Author Topic: Smoking ban (Read 413 times)

terryc · « **on:** February 26, 2008, 08:09:51 AM »

Well here in the UK we have enjoyed it(for non smokers) for 8 months and have you noticed that your bass and strap doesn't smell like an old ash tray when you open the case!
Scotland and Eire have had the ban longer but what goes on over the pond. Do different states have different rules, are there any states or counties in the USA that has not got a smoking ban in public areas ie, clubs, bars etc??
I for one have thanked it(as a non smoker) but a lot of bars & clubs have re decorated because the stale smoke smell masked any other smells that were there.

cozmik_cowboy · « **Reply #1 on:** February 26, 2008, 08:39:46 AM »

It varies widely in the US - Illinois was a patchwork of local ordinances until January (DeKalb, where I live, you could only smoke in bars & bowling alleys until September, then nowhere - Sycamore, the next town over, allowed it in restaurants & places of business under a certain size). Now smoking is banned in all public buildings statewide (and I can go to bars again without destroying my throat!) A number of states have similar laws, some I expect never will.
I'm kind of surprised to hear about Eire banning it - a few years back, a Chicago radio guy was doing some broadcasts from a pub there & asked if he could move his set-up into the no smoking section. His host said This is Ireland, Steve - we have a smoking section and a chain-smoking section

Peter

olieoliver · « **Reply #2 on:** February 26, 2008, 08:39:59 AM »

I'm not sure about other states but in Texas it's up to the city goverments to ban or allow smoking in public places. Dallas has a smoking ban for resturants but Mesquite, (where I live), has none.

On a side note, I'm playing a benefit next Friday night for an old friend that I played in bands with for years. He has throat cancer and needs chemo and radiation treatments.

In my opinion they should outlaw smoking except in the confines of your own home. Yes a person has the right to smoke but I have the right not to inhale the offensive second hand smoke!

Very touchy subject to me as you can see.

Olie

glocke · « **Reply #3 on:** February 26, 2008, 09:03:25 AM »

In New Jersey I am pretty sure it is banned state wide in public places. In Pennsylvania, I believe there is a ban in the Philadelphia city limits, but not a state wide ban.

Im pretty much all for it. Second hand smoke makes me pretty sick. In one band I play in, EVERYONE smokes, even the guys who come to hang out. Its so bad when we take a break from rehearsel I have to go outside. When I get home from these rehearsels it feels like I am covered in some foul toxin from the second hand smoke and have to shower, and more often than not the next day my allergies are acting up from the smoke.

hydrargyrum · « **Reply #4 on:** February 26, 2008, 09:31:43 AM »

Here in Columbia Missouri the city enacted a smoking ban. I have mixed feelings about it (and no, I do not smoke). It still seems to me like a person should be able to do what they want with their own business, and if people don't like it, then leave. I stopped going to clubs and bars a long time ago because I didn't want to smell like I was dipped in nicotine. It may be in the best interest of everyone's health, but where does it end? A ban on fast food, alcohol, and anything deemed to be subversive to the psyche? Frankly I don't believe that our Government exists to keep everyone from doing stupid things. And if so, just ban stupidity, not smoking.

olieoliver · « **Reply #5 on:** February 26, 2008, 09:44:01 AM »

I don't see where me eating a taco can be hazardous to the guys next to me, but me inhaling their second hand smoke is indeed harmful to me.
Same for someone having a drink. There is no way some cat having a beer is harmful to me, unless he gets behind the wheel of a car that is.

I do agree that PRIVATE business' should mantain the right to run them as smokefree or smoke-full. It's the public places, (i.e. Post office, city hall, the mall, the park....)that should be mandatory smoke-free.

hydrargyrum · « **Reply #6 on:** February 26, 2008, 11:29:41 AM »

I think our public buildings have been smoke free for quite some time now, but the smoking ban I refer to has been applied to private establishments. I don't think that I have ever been in a situation as an adult where I was forced to endure cigarette smoke, and could not leave. As a non-smoker (and parent of an eight month old), I happily enjoy the smoke free environment. But I can think of at least three locally owned old fashioned diners which are seriously hurting now from the disappearance of their regulars. It's just the imposition of this ban without consideration for the venue that irks me.

And as far as eating a taco, etc., yeah it only hurts you. But that still doesn't mean that the government won't necessarily take issue with it some day. I recall that trans-fat bans have been enacted in some cities. How about seatbelt laws, and motorcycle helmet requirements? The government all too often takes the role of nanny in my opinion, and this smoking ban is only one more example.

flaxattack · « **Reply #7 on:** February 26, 2008, 11:30:33 AM »

the biggest joke is no smoking in outdoor arenas
its funny though
you cannot open a smokers only restaurant or bar in this country.
i shouldnt have to put up with morons on cell phones in restaurants either
everyone who spouts the bullshit about second hand smoke- why bother breathing in the first place
the air is totally polluted with carcinogens anyway
my best laugh- i was at a smoking table at a casino on a cruise and some old biddy started complaining- for once i got to tell someone to shut the f--- up or move.

pas · « **Reply #8 on:** February 26, 2008, 02:54:17 PM »

The government has no business legislating this. This is a complete infringement of a business owner's liberty to run his business as he sees fit. Totalitarianism incarnate.

