ALEILEUIA! Smoking ban in NC!

[Feanor2]

All places of employment, restaurants, and bars- I couldn’t be happier!!

Whod’a thunk it? In the land of tobacco- this is great! I was living in MA and really appreciated the ban there and now it is here in my new home.

It’s spreading- soon many more states will benefit from this healthy policy.

Will Texas be next. . . .

Happy Day,
Jeremy

 

[kage_ar]

No smoking in bars. Pretty soon, no drinking or talking either.

If I were a bar or restaurant owner in NC, I’d move to another state. Gov’t should not tell a business owner what LEGAL ACTIVITIES they can or cannot allow in their building. Sad to see our liberties being taken away like this.

 

[lizaanne]

WOW!!! My mother must be seething!!!

I couldn’t be happier, can’t wait till it happens in Michigan!!

~Liza

 

[MadameButterfly]

Wisconsin just passed a smoking ban this week. It does exempt Indian casinos though.

I don’t smoke and think a smoking ban at shopping malls, employment, and restaurants is a good thing. As for bars, I’m undecided; I think there should be some places where smokers can go

MB

 

[Inman]

I view this an issue of property rights. If someone starts a bar, restaurant, or other employer, they should be able to determine whether or not smoking will be allowed. If you don’t like smoking at restaurant, don’t spend money there. If you don’t want to work at a place where people smoke, don’t apply for a job there.

Let the market solve the issue.

These laws just take away more of our freedoms.

 

[jwashu]

No smoking in bars. Pretty soon, no drinking or talking either.

If I were a bar or restaurant owner in NC, I’d move to another state. Gov’t should not tell a business owner what LEGAL ACTIVITIES they can or cannot allow in their building. Sad to see our liberties being taken away like this.

I agree 150% I don’t get happy with the Gov infringes on the rights of small business owners. The system works, if people don’t want to be around a place that is smoky, then don’t go there! If enough people feel that way, they won’t stay in business. That’s the bottom line… it’s just like seatbelt laws.

In Arkansas they just made it a real fine if you are caught not wearing your seatbelt in the 2 tons of steel you are driving around, however just a couple of days before they shot down a helmet law again! How can your vote for seatbelt fines and not helmets? How can you allow no helmet then force seatblets is a better way I guess… it has NOTHING to do with people’s safety, that is BS, it has to do with $$$.

I went to Boy’s State with the “future” leaders of my state, I swore at the time I would move as soon as possible.

Joe

 

[shannyk]

Wisconsin just passed a smoking ban this week. It does exempt Indian casinos though.

I don’t smoke and think a smoking ban at shopping malls, employment, and restaurants is a good thing. As for bars, I’m undecided; I think there should be some places where smokers can go

MB

there is, it’s called outside

In all honesty, I think it takes some nerve on the part of someone else to think I should have to inhale their toxic waste simply because we’re in the same bar or restaurant etc. To me, it’s just plain good manners and considerate not to smoke around other people seeing how much we know about the health effects of it. But then again being polite and considerate isn’t high on the list of priorities for most people these days. It is too bad that because people don’t care, the government has to butt in. If only people would choose to control their own behavior.

 

[lifeisbeautiful]

I view this an issue of property rights. If someone starts a bar, restaurant, or other employer, they should be able to determine whether or not smoking will be allowed. If you don’t like smoking at restaurant, don’t spend money there. If you don’t want to work at a place where people smoke, don’t apply for a job there.

Let the market solve the issue.

These laws just take away more of our freedoms.

I totally agree with kage and you on this. Let the owners decide and then deal with the consequences, either way. I wouldn’t take my family to a place where they would have to sit next to a smoker smoking, and a restaurant may realize families etc will stay away because of that and impose their own smoking ban, or have smokers go out on their patio area or something. On the other hand, if a bar wants to allow their patrons to smoke while having a drink or whatever, its their decision to make. Don’t like a smokey bar, don’t go there.
ETA: I do agree with you shannyk in the aspect of people should be considerate and not smoke in other people’s faces, but I still think it is something for individual business owners to decide. If they notice they have a bunch of inconsiderate patrons that are driving away their business or making their customers unhappy, they should do something about it, but maybe they are a hangout for smokers, and so this new law might just affect their business. Its not like the restaurant or bar is on govt property, or owned by the public in general.

