You can smoke all you want but you do not have the right to foul up the air around other people. Smoking is a choice. Nonsmokers choose not to breathe in smoke or have their children forced to breathe it in. You don't have the right to force it on them. Simple. Go off somewhere alone and smoke like I do.

My grandmother worked with smokers for many years and had cancer 3 separate times (voicebox removed, skin and thyroid). Yep, keep it up smokers! I really don't care if you die but don't take innocent people with you.

Michigan restaurants are totally smoke free now. Yea!

But, when it comes to Sharia Law, we can't seem to ban that? WTF?

Pretty sure Sharia Law doesn't cause cancer in other people.

I hope all you whiners are riding bikes. Your emissions kill people too. I hope you don't use cleaning chemicals or bug sprays they kill people too. I hope everything you own is made without harm to anything.

I hope you don't do anything that might harm or hurt something... o wait that is technically everything. Did you know that there are carcinogens in meats? Did you know that the natural gas you use to heat your home has harmful by-products? Did you know that your electricity is created using methods that are harmful? Did you know your solar panels are created using techniques harmful to the enviroment? You can move or stop living if you don't want to live in a free world.

Why can't the owner of the restaurant choose if it is smoking or non smoking. If you don't like it you won't eat there. If enough people don't like it then maybe the owner will change their mind or go out of business.

Why do people think it is okay to ban freedom? Thanks for trading freedom for security.

And no I don't smoke, not that it should matter anyways.

Play the think ahead game:

Thank you for someone who has some common sense to post. The government can say that the sky is falling, and people turn to actually believe it. Yes, smoking does cause cancer, but no matter what the "statistics" say, and logically speaking, it only causes cancer to "some". Not many, not all, but some. Now the government goes out of its way to spark a tidal wave of BS claiming that second hand smoke causes cancer, but they leave out ALL of the other possibilities that could be the cause of it. I saw a report a couple months ago that flying in airplanes causes lung cancer. OMG!!! How can that be? I can't cite what the number of deaths were caused by this, but I believe that the report mentioned 10,000 deaths because of this over a certain number of years?

Also, cars are everywhere, producing so much CO2 emissions. So many lethal, gaseous chemicals coming out of a tail pipe of each car producing so much carbon monoxide. And each town or city has hundreds, thousands, millions of these vehicles, where there are people traveling 24/7 on the roadways. I see cars parked closer to buildings than I see a spot where smokers have to go just to have a puff. The same with being in a large city. Cars passing by, left and right, letting out so much lethal exhaust. You never hear any talk about CO2 emission being a possible cause of cancer. But people look down upon those who smoke, believing that smokers are "killing" everyone? If Uncle Sam believes and states that this is true, then it must be true, right? Don't believe all that you hear.

Seig Heil

You sheep are incredible. If you want to give up your freedoms to the government, there are a lot of other countries you could move to,

Hilarious that Oklahoma wants to ban smoking (we know that is their ultimate purpose) but NO WAY are they going to get rid of the guns and ammo that kill far more people, including mostly innocent people, every day! What hypocrisy!

I'm a smoker, I live in Oklahoma, and I still think yours is one of the dumbest comments I've ever read on here. Sharia Law isn't ever going to be the law of the land in the US, people.

Why is Oklahoma's motto "Oklahoma is OK"? Because they can't spell mediocre! That said....

I think it's funny that the State Legislature made it impossible for municipalities to enact tougher laws than the State's. Isn't Oklahoma a Republican state? States rights and all. Otherwise power should come from the ground up. Federal is to States as States are to municipalities. Hypocritical at best.

To compare smoking with car exhust, Sharia Law, cleaning chemicals and guns just prove that a lot of people posting are not good at critical thinking. Better to keep your comments to yourself and be thought an idiot than to post them and remove all doubt. And smoking in confined spaces is not a right. Stop crying wolf and save it when your real rights are being taken away, paranoids!

I get excited when people are allowed to have freedom to choose. Why should you get to tell the restaurant owner whether they can or can't have smoking in their own establishment or properties?

and no I don't smoke I am just willing to live by my principles.

Business owners have the freedom to move their restaurants where local citizens are ok with smoking. Smokers have the freedom under law to smoke.

