The Daily News

As more cities move toward smoking bans in all buildings, the Richland County Tobacco Free Coalition is following suit. While Wilkin County went smoke free with the statewide Minnesota Freedom to Breathe Act in 2007, North Dakota businesses stayed open to smokers.

Richland County Tobacco Prevention Coordinator Jason Bergstrand visited the Wilkin County Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Coalition (ATOD) Thursday to ask for support in his and the coalition efforts in making Wahpeton a smoke-free city. The ATOD agreed to sign a letter of support when the time comes.

Bergstrand said there is talk of a vaccine to cure cancer.

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"The vaccine is available to us already," Bergstrand said. "It's tobacco and smoking prevention." He added that a high tax on tobacco products, smoke-free laws, secondhand smoking laws and smoke-free work places are just a few preventive methods in place around the country.

In North Dakota, Measure 3 passed in the 2007 legislative session, giving more access to the proper use of tobacco lawsuit funds. However, the law is not comprehensive, and as a result many groups have had to work backward.

"They want to make it a local community issue," Bergstrand said. "Pass [smoke-free issues] at the local level and then go to the state."

The upside of this is that Fargo recently passed smoke-free laws, banning smoking in bars across the city, as did West Fargo. Being a border city like Wahpeton, Bergstrand has confidence that eventually the city can be smoke-free.

"The Wahpeton council shows great support," he said. "They want to see it as a city-wide ballot. But that isn't always a balanced representation. It's a race to get people to the polls."

Currently, the coalition is working to gather signatures of support from residents within the community. If enough signatures are gathered, they can present them to the council when the time comes. The coalition is also working to determine the level of support the city and its residents have for a smoke-free ordinance, and how inclusive the ordinance should be.

With Minnesota already tackling outdoor smoking, Bergstrand said they need to decide whether they would include indoor and outdoor or just work on indoor smoking.

Comments

bartender wrote on Sep 22, 2009 1:45 PM:

" just do a search and see what happens when you type mn smokefree bars that closed. One site that i brought up said that " 110 bars / restaurant closed. 3000 + people where laid off."
Just what we need here in Wahpeton more people laid off just because someone that doesn't smoke thinks they should tell someone else how to run there business. "




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Info gal wrote on Sep 21, 2009 7:31 PM:

" The report that came out today. Studies have been done on communities that have imposed a smoking ban. After 1 year the heart attack rate decreased by 17%. After 3 years the heart attack rate went down 36%.
One previous writer stated they felt healthier after quitting. You choose. "




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Emi wrote on Sep 19, 2009 10:08 AM:

" I have many friends as well as myself that are smokers & after fargo went smoke free and we couldn't smoke as much when we drank many actually quit or started feeling better on a daily basis from smoking less. WE ALL complained at first too but now we are thankful. It is understandable when the "drink and a smoke" is so important in ones life and then to have that freedom taken away... Wahpeton is held together buy drinks and smokes...ask around anyone will tell you. I think the smoke ban won't pass in this area. "




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land of the free wrote on Sep 19, 2009 8:39 AM:

" i do not recall it going up for vote if Imation should close and put all their workers out of work. That is EXACTLY what is going on here. You are taking business away from the owner and jobs away from the employees. Many who bartend as a 2nd job because of the way the economy already is! "




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FREEDOM LET IT RING wrote on Sep 17, 2009 9:37 PM:

" Smoking has been around for a long time.. People are use to going to a bar and have a drink and a smoke and sit down and visit with there friends. Now someone has nothing better to do than say you can not go to a bar and have a drink and a smoke.. I THOUGHT THIS WAS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA LAND OF THE FREE. WELL IT LOOKS LIKE IT NOT FREE ANYMORE WHEN YOU CAN'T HAVE A SMOKE AND A BEER "




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none wrote on Sep 17, 2009 4:52 PM:

" Just a comment on the person who said intoxicating their bodies with chemicals, um, what is alcohol???? Shouldn't we ban that, too? Let's start another prohibition and then listen to all you non-smoking supporters then, HA! Let's let the business owners vote on this instead of people who sit at home and don't go to the bars; they ruin it for everyone. Let it rest, seriously. "




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BL wrote on Sep 17, 2009 3:30 PM:

" Has anyone taken into context all the tax money that is used from tobacco? If tobacco is outlawed where will the tax money come from to fund all the programs that benefit from tobacco tax money. This is not a pro tobacco email...just food for thought. "




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smoking.is.bad wrote on Sep 17, 2009 10:51 AM:

" Smoking in general should be outlawed. It does NOTHING good for anyone. Smoking in bars especially should be banned. They can go outside into the "smoking zone" to smoke. Everyone shouldnt have to suffer because some people want to intoxicate their body with nasty chemicals. "




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land of the free wrote on Sep 16, 2009 2:38 PM:

