Take It Back NC

Families Appreciate New Law

By Megan Dean

Now that HB 2 has passed, Mecklenburg County families can take a break from a busy week and go to a restaurant without worrying about cigarette smoke affecting their health. Family outings to smoke-free bowling centers, skating rinks, and other entertainment venues are now more enjoyable. For children in North Carolina, this is a giant step towards a healthy future.

When Kate Newman was growing up, smoking in public places like bars and restaurants was the norm. “I don’t think we necessarily knew that smoking was horrible,” said Newman. Now Kate, a former social smoker, realizes the dangers of smoking and the health hazards associated with secondhand smoke.

Luckily for Kate Newman, her two daughters Mary Kinler and Gray, will grow up in a state where smoking is prohibited in restaurants. The passing of House Bill 2 will greatly benefit citizens of North Carolina, specifically families with small children who are especially concerned with the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Kate Newman is glad her daughters will not be exposed to secondhand smoke when they go to restaurants. The smoke-free restaurants law “encourages the education of children about how important it is not to smoke,” she said. “Children are not surrounded by it in restaurants and other areas and they don’t see it as often,” meaning smoking will no longer be the norm for younger generations.

Robert Comery, father to three-year-old Gabrielle, is equally excited about Charlotte area restaurants going smoke-free. Robert likes to take his wife and daughter to restaurants, but admits he often worries about exposing Gabrielle to secondhand smoke.

The idea of smoking and non-smoking sections just doesn’t make sense to Robert. “I never believed that you could divide one space into two where you have smokers and non-smokers, because no matter what the smoke will travel throughout the whole building,” he explained. He also explained that you don’t need to know the statistics to understand that “even if you have one or two smokers in a restaurant, the majority of the people in the restaurant will inhale the smoke.”

Fortunately, Robert will not have to be concerned about smoke traveling through the restaurant when he takes his family out for a meal. They won’t ever have to choose between smoking and non-smoking. Clean air will be the only option.

As a mother to three young boys, Wendy Mateo-Pascual is very excited about and supportive of the new law. She realizes that with this new law, her children will see fewer and fewer people smoking in public and that’s a good thing as far as she’s concerned. Wendy’s sons Yarince, Nelson and Marcos, will not see many people modeling this unhealthy behavior and she thinks that now it “won’t be in their head that they can do it.”

Beyond not seeing so many smokers, Wendy is also excited because she can now take her sons to their favorite restaurant.

“There is a very good Chinese restaurant in the North Tryon area that my children love to go to, but there are always people smoking,” she said. Wendy tries not to take them there because it is so smoky but she does admit that she occasionally gives into their pleas. But with HB 2 now in place, she can treat her sons to their favorite food without worrying that she’s compromising their health.

Kate Uslan was overjoyed with the passage of HB 2. “I knew that it was just a matter of time, and I knew that our politicians would come around and realize that we’re not as dependent on tobacco as we used to be, and it is just doing the right thing for the people of North Carolina,” Kate explained. This law is a great step towards protecting her two sons, Ben and Henry, as well as her husband Ethan. She’s excited for family trips to the bowling alley, “that’s something we used to like to do in other states, and now that many bowling centers will be smoke-free, we can take our kids there and have fun bowling,” she said.

Kate’s husband Ethan is a pianist and often plays at local bars and restaurants. “A couple of years ago I played piano in a smoky venue and I got earaches from it. The doctor said it was from the smoke,” Ethan said. He says he is happy that he no longer is exposed to secondhand smoke and carcinogens while performing.