According to the Columbus Dispatch, Seitz recently obtained figures from the Ohio Department of Health that indicate that the state has spent $3.2 million for smoking-ban enforcement while issuing $1.2 million in fines — a net loss, in his mind, of $2 million. (The Dispatch notes that only about $400,000 of the fines have actually been collected.)
Seitz contends that the $2 million could be better spent on education, health care or some other program; Ohio Department of Health indoor environment chief Mandy Burkett told the Dispatch that “I don’t think this has been an unreasonable cost for enforcement. ... I think the costs will be recouped by savings in other areas, particularly health-care costs.”
We agree with Burkett’s assessment. If Ohio’s adult smoking population continues to decrease — the newspaper said it has dropped from 22.5 percent to 20.2 percent since the ban became law — Ohioans will be healthier and associated health-care costs should decline over the long run.
Two studies last year linked smoking bans like Ohio’s with documented declines in heart attack rates.
Granted, these are tough times to be smokers, thanks to the majority of the population’s aversion to the deadly habit.
Cox News Service recently reported that a growing number of Ohio employers are adopting no-hire policies for smokers. The reason? Smokers generally experience more illness and absenteeism than non-smokers. A 2006 study by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio found that businesses lose $3,400 a year for every employee who smokes, Cox News Service’s Jim DeBrosse reported.
And just when you thought your smoking habit couldn’t get more expensive, a new poll — conducted by an Ohio-based coalition of health groups — shows that voters “overwhelming support” increases in cigarette taxes as a way to balance the state’s budget. “Our lawmakers need to listen to the voice of their constituents and choose the one tax that saves lives,” said Shelly Kiser, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association in Ohio.
If anything, Seitz is unwittingly making the case for better enforcement of the smoking ban, and the need for putting some teeth into the fine- collection process.
Enforcement of the ban has always been hampered by a lack of resources in health departments around the state, and many establishments have openly flouted the law. State lawmakers should get smart and help health officials enforce the ban and collect legitimately levied fines.