I’m opposed to complete bans on smoking in restaurants and bars, as we now have in California and Colorado, even though I’m a non-smoker and find cigarette smoke very irritating. It should be sufficient to have designated non-smoking areas, with suitable ventiltation. If there are enough people that want entirely non-smoking restaurants and bars, the free market will provide that.
Furthermore, the health claims regarding second-hand smoke have been greatly exaggerated; there is actually very little scientific evidence of even minor harm associated with second-hand smoke.
However, the Colorado ban has had one result that I’m happy about: someone in my family has chosen to quit smoking, with the help of Colorado QuitNet. As a non-smoker, I can only imagine how difficult quitting must be, but I’m very proud of her, and very much hope that she is successful.
While the dangers of second-hand smoke are exaggerated, the dangers of smoking are not. Studies have shown that even after many years of smoking, quitting will allow some of the lung damage to be reversed, and will increase the former smoker’s longevity and decrease the risk of cancer and other smoking-related ailments.