
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 7, 1990                   TAG: 9006080722
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

WILDER'S FIAT

PREDICTABLY, the state's tobacco industry is unhappy with Gov. Douglas Wilder's decision to ban smoking by his staff on the third floor of the Capitol. Page H. Sutherland, a spokesman for the Tobacco Institute, complains that Wilder is "sending a pretty bad signal to the rest of the country."

A bad signal? If the governor is reminding folks that smoking is a health hazard - and, yes, there is a danger even in second-hand smoke inhaled by non-smokers - then he has a lot of company. Virtually every health organization in the world agrees.

In issuing his ban, Wilder - a former cigarette smoker - noted that he had recently signed into law a measure limiting smoking in large businesses and many public facilities. It would be inconsistent, he said, to continue to allow his staff members to puff away in and nearby to his offices.

The governor's point about consistency is dulled a bit by word from his press secretary that Wilder hasn't decided whether he'll continue to plug Virginia tobacco products when he goes abroad to promote trade.

Nonetheless, Wilder has done the right thing. It's been reported that less than a handful of his staff members smoke. As the boss, the governor has to consider the majority of those who work for him, as well as non-smoking members of the public who have occasion to visit his offices.

It will be no great inconvenience for his aides who need a nicotine fix up to find a spot at the Capitol where their smoking won't bother others.

Meanwhile, as the tobacco industry correctly fears, the governor has sent a message. It's a healthy one.

by CNB