| This law supersedes all local laws everywhere in the | | | | necessarily the truth. Actually, smokers make up one |
| United States, and the state's Department of Health | | | | of the biggest over-the-age-of-18 constituencies ever! |
| will be monitoring compliance. This law even applies to | | | | We have lost so many of our freedoms already - but |
| truck drivers driving through the states! So where can | | | | how can they make a law telling smokers where I |
| you smoke, if you so choose? | | | | must spend my personal time to have a personal |
| You can no longer smoke in public buildings, and you | | | | smoke break? Thomas Paine once said that would |
| cannot smoke in the adjacent areas to the entrances | | | | make his own liberty secure, must guard even his |
| and exits where people might have to walk through | | | | enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he |
| the smoke. Although the law doesn't specify a | | | | establishes a precedent that will reach himself. |
| distance, the Department of Health is recommending a | | | | Luckily, after a ban goes into effect, some bars will |
| 20-foot space between the two. In many buildings in | | | | actually violate the bans, and the smart ones will find |
| Ohio, this means smokers will have to be on the other | | | | ways to skirt the smoking bans, other establishments |
| side of the street or well out into the parking areas. So | | | | will file for and get granted exemptions from the |
| the smokers are thrown out into the cold during the | | | | Department of Health. Although, bans are not |
| winter months to smoke - this doesn't seem fair! | | | | immediately enforced by public officials all the time, |
| There are a couple of exceptions that the Department | | | | some establishments will choose to raise their menu or |
| of Health will have to remember during their monitoring. | | | | other services prices to offset the loss of business |
| Nursing homes may establish a smoking room for their | | | | they expect due to the fact that smokers who can't |
| residents but not the visitors, and hotels can allocate up | | | | smoke will not frequent their places of business. For |
| to 20% of their rooms as smoking rooms for those | | | | some smokers, this is actually a time when trying to |
| who want to smoke. But, then if I'm a smoker planning | | | | quit smoking just so they can continue to frequent the |
| a vacation around a peak season, I might not even be | | | | same places seems to make sense. |
| able to find a room in the inn to stay because all of the | | | | Some try the argument that smoking will not negatively |
| non-smokers have taken up the space! Retail tobacco | | | | decrease sales in public bars and clubs. The argument |
| stores are also exempt, as long as 80% of their | | | | is that since the population is made up of more |
| income comes from tobacco sales. | | | | non-smokers than smokers (and remember this is not |
| Businesses will accrue fines for breaking this new | | | | necessarily true (this varies region by region) more |
| smoking ban law. All fine money will be put into a | | | | people will frequent a business now that smoking is |
| "Clean Air Ohio" fund and the proceeds will be used to | | | | banned, therefore, sales will go up and a continual |
| reduce the effects of smoking on public health. One of | | | | exponential effect will take place. It's not hard to tell |
| the goals of the anti-smoking industry propaganda is to | | | | that public places will be no more busy than normal |
| scare the smokers, and make us believe that we are | | | | after tomorrow's ban - smokers or no smokers. |
| a small portion of the overall population. This is not the | | | | |