Smoking ban now too weak

That was a fair assessment of a bill that started out as a fairly comprehensive statewide smoking ban but came out of the Indiana Senate this week with enough exemptions that it was barely on par with a public service announcement.

We've been lukewarm to past statewide smoking ban proposals, preferring instead that regulations be left to local and county jurisdictions. But if Indiana is going to have statewide rules, make them reasonable and rigorous.

The Indiana Senate, though, has shot holes in House Bill 1149, leaving a Swiss cheese approach to smoking rules. The Indiana Campaign for Smokefree Air was calling it one of the weakest in the nation.

And at this point, the bill is hardly worth Indiana's time to pass and enforce.

The Indiana House measure would have prohibited smoking in all indoor workplaces except casino gaming floors, existing cigar and hookah bars and private clubs whose memberships vote to approve smoking.

Here are some of the Indiana Senate's add-ons:

• Bars and taverns;

• Private clubs and fraternal organizations, even if they allow kids;

• State-licensed gaming facilities;

• Charity gaming events, including those held at churches and schools; and

• Residential health care facilities and retirement homes.

There's more. But you get the drift.

At this point, the General Assembly might as well scrap the idea for another year.