Most of the states in the United States have a smoking ban in restaurants, or if the state doesn't the city or county bans it. Other countries even have a country wide smoking bans. How do you feel about smoking bans in restaurants and smoking in other public locations?
Do you like the fact that the government decides or should it be an owners decision?
I personally love it - and I'm a non-smoker. I can't even remember the last time when I went into a restaurant and I asked smoking or non. My mom who finally quit (yay!) is also for smoking bans. When the smoking ban went into effect for her state she was a smoker!
Do you have a ban where you live?
I live in FL and restaurants are smoke-free, but the stand alone bars and clubs are not. I went to the club for a going away party for a friend and it was extremely smoky in there. I came home smelling like smoke.
Just looking to get some opinions. Was discussing this w/ a friend earlier today.
Thank you! :)
Rose D2012-11-27T19:56:37Z
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I'm in favor. I have asthma, which can be triggered by smoke. I was at a bus stop a month or so ago and someone started smoking. I started to hack so badly that I had to run to a nearby store and get a bottle of water and spend 5-10 minutes breathing the fresh air before I could go back out. I missed my bus and had to wait an additional 30 minutes. I have a nephew who has more serious asthma. He cannot go into places where there are smokers, period. The last time he did was several years ago and he had to spend the night in the hospital as a result.
I live in PA, and we have smoking bans. My poor nephew is in Kentucky, which doesn't. At least not in his county.
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.
Yes, they've banned smoking in public buildings where I stay. It's a great idea to ban it in restaurants - because smoke travels and it forces the other customers to taste and smell the smoke, when they'd rather be tasting their food. It's also good to ban it for health reasons. Passive smoking is a real problem.
Staff being forced to breathe smoke all day long is certainly going to have some kind of effect on their health after a while. Also because of my own sensitivity to smoke, I could never join my friends in bars before the smoking ban, but now we can all hang out together in an enjoyable space. If somebody wishes to take a smoke break they simply step outside for a few minutes. Some bars even have special seating areas for smokers with outside heaters for that purpose. :-)
The "government" certainly has the power to restrict dangerous or disgusting behavior on public or private property for the "health, safety and general welfare" of the public.
I sometimes wish they would also ban smoking within 1000 feet of any public way, or some such, punishable by $500 fine, due to the number of smokers who feel the world is their personal ashtray and simply flick their buttts on the ground while walking or out the window of a moving vehicle (which is also littering).
I was thrilled when the bans for restaurants and bars came into force. Finally I can go out and not come home smelling like cigarette smoke! Also, I find it disgusting to try to eat while somebody is smoking. Ew.