 "Photo: Natalie Cervantes")
As of Feb. 1, College Station police will be enforcing a citywide ban on smoking in restaurants, bars and any public business.
Touted as a progressive movement toward better health for the citizens of College Station, the ban is a well-intentioned limit on liberty. Not on the freedom for an individual to smoke, but the freedom for a bar or restaurant owner to decide for themselves the atmosphere in which they present business. The ban will hurt businesses which depend upon creating an inviting environment for smokers who want a place to spend money and time while enjoying their habit.
Proponents of outlawing cigarettes inside business locales point to the health risks of secondhand smoke. There is no denying that tobacco is unhealthy for the user and for those around the inhaler. For those forced into a smoking environment to attend their favorite restaurant, the ban makes sense. Places frequented by families need to be smoke free, as no child should be exposed to any life-threatening substance before being old enough to make an informed choice.
Unfortunately, the "save the children" argument can only be taken so far, as bars often refuse admittance to youngsters. The law assumes those spending Saturday (or Tuesday) night trying to destroy their only liver are extremely protective of their other organs.
The restrictions extend to forcing smokers to stand at least 10 feet away from any establishment, preventing them from buying anything while they huddle en masse outside.
"I think it's ridiculous," said Luke Martin, a sophomore general studies major. "All the bars are close together on Northgate; there's no way to be 10 feet from one without being to close to another. My friends and I will have to stand in the streets, which is somehow safer than being inside."
The problem with smoking bans is they force decisions on adults that they should be allowed to make. Adults can inform themselves of the consequences of cigarettes and second hand smoke, and decide on their own whether or not to expose themselves to a potentially dangerous environment.
"These laws are a modern-day health prohibition from a recent wave of reactionary health consciousness," said Shaun Miller, co-owner of Texas Avenue Cigars, one of the only stores in College Station that still allows smoking indoors. "The city council gave us an exception, as they said they did not want to ruin anyone's business, but the proponents of the law argued against that. They wanted a citywide ban for every business indoors."
Clearly, if proponents of the law want to outlaw smoking in stores that sell only tobacco, the motives are not as altruistic as advertised. Patrons of a cigar store clearly are not worried about lung cancer. It only makes sense that as adults, they should be allowed to take their own risks.
The same applies to bars. If the owner believes the business can make more money by allowing smoking, nonsmokers who want a healthier atmosphere can take their business to another bar.
Perhaps a reasonable option that might appease everyone would be allowing smoking in buildings with a filtration system.
"We have a four-stage filtration system, three vents circle the air 10 times an hour," Miller said. "Once every six minutes, the air is completely replaced. We will have this place at full capacity and the smoke will still dissipate.
"It is expensive, but if someone was to install one in a bar, the negative effects of secondhand smoke would certainly be minimized."
However, this is rarely seen as a viable option by proponents of smoking regulations. That's because the ban on smoking is not about health - it is about stopping people from smoking. To proponents of the law, free choice never enters the equation and neither does health. This ban is another attempt to force people to make the "right" choice. Secondhand smoke may be deadly, but business owners and patrons have the right to decide whether or not to be exposed to it.
Be the first to comment on this article!