government, or in this case the main purpose of the [Monongalia County] BOH. We rely on the BOH to enact rules that provide good sanitation and safe food. Safe air, air that is free of the poisons found in secondhand smoke should also be guaranteed by the BOH.
   I agree that businesses may operate as they want, as long as they are not endangering their employees or the public. Earlier this month, a workers’ compensation judge in New Jersey ruled in favor of a casino dealer who claimed her exposure to secondhand smoke caused her lung cancer. The woman was awarded about $150,000 for partial disability and lost wages, and additional amounts for future medical care. A teenager in Michigan died this month from an asthma attack triggered by secondhand smoke shortly after arriving at her job as a waitress in a bar.
   Are the local bar, bowling alley and Hot Spot owners willing to assume the liability of exposing their employees and patrons to secondhand smoke?
   I support the strongest possible smoke-free regulation in Monongalia County. Local businesses will not be harmed and their workers and customers will be protected. Research study after study has determined that bar and restaurant sales are not affected when clean indoor-air regulations are adopted. I urge every member of the Board of Health to support a regulation that requires all public places and work places to be 100 percent smoke-free.

Valerie Frey-McClung -- Westover

Secondhand Smoke Must Always be Consideration
THE DOMINION POST -- March 8, 2008

I applaud The Dominion Post for taking a stance on the issue of a smoke-free workplace for Monongalia County.
   As owner of The Blue Moose Cafe, I am proud to say that, for the six years that I have run the establishment, it’s been smoke-free. Almost every day, I am thanked for that. I believe that, knowing what we do now about the effects of secondhand smoke, there is no reason not to enact a regulation to ban smoking in public places. Why should the public be forced to breathe poisonous air when we want to go out for a bite to eat, or to have a beer (or cup of coffee) with a friend? It makes no sense at all.
   Besides operating a coffeehouse/eatery/music venue, I am also a performing musician. When I play out at a club where you can hardly see from one side of the room to the other, for the smoke, I put myself in harms way. I am only there for a few hours, but, when I am done with a show and head home, I am coughing into the next day. This is my workplace for those few hours. Is it fair that I must work under these conditions? How about the people who work there every day?
   I’ve performed in New York City, where smoking is not permitted, and the difference is astounding. If New York can do this, why can’t we?
   Why would anyone, be it an employer, innkeeper, restaurateur or even a homeowner having guests over, for that matter, want to subject any other person to foul air? I don’t think that they do, intentionally. They just haven’t really considered the effects of secondhand cigarette smoke. Maybe, we should be more considerate.

Gary Tannenbaum -- Morgantown

Indoor-air Regulation Will Increase Business
THE DOMINION POST -- March 8, 2008

If the Monongalia County Board of Health passes the proposed clean indoor-air regulation, it will be great for businesses in the area, especially Morgantown.
   Why? There are many people, myself included, who will not patronize locations that allow smoking in their place of business.
   If all of these businesses become smoke free, they will now be places where I, and others, will be able to enjoy smoke-free shopping, recreation, dinner or a drink.
   I predict a clean indoor-air regulation would increase customers to local businesses, not limit it as some have suggested.

Mike Breiding -- Morgantown

You Owe It to Your Children Not to Smoke
THE DOMINION POST -- March 7, 2008

In reference to Michael Reckart's smoking policies (DPMarch 2) he would like to have enacted. Here in Nebraska, we just passed a bill that all voters voted on, which is to ban smoking in all bars, eating establishments and other public places, which will take effect in June 2009 - statewide.
I have cardio-obstructive pulmonary disease, and have never smoked, and this is due to secondhand smoke. My parents did smoke, and I also was around smoke in many of the places that I was employed.
As a smoker, you do not have a right to stand in a doorway at Wal-Mart smoking as I enter. You do not have a right to stand in any entrance to a public place smoking. You do not have a right to smoke in an enclosed auto, with children in your auto. This also causes ear infections, colds and breathing problems for your children. Parents should have respect for their children, and I know some do.
You do not have a right to complain to medical staff that you cannot breathe, since you chose to smoke. You do not have a right to cause me or anyone else to be ill, just because you think you have a right to smoke in a public place.
You do have a right to smoke in your own home.
I do not enjoy my health-care costs going up because of a smoker. I repeat, I have COPD due to secondhand smoke, and I feel the cost deeply. When I cannot breathe, it is not a good feeling.
If you choose to smoke, that's fine; if you want to die from that habit, I guess that's OK, too. Just do not take me down with you. What's also sad is that there is a ton of information out there to educate smokers about the dangers of smoking.
Why not use this information? Just think, a pack of smokes, or a can of snuff, will buy your children a gallon of milk, or a loaf of bread. Please be smart and stay healthy. You also owe this to your children and grandchildren.

