Smoking Ban in Boston (minimum wage, dangerous, baby sitter)

[sambo2929]

Originally Posted by miu

And even though bars and restaurants seem like private areas to you, because they aren't private membership clubs and instead open to the general public for business... they are indeed public areas.

But... if you want to move out to a rural area like Montana, go smoke all the cigarettes you want to. But Montana being so much less populated than the rest of the US is why they they had no speeding limits on their highways for many decades.

While I couldnt find anything that gave a definite yes or no, The link provided below shows that local governments are allowed to ban smoking in private clubs in MA

EXEMPTIONS FROM SMOKING BANS FOR PRIVATE CLUBS

I wish I could move to montana and smoke all I want but unfortunantly, they also have a smoking ban

List of smoking bans in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[miu]

I also think that I have a personal right to be able to go to restaurant, pub or bar and NOT come home with my hair and clothing reeking of YOUR cigarette smoke. Just because it doesn't bother you because you've trashed your sense of smell, doesn't mean that I have to suffer for it.

And as someone who has a two-family house, I certainly have the personal right to a preference to never rent to a smoker. Your cigarette smoke imbeds itself into drywall and woodwork and yellows the paint. Cigarette smoking is a nasty activity. There is nothing cool or glamourous about it. The activity doesn't enhance anyone's life except those in the tobacco industry.

[Cantabridgienne]

Originally Posted by miu

I also think that I have a personal right to be able to go to restaurant, pub or bar and NOT come home with my hair and clothing reeking of YOUR cigarette smoke.

I'm not sure what you think a "personal right" is, but you have a legal right to a smoke-free bar/restaurant in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. There's no debate about this.

Originally Posted by miu

The activity doesn't enhance anyone's life except those in the tobacco industry.

And people who enjoy smoking. Nonsmokers don't seem to understand this--it's not just a dirty addiction people are trying to shake nor is it something adults do to be "cool". I enjoy a few cigarettes a week. As in, I truly enjoy them. I enjoy the smoke, the nicotine, the taste, everything. Shrug.

[mp2c]

Originally Posted by miu

I also think that I have a personal right to be able to go to restaurant, pub or bar and NOT come home with my hair and clothing reeking of YOUR cigarette smoke. Just because it doesn't bother you because you've trashed your sense of smell, doesn't mean that I have to suffer for it.

This is sort of the framework for thinking about this: our rights extend as far as they don't infringe on other's rights--with all sorts of caveats.

[MAVERICK2929]

Originally Posted by miu

I also think that I have a personal right to be able to go to restaurant, pub or bar and NOT come home with my hair and clothing reeking of YOUR cigarette smoke. Just because it doesn't bother you because you've trashed your sense of smell, doesn't mean that I have to suffer for it.
.

I dont think anyone on here is disagreeing with this statement. If you are going to rent an apartment to somone and dont want them smoking in it, than that is your right to put that in the rental agreement

[dlchase]

They should ban McDonalds, KFC, Burger King etc, cause you people are all getting too fat, is that what you call healthy?? I'm a smoker, a little less than a pack a day, 55 yrs old and I bet I'm in better shape than most of the anti-smokers there.Booze is another killer but we don't vote that out

[TAM88]

Originally Posted by dlchase

They should ban McDonalds, KFC, Burger King etc, cause you people are all getting too fat, is that what you call healthy?? I'm a smoker, a little less than a pack a day, 55 yrs old and I bet I'm in better shape than most of the anti-smokers there.Booze is another killer but we don't vote that out

People make a choice to go an eat at fast food restaurants. So banning them would send a very bad message to private businesses that the government can control them. You ban booze and the government will lose out on a ton of revenue as well as restaurants and bars. Don't see that happening.

Personally, a bar and/or restaurant should have the right to allow smoking if they wish. They will have to deal with any customer backlash that could occur from those heavily opposed to smoking.

[Cliff Clavin]

Originally Posted by dlchase

They should ban McDonalds, KFC, Burger King etc, cause you people are all getting too fat, is that what you call healthy?? I'm a smoker, a little less than a pack a day, 55 yrs old and I bet I'm in better shape than most of the anti-smokers there.Booze is another killer but we don't vote that out

As mentioned several times throughout this 2 year old thread, the smoking ban was introduced to protect the health and well being of the bar employees, not the patrons.

To my knowledge serving greasy fast food and Jack and Cokes isn't a health risk.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by dlchase

They should ban McDonalds, KFC, Burger King etc, cause you people are all getting too fat, is that what you call healthy?? I'm a smoker, a little less than a pack a day, 55 yrs old and I bet I'm in better shape than most of the anti-smokers there.Booze is another killer but we don't vote that out

Ridiculous argument. No one voted cigarettes out. You can still buy cigarettes just like you can still by booze or a Big Mac.

The difference is that when I eat a Big Mac in public (which, btw, I never do... don't touch the stuff), the people around me aren't getting second-hand calories, sodium, cholesterol, fat, etc. It's not a health threat to anyone else. I think we can all agree that smoking is harmful to not only the smoker, but people in the vicinity who are at risk just by the very act of taking a breath.

[RC1981]

Even when I was a smoker I didn't mind the smoking ban. If you're in a restaurant and can't wait until you finish your meal to smoke a cigarette, then you have problems. Real problems.

Also, as far as bars and clubs go, I worked for a long time in Boston as a DJ so at first I thought it was going to kill me, as I'd usually go through at least 3/4 a pack during a shift at a club, but after the first couple of weeks I realized that it was definitely worth the trade off of not being able to smoke in order to work in a smoke-free environment. I eventually realized that I'm only here for about 3 or 4 hours anyway, so it's not like it's the end of the world if I can't smoke for that long.

One of the best things that the city ever did, in my opinion, even if I was skeptical about it at the beginning.