[ Golden Gater Online - December 16, 1997 ]
Michele Thompson
Staff writer
"I'm not really a smoker. I'll only smoke when I drink."
Bar goers won't be hearing those words as often. After the New Year, full-time and part-time smokers alike will be left out in the cold if they want to light up in a bar.
Last November, voters of San Francisco decided that secondhand smoke was too much of a health risk for bar and restaurant employees and their patrons, and passed a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants.
"The new law is designed to protect smokers and non-smokers," said Mele Smith of the Tobacco Free Project of San Francisco. "Especially workers in an environment where they are constantly subjected to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is a Class A carcinogen, which means it causes cancer and no level of exposure is safe for humans."
Some people don't appreciate the protective arms of San Francisco reaching around to ward off the dangers of cigarette smoke. "If people are drinking, which is toxic, it seems to go hand-in-hand with smoking," said Adam Glauser, an SF State art major and bartender at Off Broadway.
"We (the other bartenders at Off Broadway) all smoke," Glauser said. "It doesn't make sense. We have to go outside to hurt our lungs, but you can hurt your liver in here for $3.50 to $4 (the cost of a drink)."
Others don't see the new anti-smoking law as hypocrisy.
"It is as harsh as it is fair," said Robert Lee, an SF State technical writing major. "Smoking seems personal, but it is a shared thing."
"I'm an ex-smoker and I realize what it is to be in an environment that is smoking," Lee said. "But the bottom line is if someone lights up ... it's not allowed."
The Tobacco Free Project is taking steps to ensure that it is not allowed. They have sent brochures, detailing fine amounts for proprietors that don't back the new law, and suggestions on how to deal with customers that don't want to adhere to the new law.
"We are just supposed to explain to people that it's the law and ask them to put it out," said Matt Callahan, manager of London's Sports Bar on O'Farrell Street.
If bar owners continue to allow smoking on their premises, fines could range from $100 for the first offense up to $7,000 and the revocation of their liquor license for subsequent offenses. Bar owners are required to remove ashtrays from the premises and tell smokers that they are not allowed to light up, but are not required to tell them to leave if they persist.
Some smokers don't think the new law will stop them from smoking in bars. "I've been drinking in downtown bars for over 15 years," Nick Costino said. "I've smoked just as long and I don't plan on quitting."
[ Golden Gater - December 16, 1997 ]