Howard Goodwin -- Lincoln, Nebraska.

Why's There a Question on Secondhand Smoke?
THE DOMINION POST -- March 7, 2008

As a community, we don't question the need to be protected from toxic waste, contaminated beef or toys with high levels of lead.
Why is there any question about the need to be protected from the harmful poisons in secondhand cigarette smoke?
It's time for the Monongalia County Board of Health to ban smoking in all public places. Its job is to protect the public.

Anna K. McClung -- Westover

Clean-air Regulation Will Curb Risks to Students
THE DOMINION POST -- March 7, 2008

I am a recent WVU graduate and have been following the secondhand smoke issue closely. As a college student, my interests (after academics, of course) included meeting new people, hanging out with friends and getting involved in fun activities.
College is supposed to be the time of your life, right? Well, as a nonsmoker, it was difficult to fully enjoy going to bars and restaurants to meet with friends. Not only did I have to breathe in smoke-filled air, I had to deal with the repulsive smell I brought home on my clothes and in my hair.
But it didn't stop there. I also had to deal with painful lungs the next day along with a slight cough. It felt like I had picked up a pack of cigarettes and smoked them the night before.
Some people may argue that I chose to go into those bars and restaurants even after knowing that smoking was permitted. However, the choice isn't between going to the bar or not. It's the choice of hanging out with friends and meeting new people or staying at home by yourself.
Business owners may argue that if smoking is banned then they will lose customers. However, I would argue the opposite. Considering about 20 percent of Monongalia County residents are smokers and 80 percent are nonsmokers, if bars and restaurants ban smoking it only makes sense that they would gain business, not lose it.
While students may not know how to voice their opinions to the proper people, I assure you the majority of them have the same feelings I do about secondhand smoke. I have heard countless students complain about the way their clothes smell after coming home from a bar in Morgantown. A few of my friends have moved to bigger cities such as New York City and Washington, D.C., and they can't get over the fact how nice it is to come home from a bar without smelling like smoke. They can wear a jacket to the bar without fear of it reeking of smoke, and they don't have to wash their hair at least twice the next morning just to get the awful smoke smell out.
Yes, students do have a choice of whether or not to go to bars and restaurants that permit smoking, but nine times out of 10 they choose to go with their friends and have a good time. College doesn't last forever, and they just want to enjoy their "college life." However, in doing so, students are putting themselves at risk. There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke, and it can cause many health risks, such as cancer and heart and lung disease. So please help students preserve their health and fun by passing the smoke-free air regulation.

Melissa Taylor -- Morgantown

Monongalia Health Board Needs to Clear the Air
THE DOMINION POST -- March 6, 2008

I am writing to support the passage of the clean indoor air regulation. I am a graduate student at WVU and also completed my undergraduate studies here. As an undergrad, I frequented some of the bars downtown. It was great being able to socialize with my friends, but I always hated waking up the next morning with my hair and clothes smelling of smoke.
As a more mature graduate student, this result of engaging in some much-needed downtime bothers me even more. I now seek out other options to socialize with my friends, ones that do not involve hanging out in a smoke-filled bar or restaurant.
I often choose to go to restaurants that are smoke-free, so that I can enjoy a drink with friends without being subjected to burning eyes, nose and throat from someone else's cigarette smoke. I have made a healthy decision not to smoke. I do not feel that a good decision should be punished by putting limits on a healthy social life.
This issue is not only important to me personally, but also as a student in the health field. West Virginia has one of the highest rates of obesity and heart disease in the nation, and smoking is a major contributor to the problem.
Perhaps by making it less convenient to smoke, we can discourage people from smoking - current smokers may have one more reason to quit, and we may prevent a future smoker, who often starts out as a "social smoker" in a bar, from picking up the habit.
I know I am not the only person who supports banning smoking in bars and restaurants, and I hope that you [the Monongalia County Board of Health] will be encouraged by my comments and many others to pass this regulation. Let's clear the air!

