Editorial: Of smoking and voters

Thursday, March 24, 2005 | 9:01 a.m.

Public sentiment against smoking has accelerated in recent years, a fact that encouraged a coalition of health groups to circulate an initiative petition last year. The coalition included the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association and the American Heart Association. The petition, scheduled to be on the 2006 general election ballot, would ban smoking in most public places where minors are allowed. This would include the gaming areas of grocery and convenience stores.

Fearing that the petition could lead to a ban on smoking in casinos, bars, strip clubs and hotel rooms, and fearing a major loss of revenue from the slot areas of grocery and convenience stores, another coalition circulated a competing and less restrictive petition. This coalition included retailers, gaming companies, convenience store owners, liquor distributors and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

Both petitions ultimately succeeded, which forced the Legislature to choose one or reject them both. But the Legislature knew that approving one over the other could result in conflicting law, as the petition it rejected would go on the ballot and possibly gain voter approval. Wisely, the Legislature rejected them both, setting the stage for the petitions to compete for votes on the 2006 ballot.

But now the gaming/retailer coalition is challenging the health groups' petition in District Court. It wants their petition thrown out on technicalities. One argument is that enforcement of their more restrictive petition would cost money, and that their petition contains no provision for an accompanying tax increase to provide for that cost. We hope District Judge Bill Maddox, who will rule on the case, sees through this type of argument. Every place affected by the health groups' petition already has staff in place that could enforce the new law.

The way cigarette smoke, including secondhand smoke, rots your body from the inside out has been well known now for decades. Becoming just as well known now is the mushrooming cost of health care, and how sick smokers contribute to the cost of Medicaid, Medicare and public hospitals, forcing new and increased taxes.

In our view, members of the public, whose health and pocketbooks are threatened by cigarette smoke, deserve a clear choice about which petition to pass.