The Commonwealth of Virginia has officially snuffed out a bad habit. The state’s new anti-smoking restaurant law took effect this week, marking a huge shift for a state with a tobacco habit that dates all the way back to colonial times.
Throughout the history of the Commonwealth, tobacco has been considered Virginia’s premier crop and economic staple. The state’s dependence on tobacco dates all the way back to the Jamestown settlement some 400 years ago, the Associated Press reported last week.
That’s no longer the case. The new law enacted Tuesday allows Virginia to join dozens of other states in banning smoking in restaurants.
The law bans smoking in nearly all restaurants across the Commonwealth, allowing narrow exceptions for private clubs and restaurants with a designated smoking room that is physically separated and independently ventilated from non-smoking dining areas.
In addition to Virginia, 28 other states and the District of Columbia have laws that ban restaurant smoking.
Like it or not the restaurant smoking ban in Virginia is now law. And it’s also a positive step forward for public health in Virginia.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine worked for several years to pass what he has called a “reasonable and necessary” public health measure to protect the citizens and children of the Commonwealth from the dangers of second-hand smoke.
Local health departments are now charged with enforcing the law, and will inspect for compliance when completing other routine inspections.
While everyone may not agree with this new law, its implementation marks a significant public health victory for Virginia.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, second-hand smoke is responsible for an estimated 1,700 deaths per year. In addition, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids estimates the Commonwealth spends $113 million a year on health care expenditures related to exposure to second-hand smoke.
The dangers associated with second-hand smoke are real. The statistics are alarming. Action was necessary.
Virginia is to be commended for taking a significant step toward improving public safety and improving the health of its citizens.
