In his transmittal letter, Anefal said, “It is with the utmost pleasure to return to you the overridden veto of Bill 7-99 in the form of Yap State Law 7-75, pursuant to section 225 of Title I of the Yap State Code.”
The new law aims to “ensure for non-smokers a consistent level of basic protections statewide from exposure to secondhand smoke.”
According to Anefal, “While I do agree completely with this objective, I believe the bill is laying down more restrictions than necessary to achieve it.”
He added, “For instance, it prohibits smoking in such privately managed places as bars, restaurants, and common areas of multi-residential buildings among others. There are examples of business establishments that depend as much on the patronage of both smokers and non-smokers.”
He said “instead of banning smoking in these establishments outright, allowing them to designate smoking areas for their smoking patrons according well defined criteria that assure protection for non-smokers can achieve the purpose intended in that bill without discouraging or alienating a segment of their patrons.”
According to the governor, “It is bad policy for the government to over-regulate the private sector.”
Anefal noted that there are government employees who smoke and the state does receive guests and dignitaries who smoke.
“We can enact a law that allows for the designations of smoking areas in non-health related government buildings in accordance with strict and well-defined criteria that effectively protect non-smokers against secondhand smoke,” he said.
Anefal said smoking is a bad habit that the state needs to continue discouraging.
“But it is a habit embedded by an addiction extremely hard to break from for most people, and rooted in customs and traditions of our people. That’s why he would recommend a gradual process of discouragement by starting first with the designation of effective smoking areas, followed by rigorous public education, then stringent legislation of this nature,” he said.
