Smoking ban enforced

By Mary Grothause, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Monday, July 7, 2008 (4 months, 2 weeks ago)
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When the “no smoking” law went into effect in Ohio, it took awhile for health departments to enforce the law. Smoking violations include smoking inside a building, ashtrays present in a business and smoke infiltration. The law does not specify how far a smoker must be from the building, but an employer can dictate the distance.
The Ohio Department of Health received 32,259 complaints during the time period May 2007 to May 2008. The complaints are then given to the appropriate county for investigation to find if it is a factual complaint.
A first-time offense is a warning letter; second offense, $100; third offense, $500; fourth offense, $1,000; and fifth offense, $2,500.
Allen County Health Department representative  Bill Kelly reported 406 complaints received, 180 investigations were conducted and 124 dismissals. Warning letters were sent to 17 businesses — four received $100 fines and two received $500 fines.
All complaints received from Delphos were handled by Allen County. The complaints included: Deer Creek Apartments, Rustic Cafe, Double D Lounge, Chateau, Johnny A’s, Hong Kong Restaurant, K&M Tire, Topp Chalet, American Legion, Cameo Beauty Shop and Eagle Print. Complaints in Spencerville were Canal Stop, American Legion and VFW.
Putnam County Health Department employee Curt Schroeder received 70 reports, 51 investigations and 33 dismissals. Warning letters were sent to six businesses, five received a $100 fine and one received a $500 fine.
Complaints included Wannemacher’s Tavern, Millie’s Cafe, VFW and Miller’s Precision, all in Ottoville; and one in Fort Jennings against the police department.
Van Wert County Health Department employee Britt Menchofer received 65 complaints. Three places received a $100 fine, one business is now closed. One complaint was made against the AmVets in Middle Point.

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  1. #1 — Added 4 months, 2 weeks ago

    Air quality test results by Johns Hopkins
    Town can’t ban smoking, attorney says
    By Prentiss Findlay (Contact)
    The Post and Courier
    Thursday, June 26, 2008

    http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/jun/26/to… LINK TO THIS STORY WAS DELETED we wonder why but I have retained the original story.

    COLUMBIA — An attorney for Bert’s Bar argued Wednesday before the state Supreme Court that the town of Sullivan’s Island does not have the authority to ban smoking in the workplace.

    Bert’s Bar attorney Paul Dominick said that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, through the state Department of Labor, regulates workplace smoking.

    Justice Donald Beatty questioned Dominick’s assertion.

    “I don’t tend to agree that what you say is the case,” Beatty told Dominick. “So you’re saying we were wrong when we ruled on the Greenville issue?”

    Justice James Moore noted there is no state or OSHA regulation that relates to smoking.

    “What you’re wanting is for this court to be the first court to implement this as far as OSHA is concerned,” Moore said. “If we were to agree with you, then we would have to overturn Foothills (the Greenville case).”

    Frances Cantwell, representing the town, said a Supreme Court ruling in March that upheld Greenville’s smoking ban validates the Sullivan’s Island ordinance. Cantwell said the ordinance does not conflict with the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act and compared the town ordinance with Charleston’s 2 a.m. closing time for bars. Cantwell said all the issues were decided when the court issued its ruling upholding the Greenville smoking ban.

    “Sullivan’s Island does not punish any conduct that the state regulates,” Cantwell said.

    The court will issue a written opinion but has not said when it will do so.

    Bert’s Bar is closed. The owners said part of the reason for closing the longtime island establishment was lost business because of the smoking ban.

    The attorney’s claim actually has more validity than you know:

    Air quality test results by Johns Hopkins University, the American Cancer Society, a Minnesota Environmental Health Department, and various researchers whose testing and report was peer reviewed and published in the esteemed British Medical Journal……prove that secondhand smoke is 2.6 - 25,000 times SAFER than occupational (OSHA) workplace regulations:

    http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com

    All nullify the argument that secondhand smoke is a workplace health hazard.
    Especially since federal OSHA regulations trump, or pre-empt, state smoking ban laws which are not based on scientific air quality test results.
    Mark Wernimont
    Watertown, MN.

    Listen and listen good, these bans were never about health. That story about health has been used for well over 100 years. The last time prohibition came down was 1919. The last forty years prior 1919 saw the same lambasted health studies back then on alchohol and tobacco. There is nothing new here going on except the date is changed and the nannies promoting it. The cause is still in effect of the prohibitionists arm. People will always have a certain amount of the ”I WANT TO CONTROL YOU” attitude.

    We here in america have become seduced by the constant barrage of daily doses of health study propaganda just like it was dished out in the 40 years running up to 1919…..Our great granparents were seduced by the propaganda artists back then either thru church meetings on sunday morning or thru the newspaper in the evening. Its just today we get it 24-7 from cable networks and newspapers and internet…..It takes the strongest of will of mind and body to OVERCOME such seducing propaganda……They have created a mindset in the public perception that tobacco is evil and peopel using it are the scum of the earth…….

    the liberal progressives are the ones who are behind the bans and the psudo-science that pushes it…..the craddle to grave crowd.They are also responsible for the global warming hoax being shoved down every memeber of societies throats……..If you dont pull the string to their nanny mentality your bad motuthed and astrocized as a nay sayer a non-believer……..well I am here to tell you keeping your mind in a world full of propaganda day in and day out has its effects on the population…….

    we can call it politically correct hatred towards smokers, people of obesity or just being poor….Trust me when I tell you this crowd of antis is the worse lot of folks to come along in a hundred years.there worse that the VICTORIANS…….the hatred these people hold for a smoker is DEATH……….they dont care about law or rights or freedom when it comes to their AGENDA……..nobody is safe from their hatred………Anyway the outdoor bans and everything else from global warming to second hand smoke are all made-up moral dilemmas to scare people into voting for these fools…….

    Remember in the public perception it takes only 6 weeks of drilled propaganda to make a lie the truth and these folks have had 40 years to do it. The last time this group used 40 years to brainwash society we got a constitutional amendment that started prohibition and it wasnt just alchohol, it was tobacco being prohibitied too……..14 states outlawed or prohibitied tobacco use during the volstead act…..prohibition.

    Posted on July 7, 2008 at 1:50 pm by harleyrider