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Well, you can't take a pet into most public places (unless it is a seeing eye dog or such). Most places you also have to wear a shirt and shoes. How is this any different.

Please note I'm not anti smoking. I'm just pro debate and thought I would put this out there as food for thought.

I agree Ric. But isn't it rude to smoke inside a public area just as it is rude to fart in an elevator? If you are outside in the open air that is one thing. But inside the stink of smoke is not only in the air it gets in your clothes hair and sometimes you can taste it.

It reminds me of a sign I saw something to the effect that you enjoy smoking, the stink of smoke is a byproduct and I shouldn't have to carry that stink on me. It then compared it to drinking is something I enjoy, pi$$ing is a byproduct of drinking and I don't piss on you.

Hey Rick...I concur.

I would never consider lighting up in an inappropriate place, just common courtesy. I frequent a local pub that is cigar friendly and I always have an extra 'gar for the owner. But what I can't understand are the places that allow cigarette smoke, but not pipe and cigars. Oh, what us cigar smokers have to put up with!

Augie

THL, you most certainly do not live in Social Republic of California, where everybody is concerned about saving lives thru rules such as no smoking in bars, resturants, public buildings, whore houses, etc!!! The whore houses is only to lighten it up, so do not take that seriously! Hell, everyday one of our enlightened Senators or our "great" Governor try to come up with another betterment plan for our health@!

Charlie

Just wait till it catches up with them!

Ybor City could be a ghost town. The restaurant, Columbia a bastion for cigar lovers and the home of the Cigar General's show, empty. Country clubs,empty. The XO club at the former Ice Palace where patrons pay $5000.00 so they can blaze up while watching a hockey game, empty.

The reason? Patrons are now enjoying their pleasures at home or the homes of like-minded people. I'm wondering when this is going to be repealed?

The local shop owner told me this whole mess was started by a consortium from California that paid for a group to collect 500,000 names to put this on the ballot. That's just great.

my original point was not to suggest smokers have a right to be arrogant and light up where they please. I smoke all my cigars at home or at bowling league. I don't smoke in restaurants as I am always with non smoking companions. But I do like to smoke in bars. I think this is becoming the "tyranny of the majority" imposing their values on the minority. Since most people don't smoke these anti tobacco laws aren't that hard to pass. But I believe it should be left to the market place. Where I bowl, the owner is a big cigar smoker and will always allow cigars there, if you don't like it join a league that is non smoking. Bar owners can attract a segment of society if they make their bar smoke free. I think it also takes away my most personally valued right, that being property rights, as business owners can't decide for themselves what type of business they will run.

In my business I can allow dogs in the shop if I want to, and I have done so, there is no law against it here in Colorado. I could also smoke in my business and allow it, but I choose not to, but I don't want government taking that choice away from me. I can also allow people without shirts or shoes and have done so also, there is no law against that. These decisions are all made my individual business owners and how they want their business to be run. Basically whatever you are legally allowed to do in public places you can legally do in private businesses, as long as it doesn't violate the policy of the business owner. If I want to allow smoking I can, but the cost would most likely be lost business.

Every law passed, and/or every decision made to help one person will hurt another person. It's the cost versus benifit ratio. Every benifit comes at a cost, and the important thing is to weigh each side. In the case of these no smoking laws in public, the cost goes much further than simply taking away an individual's right to smoke.

exactly, hence my name to this post. Think about it, as it is now, most business owners on their own make their business smoke free. When was the last time you went into a non tobacco related retail establishment that allowed smoking? What about a theater? Or even a church? (about 25 years ago my friend went to a Southern Baptist church in the south that allowed smoking, with handy ashtrays mounted right next to the bible). The only place these days where this is really a matter of concern are bars and restaurants. I would say that probably at least half of restaurants flat out ban smoking already. I would also say the majority of people who would vote for a ban don't go to bars at all. So I think the restaurants are the only real concern, and there have been some very innovative inventions to purify the air so it only bothers the most hypersensitive anti tobacco nut where to them the real issue is outlawing tobacco completely. If left in the hands of the free market, business owners would use every creative ounce in them to find a solution to please both smokers and non smokers, but government intrusion to solve the problem is as always never creative or innovative.

My personal experience is this...Whenever I decide to go to a bar to have a cigar, I always ask the bartender,"Is your establishment cigar friendly?". Sometimes I hear yes, sometimes no.
Cigar smokers in my area (Pa.) sometimes have to go to "cigar bars" where the atmosphere is a bit "stuffy" for my taste, or the prices to high.
I guess it's just something that we collectively have to deal with. I also don't think this problem is going to improve over time (Like my smokes!).

I believe the Florida amendment does not apply to "stand alone bars" or tobacco shops -- so there are a few places smokers will be able to go to smoke, drink, and socialize.

While in San Diego recently I went to a couple of casinos. I was surprised that they allowed smoking. Although, the Viejas casino didn't allow cigars. Is it because they're on Indian reservations that they can allow smoking?
It was interesting to see how many bars and restaurants had outside areas for smoking. Some places had more people outside than in.

Back when I smoked cigarettes, I was in Los Gatos CA. I had just finished meeting soem friends at Carrie Nation's bar and went out to the parking lot in back. I was standing by my car talking and lit up a cigarette at the same time a Los Gatos PD car drove by.

The Officer stopped and advised me that it was illegal to smoke within public view in Los Gatos. I, of course, put out my smoke and asked the Officer where it was legal. He told me, "In your car...that's about it." He pointed to the pack of cigarettes in his gear bag and said "It sucks but I gotta deal with it too".

I couldn't fathom the fact that a city regulated smoking where it could be seen and not just inside or in crowded places. I imagine it exists elsewhere. I guesin Berkeley..it's illegal to smoke anything that isn't marijuana.

Aberdeen,
I seem to recall something about that apartment nonsense as well. Having lived in apartments for a number of years, I never smelled smoke, but I sure as hell got pissed off at my next door neighbors fighting, yelling at their kids, pounding on the floor, hearing sex through the wall (well, never mind about that last one). Isn't it just like California to miss the forest for the trees. Let's outlaw smoke in apartments because it might seep through the walls, but you can set off a thermonuclear device next door, rupture everyone's ear drums, and that is completely within your purview.

I hope that communist broad from San Fancisco becomes the Dems minority leader. That will be the last nail in their coffin until they wake up and smell America.

San Fran is a beautiful city full of ugly politicians hell bent on banning smoke from the cold, foggy air while making sure it's okay for the derelicts to pi$$ and $h!t in the streets. Harry Truman would lead the march to burn down city hall.

I used to live in an apartment and smoked in the garage (wife doesn't allow it inside). My garage was right below the chick's apartment. She always came down and yelled at me that I was stinking up her place. I said it is my garage and as long as I'm paying the rent I'll use it how I see fit. I also mentioned that nowhere in the lease did it say this was a non smoking complex. She called the landlord and I had to stop.

Funny thing is her mother smoked cigarettes which wafted up to the apartment above them. But I guess that was all right.

DrMaddVibe,
Not sure what your point is -- I agree with you that this is a needless Government intrusion.

If you're saying I'm wrong about the Amendment not applying to certain tobacco stores and "stand alone" bars -- the link you provide says this as well: "Will Bar Smoking In the Following Locations: ...All Non-Free Standing Bars..."

The actual Amendment says this as well: http://www.noamendment6.com/extras.html

As for Ted Nugent, I enjoy some of his music, but I don't pay much attention to his political views (or those of any other musician, movie star, or so-called scelebrity for that matter).