Tobacco Documents Online

2046435532 `Jut THE M061TOOMERY JOI1RNAf. 6PONOAY, MAHGH G- 1?SS Ch L Ok*'TIoN ouR VIEWS YOUR VIEWS No need for butt police in smoke-free Maryland Maryland got national exposure last week, with Gov. Parris Glendening's announcement of an unprecedented han un smoldng inworkplaces starting March 27. Some lawmakers tttink the ban is Big Brotheriam and have vowed to exempt bars, hotels and restaurants. They sa{5' they have the neededvotes to override a Glendening veto, vtiteanwhik, the tobacco companies have stepped up the fob- bpin8 heat. One company, Philip Morris USA, called a Mont- gomery Village woman who smoke the moming after the han was announced. The waman, a JotrrnaL employee, said she didn't want to participate in arly survey, but the Philip Morris caller asked anyway, (from the wotnui s memory): ' Are you aware that the regulation can ban smoking in bars and restau- rants atuleven your own home?" The svomansaid she felt sure ]tomes weze notaffected bythe ban, but the Phlli s callersaid, "l'es, if you h•w~ir- tpan come to your house, the b:m eould gn uir,o effecc Philip Alorsis spokeswontan Mary Cot4din, based ui New York City, confirmed the cnmpan,y began making calle ktst week to Mary- iand smokers who contacted the company in the past. Callers are being given infnnnalian on the ban eald are told names of lawmakersto contact about the ban. And yes, Coughtin satd, the compazty contends that "detl- nitely, the ban affects workpLaces, and a home is aworkplace if aplmnberorotherrepairntancornesthere." - However, state ott-icials on B4iday eaid emphaticall,v ihat the ban dos not anpl ~to homes-, *:ven 1 u repaumarr - cause slate offrcials SuuCIiea-ryr about the information used by tobacco eompat>tes in phone caQs, they urged Maryland resi- dents to call collect the tobacco comparries to eomplain about their givingout misleading information..lohn O'Comtor, com- ntiv ioner of l:dtor and "atdustry, said thc tobacco cornpany call- ers are apparently saying the ban "may" or "can" ban smoking in the home, even though it eleurly will not. And, he said, the state clearly pians no act3on against smokutg in a home. If you want to call Philip Morris, the number's 212-880- 5000. Cottf!hliti s ulTire is Z 12-87T3-282:3- State legislators can b reached atR[]t7-d4'l.-7 LVe sty)pnrted Ihis bsm a•hen Gov. William Donald Sehaefer How to write us °s, Wawelcome tettersto the edita or Iongei,w,t• opinfonadides,whbchappearunderlhe haeding "WbtioSpeaking." 6nlyaigned Iet- ters that Inctude anaddressand daytlme phonenumbarwlldbecnnsiderediorpubli- - cation. t.etters may beedrted tor brevity and ,. clarity. . Address to Lotters to the Edhar, IasMont- gomm eryJOUrnal, 2 Research Court, Aockviller- Md.2C666.Lettnrsalsomaybefuxedto _ i3UiZ674-IA27:orweruGelvoe-rnaiithrOUgti ' Internetatthisaddrssa: loumalexpCaoLwm _- &st proposed it lastsprittf; and see It as good sense. Its intentls to protect workers from secondhand smoke. The regulation pemnts employers to set up smokhtb areas for workers who want to smoke. 6ecause some small taverns and restaurants believe they LviR fose customers (we've heard from a few in Montgomery Crxjlp- ~ ty), Glendening would be willictg to consider some "nnrtowb' i defined exceptions from the ban; ' spokesman Chuck Pot`deri ' said Smoking in hotel rooms also couid be exempted ' "It's not going tn be like lhe butt police here," Porcari said. -'Thia is to prutect employees: ' - State offrcisds say 1,000 workers in Maryland die each year from secondlrand smoke. For those who are attgry they won't be able to hang out at a bar and smoke, we see nothing wrong with the government stepping in arid saying,' °Cake it outside to protect the other patrons and workers." We say that having taken maaystandsagain.yt govermoentintervention. An overwhelmirrg majority of Maryfanders don't smoke,;uc- cording to one survey Porcari cited. It's likely a ban on smok- Ing in larger bara and restaurants will encourage nonsmokers front Washington and Virginia to come a+:ruaw the border for fmr in a smoke-free placc-'fhey could make up fnr smokers who may leave Marylaiui for a right out-.