no smoking ordinances

chicago is the latest to jump on. all food establishments and public settings go no smoking january 06.

clubs/bars have a 2 year phase in program. they can stay smoker friendly if they can prove that they have a device of some sort that clears the air of carnicogens.

i'm very upset about this. they take our rights away but yet we are the first to be hit with insane taxes when the gov. needs more money.

in my experience, nearly everyone i know who is a bartender or works at bars and clubs smoke. nearly all the patrons smoke. people enjoy smoking when drinking. people who bartend, work at clubs, and who wait on tables do so for the money. the tips they get on busy nights is easily over 200 dollars in a few hours. its their choice to work in smoking environments. if they really gave a fuck about their health more so than the cash, they would'nt work at these places. the decision to go smoke free should be decided by the people who own these places. its their investment and property.

i know some of you already live in smoke free places, does it affect buisnesses? do smokers really care?

please help me make sense of all this.

the recent ban on smoking in the RoI has apparently become something of a social phenomenon, with non smokers hanging out outside bars too cos that's where the action is. Many more bars seem to have adopted beer gardens or other "on premises" open areas.

What I want to see, are the statistics on illness among smokers who have been forceed to stand outside in fucking icey winds and rain!!

EIDT: I can sort of comprehend a ban in eateries, tho one would wonder why a smoking and non smoking room would not be acceptable. but wrap your head rond this.....the only place you CAN smoke in my local shopping centre is in the cafes.....so they are perpetually filled with gasping smokers catching a quick one....goes lovely with the food so it does.

my city has just gone smoke free as of about five months ago. so many bars complained that they will go out of business (but none have yet, maybe its too early to tell). there are huge crowds outside of pubs now, everyone eventually migrates outside. but it hasn't increased fights or anything.

personally, the best thing from this ban is that i don't smell horrendous after going to bar/pub/show.

I think these bans are great news.

When smokers want to stop smoking their biggest problem is avoiding smokes when out on the town, so if it's banned they find it easier to stay stopped.

Business may notice a temporary drop in profits, but the increased number of non-smokers returning to the pubs will soon balance this out.

Yes, yes, lots of tax revenue comes out of smoking, but lots of it is spent of treating smokers. These two costs could balance each other out.

Workers have a legal right not to be exposed to hazardous chemicals at work. Employers will be liable if smoking is allowed and a worker develops heart disease, asthma, numerous cancers, impotence, peripheral vascular disease (and amputation).

It is of course anybody's right to kill or damage themselves (Around 50% of smokers die from the habit) but why complain when the government ban it?

If toxic chemicals were needlessly killing people in some other situation we'd be screaming for action!

78681 wrote: Well, why don't we just ban fat people from eating in restaurants...and those pesky children...they use a lot more in medical dollars than they can put in, so just ban the little bastards as well...

'coz eating habits don't expose other people to hazardous chemicals... apart from the ones coming out of their arses!

no but fucking children let loose ruin any situation. If I'm paying for a meal, i'd rather someone blew smoke at me than let their offspring scream and yell and run around. CUNTS.

Steve Campbell wrote: no but fucking children let loose ruin any situation. If I'm paying for a meal, i'd rather someone blew smoke at me than let their offspring scream and yell and run around. CUNTS.

Rioting juveniles pee me off as well. Parents should control their bratlettes: It's not that bloody hard!

my local pub would close for sure if smoking got banned.

the barmaids sell cigs from Spain (20 Lambert& Butler) for £3.30. No one uses the ciggie machine. there's even a funny sign on the wall which is opposed to the ban, saying keep this a smokers pub. Infact, I don't know anyone who buys cigs from a shop. there is no no smoking area either in my loca pubs.

sadly, this is the case with of all pubs near me. Can't see the smoking ban working where i live, only in the McDonalds style pubs like Weatherspoons.

Liverpool: "Its a healthy place to live"

john kershaw wrote: my local pub would close for sure if smoking got banned.

the barmaids sell cigs from Spain (20 Lambert& Butler) for £3.30. No one uses the ciggie machine. there's even a funny sign on the wall which is opposed to the ban, saying keep this a smokers pub. Infact, I don't know anyone who buys cigs from a shop. there is no no smoking area either in my loca pubs.

sadly, this is the case with of all pubs near me. Can't see the smoking ban working where i live, only in the McDonalds style pubs like Weatherspoons.

