PUBLIC SMOKING SHOULD BE ILLEGA
The most prominent memory of my trip to Europe in 1983 was not the excitement of traveling abroad for the first time but the discomfort of flying in a smoke-filled airplane for almost six hours. Even in the non-smoking section, I was coughing and choking during the entire flight. And whenever I had to use the restroom, I had to hold my nose as I passed through the smoking area to the lavatory.
If I ruled the world, I would certainly outlaw cigarette smoking in all public places. Fortunately for smokers everywhere, I don't rule the world. Nevertheless, I fully support the idea behind the New York State legislature's recent bill to ban smoking in all restaurants in New York State.
According to the New York Times, officials in both houses of the legislature say the legislation is "very close to fruition." California is the only other state I know that has banned smoking in restaurants and bars, and despite the predictions of some restaurant owners, I haven't read any reports that restaurant attendance has fallen off significantly since the bill passed. Why should it? Food is a necessity. People need to eat.
Assigning designated smoking and non-smoking areas in restaurants is not enough. Smoke travels quickly beyond the imaginary boundaries set up between tables and booths. As a patron, I should be able to enjoy my meal without choking on someone else's smoke. The same is true in bars and nightclubs, although I would exercise more legislative restraint in this setting because dancing and drinking are not as essential as eating. Still, why should I have to endanger my lungs just to go dancing?
I would ban smoking on public sidewalks and streets as well. What you do in the privacy of your own home is your business, but once you pollute the rest of the world with cancer-inducing toxic fumes, it becomes the government's business. I'm tired of asking people to put out their cigarettes or asking waiters to patrol the boundaries of their restaurant's smoking section. So if this new bill becomes law, as I hope it does, non-smokers will finally be able to enjoy their restaurant meals without having to police the artificial lines of separation that divide the two sections in restaurants.
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