EDITORIAL: Rules don't exactly smoke

Publication Date: 2005-05-15

• Author:EDITORIAL
• Publication:The Tennessean

Let's face it: The Tennessee General Assembly decision to let colleges and universities determine where smoking can occur doesn't exactly smoke.

If the legislature really hopes to do some good, it should let cities and counties do the same.

The state House amended legislation that would have allowed no smoking in college dormitories to permit those colleges to establish their own rules and passed the bill. It's now on its way to Gov. Phil Bredesen for his signature. Under former law, colleges could ban smoking only if a building had a designated smoking area.

The bill's sponsor Rep. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, said he backed the new legislation because of complaints from allergy sufferers and others with respiratory ailments.

But if the legislature is so fired up to limit smoking in state colleges and universities, it should be just as willing to give local governments the same ability to limit smoking where they want.