Lauren Penwell -- Morgantown

Board of Health Should OK Smoking Regulation
THE DOMINION POST -- March 4, 2008

I'm a WVU student. I support a clean indoor-air regulation to guarantee smoke-free air in all public places, including bars and restaurants. I urge the Monongalia County Board of Health to adopt the model regulation that has been released.

Lance Pittman -- Morgantown

Does Bottom-line Take Precedence Over Health?
THE DOMINION POST -- March 2, 2008

   I attended the [Monongalia County] Board of Health meeting Jan. 31. People spoke for and against the proposed smoking regulation. I was impressed that so many bar, restaurant and bowling alley owners are standing up for liberty. Of course, they are starting small and fighting just for the liberty to smoke in their establishments. If I were cynical I might think it was actually their bottom lines they were worried about, rather than liberty.
   Study after study has determined that business profits will not be affected by a strong smoking regulation. One 2003 report that looked at all available studies on the economic impact of smoke-free workplace laws found that “all of the best designed studies report no impact or a positive impact of smoke-free restaurant and bar laws on sales.” I could cite more, but this will do because it looked at all the studies.
   The owners of businesses that allow smoking are understandably worried about their bottom lines, but what about the health of their employees and patrons? The group that attended the BOH meeting pointed out that informed people had a right to choose whether to work in or patronize their businesses. What about uninformed people?
   What about people who don’t know what secondhand smoke can do to you? What about people who desperately need the job? What about preschoolers who have parties at the bowling alley, or the fifthgraders in a junior bowling league?
   Do we have a responsibility to these folks, or are the rights of smokers, a small minority of our population, the only rights we should consider?
   The proposed regulation will ensure that citizens of Monongalia County have the liberty to work and play in a healthy environment, and not be exposed to poisoned air because a handful of business owners say that’s the American way; that’s liberty in action.
   What can you do? If you object to the smoke in an establishment you otherwise enjoy, let the manager know. If you don’t go to a restaurant, bar or bowling alley because you can’t stand the smoke, let the manager know. And let the BOH know that you support the proposed ordinance by e-mailing them at info@monchd.org. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number. The deadline for public comment is March 16.

Alex Lubman -- Morgantown

West Virginia University Student Government Association Board of Governors
Endorses the Proposed Monongalia County Clean Indoor Air Regulation

Resolution 2008-02
Governor Golomb
Governor Bailey

Whereas, West Virginia University promotes education, responsibility, and wellness on and off campus, and the students of West Virginia University make up 20-25% of the population of Monongalia County; and
Whereas, the West Virginia University Student Government Association Board of Governors is the voice of students and supports the initiatives of West Virginia University; and
Whereas, second hand smoke is a dangerous, cancer-causing health hazard that many students are subjected to not by choice while at public establishments and places of employment; and
Whereas, Monongalia County has some of the weakest smoking regulations in the state; and
Whereas, the Monongalia County Clean Indoor Air Regulation proposal, that would ban smoking in all public establishments and places of employment across Monongalia County, is in a 45 day comment period; and
Therefore, be it resolved the West Virginia University Student Government Association Board of Governors endorses the Monongalia County Clean Indoor Air Regulation proposal.

Emily A. Golomb
Student Government Association
Board of Governors

James M. Bailey
Student Government Association
Board of Governors

Pass Smoking Ban for Health of Our Kids
THE DAILY ATHENEAUM -- February 29, 2008

I am writing in favor of 100 percent clean indoor air for all public places. I am a Health teacher in Harrison County and also the sponsor for Teens Against Tobacco Use.
We too are working toward the passage of clean indoor air in all public places. I have young adult sons who visit bars in the Morgantown area.
I am concerned for their health, and the health of all young people who visit and work in those establishments.
The research has been done. You are responsible for protecting the health of your community. Please vote yes for this very important health issue.

Gladys Williams -- WVU Parent

Faculty Senate Should Redeem Itself on Smoking
THE DOMINION POST -- February 29, 2008

I was appalled to read (DP-Feb. 12) that the WVU Faculty Senate has voted against supporting the proposal before the Monongalia County Board of Health to ban secondhand smoke in bars, restaurants and workplaces.
While Sen. Nigel Clark was quoted as saying it wasn't the Faculty Senate's job to get involved in "politics," the fact that over half the senators voted against supporting the proposed ban means there is more than enough blame to go around, including the five senators who abstained.
With a son attending WVU, and a husband as a faculty member, I cannot fathom why the Faculty Senate would not be interested in protecting the health of our WVU family members. There is ample research documenting the serious impact of secondhand smoke.
As a family, we have had to leave restaurants and other venues that permit smoking because of our son's asthma. That the Faculty Senate would ignore a resolution presented by Dr. Vona-Davis, a professor in the School of Medicine, and signed by highranking WVU officials at the hospital and health science campus defies common sense.
I call upon the Faculty Senate to redeem itself by reconsidering this issue in the interest of the health and well-being of the university community (and their constituents, as it were) and support a smoke-free environment in Monongalia County.

