We just passed a smoking ban in WA. Good stuff.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/247635_smoking09.html

Good job. Keep them smoking bans coming.

you sir, are a facist. however, i can forgive that due to the hilariousness of your avatar.

I can't wait for Illinois to enact this as well.

wish it would happen here as well. not sure about the part of the WA bill that doesn't even allow smokers to be outside the bar on the sidewalk though.

edit: so, the smoking ban right now, i believe, is only set for chicago. the problem with that is that chicago businesses are complaining that their smoking business will just go to a suburb, so maybe that's not ideal for them. yes, what we need is a state-wide ban, but i haven't read anything about this being in action yet.

As a former smoker who now HATES the smell of smoke with a passion, I agree with this 100%

I decided a while ago that this is true.

Hey don't we get to vote to ixnay the new york ban?

I can't wait to go out to a show and not come home reekin' of smoke. The WA bill does seem excessive from what I've read with the outdoor ban.

NYers are now encouraging the ban of smoking at parks and beaches, and in front of bars, houses, etc. Hopefully it happens.

That outdoor ban could cause that to be struck down.

yeah... hopefully?

i'm a smoker who couldn't care less about the bans inside bars, but banning something that is still legal on the sidewalk? fucked. up.

I'm not a smoker but having a ban on smokers in a bar and ONLY a bar is laughable to me and I LIKE the restrictions on where one can smoke.

but i mean, why don't they just make it illegal already and save the fucking hassle.

Precisely. If they're going to go this far then they may as well outlaw the damn things.

Now I agree wholeheartedly on the indoor ban and the ban for parks and beaches. But if they ban it even for the outdoors in front of clubs/bars or people's own houses, then that's getting a little out of hand.

And that's what leads back to "why don't they make it illegal then".

Because no matter how much we'd love to see a smoke free world, there are still people out there who really don't care what they do to themselves with the cigarettes and are going to refuse to quit.

I got no problem about banning smoking inside, but it's pretty fucking draconian to ban it on outdoor patios and sidewalks. They were trying to do that at some establishments in London and it pissed me off to no end. We're outside for fuck's sake! You got what you wanted, assholes.

I don't see that as the issue. If you want to kill yourself with cancer sticks, go head. But when it effects others and their health, then I think the ban is a good thing. Therefore I'm for banning it in public and not in private.

Bullshit. No one--politicians & even the most ardent anti-smokers--want to give up all that delicious tax revenue.

I have no problem with a ban in public--it makes more sense than a ban in private establishments. It's a nuisance, just like excessive noise. You can't drink on the sidewalk, and that's much less obtrusive to others than tobacco smoke.

Should one wish to smoke in a private home, a private club, or in a private car--that's fine, as long as the smoke is 100% contained and cannot contaminate public air.

I can somewhat see a ban in private establishments that seek to invite non-smoking members of the public. In other words, if the establishment is intended for smokers, and is marketed primarily to smokers, that's fine. If the establishment is intended for the general public and marketed to the general public, I believe a smoking ban is appropriate. Local governments could issue smoking licenses, similar to liquor licenses.

Thank god for fascists then!

I'm anxiously awaiting all the complaints from smokers about their rights being stepped on. Irony is sweet sometimes.

I don't understand how they can just universally ban smoking indoors. To me, it should be up to the establishment to decide if they want to permit smoking or not. I can see saying that the smoking section has to be completely closed off from the rest of the building or whatever but for the government to just say no smoking anywhere, regardless seems like an invasion on our rights.

I'm not a smoker and enjoy going into smoke free places and leaving not smelling like total hell but I really don't see where it's the government's place to just ban it everywhere. If you can't stand smoke, go to a place that doesn't allow smoking.

But we shouldn't have to endure an intake of smoke while walking down the sidewalk... WE shouldn't have to move when the guy at the bus stop decides to light up.. WE shouldn't have to move because that asshole is upwind of us and is oblivious to the fact... so on and so on. If you want to smoke, smoke in your home. And to the parents who smoke... WTF?!?!

i totally agree, thats just way above and beyond. you can make the argument that second hand smoke causes cancer in a small confined space (although thats not nearly as settled a fact as the anti smoking types make it out to be), but i'm not aware of any evidence anywhere that establishes you can get cancer from whiffs of second hand smoke on the street. seems like outside it diffuses so quickly and readily that it doesn't harm anyone. and sorry, "it smells bad" isn't a valid reason to restrict my right to do something.