Moves to Snuff Out the Smoke

The war against smoking has spread to new battlegrounds in San Diego in recent days.

The first move was in the unincorporated areas of the county, where the county Board of Supervisors imposed what may be one of the toughest no-smoking ordinances in the country.

Then it spread to sports, when Stadium Authority board member Mike Gotch proposed that smoking be banned in the stands at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, a move that would be unprecedented for an open-air stadium.

Now, it has become an issue between the America’s Cup contenders. It seems New Zealander Michael Fay wanted to fly the U. S. surgeon general’s smoking warning on his mainsail during a charity race to benefit the American Cancer Society. But Cancer Society Cup regatta Chairman John Burnham tried to veto Fay’s entry because it might be an embarrassment to U. S. contender Dennis Conner, whose Stars & Stripes is sponsored by Marlboro cigarettes.

Burnham’s overreaction would have been laughable if the health risks of smoking weren’t so deadly serious and if it wouldn’t have cost the Cancer Society $5,000. Wisely, the Cancer Society overruled Burnham. We tip our hats to them and Michael Fay!

Nonsmokers can also take hope in the other two moves, which come on the heels of a surgeon general’s report on the lung cancer risks of secondhand smoke.

The county measure, which went into effect last week, is a reasonable compromise that offers more protections to nonsmokers--particularly in restaurants and offices--while still accommodating smokers. Eliminated was a questionable provision that would have banned smoking in some outdoor areas. The supervisors are to be congratulated for their action, and the city of San Diego would be well-advised to adopt a similar ordinance.

Gotch’s proposal is more radical, but we think the concept at least merits serious consideration by the Stadium Authority. Gotch would ban smoking in the stands at the stadium but allow it on the concourse and in private boxes. Right now, the Padres and the Chargers have set aside a limited number of seats at their games for nonsmokers, but smoking is allowed in the areas most coveted by season-ticket holders.

Since nonsmokers outnumber smokers almost 3 to 1, the reverse might make more sense. In an open-air stadium, it seems that there should be a way to accommodate both. However, those experienced in seating tens of thousands of fans say there would be major logistical problems to such accommodation.

If that stumbling block proves insurmountable, then the benefit of the doubt must be given to the nonsmoker. If a total ban in the stands makes the most practical sense, then it should be tried, though we doubt the wisdom of pushing smokers onto the covered and already crowded concourse.

The dangers of secondhand smoke in an open-air stadium, where people are sitting a few inches apart, may not have been documented, but when the rights of smokers and nonsmokers collide, public policy makers have a responsibility to put the rights of nonsmokers first.