On the occasion of tomorrow's annual Great American Smokeout, Isle smokers have a doubly compelling reason to stub out cigarettes for good.

Starting immediately, they will be hard-pressed to find a spot outside their own homes where it will be legal to light up. The Smokefree Hawai'i law, overwhelmingly supported by state lawmakers last session, essentially bans smoking in any workplace or other public place.

As a public health policy, it's hard to argue against it. Secondhand smoke can harm anyone exposed to it. Among children, especially those with asthma, the risk of respiratory ailments is considerable.

That's why, as unsympathetic to smokers as it may sound, secondhand smoke has to be strictly regulated, just like any other source of air pollution.

Our new law is among the strictest in the country. This speaks well of the state's commitment to residents' health.

Smoking is a leading cause of heart disease and cancer. Federal figures show that secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers each year. If Hawai'i and 13 other states with similar bans can cut into those numbers, that benefit far outweighs any inconvenience the laws impose.

The public will soon weigh in on the rule's gray areas. Among issues needing clarity: how vacation rentals or time shares are classified as smoking or nonsmoking.

The employment agency Altres is pitching in to help businesses adjust to the law. That's a good sign. It took 17 years of trying to get a smoking ban enacted, but at least now the community seems ready to adopt it.