Tobacco Free St. Louis Pushes for Complete Smoking Ban

Tobacco-Free St. Louis will push the St. Louis County Council to expand the to eliminate exemptions to the 2011 Clean Air Act.

Businesses eligible for smoking bans include casinos, Lambert International Airport and bars where food makes up a small percentage of sales. The airport later went smoke-free despite its exempt status.

The group made the announcement during a press conference Thursday morning at  in University City.

The group said there are currently 145 exemptions to the ban with the majority of those (56) coming in the North County area. There are 20 exemptions in mid-County, 41 in South County and 29 in the West County area.

County Councilman Steve Stenger (D-Affton) said that some councilmembers are talking about improving the ban. 

"We know it's on the radar, and we've been looking and studying the effects of the bill that was passed and thinking about ways to improve it," he said. "But it's not currently on the legislative agenda."

Dr. Stuart Slavin, board member of Tobacco-Free St. Louis and associate dean of the medical school at Saint Louis University, said the issue is the health and well-being of all county residents.

The exemptions are creating an unfair playing field for restaurants that play by the rules, argued Derek Deaver, owner of Three Kings in U City and Deaver's Restaurant and Sports Bar in North County.

"I've seen my food sales go up by 10 percent, but my bar sales are down 15 percent," he said. "What this is doing is hurting bars with food."

Deaver said the county's application for exemption — a downloaded application and a $35 fee — isn't being policed for accuracy.

The group offered several reasons why a complete ban would be good for businesses. They include:

• A July 2011 study by The Mellman Group which shows that 72 percent of voters favor all indoor establishments being smoke-free.
• A recent University of Missouri study that air in smoke-free businesses around St. Louis is 90 percent cleaner than before the smoking ban.
• Smoke-free provides a safe workplace for employees.
• No exemptions means no loopholes.