County board of health strikes up initiative
ALLISON RUPP Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 12:00 am
The Teton County Board of Health banned smoking in public places, including bars and restaurants, in Jackson and the rest of Teton County during a public meeting Tuesday morning.
The law will take effect in 60 days, said Julia Heemstra, program manager for the Teton County Tobacco Prevention Program, making Teton the first county in Wyoming to fully ban smoking.
Because of state law, county commissions do not have the authority to enact smoking bans. The decision to do so has been left up to each city or town council.
For example, Cheyenne has a smoking ban, but areas outside the city in Laramie County do not have to abide by it.
After the Jackson Town Council rejected several proposals by the county health board and the Teton County Tobacco Prevention Coalition advocacy group over the past few years, Heemstra said the coalition worked with county attorneys to devise an alternative plan.
Jackson Mayor Mark Barron said council members did not take action because they did not want to police something where they already saw a 99 percent voluntary compliance rate.
Through research, the health board found it had the authority to pass a rule for the whole county, Heemstra said.
The health board voted unanimously Tuesday among its seven voting members to pass the Teton County Smoke-Free Air Rule of 2009 after a lengthy public comment period, which Heemstra said lasted longer than the required 45 days.
The final comment period was Tuesday morning and Heemstra said out of the 21 people who spoke only three opposed the rule.
Mike Kraft, general manager of The Virginian Lodge, said some of his customers came to the bar because it was the only one left in town where people could smoke indoors.
"It's not so much the health issue, but they are taking away people's rights to do what they want to do," Kraft said.
He said "time will tell" if the ban has any effect on business.
Heemstra said other people expressed concerns with the ban because of "the semantics of how this fits in with libertarian Wyoming.
"They said, 'It's already being done and being done without government,'" Heemstra said.
Even though there was only one bar in town that still allowed smoking, having an anti-smoking law helps change social norms, she said. She believes the law will persuade some people to quit smoking and keep youth from ever starting.
Heemstra said the rule is probably the most comprehensive smoking ban the state has seen.
Cities such as Laramie, Cheyenne, Rock Springs and Evanston all have their own versions of a smoking ban.
Teton County's new law will restrict smoking in all places of employment, bars, restaurants and sports arenas. Smoking cannot take place within 20 feet of any public establishment, outdoor serving areas of restaurants, seating areas in outdoor arenas and ski lifts.
Private residences, tobacco shops and a certain number of rooms per hotel are exempt from the rule.
Barron said the Jackson Town Council supports the health department in its decision.
Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at 307-266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com