The compromise Iowa legislators have come to on banning smoking in public places has opened them up to plenty of criticism.

Deservedly so.

The ban doesn't go far enough. In which direction continues to be debated. Either the ban should have been total, or smaller adult-only businesses should have received an exemption along with casinos.

We have previously made the case that owners of businesses that cater strictly to adults should be able to make their own decisions on smoking policies. Certainly, if a casino draws an exemption, we feel it would have been equitable to exempt other adult-only businesses.

It will now be unlawful for a smoker to light up in a bar where only legal adults (who can come and go as they please) can gather, but that same smoker can enjoy the habit in his or her car, home or apartment where young children are present.

Rep. McKinley Bailey, D-Webster City, was one who had hoped to pass exceptions for bars and other age-restricted businesses.

"This is just plain wrong," he said of the new law and its exemptions.

Not surprisingly, Wes Ehrecke, president of the Iowa Gaming Association, which represents the state's casino industry, defended the exception.

"When we attract 22 million visitors and 65 percent come from out of state, you don't get some of them back" if smoking is banned, he said.

The state takes a healthy cut of casino revenue and some legislators got the message: Plentiful patrons and copious revenue add up to an exemption.

Evidently, our lawmakers have seen fit to look after workers' health - unless there's a lot of money involved.

Obviously, we understand the dangers of smoking and the fact second-hand smoke does not respect artificial barriers, such as smoking areas in restaurants. Such businesses should be included in a ban.

Those entering a tavern where people are smoking, however, clearly have a choice of whether or not they want to stay there, or work there - similar to a casino.

Peggy Huppert, a lobbyist with the American Cancer Society, said the majority of states now have laws regulating smoking in public places, including Iowa's neighbors, and Iowa's "antiquated" smoking laws have made the state look "backward."

"That's not the image we want to portray," she said.

Neither do we want an image of a state that welcomes double standards. That's exactly what this partial ban has done.