Air clears on effect of smoking restrictions

Sampling of business owners shows mostly positive reactions

Since the smoke cleared Oct. 1 in restaurants and some bars across the valley, a nonscientific sampling of owners reported mostly positive reactions to the smoking ban from their customers.

Kathy McGrath, owner of the Great Northern Bar and Grill in Whitefish, said banning smoking was a great decision. She thinks business has increased for this slow time of year.

"We're seeing people we haven't seen in years coming in," McGrath said. "I wish we would have done it sooner."

She said even smokers haven't complained about the new nonsmoking policy.

"They just step outside," McGrath said.

When a new law restricting smoking in public places went into effect in October, many businesses worried that that customers would stay away.

But Eric May, owner of The Bulldog Grill in Whitefish, said his haven't.

"I don't think it has affected us numberswise," he said.

May said comments have been all positive since his establishment became smoke free. He said any loss of business apparently was offset by nonsmokers who now patronize the Bulldog.

"We have a lot of customers who do smoke," May said. "They still come in."

Moose's Saloon and Syke's Grocery and Market also found the change to the customers' liking.

Judy Wise, owner of Syke's, said the reception has been good. She said she and the staff were happy to comply with the new law.

"It's wonderful," she said. "There's nothing adverse about it."

It was the same story at Moose's Saloon. Owner Wallace Bianchi said business was great at the Kalispell bar and restaurant.

"All in all, people are thrilled with it," she said.

However, not all businesses have conformed to the letter of the law. Confusion has arisen over an exception allowing smoking in some bars and casinos until Sept. 30, 2009.

Traci Gulledge of the Flathead City-County Health Department said she has received about 10 complaints. She and Lisa Schlepp have sent out educational letters to clarify the new law.

To qualify for an exception, a business must earn 60 percent of its income from liquor or gambling. Even with an exception granted, the business may not allow people younger than 18 into any areas smoke infiltrates.

A smoker who violates the Clean Indoor Air Act may incur a fine from $25 to $100. A business risks fines from $100 for a third violation to as much as $500 for a fifth or subsequent violation.

A recent study gives employers and others even more reason to comply with the law, Gulledge said. It confirmed that indoor smoke-free laws reduce heart attacks in the communities that adopt them.

The Pueblo Heart Study, released Monday, found that heart-attack rates in the Colorado city dropped nearly 30 percent within city limits where the smoke-free law applied.

Rates outside the city did not change during the same period.

In the Helena study published in February 2004, heart attacks dropped by 40 percent.

The new study included a sample size three times larger than the one used in Helena and corrected for factors such as the overall national trend toward better preventative health.

Public-health officials say the two studies suggests protecting people from secondhand smoke improves the quality of life and makes immediate reductions in serious health consequences.

Medical researchers have found that secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including many toxic to human health, according to information provided by Gulledge. A nonsmoker living with a smoker faces a 30-percent increased risk for a heart attack.

Exposure to secondhand smoke such as that in bars and restaurants increases a person's chance of a stroke by 50 percent.

Each year, about 53,000 people die from the effects of secondhand smoke, according to statistics provided by Gulledge. This includes 49,000 nonsmokers who die from heart disease.

Smokers face even greater health risks from tobacco. Each year, 440,000 Americans die from smoking-related illnesses.

Gulledge and Schlepp encourage those who want to quit to call the tobacco quit line at 1-866-485-QUIT.

Schlepp said smokers may sign up for five free over-the-phone counseling sessions as well as free patches.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.