Businesses struggle with September deadline

	By Julie E. Bisbee OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Arthur P. Rodgers says the Army taught him to smoke while he was serving on the front lines in World War II. Now the decorated war veteran, with a skinny cigar clenched between his teeth, is one of the people who are angry that they won't be able to smoke at Jim Haynes' 66 Bowl in Oklahoma City after September 1. "I don't know of anyone who has given as much for their country as I have," said Rodgers, who lost six of brothers and two sisters during the war. "Where the hell did my rights go?" After the September deadline, 66 Bowl, and many other businesses will have to meet strict smoking regulations signed into law by Gov. Brad earlier this month. The rules require all workplaces and state-owned buildings to be smoke-free or have an enclosed, separately ventilated smoking room. Restaurants, which fought the regulations with a well-organized lobbying campaign and court challenges, have until March 1, 2006, to comply with the same rules. Bars, bingo halls and tobacco stores are exempt from the rules.
Art Rodgers lights up a cigar Friday, June 6, 2003 in the smoking area at the Jim Haynes' 66 Bowl bowling alley in Oklahoma City. Rodgers says the Army taught him to smoke while he was serving on the front lines in World War II. Now the decorated war veteran, is one of the people who are angry that they won't be able to smoke at Jim Haynes' 66 Bowl in Oklahoma City after September 1. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Haderthauer)
"They're treating people like they have no brain," said Haynes, a 71-year-old nonsmoker with asthma. "I think you ought to be able to run your business as you see fit. I don't think it's right for the government to dictate business like that." At 66 Bowl, a homemade sign tells customers where they can smoke until the new law goes into effect. They are directed to the far side of the tables that line the wall behind the lanes. The sign reads, "This is Jim's law, until the state of Oklahoma changes it." Smokers in a Friday night league made the jog back to the table after throwing a frame and to light up a cigarette while they waited for their next turn. A thin haze of smoke hung over the table as exhaust fans in the ceiling sucked it up, leaving the faint scent of burning tobacco. "To me bowling and smoking go together," said Lori O'Brien, a bartender at the bowling alley. Haynes fears he'll lose business when the smoking regulations take effect. "We can't afford to take any more hits," Haynes said. "I don't see how this can benefit anyone." The economic impact of the smoking rules remain to be seen, said Rep. Ray Vaughn, R-Edmond, who helped draft the legislation. "Every industry that has worried about a drop in revenue hasn't seen it," Vaughn said. "Airlines stopped allowing smoking years ago and smokers still get on airplanes and take two or three flights a day. People are still going to go into a bowling alley and bowl two or three games." Oklahoma ranks 46th in the nation in the overall health of its citizens. State health officials estimate that 750 Oklahomans die prematurely each year because of carcinogens contained in secondhand smoke. Health experts say tobacco products cost Oklahoma more than $2 billion each year in medical treatment, lost productivity and other factors. "Smokers will smoke less if they can't smoke in their offices," said Health Commissioner Leslie Beitsch. "Smokers will probably smoke 10 to 15 percent less and that will translate into much less poor health for many Oklahomans. I hope some of them will use this opportunity to quit smoking altogether." Oklahoma now becomes the fifth state to adopt such sweeping regulations. Most states allow municipalities to set their own smoking policies. But Oklahoma prohibits cities from adopting regulations more stringent than state statutes. After the September deadline, the issue for state officials will be how to enforce the rules. Under the new law, smoking in a public place where the practice is prohibited is a misdemeanor crime, punishable by $100 fine. The Health Department will enforce the rules, but Beitsch said no additional staff has been hired to police workplaces. Education is key to getting workplaces to comply, Beitsch said. But workplaces that don't follow the rules could be fined or have their state licenses revoked. "We do have some authority," Beitsch said. "We'll try the educational approach first and then we might have to fine some to those unwilling to comply." A toll-free number will also be set up so the public can report violations. At 66 Bowl, Haynes is trying to figure a way to keep his smoking clientele. He's thought of turning a few empty spaces into smoking rooms or adding an enclosed area to the bar, but all those things cost money, he said. Meanwhile, Rodgers says he is getting ready to start his fourth smoking-cessation program. The 78-year-old has had three heart attacks in the last year. "I'm trying to stop smoking," Rodgers said. "But I don't think taking it away is proper in any fashion or