Business owners make those kinds of decisions all the time. Dallas, for instance, went smoke free several years ago and all those restaurant owners had choices to make. I don't recall a huge rush across the Red River to get to the friendly confines of Oklahoma's smokers paradise.

If you don't like restaurants that offer the option to smoke, eat somewhere else. It's not that hard.

last time i checked, fat people can't give me cancer.

pat,

No but obviously they can make you stupid.

No, what both the obese and smokers do is less obvious but all the more destructive. They run up the cost of health care with all the health-related problems they end up having that they can never pay for. If we ditched insurance altogether and they were forced to pay themselves for the consequences of their decisions than I am all for their ability to make their own choices.

Unfortunately what actually happens is that both smokers and the obese have health costs they can never pay and the insurance company takes a loss they pass on to the rest of us; hospitals and doctors write off the expenses if they didn't have insurance and pass that on to the rest of us. Or Medicaid/Medicare don't take in enough to cover their health costs and the cost gets passed on to the rest of us. So the rest of us pay for your unhealthy habits. We don't like it and we have a right not to!

So does drinking and driving and people know that as well.

Dumb like you Positive me? I see lots of edumacated folks smoking, DR.'s, lawyers, DDS. LPN.'s CEO's etc., etc., etc.! Change your name to P-O-S me!

Doesn't Obama smoke?

I hope all you whiners are riding bikes. Your emissions kill people too. I hope you don't use cleaning chemicals or bug sprays they kill people too. I hope everything you own is made without harm to anything.

I hope you don't do anything that might harm or hurt something... o wait that is technically everything. Did you know that there are carcinogens in meats? Did you know that the natural gas you use to heat your home has harmful by-products? Did you know that your electricity is created using methods that are harmful? Did you know your solar panels are created using techniques harmful to the enviroment? You can move or stop living if you don't want to live in a free world.

Why can't the owner of the restaurant choose if it is smoking or non smoking. If you don't like it you won't eat there. If enough people don't like it then maybe the owner will change their mind or go out of business.

Why do people think it is okay to ban freedom? Thanks for trading freedom for security.

And no I don't smoke, not that it should matter anyways. I just am willing to live by my principles.

Brad,

News flash..............living kills people!

brad, my ex is a surgeon and he has had lung-cancer patients ask for a cigarette in the recovery room. this is after they have had one lung removed.

So, is your point that we should let them keep smoking to kill off the entire population? To ensure that the next generation makes the same mistakes as the older generations.

My post was only 12 words. Which word did you not understand?

Skeptic obviously hasn't been stuck in traffic for four hours next to a smog bellowing diesel truck b4.

Try wrapping your lips around that tailpipe. Then tell me your worried about a cigarette being puffed on ....outdoors.

So they get gum cancer and their teeth fall out; Only a few teeth.
I was a smoker; Believe me. I would love to start again. But, I won't. Smoking did make me cough and short of breath. It also made my garage yellow; Had to clean it up to sell the house; It does have pros and cons. Real hard to stop something you enjoy; I am trying to stay neutral. It's like good sex.

I do believe women and children have taken over the country.

Women, Jason? Women? What do you have against women, for crying out loud?

Guess what, Captain Misogyny? Women smoke too!

Ladies -

You missed half my point. Which is, too many people wear their emotions on their shirtsleeves anymore. Too many live in fear of being politically incorrect. I have nothing against women, children or smokers. The subtle point I was making is that people need to stop being so freaking sensitive. I was emphasizing that sensitivity with the women and children comment. And see what a stir it caused?

Haven't we cost restaurants (and other businesses) enough by having them face loss of revenue if they didn't spend money on an area dedicated to smokers to continue slowly killing themselves? People should be free to have their point of view on smoking, women and children and whatever else without more laws being passed to regulate them. The current laws on not smoking in restaurants are plenty enough. It needs to stop there.

This is supposed to be a free country. Instead our freedom is being eroded in the name of "safety". I prefer less safe; more free.

When smokers are lighting up near children I have no problem with the government stepping in.

so don't take your children to smoking bars and restaurants. better yet, take them to McDonalds so they can get fat like the rest of Americans. Or do you plan to ban fast food?

