Little impact from ban

A statewide ban on smoking in restaurants and bars appears to have been implemented with little impact to Borderland businesses.

That’s good news for the community as a whole.

No one wants to see government rules slow business, or even as some feared with the smoking ban, play a role in shutting down a business. Known as the Freedom to Breathe Act, the law took effect Oct. 1 prohibiting smoking from in indoor areas, including bars and restaurants. The impetus behind the law is to protect workers at these businesses from the health risks of second-hand smoke.

County officials report that they’ve received no complaints from the public about violations of the law. And, statewide, just 31 businesses have been notified by the Minnesota Department of Health that they need to take additional steps to fully comply with the law. Clearly, Minnesotans have embraced this law.

Meanwhile, even more good news for the community is that Koochiching County health officials have been getting more telephone calls from area residents seeking information about smoking cessation programs. Nancy McHarg, county public health official, explains that people are realizing that smoking is not only unhealthy, but also inconvenient.

A positive aspect of the law is that some places in Borderland that sell liquor are reporting seeing new faces at their establishments, likely as a result of the smoking ban, and more demand for food. And we’re pleased that people are interested in quitting smoking.

In the past, we resisted using this space to endorse the law because we maintain that private businesses should have the right to restrict smoking based on their customer’s desires. Now that the prohibition is in place, we urge people to use it as incentive to kick the habit all together.