[NowSoFlorida]

I wish casinos would ban smoking too. I know Isle in Pompano Beach is smoke free and I think Calder in Miami Gardens also is.

[Smoky74]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

It'll probably never happen due to the general lack of progressiveness in this state, as exhibited by the fact state laws preempt any local laws meaning smoking bans can't be passed at the local level. Florida is one of three states (PA and TN are the others) where that's the case. The only hope is overturning that law and allowing for local choice.

That's so sad I came to Florida to be healthy. Being near my parents, leave me not much recreational bar space to sit without smoke. Makes me wanna hitch a ride to Ga just to feel smoke free and have my one drink amongst people once a week. Wish me luck. Maybe a trip to New Orleans.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

Don't think you looked hard enough. I found this in 30 seconds:

Sidelines Sports Bar Wilton Manors

OTOH - the vast majority of gay bars do seem to allow smoking (the main ones in my metro area do - I looked it up).

Never knew that before. And why do you suppose that is? Do such a large % of gay people smoke that a non-smoking gay bar wouldn't make it? Or do you think it's something else. Robyn

Originally Posted by Robyn55

Seems to me after doing a little research that the primary opponent of such a ban would be the owners of gay bars (although they might get the owners of some "redneck" bars and similar to join them in their opposition)! If there is such a demand for smoke-free gay bars - why aren't there more of them? Robyn

It's kind of backwards, like much of the thinking/rationale in this state. My belief as a gay man is that gay bars see a good percentage of their customers smoking and think the demand is there overall, without realizing scores of potential customers who dislike smelling like an ashtray and inhaling all of that poison avoid going. Meanwhile other states/cities where the smoking bans have taken effect have seen an uptick in business when the law was enacted. Go figure...

[don1945]

I just wish they would ban smoking PERIOD ! What a disgusting, unhealthy, stupid habit. If you think about it, smokers are sucking SMOKE into their bodies...........SMOKE !! Is that insane, or what ??

Whenever I see some young person smoking I cringe, they have no idea the sentence they are imposing on themselves for the rest of their life. Hard to believe in 2014 people are still smoking.

Don

[kyle19125]

^^^ I agree and I can't think of any other situation where 18% of the population (many of them anyway) feels it's okay to inflict their hazardous habit publicly and are catered to by so many businesses over the remaining 82% of the population. It's truly insane.

[OrlFlaUsa]

You know it's funny we're having this debate about how dangerous it is to drawl smoke (from the combustion of plant matter) into one's lungs, in a state that's most possibly going to give people the right to do just that with Cannabis here in a few months.

I mean of course I support the medical movement, but I find it funny, in relationship to this thread, how the same people screaming bloody murder about cigarette smoke are all for smoking joints, bowls, etc.

[canadian citizen]

In Canada, in all parts of the country, smoking is illegal, in any place where people are being paid to work there. So, in effect, no smoking in any store, office, bar, factory, taxi, bus, airplane, school, hospital, and so on. This was NOT something that was imposed by Government, it was demanded, by the large majority of us who don't smoke.

We also tax tobacco a lot. Here in Toronto, a pack of 20 costs over $12. It is just not socially acceptable to smoke in Canada, any more. As a result only about 15 percent of Canadians smoke, and any one who wants to quit can get FREE help to do so. Some Doctors here refuse to have smokers as patients.

Jim B.

Toronto.

[Roscoe Conkling]

Originally Posted by don1945

I just wish they would ban smoking PERIOD ! What a disgusting, unhealthy, stupid habit. If you think about it, smokers are sucking SMOKE into their bodies...........SMOKE !! Is that insane, or what ??

Whenever I see some young person smoking I cringe, they have no idea the sentence they are imposing on themselves for the rest of their life. Hard to believe in 2014 people are still smoking.

Don

It's funny that people get so excitable about things like smoking and drinking - yet not as many seem to care about over-eating.
Especially as the former two are mainly adult pursuits but the latter encompasses all ages.
I believe in live and let live - if a bar owner wants to allow smoking in his bar that's fine and if he doesn't that's also fine.
If a non-smoker doesn't want to inhale 2nd hand smoke then go to the non-smoking bars.
Seems to me smokers who pay their taxes on a packet of cigarettes also have the right to smoke them in a reasonable environment - standing outside on a pavement is impinging on their rights.
And while we're at it let's have a fat tax - with the extra revenue from fatty and sugary foods going to pay for the massive load on our healthcare sytem created by the greedy people who eat too much of them.
And let's make gym membership tax deductible to encourage people to exercise more.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by Roscoe Conkling

It's funny that people get so excitable about things like smoking and drinking - yet not as many seem to care about over-eating.
Especially as the former two are mainly adult pursuits but the latter encompasses all ages.
I believe in live and let live - if a bar owner wants to allow smoking in his bar that's fine and if he doesn't that's also fine.
If a non-smoker doesn't want to inhale 2nd hand smoke then go to the non-smoking bars.
Seems to me smokers who pay their taxes on a packet of cigarettes also have the right to smoke them in a reasonable environment - standing outside on a pavement is impinging on their rights.
And while we're at it let's have a fat tax - with the extra revenue from fatty and sugary foods going to pay for the massive load on our healthcare sytem created by the greedy people who eat too much of them.
And let's make gym membership tax deductible to encourage people to exercise more.

There isn't an immediate second hand donut effect to other people.

Smoking in bars will only become illegal in this state through a citizens' petition that leads to a vote. That's the only reason we have the smoking ban in restaurants in this state.
The Republicans will do NOTHING to curb smoking in this state because they have calculated that they will lose more votes from smokers than they will gain from non-smokers. This would suggest that they know that smoking is correlated to a variety of other data points that show them more likely to be Republican voters. I suspect that big tobacco is more likely to fund Republican candidates than Democratic ones. I also suspect that that the majority of state reps and senators would personally like to see a smoking ban but will not be part of actually bringing it to a vote.

[New Horizons]

Originally Posted by Roscoe Conkling

It's funny that people get so excitable about things like smoking and drinking - yet not as many seem to care about over-eating.
Especially as the former two are mainly adult pursuits but the latter encompasses all ages.
I believe in live and let live - if a bar owner wants to allow smoking in his bar that's fine and if he doesn't that's also fine.
If a non-smoker doesn't want to inhale 2nd hand smoke then go to the non-smoking bars.
Seems to me smokers who pay their taxes on a packet of cigarettes also have the right to smoke them in a reasonable environment - standing outside on a pavement is impinging on their rights.
And while we're at it let's have a fat tax - with the extra revenue from fatty and sugary foods going to pay for the massive load on our healthcare sytem created by the greedy people who eat too much of them.
And let's make gym membership tax deductible to encourage people to exercise more.

The main flaw in your logic is that if a person wants to eat unhealthy or overheat, it doesn't affect me. I never got asthma while watching somebody eat a Double Double.

"As of January 2014, 28 states have enacted statewide bans on smoking in all enclosed public places, including all bars and restaurants: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin."---wikipedia

So all these states have infringed on the rights of smokers? And this list doesn't even mention cities that enacted their own smoking ordinances that preempted state laws, such as Houston, Dallas, and a bunch of others.