Actually, a good case can be made that smoking around children is a form of abuse. It has figured into custody cases already. The day will likely come when parents are not allowed to smoke indoors if a child is present - including at home.

Anyone who has been closed up in a car with someone smoking can understand the reasoning, whether they agree or not. A child has no say in the matter.

Children are forced to breathe in smoke standing in movie lines, just outside restaurants walking in the door, at parades, on playgrounds, etc. Do you really think people take their children to bars or is that all you can come up with?

I hope all you whiners are riding bikes. Your emissions kill people too. I hope you don't use cleaning chemicals or bug sprays they kill people too. I hope everything you own is made without harm to anything.

I hope you don't do anything that might harm or hurt something... o wait that is technically everything. Did you know that there are carcinogens in meats? Did you know that the natural gas you use to heat your home has harmful by-products? Did you know that your electricity is created using methods that are harmful? Did you know your solar panels are created using techniques harmful to the enviroment? You can move or stop living if you don't want to live in a free world.

Why can't the owner of the restaurant choose if it is smoking or non smoking. If you don't like it you won't eat there. If enough people don't like it then maybe the owner will change their mind or go out of business.

Why do people think it is okay to ban freedom? Thanks for trading freedom for security.

And no I don't smoke, not that it should matter anyways. I am just willing to live and die by my principles.

Easy one. What anyone else eats, does not affect the health of another person. Inhaling someone's second hand cigarette smoke does affect the health of all the people forced to inhale it.

By the way, Maryland is an ultra liberal and a terrible state. Did you know child molesters can get their record expunged in Maryland - even while awaiting trial for nearly killing your 3 week old son? Great state (please note sarcasm).

Fat people do affect me. They just about sit on top of me on metro. It's true that smoking is a choice that affects others. But people can choose to go to non-smoking bars or restaurants. I think it's ridiculous for the gov't to tell people how to run their businesses.

As for children, they breathe in a lot of things standing on the street. Smoke from cigarettes is probably the least of it. Most children are in the suburbs, and the air pollution from cars is the burbs is worse than a lit cigarette. If the kids are watching a Disney movie, I can see your point about smoking in a theatre line. If they're watching a PG movie, they're probably already smoking something worse than cigarettes.

what people eat does not affect your health. That was my statement, that is fact. Whether you don't like sitting next to them on Metro is on you and something you have to live with, but it won't harm your health.

I hope all you whiners are riding bikes. Your emissions kill people too. I hope you don't use cleaning chemicals or bug sprays they kill people too. I hope everything you own is made without harm to anything.

I hope you don't do anything that might harm or hurt something... o wait that is technically everything. Did you know that there are carcinogens in meats? Did you know that the natural gas you use to heat your home has harmful by-products? Did you know that your electricity is created using methods that are harmful? Did you know your solar panels are created using techniques harmful to the enviroment? You can move or stop living if you don't want to live in a free world.

Why can't the owner of the restaurant choose if it is smoking or non smoking. If you don't like it you won't eat there. If enough people don't like it then maybe the owner will change their mind or go out of business.

Why do people think it is okay to ban freedom? Thanks for trading freedom for security.

And no I don't smoke, not that it should matter anyways. I am just willing to live and die by my principles.

I call BS on that, they don't care if they offend you. Our society is not polite enough to care for others. I have yet to see a study from a legitimate scientific source stating that our food additives are killing us. And we cannot ban people from breathing certain parts of the air. Scientists have proven that cyanide and carbon monoxide can kill you, and guess what, those are both in tobacco smoke. Keep in mind, I think it is bull to take away other's freedoms, but if you are going to argue for either side, at least educate yourself.

I have one for all of the "concerned" local government officials that want to keep everyone safe and healthy... perhaps they should ban the sale of tobacco products for the safety and well-being of their constituents. Of course, this also means forfeitting all of the tax money it brings in. Wonder if they "care" that much?

There was a study that was buried under the rug done a year ago or so that smokers do not cost the economy more than those who do not. Remember that smokers die on average earlier than non-smokers. Therefore, there is less years of medical expenses compared to the numbers of years an average non-smoker. So the statement regarding the "higher medical" expenses is not a valid arguement, when you take into account the "extra" years of living for the "non-smoker".

