Warning sparks new hope for smoking ban

State Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, hopes the surgeon general's warning this week against secondhand smoke will breathe new life into a bill that would ban smoking in restaurants and other public places.

Rutherford introduced the bill, which would have prohibited smoking in restaurants, bars, lounges and recreational facilities, last year but it narrowly died in the House in April.

Seventeen states have no-smoking laws. Rutherford said the surgeon general's call Tuesday for smoke-free buildings and public places will help his mission in South Carolina.

The surgeon general said there's no safe level of secondhand smoke and that even the best-ventilated smoking sections don't protect non-smokers enough.

"(My opponents) say you can do what you want to do as long as it doesn't affect anyone else. This clearly shows it does," said Rutherford, who said his opponents presented studies during their debate that argued the opposite.

"As soon as I can, I'm going to get on the phone with as many of them as possible."

Rep. Ralph Davenport, R-Boiling Springs, said he remains opposed to the bill and feels business owners have the right to offer smoking sections.

"It's very difficult for me to be a conservative and say the government has a right to come in and either make them change or close it down," said Davenport, who doesn't smoke and said he won't go into places that have a lot of smoke.

"It's their money. If they've weighed all the aspects and still want to (offer smoking) then they have that right."

Davenport argued that more attention should go to educating adults and children about the dangers of smoking rather than limiting choices.

"Until we do more to educate people, we can't make them change," Davenport said.

Health-care facilities and other businesses have gone smoke free in recent years, including Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System's main campus and Mary Black Memorial Hospital.

Spartanburg restaurant owner -- and nonsmoker -- Nita K. Biven said she and her business partners have discussed going smoke-free but decided against it.

"We have a large number of people who enjoy smoking," said Biven, who owns Billy D's on Pine Street.

"I'm not sure we should take that option away from them."

Biven said some customers prefer to wait for a table in the nonsmoking section rather than sit in the smoking area, but none have ever been critical of the smoking customers.

If the restaurant banned smoking, though, Biven said she would expect to hear complaints.

Several Spartanburg restaurants have switched to smoke-free, and many of their customers praise them for it.

Wade's went smoke-free in 2001 after noticing longer lines for a table in the nonsmoking section.

Customers Teresa Garland and Martha Settle, both of Inman and both nonsmokers, said they are thrilled with the change.

"I would love to see more do it," Garland said.

William Dehart of Union said he enjoys eating at Wade's even though he smokes.

"I'm trying to quit," Dehart said.

"When I was serious about smoking I didn't like it, but now that I'm quitting, I do."

Amanda Ridley can be reached at 562-7221 or amanda.ridley@shj.com.