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The Veterans of Foreign Wars clubhouse in Morningside is one of hundreds of establishments in Allegheny County where state law allows people to smoke inside. Though Pennsylvania passed the Clean Indoor Air Act in 2008, there were thousands of exemptions for establishments in the hospitality industry (mostly bars).
But the VFW in Morningside recently banned smoking inside its post, and VFW representatives are hoping more will follow suit.
On Tuesday, Pennsylvania VFW commander Thomas Hanzes spoke at the Morningside VFW and called on state lawmakers to end the exemptions and ban smoking inside all workplaces. He says VFW members have already voted to support this step and many other posts are joining Morningside.
“Just like at this post in Morningside, many VFW posts throughout the commonwealth have already taken this stand,” said Hanzes.
State Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Squirrel Hill) has been pushing to remove exemptions from the Clean Indoor Air Act. This would effectively ban smoking inside in workplaces. Frankel said that ending exemptions is about fairness for employees and patrons.
“If you work in most businesses in Pennsylvania, your lungs are protected,” said Frankel. “But if your job is one of the more than 1,700 that have asked to be exempt from the law, you’re not. It’s been a decade. We know the law works. Let’s make it work for everyone. All Pennsylvania workers have a right to breathe free.”
According to the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center, more than 400 drinking establishments in Allegheny County allow smoking indoors. But Frankel said that number is shrinking and even private clubs, who were initially against smoking bans, are changing their tune.
“Today, they recognize that it is time,” said Frankel.
Frankel noted removing the exemptions has bipartisan support. Former state Rep. Matthew Baker (R-Tioga) smoking-ban bill introduced in 2017 garnered co-sponsor signatures from seven Republicans and 13 Democrats.
“It was bipartisan when we passed it in 2008 and there is Republican and Democratic support now,” said Frankel. “If we got a bill to the floor of the House, I am confident, it can move forward. I think there is no excuse. We can’t leave employees and patrons without clean air.”
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald also spoke at the press conference and supports the workplace, indoor smoking ban. In 2006, Allegheny County passed a smoking ban that was eventually challenged and struck down in court. State law does not allow municipalities, except Philadelphia, to pass local smoking bans.
Fitzgerald said state lawmakers need to remove the exceptions for the health concerns of Allegheny County residents.
“We made the decision to act on a county level because of our residents and on their behalf,” said Fitzgerald. “This is no exception. We cannot meet our goal of becoming the healthiest county in the country when employees are still exposed to tobacco smoke in their workplace.”
Franziska Rosser, a doctor at Children’s Hospital, said employees who work at establishments with indoor smoking don’t have the ability to escape the harm brought caused by secondhand smoke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 2.5 million nonsmokers have died from health problems caused by exposure to secondhand smoke since 1964. Rosser also noted studies have shown smoking bans are good for business.
“They are forced to work in an environment that is unhealthy,” said Rosser. They have the right to breathe safe air. We shouldn’t be in the minority, we should be leaders. We should move forward to eliminate these exemptions.”
This article appears in September 5, 2018 – Pittsburgh City Paper.
Pennsylvania should pass a law forbidding any laws that either require smoking to be allowed or require it to be banned. The decision should be up to the workers in a workplace and the owners of a business. Government has no right to impose its wishes on people in this manner, and most certainly no right to draft owners and managers to act as untrained, unpaid, unwilling, and unarmed civilian vigilantes in enforcing its laws.
The article notes there are 1,700 workplaces (almost all being either bars, strip clubs, or private citizens clubs) that still allow their patrons to smoke if they wish. It calls this “thousands of workplaces” — which seems like a bit of stretch. 1,700 sounds like a big number, right? But how many workplaces are actually IN the state? 1,700 probably represents a small fraction of 1% of the workplaces and workers in the state… probably SO small that you’ll never see the real numbers noted in any story like this.
Antismokers will never, ever, be satisfied as long as a single smoker has a place to smoke anywhere on Earth. Anything they do is aimed at the total and complete eradication of smoking and smokers, one small step, one small slice of the freedom sausage, at a time.
Michael J. McFadden
Author of “Dissecting Antismokers’ Brains”
Philadelphia, PA
Michael,
Your statement alone shows your ignorance. Do you really ANYONE wants you to quit smoking? I, for one, don’t care if you play Russian roulette with just one EMPTY chamber. I guess you think smoking is good for you. Go ahead, keep smoking, just don’t do it around smart people that had the smarts to either quit or never start.
Replying to the Anonymouse who’s afraid to share their name:
You say my “statement” shows my “ignorance” without pointing out how it does so. That’s sort of like listening to a detailed explanation of something in a debate, and when it’s your turn to respond you have nothing to say other than, “Well, I think my opponent is stupid.” Heh, not a very effective response if you really have a valid argument.
You also “guess” that I believe “smoking is good for you.” Can you point to anywhere where I said that, or are you just making it up because you had no real argument to make against what I *did* say? If you did even a TINY bit of research you’ve have found my Author’s Preface for “Dissecting Antismokers’ Brains” and noticed the THIRD SENTENCE starting off my book:
“I also do not here, nor have I ever, tried to claim that smoking is generally good for you, although many find enough enjoyment in it to justify its risks.”
Seriously Anonymouse, how can anyone take your position seriously if you can’t read even three sentences of your opponent’s main body of writing?
Let me make it easier for you by pointing you to an easy-reading, big print, handout booklet I designed for dimly lit bars under attack. Should be lots of easy targets there for you. In case active links are not allowed here I put “(DOT)” in place of the two “.” in the address for easy access. easy access:
docplayer(DOT)net/24129388-The-lies-behind-the-smoking-bans-v-gen5h-k5(DOT)html
See if you can come up with some specific, substantive criticisms of what I actually DO say, OK?
– MJM
Again , you show your ignorance by thinking that all non smokers don’t want ANYONE to smoke. No one is asking anyone to quit smoking. Yes you have a right to smoke.
The only request that the non smoker has is to not smoke where they have to breath the pathogens.
Ask any bar in New York now if their business has gone down or up since the smoke free law took affect, and you’ll find out that business has increased. All the smokers now go outside to smoke. Problem solved.
Ray, aka “Fed Up”, evidently could find absolutely nothing to criticise in my writings at the link I sent him to, so he just returned, commented again about my “ignorance,” and wrote this:
“Ask any bar in New York now if their business has gone down or up since the smoke free law took affect,”
Sure Ray/Fed/Whatever: How if I asked a few HUNDRED bars? Would that satisfy you? See:
https://web.archive.org/web/20080522111212/http://www.smokersclub.com/banloss3.htm
Now, Ray or whoever, before you call me “ignorant” again, you might want to show our readers that you yourself can’t be accused of ignorance. Simply read over my leaflet-booklet at the link I gave a few hours ago, and pick out the various specific, substantive errors and criticisms you must have of it to show the ignorance of my ways.
Thank you.
– MJM
there is nothing worse than a obvious intelligent person that is so ignorant of the facts of smoking as to defend it.
Wow