No exceptions

Publication Date: 2012-03-06

• Author:Op-Ed
• Publication:Salt Lake Tribune

HB245 is a well-intentioned bill that unfortunately creates more problems than it solves. It carves out exemptions in the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act through at least 2017 to allow people to smoke hookahs and “e-cigarettes” in certain businesses. We disagree that the state needs to grant exceptions to the law now before asking some businesses to discontinue smoking later.

We urge the Senate to withdraw HB245. Even without this legislation, any individual business owner can take action to prohibit the use of dangerous tobacco-related products on its property.

The $27,000 annual price tag of HB245 might be better applied to enforcing existing Department of Health rules that prohibit the use of “lighted” and “heated” smoking products. Cancer, heart disease and lung disease should never be a condition of employment...