Today Chicago became the latest in a long line of cities which have banned smoking in bars and restaurants. The Chicago ban, approved by the City Council 45-1, takes effect January 16, 2006.
Taverns and bars located inside restaurants would have until mid-2008 to comply, however.
Yesterday Washington, D.C.’s city council approved a ban on smoking as well, by a vote of 12-1, though the mayor said he is not likely to sign it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Okay, this is stupid, as I’ve outlined previously: Government imposed smoking bans have nothing to do with public health, and they’re the wrong way to go about establishing non-smoking environments. Not to mention, the so-called “science” surrounding anti-smoking claims is almost always completely bogus.
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Jeremy Brizzi
Nov 14, 2006
Anyone against the non-smoking ban is a f’ing moron! That’s not an opinion, that’s fact. I’ll prove it. State one positive effect smoking in doors has on any person. State one negative reason other than personal choice to not band smoking indoors. The health benefits alone for every person is worth the change. Go to any city that enforces this ban and you will find that even the smokers appreciate not ending their nights smelling like an ash tray, not having to leave early due to burning eyes or difficulty breathing. Smokers need to get off of their horses and step outside for a few minutes if they want to continue destroying their health. Insisting and crying like a baby, using personal choice as a BS ruse to saturate the air with the putrid smell of smoke, whining like jackasses that you won’t be able to pollute the air I breath is no longer a good enough excuse in a world that is focused on health. Get with it, get over it and consider others for a change.
Michael Hampton
Nov 14, 2006
Quit calling your personal opinion a fact.
And if you don’t like smoking, stop fucking over the business owners and get the hell out of my country.
Stop using health benefits as a BS ruse to push your totalitarian agenda of controlling everyone’s lives.
Anonymous
Dec 21, 2006
Consider people who own hookah bars such as myself. Hookah a tobacco product that is sweet smelling and produces 0% tar and .05% nicotine. There is no such thing as second hand smoke and the smoke produced is light and sweet smelling. How do we fare into this crap bill. People come to a hookah bar to smoke things other than cigarettes and it is purely cultural. You are completely closed minded and are not in good mind to judge this argument.
Jeremy Brizzi
Mar 12, 2007
Quit calling your personal opinion a fact. >> You are right, I was incorrect to use “fact” in my statement.
Answer this…how does banning smoking fuck over business owners? I’ve heard this argument before and it makes ZERO sense. I am tired of hearing that business owners are going to lose business because people can’t smoke in their bars, saying that their business is going to go elsewhere. Let’s look at NYC and LA. Business increased by as much as 40% after the ban. Why? Well, if smoking is banned in all bars, then smokers have nowhere else to take their business but home…what I like is that the majority of smokers I know or have met do not smoke in their homes (hypocrisy!). Anyway, once the smokers have to step outside for a moment, all of the non-smokers find that they can once again enjoy going out. Suddenly realizing that if they want to continue to have a social life, smokers will again go out and get over themselves by going outside to puff their crap. Once outside, they usually find that it’s a nice break from the noise of the bar. In fact, polls taken in cities where smoking is banned in doors have shown that over 90% of smokers now appreciate the ban and would not go back to being able to smoke in bars. Get over yourself and evolve with the rest of humanity…and if you don’t like that, well then. GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY COUNTRY! I bet you’re a fucking Republican too…moron!
“Stop using health benefits as a BS ruse to push your totalitarian agenda of controlling everyone’s lives.” >> ARE YOU SERIOUS? You have to be kidding me. That’s like telling someone to stop thinking rationally or to stop living in reality. Again, fucking moron. Please do the world a favor and cover yourself from head to toe in nicotine patches.
As far as hookah bars go. I am not closed minded and am sensitive to your argument. However, please do your research. For example, in NYC, Hookah bars thrive. Why? Because that’s what they are…they are hookah bars and fall into a special category. People go to them to smoke hookah…however, smokers still cannot smoke cigarettes, etc in the bar. I don’t have a problem with a hookah bar simply because people are going to this bar to smoke hookah and do nothing else.
I cannot comprehend why there is an argument for smoking indoors. Is it really that essential to your lifestyle. Are you really that unconcerned with other human beings, let alone your own personal health that you cannot consider the health of others or the staff within those places? Are you not aware of science or the studies that show how detrimental to a persons health second hand smoke is? Why should I have to stay at home to watch the Superbowl, a sporting event, because have no place to go and watch a game that won’t leave me smelling and feeling like a pile of shit. How selfish are you? How many bartenders and patrons have to get asthma before you are able or willing to accept that your personal desires are not as important as the big picture?
Anonymous
Mar 18, 2007
Mr. Brizzi:
I find your language offensive and harmful to the wellbeing
of children of this country and to the people that read this
article. After we are through with the smoking issue, let’s
tackle alcohol, aftershave, perfume and every other thing that people can find offenive and ban it.
