Smoking ban
Seriously now, all joking aside. Wisconsin needs a state-wide smoking ban. I don’t care how many smokers claim that it’s their right to smoke any place they please–once their smoke intrudes on my fresh air (and permeates my fresh clothing) we have a problem. Smoking is very unique in that one persons actions are visible and smellable from across the room. More so, their smellable actions can lead to cancer and an ugly death. All things considered, it’s time that we join the majority of modern metropolitan areas and ban smoking in public, indoor locations.
I’d love to hear a reasoned rebuttal in the comments!
Filed under culture, politics : Comments (6) : May 21st, 2007 by tadfad
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:06 am
Minnesota state-wide smoking ban, called the “Freedom to Breathe Act” goes into effect Oct. 1. I am proud to be a Minnesotan. I am also happy that I won’t reek after I come home from a night out in the ‘burbs.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:22 am
Highly agree, Tad. Hopefully in a few decades smoking in bars will sound as ridiculous as smoking in airplanes and classrooms does right now. There are still ‘no smoking’ signs on some of the chalkboards in the engineering classrooms… of that college I went to back when I was young.
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:22 pm
I’ll chime in with the obligatory sciencey remarks. Recent studies suggest environmental tobacco smoke accounts for about 1.6% of all currently diagnosed lung cancers. Not a huge percentage, but that’s still 3000 non-smokers a year who will die from someone else’s bad habit.
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:08 am
I just saw this on MeFi this morning and couldn’t resist. It’s an interesting look at the unintended consequences of the upcoming English smoking ban. Some interesting thoughts: Since 63% of bingo players smoke, they’re predicting a huge online bingo boom, and outdoor patio heater manufacturers are getting ready for a huge demand increase.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6664871.stm
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:16 am
…and your 2nd Google ad, titled “Smoking Ban Solutions” is for outdoor heaters!
May 25th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
People come in from smoke breaks at work and they smell gross; the odor wafts across desks many cubicles down the aisle. We’re moving to a new building in July and we’re told there will be a nice patio/garden area outside. Somebody immediately asked, “Will there be ashtrays?” The smokers looked excited at the idea and the rest of us frowned. I don’t want their smoke polluting my fresh break air. It’s bad enough when the smell clinging to them follows them inside.