Patricia M. Schaeffer-Dresler -- Morgantown

EDITORIAL
Smoking Ban Benefits Mon County Health
THE DAILY ATHENEAUM -- February 27, 2008

An anti-smoking coalition wants the Monongalia County Board of Health to pass an initiative that would virtually eliminate smoking in public places within county lines.
The ban, if passed, would make public work places, including restaurants and bars, smoke-free in Monongalia County.
Currently, Monongalia County is one of eight counties in the state of West Virginia that allows smoking in bars.
To keep patrons "safe" from the dangers of second-hand smoke, they have certain regulations in place; such as having 80 percent of a bar or restaurant be smoke-free, while 20 percent can have smokers, and by having a separate ventilation system for the two sections.
Even with the ventilation systems, people are still at risk to be exposed to cancer-causing toxins that are expelled in second-hand smoke.
"There is no safe exposure level. No ventilation company, not even Philip Morris, claims that its ventilation systems can get rid of the cancer-causing agents in second-hand smoke," said Christina Mickey, project coordinator for Smoke-Free Initiative of West Virginia.
Monongalia County was the first in the state to implement a smoking ban in 1992 but has not amended its ban in recent years, which many other counties have done.
The proposed smoking ban was brought up at a Faculty Senate meeting just a few weeks ago.
After discussing the ban, the Senate decided not to make a decision on the ban since it was "outside of their purview as educators."
However, "We did not have a roll call vote, so I can't present any real data to make my case, but it appeared from the chair that faculty from the Health Sciences Center were more supportive of the motion than those from other colleges," said Steven Kite, chair of the Faculty Senate. "I imagine that HSC faculty sees a larger public responsibility in their role at WVU."
The Daily Athenaeum applauds the faculty in the Health Sciences Center and hopes that other faculty members, as well as students and staff, speak out against smoking in public places and vote to pass the smoking ban proposal.
Making Monongalia County smoke-free would improve the health of patrons and employees at many restaurants and bars, as well as in other work places throughout the county.
Currently, it is estimated that 81.5 percent of adults in Monongalia County are non-smokers, while 15,596 adults light up each day, according to information from the Smoke-Free Initiative of West Virginia.
With less than one-fifth of the population of Mon County being counted as smokers, why is the other four-fifths of the population bending over backward to accommodate them?
The public comment period ends on March 16. If you are in favor of a public smoking ban, send your comments to the Monongalia County Health Department.

Smoking Ban Regulation Good for the State
THE DAILY ATHENEAUM -- February 27, 2008

The proposed indoor air regulation for Monongalia County could be a very positive step forward for West Virginia.
Our state lags behind many parts of the country in terms of health status. In order to fix this situation, strong measures are needed to encourage good health. The American Cancer Society lists some of the outcomes of second-hand smoke to include heart disease, lung cancers, bronchitis, pneumonia and increased asthma symptoms.
One of the reasons that the opposition has voiced to this ban is to protect an individual’s right to smoke. However, I would argue that the right to clean air for nonsmokers supersedes the interests of those who choose to accept the risks of smoking.
To speak more generally, it would seem as though a citizen’s rights should be limited when they encroach upon the rights of others.
An example of our nation’s limitations on an individual’s rights can be seen with intoxicated driving. Our country does not respect the right to drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Of course, proponents of intoxicated driving might argue that individuals who would prefer to not be maimed might do best to remain far away from our state’s highway systems.
The same sort of argument has been made by proponents of smoking in public spaces – individuals who do not want to be exposed to second-hand smoke should simply remain at home.
The absurdity of the smokers’ rights argument mirrors the silliness of the argument made by supporters of drunk driving in my rather sarcastic (but valid) analogy. It is unlikely that individuals will be able to entirely avoid public places given the social nature of the Morgantown community.
With this in mind, I believe that Monongalia County can become an example for the rest of West Virginia if our Board of Public Health is courageous enough to place the very reasonable ban on smoking in public places.