I'm going to make a BOLD statement: With the exception of teenagers just getting hooked, there isn't a single smoker on the planet who "wants" to continue smoking. The ones who say they do are lying to themselves. Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs in existence, even more addictive than heroin. I just lost my Dad to lung cancer. He was also an alcoholic, though had been sober for many years. He told me once that as hard as it was for him to quit drinking, quitting smoking was 1,000 times harder. I will make another BOLD statement: Nicotine has NO redeeming qualities. Alcohol in moderation can be beneficial. So can cocaine and opiates used in medical practice. Marijuana has numerous beneficial qualities. You don't see nicotine being used in medicine. It has No redeeming qualities. NONE. NADA. ZILCH!!!!!

Shouldn't there be a ban on drinking in public??

Smelling alcohol does not cause health problems for other people. And, in many areas there is a ban on drinking in public. Anyone who gets caught driving with alcohol on their breath should be shot on the spot (they do that in some countries and their drinking & driving rate is zero). It would only take shooting 1 person to get the message out there ;-)

Not true plainJane I know of a couple who like to smoke your bold statement is not factual. werinasad state, how woud you feel if it was your kid that got shot over that?

I hope all you whiners are riding bikes. Your emissions kill people too. I hope you don't use cleaning chemicals or bug sprays they kill people too. I hope everything you own is made without harm to anything.

I hope you don't do anything that might harm or hurt something... o wait that is technically everything. Did you know that there are carcinogens in meats? Did you know that the natural gas you use to heat your home has harmful by-products? Did you know that your electricity is created using methods that are harmful? Did you know your solar panels are created using techniques harmful to the enviroment? You can move or stop living if you don't want to live in a free world.

Why can't the owner of the restaurant choose if it is smoking or non smoking. If you don't like it you won't eat there. If enough people don't like it then maybe the owner will change their mind or go out of business.

Why do people think it is okay to ban freedom? Thanks for trading freedom for security.

And no I don't smoke, not that it should matter anyways. I am just willing to live and die by my principles.

My kid would never drink and drive, so I don't have to worry about it. How would you feel if your kid was killed by a drunk driver? Anyone who is so selfish to get behind the wheel when they have been drinking and KNOW it impairs their ability to drive, deserves what they get. And it isn't like a lot of people would be killed, no one would drink and drive if they knew they were risking death (which, ironically they DO NOT do when they drink and drive - a very large numbers of drunk drivers are the only ones who survive the accidents they cause).

Please, never say never.

And it isn't like a lot of people would be killed, no one would drink and drive if they knew they were risking death (which, ironically they DO NOT do when they drink and drive

Most of the people I have met as a counselor knew they were risking death, due to either the amount of alcohol they consumed or the possibility of an automobile accident, and still do not care. Their first and only thought is on the next drink.

Then why is drinking and driving non existent in those countries where an immediate death penalty is enacted?

Because we live (and I work) in the United States. Our mores and codes are very different. Perhaps if we had enacted the same law many years ago we would have followed the same path, but we didn't, so thought patterns and reactions are also different.

Like I said, it would only take one person, then the drinking and driving would stop. People who drink and drive are far too selfish to risk CERTAIN death. They feel they are way too important for the world to live without.

Yes, and some thought that the death penalty would do the same for various murderers and rapists... it obviously works well.

By the way, would you be the one pulling the trigger? I know I can't... I'm not God.

The only one in a sad state is YOU WERINASADSTATE! Your argument,logic, and statement are idiotic and plain LIES! GOSH I can't stand foolish, ignorant folks. Do you have any idea HOW MANY PARENTS said my kid would never do that!

Point out one lie slick...that's what I thought.

Here one lie, my kid would never drink and drive! You can't say that it is not you. AGAIN YOU CAN NEVER SAY NEVER! Thus a LIE!

That is not a lie. Try again.

This post is an absolute joke.

Obese people do not inflict their problem on others. Smokers do.

Beachpat,

If you don't like smoke, then just stay away from it, believe me, smokers DO NOT want to associate with smoking Nazi's like you.

dam - you can't stay away from it - it travels for hundreds of feet - I can even smell it if a person 6 cars up is smoking. There is nothing wrong with someone being considerate enough not to subject others to something harmful (second hand smoke). If you want to smoke, do it inside your home or inside your car (with the windows closed of course).

