The Michigan Smoking Ban

I think we all knew this day would come. Michigan has become the 38th state to ban smoking in public places. I’m very much against this, and not just because I am a smoker. Here’s why:

• I think it’s a no-brainer that the choice to become a non-smoking establishment should be up to the business owner. Freedom of choice should always prevail.
• The argument that people working in smoking businesses are exposed to second-hand smoke just doesn’t hold up. There are many more businesses that don’t allow smoking than businesses that do – plenty for non-smokers top work at. No one is forced to work in second-hand smoke.
• Bars will close, and that’s not good for anyone. I wouldn’t willingly go to a bar that doesn’t allow smoking, and neither would most of the smokers I know. Bars in less-affluent areas are filled with smokers. They will lose clientelle, and be forced to close. I’ve read that this hasn’t happened in other states. Hard for me to imagine, but I hope it’s true.

I am honored to be on a committee to plan for the University of Michigan Smoke-Free Campus Initative because I may be able to help fellow smokers acclimate to the transition. A public universitry like UM going smoke free is a choice, but an entire state forcing it’s entrepreneurs to ban smoking in their establishments far out-steps the role of government.