Non-Smokers Have the Numbers

By PETER RUGG

We’re getting closer to Tuesday’s vote on the city smoking ban, and almost everyone who’s visited their favorite dive bar in the last month has seen those “Vote No on Question 3” signs. As someone who’s struggled with my own nicotine demons, I can appreciate the city wanting to protect me from myself. But Kansas City, it turns out, isn’t big on smoking anyway.

Out of 16 metro areas, Kansas City is ranked 13th in the percentage of people who smoke, according to a study by the Pittsburg Regional Indicator project. About 19 percent in the metro smoke, compared to the No. 1 smokiest city, Detroit, where 26 percent of residents smoke.

The study also found that Kansas City led the nation in the number of smokers who quit. From 2003 to 2006, 26 percent of the metro’s smokers gave it up. Maybe they saw a sign of things to come.