Please. obease people put all the blame off on eveyone else. its Mcdonalds fault they are fat or they want to blame the additives in foods, the portions they get when they order 3 xxxxl pizzas for one person. Granted there are some that do not have a choice be it a medical problem ...but they are very few in the scale of things.

Smokers are singled out because they partake in a habit that has been deemed not socially acceptable. The government wants to spend millions of dollars fighting a "war " on tobacco, but let me ask this . how many times have you heard or seen a head line Teen Killed in car accident while smoking . Never. why not spend the time fighting real problems like underage drinking, or better yet drinking and driving offenders..or maybe that small problem of DRUGS.

Do not get me wrong ..smoking is not healthy by any means. And when I smoke I try to be considerate of the non smokers ..I do not smoke around children at all . BUT if I am standing outside not bothering anyone ..for the love of GOD do not make it a point to walk towards me and into my smoke so you can just have a reason to complain.

werinsadstate,

Whaaa, Whaaa, Whaaa, It's people like you who have put this country out of business....................and now, it's all coming back to bite you and people like you in the ass. You'll be working until your 69 (if you can find a job after the age of 50) and all your SS will go toward paying hospital bills and medications, because whether you smoke or not, Your body will start breaking down by that age.

I hope all you whiners are riding bikes. Your emissions kill people too. I hope you don't use cleaning chemicals or bug sprays they kill people too. I hope everything you own is made without harm to anything.

I hope you don't do anything that might harm or hurt something... o wait that is technically everything. Did you know that there are carcinogens in meats? Did you know that the natural gas you use to heat your home has harmful by-products? Did you know that your electricity is created using methods that are harmful? Did you know your solar panels are created using techniques harmful to the enviroment? You can move or stop living if you don't want to live in a free world.

Why can't the owner of the restaurant choose if it is smoking or non smoking. If you don't like it you won't eat there. If enough people don't like it then maybe the owner will change their mind or go out of business.

Why do people think it is okay to ban freedom? Thanks for trading freedom for security.

And no I don't smoke, not that it should matter anyways. I am just willing to live and die by my principles.

werinasadstate....as you sit there breathing in the exhaust from those 6 cars and probably a few dozen more.....ahhhhh.....fresh air...if only those pesky smokers would just knock it off.....breath deep.....

Smokers are STUPID, SELFISH, and LOUSY employees who selfishly insist on their "rights" to poison the rest of us. If we can't ban smokers then we can at least ban their selfish stupidity. Most smokers are too stupid to avoid smoking along with its many negative health consequences to begin with while spending lots of money to do it. They are too stupid to know which way the wind is blowing (except they always gravitate UPwind so their stench is unavoidable to others) they are INCONSIDERATE idiots who stand (like cigar store indians) by the main doorway entrance to buidlings so everyone must walk through their "haze" on the way in or out. Personally - I would boost business producitvity by firing every smoker on the payroll and make smoking a show-stopper for any hiring decision. That would eliminate lots of extra sick days plus all those lost hours of smoke breaks!

Steve,

Some companies have done just that. They're productivity went down.

They found out that non-smokers spent too much time and energy whining and complaining all day long about things that weren't any of their business to begin with.

Whoa there DT! Exactly what are you smokin?

Its a fact that smokers miss more work days than non-smokers and all the non-smokers are "Dam Tired" of carrying you and your addiction like dead weight on their backs. Sorry - no more free rides.

Not to mention the constant cigarette breaks they take. Many more than the 2 plus lunch they are entitled to!

Do you have studies to support this?

As an employer, I have found that smokers actually take less sick days than the non-smokers who tend to run to the doctor's office at the first sniffle. They also tend to take shorter breaks (it only takes 5 minutes to smoke 1 cigarette) and spend less time gossipping.

Actually, the smokers where I work (and the non smokers) are "entitled" to three fifteen minute breaks and an hour long lunch break per day. How they choose to split up those 45 minutes to themselves is up to them.

Their productivity is fine because they're not forced to sit at their desk for the entire day and are able to get up, walk around, and stretch. Imagine that.

