Legislator butting in again

State Sen. David Myers is back with another effort to clamp down on restaurant smoking areas.

Myers, R-Ponca City, wants to abolish such smoking areas by Sept. 1 of next year, and prevent new or existing restaurants from adding these rooms after Sept. 1 of this year.

Myers pursued a similar course of action during last year’s session, without success. The Oklahoma Restaurant Association stayed out of that fight but has come out against this newest version. Perhaps that’s why Myers told the Tulsa World, “To be honest, it is going to be difficult to get this bill passed.”

Let’s hope so. Banning smoking areas would further pinch restaurant owners who paid handsomely to have their separately ventilated rooms operational by March 2006 as required by law. Lawmakers ought to stomp out this latest proposal.

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