Our esteemed legislature is about to pass a law which will dramatically restrict smoking statewide. The health care industry has been lobbying for this for years, and we've seen various anti-smoking PSAs on our televisions for a while. This bill, however, goes further than most. It would ban smoking in all restaurants and bars (those are confined spaces; I suppose that's understandable), but it would also ban the practice at the airport from "curb to cabin."
If this goes through, don't even think about changing planes here.
When does legislation stop being pro-health and start being anti-people? As a smoker, I'm fully aware it's a bad habit. I don't smoke where it's gonna bother others, but fining me for lighting up in an open space like a public street (as the airport drop off/pickup lanes are)? That's too intrusive. And it only stops there for now: one of our legislators has a new idea.
Caldwell, who has introduced legislation to ban smoking at public beaches and parks, said he didn't push hard for it this year to make sure the secondhand smoking bill went through, but he plans to bring it back."You have to take the big steps first," he said. "Next year we can come back and look at outdoors," he said.
Outdoors. Outdoors? Everywhere? In my car? On a boat?
Posted by Linkmeister at April 23, 2006 03:09 PM | TrackBackWhy do they all get so fanatical about smoking?
Why not about exhaust fumes or transfats, which are just as unhealthy?
It's just the same here in Holland.
I suppose one reason is that smokers are such an easy target - there's just no way you can win an argument about your right to smoke if you want to.
Irritating!
cheers,
j.