Liverpool: "Its a healthy place to live"

I'm sure they said the same in Ireland, but they've adapted. If they can do it there they can do it anywhere!

Well if they ban smoking up north here, I'll defo start complaining every time i hear a wailing kid. other people can have THEIR peace and enjoyment, now worries, but I'll be wanting mine.

Steve Campbell wrote: Well if they ban smoking up north here, I'll defo start complaining every time i hear a wailing kid. other people can have THEIR peace and enjoyment, now worries, but I'll be wanting mine.

Send 'em back down pit or up chimney; that'll keep 'em in order!

Although... maybe they'd get ill from all the soot and dust... damn!

Seems like most parents are scared witless of instilling some discipline in their children. They shouldn't be.

At the moment the UK is rearing a generation of ill-mannered, unruly monsters! They call it ADHD. I call it crap parenting!

craig's digitalwaters wrote:

john kershaw wrote: my local pub would close for sure if smoking got banned.

the barmaids sell cigs from Spain (20 Lambert& Butler) for £3.30. No one uses the ciggie machine. there's even a funny sign on the wall which is opposed to the ban, saying keep this a smokers pub. Infact, I don't know anyone who buys cigs from a shop. there is no no smoking area either in my loca pubs.

sadly, this is the case with of all pubs near me. Can't see the smoking ban working where i live, only in the McDonalds style pubs like Weatherspoons.

Liverpool: "Its a healthy place to live"

I'm sure they said the same in Ireland, but they've adapted. If they can do it there they can do it anywhere!

could be right. Liverpool is Ireland's second city after all.

I have to sit on the fence with this one.

I am a social smoker, i can go weeks without smoking but when i have a drink i smoke.

I would secretly like it to be barred in pubs, as it would make it easier for me to stop completely. But, i think part of the majic of a pub is a crowded, smokey atmosphere. And it's no good if your mates are running outside every two minutes for a faaaaaag!

certain neighborhoods in chicago like wrigleyville, wicker park, lincoln park, and the gold coast already have problems with traffic on friday and saturday nights. for example, after a cubs game, it's hell walking around wrigleyville. if people are forced to come outside from the numerous bars to smoke, it will only add to the congestion. i can see non-smokers then complaning about not being able to walk down the street or get into a bar or restauraunt because there are hordes of smokers standing in front. chicago also has strict loitering laws. so essentially people will be loitering in front of buisnesses. how will that be affected? the above mentioned areas are also highly residential areas. there are already numerous complaints about noise and drunk people walking around and peeing on peoples front lawns. this will only add to that. finally, littering of ciggarette butts, people are going to simply fick their finished smokes onto the street or sidewalk. are they eventually going to be fined for littering the streets with their ciggarettes? might as well because smoking is evil and they should pay for such a nasty habbit. weather issues... it's cold as fuck right now. it might be more easily enforced in warmer climates. they have the luxary of having outdoor patios year round. and as far as affecting buisnesses, i'm not sure about NY, Boston, or LA but all chicagoans have to do is drive about 15 minutes to the nearest suburb or take a train (considering we have a great public transport system) to a suburb which has not established a non-smoking ordinance. do people in other parts of the world have this option?

kamar wrote: certain neighborhoods in chicago like wrigleyville, wicker park, lincoln park, and the gold coast already have problems with traffic on friday and saturday nights. for example, after a cubs game, it's hell walking around wrigleyville. if people are forced to come outside from the numerous bars to smoke, it will only add to the congestion. i can see non-smokers then complaning about not being able to walk down the street or get into a bar or restauraunt because there are hordes of smokers standing in front. chicago also has strict loitering laws. so essentially people will be loitering in front of buisnesses. how will that be affected? the above mentioned areas are also highly residential areas. there are already numerous complaints about noise and drunk people walking around and peeing on peoples front lawns. this will only add to that. finally, littering of ciggarette butts, people are going to simply fick their finished smokes onto the street or sidewalk. are they eventually going to be fined for littering the streets with their ciggarettes? might as well because smoking is evil and they should pay for such a nasty habbit. weather issues... it's cold as fuck right now. it might be more easily enforced in warmer climates. they have the luxary of having outdoor patios year round. and as far as affecting buisnesses, i'm not sure about NY, Boston, or LA but all chicagoans have to do is drive about 15 minutes to the nearest suburb or take a train (considering we have a great public transport system) to a suburb which has not established a non-smoking ordinance. do people in other parts of the world have this option?

Or they could give up...