"As I reach for my last smoke"

Check out this article in the star tribune about the new smoking ban in the Twin Cities area taking effect tonight. It features interviews with local musicians and club goers and really discusses the nuts and bolts of the issue.

The two opposing arguments are:

Business owners rights:

What right does the government have to tell a private business what it can and cant do inside its own walls. If people do not want to breath second hand smoke, don’t come to my bar!!! If the public really doesn’t want smoking, the businesses that allow it will go out of business. Its not the government’s job to take this decision out of the public’s hands.

The Counter Argument:

Each of these bars employs a staff of anywhere between 2 and 200. In an economy where many people do not have the luxury to pick and choose job it is not fair to force people to work in an environment that is not safe. Second hand smoke kills, there is no denying this.

On the whole I side with the second explanation. I don’t believe that the lazes fair explanation holds water. There are plenty of health risks that the market has not weeded out. We force oil refineries to take precautions to protect their workers, why don’t we do the same for food service? This smoking ban is a great step in that direction. If you need to smoke that badly, step outside. It’s a great opportunity to meet someone anyway.