" there is another side to what is best for our community that's not being discussed. Banning smoking from our Wahpeton bars will push customers outside city limits where smoking is allowed. This will take tax dollars from Wahpeton and hurt owners and employees because of lost income. It's a simple "trickel down" concept: bars will make less money, employees will be cut and their ability to spend money at local business will decrease as well. Banning smoking in Wahpeton bars will hurt all businesses.I hope voters in town will keep this in mind before they sign or vote for this. "




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RIGHT TO SMOKE wrote on Sep 16, 2009 2:23 PM:

" SARAH, IF YOU FREQUENT BARS THEN SMOKING IS THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD BE WORRY ABOUT. THERE ARE PLENTY OF NON-SMOKING BARS AROUND GO TO ONE OF THEM. YOUR SMOKING FRIENDS WANT TO BE IN A NON-SMOKING BAR JUST AS MUCH AS YOU WANT TO BE IN A SMOKING BAR. "CITY, LEAVE THE CHOICE TO BAR OWNER'S. "




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Sarah wrote on Sep 16, 2009 1:04 PM:

" I am all for the smoking ban. I frequent bars and have a great disdain for tobacco smoke. "




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Rick wrote on Sep 16, 2009 12:17 PM:

" I wonder how many people that sign this anti-smoking petion accually go to the bars. I bet very few "




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freedom for bars wrote on Sep 15, 2009 6:36 PM:

" With the economy struggling already, why make it worse for the local bars. Let the bar owners run their own business. If someone wants to go to a smoke free bar, there are plenty of local options. I don't see all of the people in the MN bars that were so excited they were going smoke free.

Maybe the coalition should get the patrons of the smoking bars to sign the petition if it is needed so badly and not just target non-smokers. "




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nuemn wrote on Sep 15, 2009 6:11 PM:

" It doesn't matter how much we complain for or against this, it is still going to happen. Maybe by 2020 we will have to travel to the moon to light up a cig. "




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reader wrote on Sep 15, 2009 3:40 PM:

" I work for charitable gaming in one of the local bars. Many of my customers smoke, if they were not able to smoke I'm afraid I'd lose business. Our charity is a local one so the money stays in town. I wonder if they would go to the casino? "




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wahp wrote on Sep 15, 2009 2:58 PM:

" well buss. owners that sells smoke should take the loss...If the goverment is trying hard to make it smoke free on certain public places well they should go after the company that selling ciggarettes not the bars! coz bar owners have to take the changes! "




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wahp wrote on Sep 15, 2009 2:53 PM:

" If they are going to call it like that why dont they stop selling ciggarettes? this is a major BS..they making all this non-smoking rule but the ciggs company aint hurting their buss. "




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Tammy Smoker wrote on Sep 15, 2009 2:03 PM:

" What happened to Freedom of choice?? Non-smokers choose to enter bars that has smokers or going to another bar.I feel that is should be TOTALLY up to the bar owner to have smoking in his OWN establishment! Non-smokers can choose to go outside for PLENTY of fresh air to enjoy!! If smoking in a bar is banned might as well take away Freedom of choice to Drink too, that causes Liver Damage, you better take away Freedom of Choice eating Fast Food because it causes us to become FAT! People where does it STOP??? We pay Taxes too!!! "




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pag wrote on Sep 15, 2009 1:41 PM:

" let the bars be the way they are... If you don't want to go were there is smoking then don't go in... You can go to other bars that are smoke free let the smokers have a right. "




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Molly H wrote on Sep 15, 2009 1:17 PM:

" I am a non-smoker who has a job that requires me to be in bars on a regular basis. I think that bar owners should have the right to choose whether or not their business is smoke-free. After all, it's their business that is being affected. There are many smoke-free options in the twin towns for people who prefer a smoke-free enviroment. "




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opinion wrote on Sep 14, 2009 2:45 PM:

" Really, do we as tax payers pay bergstrand wages to do this? this is all crap. smokers have rights to. i have 4 family members that have or have had cancer and none of them smoke or have been around it? Living under power lines give you cancer to so lets get them out of town. If this makes it to the ballot i hope all the smokers go and vote. "




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Rick wrote on Sep 14, 2009 11:02 AM:

" I'm a nonsmoker, and think it's totally wrong to make a business such as a bar go smoke free. It should be up to the owner of the bar to decide if they want to be smokefree, there are many bars that are and if smoking bothers you dont go to the ones that have smoking. "




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Thomas Laprade wrote on Sep 11, 2009 9:11 PM:

" What if the governments mandated that all currently smoke-free hospitality venues MUST provide a smoking section to accommodate smokers, against the wishes of business owners who choose
to go smoke-free of their own free will?

That wouldn't be fair, would it?
Neither are government mandated smoking bans. "




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Smoker wrote on Sep 11, 2009 8:59 PM:

" Tobacco and smoking prevention is a cure for cancer? Geez I guess tobacco and smoking is the only way to get cancer. "




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