North Augusta adopted a smoking ban Monday over protests from the city's only pub, The Highlander, whose owner waited until the ordinance's fourth and final reading to speak out.
North Augusta and Aiken are now smoke-free, with Aiken County planning to amend its ban so all three mirror the one in Greenville, which has been upheld by the South Carolina Supreme Court.
Highlander owner David Drakeley accused the city council of "approaching prejudice," saying he's being singled out because his is the only bar inside city limits.
Seventy percent of his customers smoke, he said, and he fears losing business to bars in downtown Augusta.
Mayor Lark Jones countered that the ban should be consistent "across the board" and not allow exemptions. Its purpose is to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.
Mr. Jones said research shows that when other South Carolina communities went smoke free, businesses saw a rise in clientele.
Advocating for the ban, Yarley Steedly of the American Heart Association said 38,000 people die each year from exposure to secondhand smoke.
"As little as 30 minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke can result in hardened, stiffened arteries," she said.
The ordinance has been in the works since early June. It stalled on July 7 because council members wanted it in line with the Greenville ban, which it is, with the exception of its treatment of nursing homes.
North Augusta will require nursing homes to adopt a smoke-free ordinance that complies with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Greenville requires separate ventilated rooms.
Smokers still can light up in North Augusta's private homes, designated hotel rooms, tobacco stores, outside smoke break areas and private clubs when no employees are working.
Smoking is prohibited in places of employment, indoor and outdoor public facilities, outdoor dining areas and within 10 feet of a nonsmoking establishment.
The ban goes into effect at noon Aug. 1. Citations written by the North Augusta Department of Public Safety will cost between $10 and $25.
Reach Crystal Garcia at (706) 823-3409 or crystal.garcia@augustachronicle.com.
THE NORTH AUGUSTA BAN
PLACES SMOKING ISN'T ALLOWED INCLUDE:
- Galleries, libraries and museums
- Professional offices and banks
- Laundromats
- Hotel and motel lobbies
- Bars and bingo facilities
- Conference centers and exhibition halls
- Educational facilities
- Elevators
- Health care facilities
- Licensed child care and adult day-care facilities
- Lobbies, hallways and common areas in apartment buildings, condominiums, trailer parks, retirement facilities, nursing homes and other multi-unit residences
- Polling places
- Private clubs when they are being used for a function to which the public is invited
- Public transportation
- Restaurants
- Retail stores and malls
- Public meeting places
- Amphitheaters, ball parks and stadiums
- Parades
- Dining areas in public, such as sidewalks
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