Smoking ban hasn’t hurt

After five years, the Bloomington and Monroe County Smoking Ordinance has received few complaints and many praises, according to city officials and business owners.

Ordinance 03-06 took effect Aug. 1, 2003, and banned smoking in enclosed public places. The ordinance applied to bars, restaurants and places of employment. Privately owned clubs and restaraunts that already had smoking sections established and did not admit minors implemented the smoking ban Jan. 1, 2005.

The idea for the ban came from Bloomington resident and former pathologist Anthony Pizzo who suggested that smoking be banned in public places in Bloomington. He said during his time as a doctor, he diagnosed lung cancer to non-smoking patients and attributed their illnesses to exposure to secondhand smoke. He decided to take action for the health of Bloomington residents.

“I’ve diagnosed lung cancer so many times,” he said. “I’ve always felt that we should pass it.”

Pizzo got the idea for the ordinance from the American Cancer Society and brought it to the Bloomington City Council two times before it was passed by an 8-1 vote. Pizzo recalled how difficult it was to get the ordinance to pass.

“Unfortunately, no one wanted to do it because it was election year, and it might have caused controversy,” he said. “A lot of smokers and bars came against it.”

After the ordinance passed, many communities followed Bloomington’s suit on banning smoking in public areas, Pizzo said. He said local restaurants and bars did not suffer economically from the ordinance and the community is healthier because of it.

“I think that most of the responders, particularly bars and restaurants, did better,” he said.

Nick’s English Hut day bartender Karey Pittman has worked in the restaurant and bar for 12 years and said he noticed an increase in revenue since the ordinance took place. He said the fairness of the ordinance made it a positive endeavor for all bars and restaurants in the community.

“It’s for every public building, all inclusive,” he said. “That’s why it worked.”

Pittman said although the smoking ban has made his restaurant a healthy place for patrons, he sympathizes with those who were and still are against the ordinance.

“People hate the fact it’s been pushed down their throat,” he said. “It was another right that has been usurped.”

City of Bloomington Health Projects Manager Nancy Woolery said there has been an increase in cessation classes in workplaces since the ordinance took place. She said hospitals have also taken a step in helping patients to stop smoking by offering intervention and cessation classes.

Many other counties around the area call the City of Bloomington to ask how they can set up an ordinance of their own, Woolery said.

“A lot of counties in Indiana wanted to do this but didn’t want to be the first ones,” she said. “Monroe County is a model not only for the state, but throughout the Midwest.”

Pizzo said the ordinance has had a positive effect on the Bloomington community and will continue to do so by encouraging citizens to rid themselves of their addiction.
“Ultimately, smoking will become a rarity,” he said.

Pittman said there was only one negative affect to the smoking ban which forces business owners to clean their sidewalks everyday.

“The kids smoke right outside,” he said. “And they don’t use the ashtrays.”