Two Carolina cities give initial OK on smoking ban

This week, Columbia, S.C. and Charlotte, N.C. passed initial votes to ban smoking in bars and restaurants in the Carolinas.
In Charlotte, Mecklenburg County commissioners voted to ask the state legislature for approval of the county-wide smoking ban. Last year, Mecklenburg County became the first in the state to request a ban, but Raleigh rejected the proposal. Today, The Charlotte Observer published a county health department study of air quality in Charlotte-area bars and restaurants.

Nonsmoking sections in Mecklenburg County bars and restaurants have air quality that is five times worse on average than in smoke-free restaurants.

On Tuesday, Columbia city council voted 4-2 to enact a complete smoking ban in bars and restaurants. Bar owners are now trying to convince council members to exempt bars before the council votes to finalize the ban next month.

“If you believe in the fact that this is a health issue ... you’ve got to treat all workplaces the same,” Council member Tameika Issac Devine said. “Whether it’s a bar or a restaurant.”

Currently Sullivan's Island, S.C. is the only city in the Carolinas with a smoking ban in bars and restaurants.