To ngd - IF you are an employer looking for factual information from the CDC, US Surgeon General etc. the there are several references here:

http://no-smoke.org/document.php?id=209

Some excerpts from that link: "Smokers, on average, miss 6.16 days of work per year due to sickness (including smoking related acute and chronic conditions), compared to nonsmokers, who miss 3.86 days of work per year."

"A national study based on American Productivity Audit data of the U.S. workforce found that tobacco use was one of the greatest variables observed when determining worker lost production time (LPT)-greater than alcohol consumption, family emergencies, age, or education."

The "bullys" in our society are the idiots like you who are too stupid to avoid areas where people smoke.

Do the world a favor, lock yourself up in your house and never come out...........you might catch something and die and we smokers don't want to have to pay the bill for your disease.

Does that include people who drive drunk, talking on cell phones will driving, or texting will driving? How about people that are poor drivers?

I think they cause more damage to people in a shorter amount of time than a smoker.

I hope all you whiners are riding bikes. Your emissions kill people too. I hope you don't use cleaning chemicals or bug sprays they kill people too. I hope everything you own is made without harm to anything.

I hope you don't do anything that might harm or hurt something... o wait that is technically everything. Did you know that there are carcinogens in meats? Did you know that the natural gas you use to heat your home has harmful by-products? Did you know that your electricity is created using methods that are harmful? Did you know your solar panels are created using techniques harmful to the enviroment? You can move or stop living if you don't want to live in a free world.

Why can't the owner of the restaurant choose if it is smoking or non smoking. If you don't like it you won't eat there. If enough people don't like it then maybe the owner will change their mind or go out of business.

Why do people think it is okay to ban freedom? Thanks for trading freedom for security.

And no I don't smoke, not that it should matter anyways. I am just willing to live and die by my principles.

Dam Tired - If you're smoking around me you better be on FIRE! On second thought - go ahead and smoke, just hold your breath when you do - FOREVER! On thrid thought, why don't you light up in a body bag and seal it shut so we can pitch you and your stench out with the cigarette butts!

Steve,

You might want to go take your meds for that insanity problem you have.

Hey Dam Tired - did you hear they print the names of all the smokers who quit in the newspaper?...........................................................In the Obituaries!

Hey Steve, when I come over to Sarasota ima gonna light'em up a PACK AT A TIMEand hope you are NEARBY you HORSES' A$$!

Steve, that doesn't make any sense. If they quit smoking, why would their names be in the obits? You've been frothing at the mouth trying to make the argument that all smokers are terrible people who should be killed, so why would an EX smoker be dead?

I know what you mean. People think if you give up smoking or never smoked that you"ll never die. The only difference is you still die but you are healthy rather than unhealthy. I gave up smoking cigarettes about 5 years ago and I'm lucky cuz I on't miss it at all. I used to live in Mesa, AZ in the 90's. You couldn't smoke on the sidewalk but could in your car even if it was a convertible. Bars became private clubs with free memberships. The law was a joke. It's the person's right to choose.

Yeah, methane would be next.

Just think, we could no longer get T-Bone Steaks, because cows let off more methane than humans do!!!!!

I will fight for our freedom before I let that happen.

Is this really an example of "Big Brother Government" when the only thing being proposed is new legislation which will have enough debate within the house and senate that it will go to a vote before the people as a state question allowing the general population as a majority to decide what the outcome will be? At that point... who is making the decision?

An entire nation of Sarah Palins??? ~ OMG!!!

Isn't it amazing that all these whining Non-smokers want to hang out at the bars and restaurants were smokers hang out.

As soon as they created the law about not smoking in bars and restaurants, I and my friends (smoking and non), who used to go out to a restaurant every night, just quit patronizing them altogether. We prefer to meet at each others homes now, it's much cheaper anyway.

No Dam Tired, - what's amazing is that people can enjoy the taste of the dinner or drink they paid for without it being ruined by the stench of clueless smokers surrounding them!

Its also amazing that smokers think they owned every bar and restaurant before the bans that the MAJORITY of patron support went in. Clearly you are the whiner that has been over ruled by common sense!

Hey Steve, when I come over to Sarasota ima gonna light'em up a PACK AT A TIMEand hope you are NEARBY you HORSES' A$$!