No Smoke...

It was something of a milestone event that took place in Charleston last week when the local council read for the first time a bill that will ban smoking in restaurants, bars and public buildings. Whilst this does not mean it will become law - it has to go through the process another two times - it is a significant step in the right direction. Of course, this has been met with the usual reactions on both side of the argument - happiness from the anti-smokers, with anger and cries of hypocrisy from the side of the pro-smokers. Being a non-smoker, i'm of a tendency to side with them anyway, but also given that i have worked bar in the past, i am far more on the side of such workers. Whilst I agree that it is entirely up to the individual if they want to smoke or not, i do not see why workers in places rife with smoke should be subjected to it, particularly if they do not smoke themselves. Of course, the pro-smokers point to their being no real evidence that passive smoking can lead to lung diseases and all that, and indeed some studies say otherwise (paid for by the smoking companies no less). Regardless of this or not, just because they wish to inhale the 100s of chemicals in cigarettes, doesn't mean that the rest of us have to as well. Some bars have complained about the law - saying that it will affect their business, yet this does not seem to be the case in California or places such as New York when such bans occurred. Indeed, it seems that people were considerably happier being able to go out and drink, and dine and not come back with a thin layer of tar over their clothes, and that horrible smell that hangs around for an eternity. No, I think that a smoking ban in public buildings is all good. Let the smokers hang around outside and maybe, just maybe, people will come to their senses and realise exactly how damaging it is to their health in general. Here's hoping.