Should the government be allowed to control smoking bans? Personally I believe it should be left up to the business owner whether or not to allow smoking in their establishment.
What do you think and why?
WOW Reg! They aren't near that strict here in Wisconsin!
You are right about it cutting back on smoking. I guess there is a little bit of good in all things.
Regwah
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With the laws & outrageous new taxes on cigarettes, I am finally keen on giving up, I have cut down to quarter of what I used to smoke, it has been bad for me but maybe it is a good thing in the long run.
Smoking laws in my state, Queensland, Australia...
Smoking is prohibited in all pubs, clubs, restaurants and workplaces in Queensland, as well as in commercial outdoor eating and drinking areas and in outdoor public places (e.g., patrolled beaches, children's playground equipment, major sport stadiums, and within 4 meters of non-residential building entrances). Since 1 July 2006, premises holding a hotel, club or casino liquor licence can designate up to 50% of the outdoor liquor licensed area as a smoking and drinking area. In this area no food or drink can be served, no food can be consumed, no entertainment can be offered and there must be no gaming machines provided. A "buffer", which can be either a 2 metre wide area or a 2.1 metre high screen that is impervious to smoke, must be on the area's perimeter wherever it is adjacent to other parts of the outdoor area usually accessed by patrons. Premises that choose to have such an area must have a smoking management plan for the premises that complies with legislative requirements. For all other liquor licensed premises, and non-liquor licensed premises, from 1 July 2006 there is no smoking at any outdoor eating or drinking place. In May 2009 it was announced that smoking in cars where children under the age of 16 are present was banned and that the power to regulate smoking at pedestrian malls and public transport waiting points such as bus stops, taxi ranks and ferry wharves was transferred to local government
Anonymous
I can't agree with you where people's health is concerned. there are, IMHO, enough studies that suggest that second hand smoke causes various problems for people, so this only makes sense, just as workplace safety and other government mandated programs make sense. I know that it smacks of totalitarianism, but for a society to run smoothly, we do need some rules. I find myself in an odd position since I am a smoker, and this is not the first time I've had this dabate with a non-smoker, where we essentially took the counterintuitive sides of the argument. But I have to admit it's so much more pleasant to go to a restaurant and eat a meal without the smoke. I'm willing to go without a smoke for the duration of a meal, and it makes the surroundings so much nicer for myself, and everyone else. It is interesting you should mention french fries since they bring up the issue of trans fat. While some locales are enacting rules about trans fat content, some banning them all together, the market wil ultimately be the judge, and if the grocery shelves are any indication, that judgement is in, and it boldly states on the label "0% trans fat". And I actually saw a mayonnaise bottle the other day that said "A great source of Omega -3". Mayonnaise as health food, I must be getting old. Maybe they'll declare jameson's Irish whiskey as health food, "then" I'll be a happy camper ;-) Unfortunately, no market will come to bear on tobacco, since it is well represented by lobbyists and it's addictive, so the local governments have taken it upon themselves to regulate tobacco useage. As for being hypocritical in supporting bans on the death penalty and abortion, if that is what you feel in your heart then no, you aren't.
Boots
My city has a smoking ban and I love it!
The smoking ban is legal and has been held up in court challenges.
The problem with a "smoking" and "non-smoking" section was it was all the same air system. The smoke does not know to stay on the "smoking" side. It still drifts over to the non-smoking side and is still circulated through the air system.
Smokers can still smoke - they just have to go outside to a designated area to do it. My few friends I have that smoke, don't have a problem with the ban.
Prior to the ban, I did not out out in my city. I did not like coming home smelling like an ashtray. I'm also asthmatic and the smoke made it difficult for me to breath. Usually the day after going out I was all congested. It was rough. And my asthma is mild. It was not worth going out. The raging headache I got from the smoke was not fun either.
With the ban in place, there has been no loss of business in my city. The smokers will still go out to the local establishments. They just have to go outside to smoke. And the few that may pout about it are replaced by non-smokers like my self who now go out. It's much more difficult for a non-smoker or person with respiratory issues to be around cigarette smoke than it is for smokers to be in clean air.
As a customer base, there are more non-smokers than there are smokers. So, if you have to cater to one over the other - cater to the majority - the non-smoker.
There are a few owners the grumbled when the ban went into place. But once they found it did not affect their bottom line and in some cases, spending went up - most of them stopped grumbling.
Anonymous
I was living in Oklahoma when a they instituted a smoking ban. The politicians chose to do this because an obscure magazine named OK one of the unhealthiest states.
With that kind of logic it is no wonder these geniuses felt they could run someones business better than that owners themselves.
These some brilliant politicians had the nerve to criticize the owners of restaurants when they laid off waiters because their Business was cut in half.
Let property owners make their own decisions based on the demands of the market.
Wicked ɥɔʇıʍ of the West
I think it's unconstitutional to tell business owners what they can and can not allow inside their establishment as long as it's within the law, of course.
The whole idea of capitalism is for the consumer to choose where they spend their money. If nonsmokers don't want to frequent an establishment that allows smokers they are free to go somewhere else. Business owners don't have the freedom to allow smoking or not and therefor are being discriminated against.