Debate should be at state level (02/17/2009)

The issue won't be easily resolved, but it's important to have it debated in the right forum.

We're talking about whether smoking should be banned in public places.

For the past few years, the state's approach - through the Indiana Department of Health - has been to urge county health departments to press units of government to approve smoking bans.

That falls short of any definition of leadership and has resulted in a hodgepodge of ordinances around the state.

In Allen County, for example, a smoking ban was approved for the city of Fort Wayne but not for the rest of the county. Restaurants and bars that may be a few hundred feet apart are playing under different rules. The inequity is unarguable.

The Jay County Commissioners, when pressed by the local health board, were ambivalent to the point of paralysis.

They acknowledged the health issues, but they were unenthusiastic about limiting individual freedom and getting involved in business decisions. When a halfway measure was floated, the health department - again following the Indiana Department of Health's lead - pressed instead for an outright ban.

Now, at last, the question is where it belongs, in the hands of the Indiana General Assembly.

The questions remain the same: How to balance public health with individual freedom, how to measure the impact of a ban on organizations like legion posts and lodges, where to draw the line in terms of government and business, what is intrusion and what is protection.

Resolving those - and more - may take years; it's likely that the smoking ban proposal will be with us for some time.

But by addressing the issue on a statewide basis, lawmakers can prevent a crazy quilt and create some consistency.

That shouldn't be too much to ask. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]