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Across the nation, city, county and state governments are imposing smoking restrictions of one kind or another. Many business owners also are making choices, with some going smoke-free, some offering designated smoking areas and others allowing smoking.
Breathe Easy Cape Girardeau is a group that hopes to raise awareness about the issues of public smoking. Its website, capebreatheeasy.com, includes a petition advocating smoke-free public places and workplaces.
Smoking bans are not new to Cape Girardeau. A 1991 ordinance banned smoking in grocery stores. In 1992, a Missouri law required smoking and nonsmoking areas to be separated. Both hospitals ban smoking. Schools are smoke-free. But many businesses say they want to continue to offer a smoking area for their customers. They are concerned that a total smoking ban in the city would mean fewer customers. And they don't want the government to tell them how to run their businesses.
At the heart of the debate over smoking in public places is the health impact. Medical studies indicate both smoking and breathing secondhand smoke can have serious health consequences.
Determining the public's sentiment about the smoking issue and providing information is one goal of the Breathe Easy coalition.
Comments
"Medical studies indicate both smoking and breathing secondhand smoke can have serious health consequences."
Well there's no doubt what smoking and chewing tobacco can do to the human body - if one freely chooses to partake in such habits. I think science is a little more cloudy on the second hand smoke thing - probably an environmental lobby smoke screen. It's likely more unpleasant than harmful. I'd gladly change my opinion if someone can direct me to a true scientific study that proves otherwise.
If you don't like smoke sit in the non-smoking section!!!!
Dear Glock_23,
It would work to sit in the non-smoking section if secondhand smoke knew to stop when it gets to the edge of the smoking section. Unfortunately it doesn't. Everyone deserves the right to breathe fresh, clean, smoke-free air! Especially when you're in the workplace for 6 to 8 hours a day. The surgeon general's report is clear, Secondhand smoke kills! It is a CLASS A CARCINOGEN. It's time to require smokers to take their smoke outside, and protect the health of those who work inside.
Smoke doesn't know boundaries and when you sit in the non-smoking section it drifts over. Migraines are triggered by cigarette smoke for me so I'm for the ban.
It all started on a long flight. Fuel was getting very expensive and fuel could be saved by not heating the cold intake air to purge the plane of smoke. Had nothing to do with health concerns. Now we are all convinced that second hand smoke is the greatest evil.
It's easy for you people to pick on smokers. We are discriminated by a lot of people already. So we make easy targets. Why don't you guys try forcing the business owners to upgrade their air filters instead. Stop trying to take away my freedom.