I just want to know what everyone's opinions are on this topic. Do you think people should or should not be allowed to smoke in restaurants? How about bars? What about outside a restaurant or on its patio?

Is the smoking ban good, or bad? Is it encroaching on our individual freedoms?

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brodie: ladies and gentleman, this tall drink of water headed my way is a pillar of the shopping community who informed me earlier today of a nefarious plan of his to screw my girlfriend in an extremely uncomfortable place
gil: what, like the back of a volkswagen? -MALLRATS

I think that it was absolutely ridiculous to ban smoking in bars and taverns. I can understand banning it in family restaurants (Bob Evans, Applebee's, etc)., but I do not agree with the bars smoke-free.

Most of the bars in my town are locally owned and operated establishments, and I think they should have the right to decide individually whether their bars are smoke-free or not. And, if they do, there should be a designated area where people can smoke that could be away from the main bar, pool tables, etc.

But, this is just my opinion. I don't necessarily like walking into a cloud of smoke, but smokers are people, too. They should have the freedom to at least smoke in bars.

I think it should banned in family-oriented places. But when it comes to bars, concert halls, and taverns I think that's more of a choice of the owners. I know Casinos are trying to get around the legislation of the new smoking ban in Illinois.

But I'm all for the ban, as I'm actually allergic to smoke&have been told my lungs are going to shit from all the secondhand smoke I'm around.

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not only in family oriented... my opinion is that smoking should not be banned but it should be allowed in specific places.. for example, in a restaurent, there should be a smoker's room and a non smokers one.... that's what i think ... same with the bars and tavern..

Having a smoking/non-smoking section in a restaurant is stupid. Smoke does expand, and will fill the whole room reguardless of if it's in the non-smoking section or not.

When you're in a car and someone lights up a ciggarette and rolls down the window, some of the smoke still will travel around the car and affect the other passengers.

Either your building is going to allow smoking, or it isn't. I think that smoking on patio's and such at certain places is fine though. As for bars, if you're going to be drinking you're killing yourself anyways so smoke shouldn't really matter to you.

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I'm all for the smoking ban, being a non smoker myself.
As the person above me stated, smoke travels.
It's about time non-smokers get to enjoy being out and not having to inhale someone elses' smoke.

There are a lot of people who think smoking should be banned as a whole. Theres nothing good about it. It kills more people than psychotics with guns, for crying out loud. The cigarette companies make their products addictive fully knowing they are killing the people who use them. That constitues as manslaughter in my dictionary.

It'd be awesome to see it banned as a whole, but that'd never happen. The government makes money off of it, the cigarette companies make money off of it. It's a billion dollar industry, and nobody wants to stop making money.

A lot of people want porn banned too... Like that's ever going to happen.

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I smoke, and I agree with that whole heartedly. I hate the fact that there's a smoking section at the bar of most restaurants when the bar is located in the middle of the restaurant. That doesn't make sense to me at all.

As a smoker, most people would think I'd be fully against the ban, but I think it has a good purpose and like you said, should be implemented in family restuarants and stuff like that. But, when it comes to bars, I think that is should be the owners' choice as well. Nearly half (probably more) of the peopl that frequent bars are smokers.

As for banning entirely,think that the notion is good in theory, but it would never play out. Not only is there a ton of money invested in the tobacco industry, but outlawing smoking I think is encroaching on individual rights. Everyone has a right to not smoke, but I think also there's a right to smoke as well. If the product is legal, it's your own decision whether or not you want to take the risks of smoking. Not to mention, it'd be pointless, because people would still do it anyways. Remember prohibition?

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brodie: ladies and gentleman, this tall drink of water headed my way is a pillar of the shopping community who informed me earlier today of a nefarious plan of his to screw my girlfriend in an extremely uncomfortable place
gil: what, like the back of a volkswagen? -MALLRATS

True, but people are already addicted.
If it's banned totally, what are they supposed to do?

The ironic thing about law is that while attempted suicide is illegal, smokeing is fine. I think the tobacco industry should pay to put addicted folks on the right medicine. They certainly have the money to pay for it.

I'm glad it's banned.

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I agree. People who smoke know what they're getting into, hence the surgeon general's warning on every pack of cigarettes that is sold.

Bars/taverns -no. Many people who go there drink. Many drinkers are smokers. Most people who go into bars expect it to be smokey. That's just how things are.

As far as family restaurants -perhaps not banned entirely, but I think the division between smoking/non-smoking sections should be more than just half a wall as that's what many places have.

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Go hang a salami; I'm a lasagna hog.

im all for the smoking ban. mostly bc im allergic to smoke.

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