Jared Pomeroy -- Morgantown

GUEST COMMENTARY
Sharing of Risk Unfair To Public
THE DOMINION POST -- February 24, 2008

We see a lot of smokers at WVU’s Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center. It is frustrating and tragic, since cancer caused by tobacco use is preventable.
   These days, at least, most people who choose to smoke know they are risking their health and their lives.
   Unfortunately, for many others, there is no choice.
   Family members of those who smoke indoors are forced to breathe the same toxic chemicals that the smokers inhale. The same can be said for employees and patrons of businesses that allow smoking.
   There is no longer any question that secondhand smoke kills. In a recent report, the U.S. Surgeon General concludes, “Secondhand smoke exposure causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke.”
   It’s really as simple as that. Secondhand smoke is a major cause of disease, including lung cancer and coronary heart disease, in nonsmokers.
   If secondhand smoke were immediately lethal, policy makers would act quickly to protect the public.
   But because tobacco is a slow poison, we’ve been slower to act.
   Make no mistake about it — secondhand smoke is a significant public health concern that could be easily addressed through a complete ban on smoking in public places and workplaces.
   Recognizing the hazards of secondhand smoke, many towns, counties, and entire states including both California and New York, have instituted 100 percent smoking bans.
   This means there is no smoking allowed in any workplace, including restaurants, bars and bowling alleys.
   Numerous people, including those who work as waiters, waitresses, bartenders and musicians, as well as many other blue-collar workers, have no choice when it comes to smoke-free air. They simply aren’t protected by our current smoking policy.
   What can you do to protect yourself?
   Don’t allow smoking in your home or car. An open window or an air conditioner may help remove visible smoke and odor, but it will not remove the dangerous particles found in secondhand smoke.
   Patronize businesses and other establishments that have adopted smoke-free policies.
   Support the local restaurants and other businesses that have gone smoke free.
   If members of your family smoke, ask them to take it outside. Better yet, encourage them to quit.
   If you must be around someone who smokes, sit as far away as possible.
   As the director of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, I strongly encourage everyone to avoid places where smoking is permitted. I cannot look the other way while the people of this county are slowly and preventably poisoned.
   So, I add my voice to the many who have urged the Monongalia County Board of Health to pass an uncompromising regulation that guarantees smoke-free environments in all workplaces and public venues.

Scot C. Remick, MD

Smoking Ban Might Just Spur Business Revenues
THE DOMINION POST -- February 17, 2008

I’m writing in support of the clean indoor air regulation that would guarantee smoke-free air in all public places within Monongalia County. There are many reasons as to why this proposed legislation would be a benefit for our community.
   The effects of secondhand smoke exposure and its link to lung cancer is well-documented in scientific literature. Therefore it is important that we not only protect the health of our community’s patrons of bars and restaurants but also the health of the employees of these establishments who are exposed every day.
   Also, we must take more steps to improve the overall health of our residents. West Virginia has a higher adult smoking rate compared to the national average. Also, cancer incidence rates are higher than the national average. These are two trends we could help curb by providing another reason to never begin smoking in the first place.
   There is reason to believe that a smoking ban could also help local businesses bring in more profit. There are numerous individuals who do not frequent our local establishments because they do not want to be exposed to secondhand smoke. What do you believe nonsmokers think when they open the door to a business and are welcomed by a cloud of cigarette smoke?
   It gives the establishment a “dirty” appearance and nonsmokers don’t want that smell to linger on their clothes. This keeps many potential customers and consequently revenue from coming into these businesses.
   This proposed law is not intended to deprive smokers from a chance at lighting up. It is meant to protect those who choose not to smoke from the proven toxins and carcinogens in cigarette smoke.

Michael Balistreri -- Morgantown

Nonsmokers Have Little Choice When Out On Town
THE DOMINION POST -- February 16, 2008

   I am writing to express my strong support of the proposed clean indoor air regulation for Monongalia County. I live in Pennsylvania but work full-time in Morgantown and spend quite a bit of my free time here as well.
   I have often heard the argument that nonsmokers have a choice of whether they wish to spend time in smoking establishments. This is true, to an extent, but also quite unrealistic.
   For young nonsmokers in this area, completely avoiding establishments filled with smoke essentially requires us to give up the majority of social activities commonly enjoyed by others our age. No bowling, no karaoke, no dancing, no music — the vast majority of venues for these activities are filled with smoke.
   Hundreds of nonsmokers are exposed to the dangers of secondhand smoke in Morgantown every evening because our alternative is to socially isolate ourselves, or to only spend time in the few places that are already smoke-free.
   I strongly encourage the Monongalia County Board of Health to give this clean indoor air regulation the consideration it deserves, and to take this critical step toward protecting the health of all area residents.