 

[whatevergirl]

*I couldn’t be happier…in Florida, this law exists too!

Here’s the thing…a person has the right to smoke, yes…but does NOT have the right to infringe on my space…and blow smoke in my direction, which so often happens in bars and restaurants…and everywhere else that is enclosed.

 

[whatevergirl]

I totally agree with kage and you on this. Let the owners decide and then deal with the consequences, either way. I wouldn’t take my family to a place where they would have to sit next to a smoker smoking, and a restaurant may realize families etc will stay away because of that and impose their own smoking ban, or have smokers go out on their patio area or something. On the other hand, if a bar wants to allow their patrons to smoke while having a drink or whatever, its their decision to make. Don’t like a smokey bar, don’t go there.
ETA: I do agree with you shannyk in the aspect of people should be considerate and not smoke in other people’s faces, but I still think it is something for individual business owners to decide. If they notice they have a bunch of inconsiderate patrons that are driving away their business or making their customers unhappy, they should do something about it, but maybe they are a hangout for smokers, and so this new law might just affect their business. Its not like the restaurant or bar is on govt property, or owned by the public in general.

*There have been smoking and non smoking sections for years in restaurants, etc…and everyone in non smoking could always smell the smoke. The smokers could enjoy their dinner, but the non smokers had to suffer. Unless you have separate rooms where the smoke wouldn’t travel, it’s really hard to control it. A smoker has the right to smoke, but shouldn’t have the right to disrupt my space…my lungs. And second hand smoke can cause a lot of damage. Why should a person have to smell harmful chemicals while eating dinner with his/her family because there’s a cloud of smoke constantly floating around. *

 

[Jennifer_J]

I totally agree with kage and you on this. Let the owners decide and then deal with the consequences, either way. I wouldn’t take my family to a place where they would have to sit next to a smoker smoking, and a restaurant may realize families etc will stay away because of that and impose their own smoking ban, or have smokers go out on their patio area or something. On the other hand, if a bar wants to allow their patrons to smoke while having a drink or whatever, its their decision to make. Don’t like a smokey bar, don’t go there.
ETA: I do agree with you shannyk in the aspect of people should be considerate and not smoke in other people’s faces, but I still think it is something for individual business owners to decide. If they notice they have a bunch of inconsiderate patrons that are driving away their business or making their customers unhappy, they should do something about it, but maybe they are a hangout for smokers, and so this new law might just affect their business. Its not like the restaurant or bar is on govt property, or owned by the public in general.

Yep, I totally agree. If smoking isn’t ILLEGAL, then I don’t know how the Gov’t can “ban” it in certain places. It’s a catch 22 for the gov’t, as well. They NEED the taxes off of smokers, so in reality don’t want anyone to quit.

 

[jimcav]

No smoking in bars. Pretty soon, no drinking or talking either.

If I were a bar or restaurant owner in NC, I’d move to another state. Gov’t should not tell a business owner what LEGAL ACTIVITIES they can or cannot allow in their building. Sad to see our liberties being taken away like this.

Excellent post!

We are hearing way to much from our government on way to many issues these days. We are America, the home of the free, and we should not have the govt. telling us what, when,how, where and why we’re doing or not doing legal things.

If the govt. really wants to eliminate smoking, then should just make it illegal. Doh, silly me, then they would lose there own addiction…tax’s…

 

[CWBetts]

It has been in effect in Ohio for a couple of years. As far as I am concerned, “smokers rights” do not exist. Smoking infringes on the rights of non-smokers to have clean air to breathe. And another thing smokers either don’t think about, or don’t care about, is the sheer amount of second-hand smoke inhaled by food servers. Keep in mind second-hand smoke is even mor toxic than what smokers take into theor lungs, because it isn’t filtered. Complaining about smoking bans in my opinion is an exercise in selfishness.

 

[Jennifer_J]

*There have been smoking and non smoking sections for years in restaurants, etc…and everyone in non smoking could always smell the smoke. The smokers could enjoy their dinner, but the non smokers had to suffer. Unless you have separate rooms where the smoke wouldn’t travel, it’s really hard to control it. A smoker has the right to smoke, but shouldn’t have the right to disrupt my space…my lungs. And second hand smoke can cause a lot of damage. Why should a person have to smell harmful chemicals while eating dinner with his/her family because there’s a cloud of smoke constantly floating around. *

You vote with your $$$ by not going to places that allow smoking–by the businesses choice. We had a few restaurants in town that did that, and were popular with families. Gov’t should stay out of this issue.

