SMOKING BAN: Q&A

Publication Date: 2005-09-26

• Author:Chip Scutari
• Publication:The Arizona Republic

Campaign chairman pushes for public health

The days of smokers lighting up while enjoying a porterhouse or a pint of beer inside an Arizona restaurant or pub could soon be going the way of the horse and buggy.

A ballot initiative being pushed by a group of health organizations would ban smoking in public places, from taverns to Laundromats to sports arenas and bowling alleys across the state. . . .

Republic reporter Chip Scutari recently talked with Bill Pfeifer, president and chief executive officer of the American Lung Association of Arizona and chairman of the campaign. . . .

The Arizona Restaurant and Hospitality Association is now surveying its 2,000 members to decide if the group will fight the proposed smoking ban.

Question: Critics say this will hurt small and independent businesses and infringe on private property rights. Why is this needed?