Viewpoints
RE: Comprehensive Smoke-Free
Workplace Law
by Karen Ramsey
June 25, 2004
Friday
Mr. Corr, thank you for your excellent letter. Of course, in
an area such as I live in, you may get rebuttals from diehard
smokers who refuse to believe statistics or those who fear their
businesses will lose money if the same type of law were passed
here. Those people enjoy cloaking their argument against such
laws with the "freedom of choice" banner. They seem
to have no understanding of how ridiculous that is. They say
that there are plenty of places to work, eat, or be entertained,
etc., etc., where smoking is not allowed, so what's the beef?
After going this past week to one restaurant because I wanted
to socialize at an awards ceremony held there and another because
I like the food there, I have had to leave more quickly than
I would have liked because the smoke in the air began to hurt
my throat. And, it doesn't take much. At the awards ceremony,
there were very few smoking, but cigarette after cigarette after
cigarette being smoked by just those few was more than enough
to foul the air. In the other restaurant, it was just one smoker
whose smoke became intolerable for me. My husband, who smokes,
has taken to not smoking in restaurants where it is allowed because
he is cognizant of the fact that smoke bothers many people.
As for non-smoking sections, they are basically a joke.
Perhaps, as some feel, it is just a matter of time before those
who choose to foul up their own bodies with tobacco smoke will
not be allowed to do the same to innocent bystanders. I wish
I felt more confidant that that day will arrive in the not-too-distant
future here.
I recently read an article about Solana Beach in Southern California.
The city has passed an ordinance against smoking on the beach
after a group picked up about 6,000 cigarette butts in just 1
hour on a stretch of the beach. Smokers are generally quite
uncaring as to how they discard their butts. What, do they think
butts just disappear into thin air, or does tobacco smoke warp
the brain, too? Maybe researchers should check that out.
Thank you,
Karen Ramsey
Ward Cove, AK - USA
Related Viewpoint:
Sixth State Passes Comprehensive Smoke-Free
Workplace Law by William
V. Corr - Washington, DC - USA - June 23, 2004
Related News:
June 24, 2004 - Rhode Island
Senate Votes 30-0 For Smokefree Law; Rhode Island becomes nation's
7th smokefree workplace state
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