Jobs will go up in smoke with statewide smoking ban

Anti-smoking activists have launched an initiative campaign to enact a statewide smoking ban in all public places and private businesses with employees. Proponents say a statewide ban would improve health and level the economic playing field for everyone.

That's not quite true.

The initiative would not apply to tribal businesses, and we need look no further than Pierce County, Washington, to see what the consequences will be.

Pierce County Health Department officials implemented a countywide smoking ban in taverns and restaurants in February. At the time, employers warned that their customers would flee to tribal casinos where smoking is not restricted, endangering jobs and livelihoods in Pierce County businesses.

That's exactly what happened.

Taverns and restaurants in Pierce County are hemorrhaging jobs, and if employers weren't so busy trying to stay afloat, they could tell the county, "we told you so."

When Pierce County's smoking ban took effect, anti-smoking activists and the health department assured business owners that any lost business would be minimal and would be more than offset by a flood of non-smoking patrons.

They were wrong.

For example, the Grand Central Casino in Lakewood reports that since the ban took effect in February, liquor sales are down 42 percent and food sales have dropped 25 percent. Fifteen employees have been laid off and another 40 to 50 jobs are in jeopardy.

Health department officials say employers just need to hang on for a year or so until non-smokers make up for the lost business. A year? That's like telling a drowning man, "hey, I'll be back tomorrow to give you a hand."

As predicted, the big winners in this debacle are the tribal casinos, which do not restrict smoking. Although Pierce County officials have "encouraged" the tribes to ban smoking, the tribes have refused and are reaping the economic benefits. The same would be true with a statewide ban.

In addition to revenue from the casinos, many tribes also reap huge economic benefits from tribal smoke shops. Their dependence on cigarette-related income is ironic, considering a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control that reports Native Americans smoke more heavily and suffer more smoking-related illnesses than the general population. While tribal communities receive some of Washington state's tobacco settlement money for anti-smoking programs, neither the state nor Pierce County can compel them to restrict smoking on tribal land.

The bottom line is this: The free market could have taken care of this. According to the Tacoma News Tribune, nearly 730 businesses in Pierce County licensed to serve food or alcohol are already voluntarily smoke-free. People who want a smoke-free experience have somewhere to go. Conversely, if there had truly been a big backlash against smoking in bars and restaurants, patrons would have stayed away from establishments that allowed smoking. Instead, the Pierce County Health Department imposed a ban that is driving those customers away.

As one beleaguered casino employee asked the health department officials, "how many people have to lose their cars and their jobs and their homes before you see that trying to protect my health is endangering my livelihood?"