I am personally upset that a veteran of combat, serving over
seas to defend your right to free speech and opinion, returns
home, hoping to have a good meal with friends and enjoy some of the simple pleasures of life. The question is, what freedom was there to defend in the first place? PB
USA
Apr 30, 2007
Freedom is relative. There is no country on earth that free to an absolute degree. It would be total chaos, and humans’ inherent selfishness and self-righteousness would create an atmosphere of extreme fear and hostility. So, this is why the united states DOES have laws to protect ourselves from ourselves. So to answer your question, the freedom to protect is the relative freedoms of everyone living in this country. This is the foundation of our constitution and the many other countries that have copied it since. There is a hierarchy to how these freedoms are protected. The first being life, another being persuit of happiness. Somestimes, there are conflicts between them. For example, it may be in your persuit of happiness that you want to take someone’s life voluntarily or involuntarily. But that person is protected by laws making it illiegal to kill them, and it also not in that person’s persuit of happiness to be dead. So in this case, life AND persuit of happiness is protected for the person who doesn’t want to be killed, and the persuit of happiness and “freedom” is taken away from the person who wants to inhibit the freedoms and life of another.
Welcome the United States of America and its version of freedom. If you don’t like it, maybe you should move to a lawless 3rd world country where you can be more “free” in the sense that you describe.
john
May 11, 2007
1. Find benefits of smoking, with facts and proof.
2. Find proof that there is detrimental effects on business owners, large and small alike, anywhere in the world due to smoking bans.
3. Find away to control you argument with educated language to get your points across.
4. Speak up and get something going as it is not the smoking indusry’s fault, but rather smoker.
5. Don’t even think that you are fighting for freedom in a country that doesn’t understand our efforts and will never appreciate the hard work the servicemen and women of the USA have given to them.
6. Smoking is a social problem, and it’s not vital to the success, health, business, income, or livelihood of any species on earth.
…just my $.02
Michael Hampton
May 11, 2007
It’s quite frightening that people in our armed forces don’t even understand the freedom they claim to be fighting for.
Jeremy Brizzi
May 21, 2007
For the record, my full title is Sergeant Jeremy Brizzi and I too have served, both in Iraq, as well as in Bosnia. The fact that you use defending this nation as a point of contention makes me sick and I would happily smoke you until you either understand the errors of your ways or your arms fall off. This holds no relevance. Let’s discuss the other items you spoke about, beginning with the shining light of your ignorance, in which you compared shaving cream to cigarettes. I will say only this, I can’t remember the last time I or anyone else has been offended by my choice or use of shaving cream. I can remember no time in my life where I have ever heard of the use of shaving cream in a public place had ever been identified as harmful to another persons health. And um….while you may be offended by my speech, I guess I have you to thank for the few basic freedoms that we maintain. Thank you for defending my freedom of speech, you misguided idiot!
Jeremy Brizzi
May 21, 2007
Oh and by the way. Illinois just passed the statewide smoking ban, affective Jan 1, 2008…so smoke them in public while you can because WE WIN! And by we I mean common sense!
Michael Hampton
May 21, 2007
A soldier taking away freedom. The irony is not lost here.
Old Daniel
May 23, 2007
It is wrong to legislate no smoking in restaurants, bars, etc.
It should be up to the individual business owner, the person who has the investment of money and time, to make his own decision.
There are plenty of places to eat and drink already, that are completely smoke free. Those who are offended by smoke should go to these places.
If the owners wish to have smoking in their establishments, it should be their right. Non smokers could actually use some intelligence and discretion, by not frequenting these places.
My smoking friends and I, do not go into establishments that are smoke free. That is a choice we make.
The non smokers won’t be satisfied until smoking is banned everywhere.
As a smoker, I wish cigarettes would become illegal. I wish the government would show some courage, and ban the sale, possession, or use of all tobacco products.
It will never happen. This country would go broke. The so called “sin taxes” on tobacco products raise billions of dollars for government, state, fed, and local.
The money taken in by tax on tobacco, far exceeds any health costs incurred by those who try to blame every instance of cancer, emphesema, or heart trouble on smoking.
No question that smoking is detrimental to your health, and no question that second hand smoke is detrimental to SOME.
There are tons of questions about how detrimental, and still questions IF second hand is detrimental to everyone.
There is no definitive. IF smoking cause cancer, everyone who smoked would get cancer. The vast majority of smokers DON’T.
IF smoking was the cause of cancer, why do non smoking people get it?
Why do babies in places like Montana and Wyoming and Alaska get lung cancer? When they have never been exposed to smog, cigarette smoke, asbestos, or green eggs and ham?
Plenty of questions without answers, but the non smokers prefer the sound of their own screaming and whining to trying to give true definitive answers.
Mostly, because they can’t.
Nothing has been proved yet. That’s the real definitive answer.
Missouri
May 26, 2007
As a smoker, and a man that has served my country it is now clear that I joined and fought for my country for the wrong reasons. I believe that everyone has rights, so for you as a non smoker and since you seem to have such a great out look on things, Old Daniel is right! You speak so highly on how they are treating people of the United States. This Country is not FREE anymore! It is being run by Hitler types, my opinion. But if you are so much for not being around people that smoke stay out of the bars and such where their are smokers. Oh, I forgot you can’t stand the smoke but you are okay with someone drinking way to much and driving, once again my opinion. So instead of creating a no smoking ban, lets say we allow people to open bars and Resturants for smokers only? But oh no that would never happen would it? Because non smokers would not go for that, they have rights. And that would be discrimination. And lets just say my cigarette taxes and everyone that smokes, pays more for this country than you are willing to admit. Since you seem to be so smart figure this out, the number of people that smoke, how many packs they smoke, times the taxes per day and per year and see how much money you might have to start digging into your own pocket if eveyone that smoked quit. Lets face it Old Daniel, Non smokers have their rights and their freedom And for us that smoke and more than make this country run from our taxes have no Rights.