You're smoking!

[Enzo]

SO it is May 1, and so is the first day of Michigan's new no smoking law. No smoking in bars, restaurants, places of business.

APparently we have things called "cigar bars" which will be still allowed, but no cigarette or pipe smoking in them. They are seeking some special variance, they want to be able to sell food and drink. The law specifies no smoking anywhere food or drink is sold for consumption. The cigar bars are concerned that they have to sell SOMETHING to keep in business.

In the run up to all this, of course there has been a great hue and cry. This will drive bars and restaurants out of business. Our rights are being destroyed by liberals. Why don;t they let each business decide for itself. (I like that. WHy don;t we let each business decide for itself on the other health rules, like washing and refrigerating,etc.)

Yep those smokers would just leave the places that don;t allow smoking, and they'd go... um, they'd go... well, they just wouldn;t eat or drink anymore, I guess.

I hate cigarette smoke, but I don;t usually pick on smokers much because I have enough bad habits of my own. But I note it wherever it is. I sit in Applebees for dinner, and they no longer had a smoking section except the folks sitting at the bar. Well on certain nights that still came a-wafting. Same deal at the local Ruby Tuesday, only there, some tables were indeed right next to the backs of the bar stools. I won;t accept a seating at one of their table on the main floor. Might be nicer now, my arugula and HArvard beets won;t have that tasty hint of Marlboro.

We have an all night diner, I go to once or twice a week. They have had signs up for a month apologizing in advance for any inconvenience the new law might cause their patrons. I wonder how the seating will evolve from the current left side/right side split.

I am all for it, myself. A few hard core smokers might stay home a day or two, but they can;t just go down the street to the smoking diner, there ain't one. Life will go on. I don't go to bars because of the stink. Now maybe I might drop into some clubs and see some of my clientele performing. Frankly I think for every customer some place loses, they will gain a greater number of people who wouldn;t go before.

I go to the Old COutry Buffet from time to time, and the employees come out for a smoke break now and then and sit on the bench right by the entry. Or even a patron might come out for a smoke. I suspect there will still be plenty of places one must run the gauntlet to enter the smoke free places. So far I don't think there is a rule about outside smoke and how far one must be from an entryway. They'll probably add that later.

[wring]

I don;t usually pick on smokers much because I have enough bad habits of my own.

Ain't that the truth.

but I digress.

I'm looking forward to it- & I'm a former smoker (non smoker for almost 27 years now).

[Heid the Ba]

We have had this for about 4 years, there was much angst before it happened and there was no real drama afterwards.

[troubleagain]

Yeah, Florida's been a "Clean Indoor Air" state for so long I barely remember anything else.

[Arneb]

I remember having the personell room at my hospital (!) brimming with smoke so you could hardly see from one end to the other.

[troubleagain]

Well, ya get right down to it, I actually do remember. I remember when the computer room at work had cigarette ashes in the keyboard from people smoking in there!