Smokers deserve a place of comfort, too
Smokers have made more concessions than any other group to date. They have stopped smoking in planes, trains, buses and all other public transportation, and have smoked in only designated smoking sections in restaurants and bars. Now with the new ban, smokers have no place where they can enjoy a meal or a drink or even protection from the elements and smoke. Non-smokers have taken over all areas. Where is the fairness?
Other minorities have protection under the law, yet the smoker minority has no protection at all. Since when is the great outdoors only available 15 feet from any door, window or intake? Smokers cannot walk down a city street and smoke, because they will not be 15 feet from the aforementioned areas.
The one thing missing in the equation is that smoking is legal. So why should smokers feel like criminals? The smoker is not engaged in immoral or illegal actions. The politicians can't prohibit smoking, which they learned with alcohol prohibition, so they just use the back door and make it impossible for smokers to smoke comfortably and without the threat of fines.
What is amazing is in a recent article, a member of a public health department stated that he thought this ban would cause smokers to quit smoking. That would be like telling someone who likes to eat to excess not to eat or someone who likes to drink to excess not to drink or someone who likes to gamble to excess not to gamble. Fat chance!
The sensible solution is to let the bar and restaurant owners decide if they want smoking or non-smoking in their buildings. And the rumor mill is swirling with the state toying with the idea of having businesses buy annual smoking permits. This would put money in the coffers of the state, county and/or municipality. The end result will be additional revenue for all three governmental bodies.
I can guarantee this: the first restaurant or bar to purchase a smoking permit will see a pretty penny coming his way. If non-smokers don't like smoking, I can understand and they should have places to go that are smoke-free, but smokers should also have the right to have places where they can smoke, free of the consternation of non-smokers.
Additionally, the outside should be the outside, not 15 feet from a door or window or intake. Illinois is not California, which enjoys more moderate weather. Illinois has very cold winters, very rainy springs and very hot summers and smokers should at least have cover from the elements when forced outside as still another in a long line of concessions.
The U.S. Constitution doesn't say "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness only if you're a non-smoker" or is that being rewritten also?
Tricia L. Dieringer
Elgin