 

[lifeisbeautiful]

*There have been smoking and non smoking sections for years in restaurants, etc…and everyone in non smoking could always smell the smoke. The smokers could enjoy their dinner, but the non smokers had to suffer. Unless you have separate rooms where the smoke wouldn’t travel, it’s really hard to control it. A smoker has the right to smoke, but shouldn’t have the right to disrupt my space…my lungs. And second hand smoke can cause a lot of damage. Why should a person have to smell harmful chemicals while eating dinner with his/her family because there’s a cloud of smoke constantly floating around. *

Hmm, I stopped going to a wings place because of that (the traveling smoke). We have ordered pizza as take-out from another place because we liked their pizza, not the smoking. I do know of restaurants (and pubs/bars) that don’t allow smoking, or that only allow it outside on their patio, and we go there. I don’t go to restaurants where I think my kids will have to be exposed to smoking, but I don’t think that I (or the govt) should have the right to tell the owners of these places that they cannot allow their patrons to smoke. I do have the choice of not going there, of not spending my money there, or if I really like the food, just doing take-out.

 

[Jennifer_J]

Complaining about smoking bans in my opinion is an exercise in selfishness.

No, complaining about smoking bans is complaining about a gov’t out of control, taking away private property/ownership rights. No one forces you to eat at a smoking establishment. I’m a non smoker, btw, adamantly against it, but an owner of a business has the right to allow LEGAL activities to happen in their place of business…until now.

 

[whatevergirl]

*If your hurting others, then you don’t have a ‘right’ to do it…really, it’s that simple. I will say this…I was surprised when Florida adopted this for restaurants and bars…I even think Pittsburgh was turning to it, not 100% sure on that. At first, it was public buildings…private business, but public property. Ok, that made sense. Then, when it went to restaurants, etc…I was surprised. But, I hate smoking, so for me, it is a good thing–and I think that again–smokers have the right to smoke all they like…but they do not have a right to hurt others with their smoking.

People have a right to drink…but don’t have a right to drink…and drive. People have a right to walk down the street, but don’t have a right to jaywalk. This is right along with that.

I just hate smoking, I have deep rooted personal reasons behind my loathing of it, I won’t ever bend on this issue…I don’t disagree with your and others’ sentiments, but it is not a right to harm others. That’s not a ‘right.’ *

 

[lifeisbeautiful]

No, complaining about smoking bans is complaining about a gov’t out of control, taking away private property/ownership rights. No one forces you to eat at a smoking establishment. I’m a non smoker, btw, adamantly against it, but an owner of a business has the right to allow LEGAL activities to happen in their place of business…until now.

Lol, I’m with you, and I am a non-smoking pregnant mommy, who has never put a cigarette (or any other type of smokeable item) to her lips, and never plans on doing it either.

 

[CWBetts]

No, complaining about smoking bans is complaining about a gov’t out of control, taking away private property/ownership rights. No one forces you to eat at a smoking establishment. I’m a non smoker, btw, adamantly against it, but an owner of a business has the right to allow LEGAL activities to happen in their place of business…until now.

Alcohol is legal, but there are restrictions on where/when it can be sold. I guess this is government intrusion as well. Sex-oriented businesses cannot be opened near residential areas (in my location), but the businesses are legal, so the govenrment should not be able to say anything. Smokers are inherently selfish. They just don’t care that their habit has a detrimental effect on others. (BTW, in Ohio, cigar and tobacco shops are exempt, so they do have a place they can go!)

 

[whatevergirl]

It has been in effect in Ohio for a couple of years. As far as I am concerned, “smokers rights” do not exist. Smoking infringes on the rights of non-smokers to have clean air to breathe. And another thing smokers either don’t think about, or don’t care about, is the sheer amount of second-hand smoke inhaled by food servers. Keep in mind second-hand smoke is even mor toxic than what smokers take into theor lungs, because it isn’t filtered. Complaining about smoking bans in my opinion is an exercise in selfishness.

Amen to your post!*