Sara Lauren Fehling -- Waynesburg, Pa

EDITORIAL
Faculty Senate Blowing Smoke: Decision to Reject Local Proposal
Smacks of Dodging Responsibility
THE DOMINION POST -- February 15, 2008

  If a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, WVU’s faculty should be a force to be reckoned with in this community. But, it’s said, knowing and not doing is equal to not knowing at all. Earlier this week, the university’s Faculty Senate elected to side with not knowing.
In a narrow 32-30 vote, the Faculty Senate rejected a motion by one of its members to support a proposed indoor smoking ban in all public places in Monongalia County. There were five abstentions.
   The Monongalia County Board of Health is expected to vote March 27 on whether to ban smoking in such places as schools, government buildings, bars and restaurants.
   Some have suggested the Faculty Senate’s “no” vote didn’t just mean no. Rather than a simple rejection of the smoking ban’s merits, the decision might have indicated the Faculty Senate questioned its standing to weigh in on the issue.
   One faculty senator said, “It’s a slippery slope when the Senate starts to specifically support what may be regarded as political ...”
   Ultimately, the Faculty Senate did vote, but it’s difficult to believe that most of those who voted “no” did so because they oppose this initiative.
   Especially seeing that the effort to gain the faculty’s support of the ban came with an endorsement of the leadership and faculty of WVU’s Health Sciences Center.
   But for all its appeal to the evidence of the dangers of secondhand smoke and to common sense, even WVU’s foremost experts on health and wellness were ignored.
   It makes us wonder whether the Faculty Senate is qualified to weigh in on anything regarded as political — including who should have been named WVU’s president last year.
   Maybe it should also duck the investigation into irregularities surrounding the awarding of a graduate degree to the governor’s daughter. Furthermore, isn’t it these same faculty who embody the concept of academic freedom? That’s the freedom that’s essential to any institution of higher learning’s mission to explore big questions and controversial ones alike. Academic freedom especially obligates those in certain positions, like tenured faculty, to speak out. We realize that along with academic freedom comes responsibility. But the Faculty Senate dodged its responsibility. If knowledge and courage are what fuel the fires of learning, WVU’s Faculty Senate is blowing smoke.

What do you think? Did WVU’s Faculty Senate act responsibly by rejecting a proposal to endorse a local smoking ban? E-mail us at: opinion@dominionpost.com.

Student Group Supports Clean-Indoor Air Rule
THE DOMINION POST -- February 15, 2008

The WVU Department of Community Medicine Student Association fully supports the proposed Monongalia County clean indoor air regulation that would eliminate smoking in all public places, including bars and restaurants. Secondhand smoke is hazardous. It has been proven to cause heart disease and cancer, and can worsen other medical conditions. Community Medicine is about educating the public about health issues to prevent death, disease, and injury.
Eliminating secondhand smoke in public places would have a tremendous, positive impact on the public’s health and would save untold dollars in health-care costs locally. Secondhand smoke costs the U.S. economy roughly $10 billion in medical costs, according to the Society of Actuaries.
Exposure to secondhand smoke remains an alarming public health danger. We need to clear the air of tobacco smoke in Mon County. Every day in this county, employees enter workplaces where secondhand smoke impacts their health. The Monongalia County Board of Health has an obligation to protect the health and well being of the citizens and workers of this county. WVU CMEDSA students strongly urge the Board of Health to adopt the model regulation that has been released for public comment.

Andrew Anesetti-Rothermel
WVU Graduate Assistant -- Morgantown

In Support of Stronger Indoor Air Regulation
THE DOMINION POST -- February 2, 2008

I honestly am surprised that we are even having a public discussion about banning smoking in public areas.
   It seems to me that a public board [the Monongalia County Board of Health], charged with protecting the health of our citizens, should be taking the lead on accepting responsibility and leadership in this area, and to do otherwise, is a bit puzzling.
   The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is bad. The vast majority of people don’t smoke, and even some who do smoke support this effort to ban smoking in public places.
   Is our public health policy to be determined by a few misinformed businessmen who think this will impact negatively on their business? Come on, BOH members: Stand up and do what you have been appointed to do — protect us.

