Smoke Free Ordinance takes center stage at NMB Council meeting

Monday’s North Myrtle Beach City Council meeting was characterized by limited new business and impassioned pleas by both advocates and detractors of the pending smoke free ordinance being proposed for the city of North Myrtle Beach.
On the consent agenda, council unanimously approved the Barefoot Landing Fireworks schedule for the 2012 season, the 29th Annual Winter Run and the 2012 council meeting schedule. Under new business, council also passed a resolution to amend an Easement Agreement between the city and the developer of the Prince PUD to grant an extension of time in which to relocate a beach access-way on the property of the PUD.

Though both new and old business was relatively tame, public comment turned out to be impassioned and somewhat heated as citizens discussed a controversial proposed ordinance by Smoke Free North Myrtle Beach that would prohibit smoking in enclosed public places, city-owned facilities and places of employment.
“Residents from Murrells Inlet to Little River want this ordinance to pass,” one supporter proclaimed Monday evening. “I’ve lost two sisters to lung cancer. This is an addiction that is worse than heroin. This issue is a matter of life and death.”
“No level of smoke is good for the body,” Dr. Nicolas Pennings of North Myrtle Beach stated. “I lost my father at the age of nine from lung cancer. It doesn’t take a lot of smoke to trigger negative effects in the body.”
What was particularly interesting about Monday night’s meeting was the growing presence of an organized opposition to the movement. Over the past few months, assertions by those in support of the smoke free ordinance have become increasing extreme. Supporters have publicly stated that second hand smoke can be more dangerous than directly smoking a cigarette and, as was just mentioned, that addiction to cigarettes is “worse than heroin addiction.” As a result, an opposition movement to the ordinance appears to be forming.
“Smoking is not illegal,” Susan Trexler, a North Myrtle Beach resident who described herself as being in the bar business since 1972, stated. “It’s wrong for anyone to mandate whether or not a business can or cannot allow smoking as long as smoking is legal. It should be the business’ choice.
“I believe if you want to get rid of smoking, then you should fight to make smoking illegal.”