Orwell's dream came true, but no one realizes...

terryc · « **Reply #9 on:** February 27, 2008, 07:36:46 AM »

Well here in the UK everyone has policed themselves, all the smokers go outside under the heat lamps that the pubs supply(more greenhouse effect!!!).
I grew up with both parents smoking which is why I either stayed in my bedroom for most of the time or went out.
It is a difficult freedom of rights subject but I have to agree with glocke..I welcome it with open arms(and clear lungs)
Throat, lung, oesophageal cancer, chronic bronchitis, ephysema...a bad price to pay for the nicotine hit but the individual has the right to choose.

jacko · « **Reply #10 on:** February 27, 2008, 08:05:14 AM »

The only downside to the UK smoking ban occurs at the end of the night when you're trying to carry your gear out to the car. You have to barge through crowds of smokers who are too drunk to have the sense to move out of the way or get hit with a speaker cabinet. (this doesn't happen earlier in the evening when loading in as they're moderately sober).

Flax..the biggest joke is no smoking in outdoor arenas .
52 people died in a fire at a football stadium in bradford which was most likely caused by a dropped cigarette.

graeme

tbrannon · « **Reply #11 on:** February 27, 2008, 08:15:55 AM »

The only point I can add to the discussion...

For countries like the UK: Medical care is socialized- if the government is going to foot the bill for lung cancer, shouldn't it be able to push for a healthier nation? If the answer is no, then why should the government be responsible to provide medical care for those who abuse their bodies?

olieoliver · « **Reply #12 on:** February 27, 2008, 08:38:07 AM »

This is a very explosive topic and can get heated on either side. I believe the main problem is not the smoker or the non-smokers rights. The more important issue is consideration of others.

I would be totally wrong to sit in the smoking section of a restaurant and complain about the smoke, while it would be equally wrong for a smoker to light up in a non-smoking area. Same with my job, I don?t complain about our drivers smoking in their lounge and they don?t smoke in my office.

And about the ?B-S? about second hand smoke, I?ve read that canned tuna has been found to contain small amounts of mercury. I still eat tuna but I don?t pop open a thermometer and pour it?s mercury over the tuna either. The air is polluted but not nearly as polluted as a smoke filled bar.

And I agree 1 million percent that ?Big Brother? has no business telling someone how to run their business. If I want to open a restaurant and have smoking allowed in all areas that?s my prerogative. But if I have to stand in line at the DMV to renew my driver?s license I shouldn?t have to be subjected to second hand smoke.

The world is big enough for us all; we just need to treat each other as we would like to be treated. ?I? and ?me? are the two most selfish words in the English language. We should replace them with ?you? or ?her/him? more often!
Instead of, ?what do I get out of it or how does it affect me?, try inserting you and him/her.

LOVE is a 4 lettered word but we shouldn?t treat it as such. Life here is too short, enjoy the planet and enjoy each other! Relationships are all that we keep forever.

Olie

(Message edited by olieoliver on February 27, 2008)

olieoliver · « **Reply #13 on:** February 27, 2008, 09:04:10 AM »

Very valid but often overlooked point Toby!

lbpesq · « **Reply #14 on:** February 27, 2008, 10:31:58 AM »

Olie:

Do I turn to my wife and lovingly say: You love you, honey? I suspect it might not go over all that well. lol

As for second hand smoke, I can understand that it can be annoying to some and any smoker should be considerate and act appropriately to the situation. Personally, I don't like the government involved. A lot of the brouhaha about second hand smoke is gov't-fueled propaganda that is not supported by good science (gee, sound familiar?). And I certainly agree with Flax about smoking in outdoor stadiums. I remember being a little kid and my dad taking me to the Polo Grounds or old Yankee Stadium. The cigar smell was part of the package, along with the vendor yelling beah heah - another loss of the modern age (no alcohol sales in the stands!). So a fire once happened at a stadium that may have been caused by smoking. Hey, I've seen all those European and/or South American soccer matches where violence breaks out amongst the spectators. We must therefore ban soccer, right? And a plane once crashed, so no more flying. Ever heard of an auto accident? No more cars. And what about botulism? Let's ban food.

The bottom line is that life causes death. No one has ever died in the history of the world who wasn't alive just previous to death. We all take risks - a 747 could fall out of the sky and hit me on the head any moment. Big Brother is turning into Big Mother. I'm not happy about it. O.K., now my chest feels a little lighter.

Bill, tgo

(Message edited by lbpesq on February 27, 2008)