Time to end casinos' exception to smoking ban

By Iowa City Press-Citizen

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When the Iowa Legislature passed the Smokefree Air Act five years ago, it came as somewhat of a surprise.

Public health advocates had been pushing for such a comprehensive ban, of course. But at the time, it seemed the best they could expect was for lawmakers to grant cities and counties permission to decide on their own to implement bans more severe than what the state required.

However, with the U.S. surgeon general having issued a report in 2006 showing that there is no safe level of secondhand smoke - and with lawmakers already having increased the state's tobacco tax in 2007 - a majority of legislators proved ready to accept the public health arguments. And out of the flurry of behind-closed-doors wheeling and dealing that comes at the end of every session, lawmakers emerged with a smoking ban that exceeded all expectations … well, except for one.

The state ban included a glaring exception for the gambling floors of state regulated casinos.

That means, for five years now, Iowa workers have not had to endure any secondhand smoke while trying to earn a living - that is, unless they are working on the gambling floor of a casino.

That means, for five years now, restaurant and bargoers have not had to have secondhand smoke wafting into their seating area while enjoying their food and drink - unless, perhaps, the restaurant and bar is alongside the gambling floor of a casino.

That means, for five years now, business owners in Iowa basically have not had to set out any ashtrays in their indoor areas - unless, of course, they run the gambling floor of a casino.

As an editorial board, we were strong supporters of allowing cities and counties to implement their own smoking bans. And after the passage of the statewide ban, we agreed that if Irish pubs could go smoke free and if Parisian cafés could go smoke free, then Iowa's bars, restaurants and other workplaces eventually would adapt to a required smoke-free environment.

The past five years largely have borne out that optimism. And research from Christopher Squier - a professor in the University of Iowa's Department of Pathology, Radiology and Medicine - shows there have been thousands of fewer tobacco-related hospitalizations since the law took effect.

But the casino exception continues to undermine the public health rationale behind that ban. Gambling industry lobbyists continue to argue that eliminating smoking in the state-regulated casinos would cause the industry to lose money as smokers would opt to drive further to the Native American-run casinos in the area. And the state politicians in the industry's pockets continue to argue that, if the casinos lose money, then the state will lose out on its share of the action as well.

Just look at the lobbyist declarations this year for unsuccessful legislation proposed to end that exception (Senate Study Bill 1107). Lined up in support of making casinos smoke-free were groups such as, the American Lung Association, the State Police Officers Council, the Iowa Behavioral Health Association, the Iowa Public Health Association, the Iowa Medical Society, the Iowa State Association of County Supervisors, the Child and Family Policy Center, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and Clean Air for Everyone. Lined up against the legislation were the Iowa Gaming Association and various individual casinos.

After five years, it's time Iowa lawmakers get over their addiction to gambling revenue.

Those same lawmakers also need to continue efforts to increase the state's contribution to smoking cessation programs. We were glad to see such programs - after years of budget cuts - recently starting to see some of their budgets partially restored. But the current funding levels still are woefully less than the amount recommended by the Centers for Disease Control for a state the size of Iowa.

The recent increase has allowed the Iowa Department of Public Health to make some limited offers of free nicotine replacement therapy in the form of patches or gum to Iowa smokers who choose to make a quit attempt by visiting www.quitlineiowa.org or calling 800-QUIT-NOW. But if the state is really serious about helping its citizens quit smoking, it needs to ensure those cessation efforts - in addition to prevention efforts - are ongoing.