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Yes

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As a business owner, I have to say Yes, people should be allowed to smoke in public places. To me, this is not so much an issue of smoking, but of taking the rights of business owners away. My business is a public place, but it's still MINE. I pay all my taxes and follow all the rules I am supposed to. And let's face it, smoking cigarettes is not an illegal act. So why can't I allow people to smoke in my establishment if I want to? And why wasn't I asked to vote on this issue? Why was this decision made for me? We as Americans are in fact smart enough to make these kind of decisions for ourselves.

As for the whole smoking controversy itself, we live in a great country with many freedoms. For now, smoking is still one of those decisions we are free to make. If you choose to smoke, you do so knowing full well the health consequences you face. You are also aware of the consequences if you choose to break the speed limit. What's next? Are we going to have smart chips in our cars that read speed limits and govern our speed? It's a choice, a dangerous choice, yes. But at least we are able to make it for ourselves. If you want to lower your risk of dying in a car accident, don't speed. If you want to lower your risk of suffering from some sort of lung disease associated with smoking, don't smoke and avoid those who do.

Smokers are not evil people, and it's time they weren't treated like it. Smokers are just people with a nasty habit. Should we ban nose pickers in restaurants too? After all, I find it offensive.

I think we need to leave the decision up to the individual business owner. I feel I do have the right to run my business the way I want, whether that means serving bottled water or allowing smoking. It's my business, and I want it to stay that way.

Learn more about this author, Brenda Adams.
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