Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold on Wednesday proposed outlawing smoking in public bars and restaurants.
But the County Council held the bill in case the state legislature passes a statewide ban during the 2007 session, said Council Member Edward Reilly, who supports a ban.
Either way, Anne Arundel County will end up with legislation for a smoking ban sometime this year, Leopold said. He prefers the statewide measure.
Under Leopold?s plan, which would be resubmitted in April if the state doesn?t pass a ban, the fine for a first offense would be $500, and $1,000 for the second offense.
It would lower the number of people who die from lung cancer due to secondhand smoke, Leopold said. “There is no greater priority in the government than to save lives.”
And the people who work in restaurants and bars are the main group he wants to protect.
People who work an eight-hour shift in a smoky bar inhale enough secondhand smoke to equate to a pack of cigarettes a day, said Thomas Carr, manager of national policy for the American Lung Association.
But a ban would harm the county?s smaller taverns that derive most of their income from alcohol sales, said Melvin Thompson, vice president of governmental relations for the Restaurant Association of Maryland.
“Smokers also tend to be drinkers, and if they can?t smoke in a bar, they are going to get a six-pack and drink at home,” Thompson said.
Leopold disputed that argument, saying a ban would attract more nonsmoking customers and families into county bars and restaurants, which would help the local economy.
