Sioux City Journal

Smoking ban: An overdue idea

Posted: Sunday, March 09, 2008

SIOUX CITY -- I think the smoking ban is a great and long overdue idea. It would be great if there were any non-smoking bars and clubs in this area, but no one will open one because they are afraid no one would go there. The reality is that there are many people who would go to a non-smoking bar. If they pass the ban, don't expect the bars to be lacking any customers, people go out to have a few drinks with friends, listen to music, do karaoke, etc., they don't go to the bar just to smoke.

As a nonsmoker, the only choice you have right now is to expect to be gagged out and stunk up with smoke if you want to go do those things with friends. Its not like you can just go up to all the smokers around you in the bar and ask them to not smoke near you, that won't happen. They consider that taking away their rights to smoke. And for those who argue if you tax tobacco more, you need to tax fatty foods more, where's the real argument there? If you eat a candy bar, its not affecting my health, I'm not going to gain weight because of it.

The government is not trying to control our lives, they are just making a safer world for us. -- Patrick Lamoureux

Story Comments

opinion wrote on Mar 14, 2008 1:07 PM:

" I don't know about all of you, but smokers and non-smokers both have rights. Smokers are choosing to smoke, but they should have the courtesy to do it in their own space, where everybody around them doesn't have to smell it. I personally would love to be able to come home from restaraunts or bars and not have to wash every single piece of clothing because it smells horrible. I've been to many bars in differents states that ban smoking, and they are just as busy as the ones here in Sioux City, and they are more enjoyable because my throat doesn't hurt and I don't smell the next day.

As for opening a new bar... it's not that they wouldn't get business because they're non-smoking. They probably wouldn't get business because people have their regular places that they like to go. Now, if these regular bars and clubs became non-smoking, I'm sure that those same regular people would still go there, and they might have even more poeple that would enjoy the non-amoking. "

Bill Hannegan wrote on Mar 10, 2008 8:45 PM:

" Putting a smoking ban on bars and restaurants as a recession starts is just wrong. "

Karyn wrote on Mar 10, 2008 6:21 PM:

" Virgil, correction. The Oak Ridge National Labratory, Department of Energy, did a 16 city study of smokey bars and restaurants. OSHA standards for ets are 5000 micrograms per cubic meter. ORNL found 9.41 micrograms per cubic meter. Which is why OSHA has never issued any federal regulations regarding second hand smoke because is it far below thier permissable levels of exposure.

Enstrom and Kabat studied 118,000 people in smoking households over 40 years, the study was funded by Prop 99 in California and used the database of the Amercian Cancer Society and found again nothing stastically signifigant. The ACS has been trying to bury this one since 2003, it was totally ommitted by the SG'S Report in 2006. "

Derrick wrote on Mar 10, 2008 5:34 PM:

" In response to the Firefighter who on this topic I disagree with even though I usually agree with this smart man.

"It is not the governments job to protect us from ourselves" AGREED!! But it IS their job to protect us from others trying to harm us. Smoking DIRECTLY harms other people around you.

Spitting on someone is illegal (like it should) even though that really doesn't do any harm (unless they have a disease and it lands in your mouth, eye socket). Pepper Spray or spraying chemicals indoor just for the hell of it is illegal. Why not smoking? Where is the line?

If non-corporate business are suffering, than that is a problem...guess it depends on the state. But in this situation a compromise may be in order. Switch nights/days when their is smoking/non-smoking or something.

You cannot ostracize people because they don't want to breath that crap. Look at how many major historic problems have occurred because of ostracization.

And personally, my brother and I have LOVED going to concerts/bars without being forced to breath poison. No more headaches and labored breathing after 20 minutes! "

Susan wrote on Mar 10, 2008 4:00 PM:

" If the government is "not trying to control our lives, they are just making a safer world for us", then they should 1) get out of Iraq. 2) stop telling us what we can and what we can't do. 3)stop the fear mongering 4)stop lying to us. 5)stop spending money we don't have. 6) stop making so many new laws that take away our freedoms a little bit everyday. "