There is a lot of controversy today about where people should and should not be allowed to smoke in public, and there is currently legislation in the State House and Senate to ban smoking in certain public areas. For a long time, most restaurants have had a "smoking" section, bars allowed smoking, and cigarettes were acceptable almost anywhere outdoors as long as the remains were properly disposed of. However, there is currently debate on whether or not smoking should be banned in these places because of more extensive research on the effects of secondhand smoke on non-smokers.
Secondhand smoke has been recognized as a health issue by the EPA since 1993. It is a Class A carcinogen, which is ranked along with substances such as asbestos and benzene. About 53,000 people die each year from secondhand smoke. This is a huge problem because smoking is still legal in some public areas, and the smoke is having a negative effect on the health of people who normally would not smoke and voluntarily inflict that harm on themselves. Secondhand smoke also has a huge impact on young children. It has been linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in infants and respiratory problems in older children and adults. This public behavior can also encourage adolescents to pick up on the habit, feeling a need to "fit in" or "look cool" while being out in public. Not only is it a hazard to people visiting public places, but it's also a workplace issue. In bars and restaurants, patrons are affected as well as employees, who cannot escape the smoking sections while working. Cities in eleven states have already banned smoking in some or all types of public areas. In 1990, the city of San Luis Obispo, California became the first city in the world to ban indoor smoking in all public places.
Although I do feel that smoking should be banned from public areas, there are several reasons why this idea is being ridiculed by many people. One of the biggest complaints about banning smoking is that the government is infringing on peoples' rights. It is also being accused of hurting the profits of hospitality businesses. Bars and restaurants, as well as other businesses such as bowling alleys, are public places that were attractive to people who smoke socially. Those places are now going to have restrictions in place that will force smoking to be done elsewhere. However, according to a 2003 review of 97 studies performed on the economic effects of banning smoking in the hospitality industry, it was concluded that sales actually had not been affected by smoking bans and in some cases actually improved.
Although both sides of this controversial topic may seem to have debatable arguments, I do not believe any argument that is against banning smoking in public is a good enough reason to risk the health of a non-smoker. Smokers argue that they should have the right to smoke in public if they want to, however, non-smokers should have the right to go to a public place and know that the air is clean and not polluted with carcinogens. Parents with young infants and children should not need to worry about bringing their children out to a restaurant or to go bowling because smoking is permitted and breathing it will be unavoidable. Not only will banning public smoking benefit the health of the non-smokers, it will also benefit the health of the smoking population by hopefully raising the number of people that decide to quit or cut back on the deadly habit. Banning smoking in public could be the start of a dramatic increase in the lifespan and health of everyone throughout all of the United States.