Prior to the ban, people had choices. Non-smokers were given the freedom to choose whether they entered a smoking establishment or not. No one held a gun to their head. There were numerous non-smoking places that were an option to non-smokers. Smokers were also allowed the freedom to go to whatever type of establishment they chose, smoking or non. But now, while non-smokers continue to have the right to make their own choices, smokers have had their right of choice taken from them. Business owners have had their rights stripped from them also. They try to portray this law as a protection for employees. If someone doesn’t want to work in a smoking establishment, DON”T APPLY FOR A JOB!!! It’s not rocket science. There are plenty of non-smoking businesses in which to apply. 70% of my customers were smokers. They spent many hours in my establishment weekly. Now they spend more time at home, where they can choose to smoke. The customers that do still frequent my business, follow the law to the letter, smoke at an outdoor ashtray, in the wind and rain, 10 ft from the entry to my establishment. There is a public sidewalk the runs next to that ashtray. I find it ridiculous that you stated that you are happy about the 10-ft rule. 10-ft from one area just places the smoker 10-ft closer to someone else. A lot of these business are located in strip malls, with outside entry doors. And people walking on the sidewalks don’t have the choice as to whether the smoke is there or not. Those citizens have also lost their right of choice and have to deal with smoke clouds on every corner now. Who took the time to think his out? It just shifted a controlled issue of choice to those who have no choice. Now the children, that we all hoped to save from second hand smoke, are forced to walk right through the clouds of smoke that they would not have been subject to in age controlled bar and lottery establishments. Not to mention that my customers, who are forced to stand on the sidewalk and smoke, are being verbally abused by those who have to walk through the area. Who’s using their brains on this decision? While I am located in a middle class residential area and cater to locals, I shudder to think about all the bars and strip clubs that now have rowdy, drunk clientele standing in groups outside their business while children walk through the smoke, the foul language and god knows what else. We all should realize that while smoking establishments may not have been the healthiest place to be, smoke was contained, we could make our choice whether to be in the establishment, and these establishments protected our children from being exposed as they walked down the sidewalks. Now we have dropped the ball and created new problems.

This issue has hit my business and thousands of others very hard in a very poor economic time. If nothing else, it should have been postponed for a little longer while the economy stablilized a bit. Or at least until someone actually thought through the ramifications of this ban. It definately wasn’t written by the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Thanks for listing to my rant…..