12/10/07

Ask bar owners how ban affects them I can't sit back and take this anymore.

Hye-ryeon Lee's letter in the Dec. 2 Star-Bulletin just put the icing on the cake.

She said that since its inception one year ago, the smoking ban has been good for Hawaii and for businesses. Where is she getting her information? Certainly not the bar owners.

Why did 16 dispenser licenses and four cabaret licenses not get renewed? Because they went out of business. These figures are from the Liquor Commission. Lee says a smoke-free Hawaii helps brand our state a desirable destination.

If that is the case, then why is Japanese tourism down 2.6 percent from a year ago? International visitors are down 4.6 percent from a year ago, and this is with a favorable exchange rate. We are all intelligent people who can make up our own minds about what is good for us and what is not.

I don't have a problem with the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association or the American Cancer Society. I do, however, have a problem with the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii. Tobacco is a legal product in Hawaii. And as long as tobacco is a legal product, Hawaii will never be tobacco free.

Something is wrong with this legislation. I can sell tobacco in my bars and pubs, the state gets its much-needed taxes to fund its cancer research center, but my patrons have to go outside to enjoy a legal product.

 

Fred Remington E & J Lounge Operating Co. Honolulu