Gov. Tim Kaine reintroduced expanded legislation last week that would ban smoking in all Virginia restaurants, including those in private clubs.
Last year, the General Assembly considered a bill that would have allowed smoking only in establishments with a clearly labeled section for smokers. When Kaine tried to amend the bill to ban smoking at these restaurants altogether, the General Assembly rejected the amendment. Kaine later vetoed the bill.
A number of Charlottesville bars and restaurants that allow smoking would be affected by the changes. Though smoking has been a part of the culture at many of these establishments, some local owners welcome the possibility of change.
"If that legislation should pass, I would be delighted," said David Simpson, owner of the downtown C&O Restaurant. "Smoking is something we've done here for many years. It's a good bar to smoke in simply. Still, I'd rather not expose my employees to smoking."
The potential danger to restaurant staff is part of Kaine's stated rationale for the ban. Food service workers have a 50 percent greater risk of dying from lung cancer than those with other occupations, according to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. On a personal level, some wait staff note the inconveniences of secondhand smoke.
"It was totally different back in the 70s and early 80s," said Will DeVillier, owner of Corner establishment Coupe Deville's. "From working in a small place that was just filled with people smoking, you'd come home and reek at night. You'd have to take a shower."
Currently, 28 states ban smoking in restaurants. The success of establishments in those states after such a ban is encouraging to Charlottesville restaurant and bar owners.
"There are plenty of bars in New York City that are doing good business with smoking completely banned," Simpson said. "I'm sure the same would happen here."
Still, while some owners welcome a lack of smoking in their establishments, they would prefer a ban to be on their terms. To these owners, a state law is unnecessary as restaurants and bars have developed their own policies regarding smoking.
"Without government interference, the trend has been headed in that direction anyway," DeVillier said, adding that he has suggested diners not smoke during dinner hours at Coupe's. "People do take steps to control their environment."
Even though smoking has been part of the bar scene for ages, DeVillier said the two need not go hand-in-hand.
"Smoking doesn't have to be part of the bar scene," DeVillier said. "It's rubbing elbows and the camaraderie. The smoking, to get beyond it all, is probably an inhibitor."
The proposed smoking ban in restaurants is just the next step in a series of health-related legislation sponsored by Kaine. In October 2006, Kaine signed an executive order banning smoking in all state buildings and vehicles. According to University spokesperson Carol Wood, the University had already banned smoking in all of its building before the governor's order.
Kaine's current proposal and a number of similarly worded bills banning smoking in restaurants are currently being debated in both houses of the General Assembly.
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