Very High Possibility of Smoking Ban (Richmond, Chester: restaurants, floor, vs)

[Rita Mordio]

Gov. Kaine, key state lawmakers agree to pass statewide smoking ban for nearly all restaurants.

Read the Article Here

By the way, this includes all bars and clubs, except private ones, that serve alcohol - as Virginia ABC laws define them all as restaurants.

Though, restaurants can allow smoking if the "smoking area" is a physically separate entity that has independent ventilation.

[Erma]

That's cool by me. Food and smoke cologne really isn't my scent and I don't hang out in bars. Life is too short to have a cold one in a dark and smokey place.

[Speedaddicted]

LOL....food and smoke cologne..... CLASSIC!

I know smokers dont want to hear it but thats just a nasty habit anyway. No one wants a cloud of chemicals over them when they are trying to enjoy a steak.

[Cyclesucker]

"Thus always death comes to tyrants." Sic Semper Tyrannis

I will smoke in a bar if I please and if you don't like it tough, it's a free country folks. By the time everyone opens thier eyes to see that the government has passed laws restricting everything from smoking to fishing we'll be officially Socialist/Communists and you'll have to call the cops before taking a crap.

Its only a $20 fine to smoke in Amherst County Court (as indicated by signage). I'm thinking it's well worth $20 to prove a point.

[onevthoki]

I am not a smoker, but I totally disagree with this. Virginia, whether people like it or not, got it's start as a tobacco state, and tobacco is still a cash crop that people depend on. Philip Morris left New York because of how tobacoo unfriendly they became; considering how many jobs have been leaving the Richmond Metro area these days, does Virginia REALLY want to tackle this now?

The other thing that concerns me is that government is again interferring with private enterprise. If restaurant management feels it is in their best interest to make their facility smoke-free, then by all means, that is their right. But why should the government have that right??

[JQ118inCA]

Originally Posted by onevthoki

But why should the government have that right??

Fresh air trumps polluted air. The right to breathe free superceeds any 'right' to smoke in the presence of those who object. Please demand the tobacco companies produce a smokless or smoke-contained cig first and direct your energies there.
Besides, if any reasonable restaurant/bar owner looked at the demographics all would become non-smoking overnight with 80% potential customers nonsmokers vs 20%. Except for the initial hooplah, in states where this has passed, revenues went up because there was a vastly larger potential patronage base.

[onevthoki]

And you are exactly right, when you say that people have the right to breathe smoke-free air. Therefore, they have the choice to not enter a restaurant that does allow smoking. Don't get me wrong, there are restaurants here that are smoke-free, so there are plenty of choices for non-smokers. In my area of Chester there is one chain restaurant that does have a smoking section that for some reason is a little heavier on the smokers than some of the other restaurants, and it does bother me. So I choose to not eat at that particular location. I will go to that chain at another location, so it is not as if I boycott the chain. And as free enterprise dictates, another area restaurant will benefit when I choose not to frequent the one with the heavy smoke.

[Flamingo13]

I think restaurants should be able to choose if they want smoking - that can be posted - if they choose to be non-smoking: post that also. If facilities can have a separate room, great - they can advertise that. Folks would be able to choose whether they want a smoking or a non-smoking place. The business(es) in question know the clientele - and can make a decision.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

I think restaurants should be able to choose if they want smoking - that can be posted - if they choose to be non-smoking: post that also. If facilities can have a separate room, great - they can advertise that. Folks would be able to choose whether they want a smoking or a non-smoking place. The business(es) in question know the clientele - and can make a decision.

Yes. I am not a smoker, I don't even think I know any smokers. I hardly ever see anyone smoking in my daily life. My 8 year old son actually thinks it odd to see a smoker. However, the last I knew, smoking was not illegal. Most restaurants my family visits are non-smoking by the restaurant's choice. Why? Because that is what their customers demand.

[guyincognito]

Originally Posted by Cyclesucker

"Thus always death comes to tyrants." Sic Semper Tyrannis

I will smoke in a bar if I please and if you don't like it tough, it's a free country folks. By the time everyone opens thier eyes to see that the government has passed laws restricting everything from smoking to fishing we'll be officially Socialist/Communists and you'll have to call the cops before taking a crap.

Its only a $20 fine to smoke in Amherst County Court (as indicated by signage). I'm thinking it's well worth $20 to prove a point.

Sorry, it's not a completely free country. As they say, your right to swing your fists stops at my face. In a similar vain, your right to freely blow cigarette smoke stops when it begins to affect me. And I'm not just talking cancer. Personally speaking, I find cigarette smoke tends to irritate my eyes and make them bloodshot. For asthma sufferers, it can cause very severe reactions. And I hate having to wash my clothes as soon as I come back from night out, or worse yet, smelling them laying on the floor the next morning.

I'm very excited about the prospect of being able to go out anywhere and not smell like an ashtray.