Cecil Pollard -- Morgantown

100% Solution the Best One for Public Smoke
THE DOMINION POST -- January 31, 2008

  As a program specialist for the American Lung Association, I am writing in support of a 100 percent smoke-free regulation in Monongalia County, and I would like to explain why we believe this is a crucial step in protecting the health of your residents.
   According to the Lung Cancer Alliance, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. It causes 30 percent of all cancer deaths, and it will kill more people than breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer and melanoma combined. It will kill nearly twice as many women as breast cancer will this year, and more than 50 percent of new lung cancer cases will be diagnosed at a late state. Only 5 percent of these patients will live for five more years.
   In the last 10 years, we have learned that the health risks caused by cigarette smoke are not limited to smokers. Exposure to this smoke increases the risk of lung and heart disease in nonsmokers. This smoke has been classified by the EPA and World Health Organization as a human carcinogen. The EPA estimates that secondhand smoke causes about 3,000 lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers each year, and according to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 46,000 deaths from heart disease occur in the United States to people who live with smokers but do not smoke. I urge you to consider these statistics and for the Monongalia County Board of Health to remember its mission to promote healthy lifestyles and disease prevention. Enacting a 100 percent smoke-free regulation is, by far, one of the best steps it can take to ensure the good health of local residents.

Kelli Caseman
American Lung Association of West Virginia -- Charleston

Communities Must Clear Air of Secondhand Smoke
THE DOMINION POST -- January 31, 2008

  It is vital for us as a community to do whatever is necessary to protect our citizens, especially our children, from the toxins and cancer-causing agents of secondhand smoke.
   Both the Harrison and Monongalia boards of health lag woefully behind in the need to pass a strong smoking ban. Most state health departments have already done so because there is strong public support for public and work-place smoking bans! Why?
   Each year, thousands die from secondhand smoke-related illnesses in the United States.
   Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease and lung cancer by nearly 30 percent.
   Eliminating smoking from indoor spaces is the only appropriate method to reduce the risk of exposure to secondhand smoke.
   Separating smokers from nonsmokers and ventilating buildings are not safe alternatives.
   Smoke-free policies and regulations do not have an adverse economic impact on the hospitality industry.
   That only complete elimination of secondhand smoke exposure gives protection to the public.
   Economic as well as epidemiologic evidence justifies the implementation and enforcement of nosmoking policies at the workplace and other public settings. Failure to implement and enforce such clean indoor air policies will have predictable adverse health and economic outcomes for both employees and employers.
   The proof is before us: Comprehensive clean indoor air regulation will help smokers quit, keep the young from starting smoking, ultimately help, not harm, businesses, and prevent thousands of deaths and needless illnesses by eliminating smoking from our public establishments and work places.

B.W. Adkins -- Nitro

Workers Need Protection From Secondhand Smoke
THE DOMINION POST -- January 31, 2008

I support enacting a comprehensive clean indoor air regulation that protects all public spaces and workplaces in Monongalia County, including bars and restaurants. We must protect all workers from the dangerous effects of secondhand smoke ... including bartenders, wait staff and other restaurant/food service workers.

Brett Rice
NIOSH Wellness Program Millennium -- Morgantown

Smoke-free Policies Also Protect Public’s Health
THE DOMINION POST -- January 31, 2008

I support a clean indoor regulation in Monongalia County that guarantees smoke-free air in all public places, including bars and restaurants.
Smoke-free policies not only work to protect nonsmokers from the death and disease caused by secondhand smoke exposure, but also have an immediate, positive effect on the public’s health.

Kristi Kelley
WVU School of Medicine -- Morgantown

Ban Smoking In All Public Shared Spaces
THE DOMINION POST -- January 31, 2008

Smoking should be banned in all public shared spaces, indoors and out.

Kathi K. Elkins
West Virginia Bureau for Public Health -- Charleston

Newspaper Right to Call for County Smoking Ban
THE DOMINION POST -- January 24, 2008

The Dominion Post is right in calling for a smoking ban. People should not have to expose themselves to poisonous tobacco smoke, in order to support their families!
Short-sighted businesses that allow smoking are giving up customers, like me, who refuse to enter such places. It is time for the [Monongalia County] Board of Health to catch up with many West Virginia counties, and the 20 or so states that have banned smoking in all workplaces.

Robert Anderson -- Morgantown