Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Kansas Senate Smoking Ban Bill Reeks of Hypocritical Double Standard

The Kansas Senate has passed legislation that would ban smoking in all Kansas workplaces, including bars and restaurants. However, the bill exempts casinos.

The Rest of the Story

The exemption is hardly a coincidence. The state now owns a casino and more are planned, as a 2007 law allows state-owned casinos.

Apparently, state policy makers think that secondhand smoke is a substantial public health hazard and no workers should be forced to be exposed to tobacco smoke, unless of course they are working in a casino which is bringing in profits for the state.

This double standard did not escape the attention of the editorial board of the Hutchinson newspaper, which exposed the hypocrisy of Kansas lawmakers.

Kansas now becomes an early front-runner for the 2010 Anti-Smoking Hypocrisy Award.

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