Smoking Ban Fines Adding up

[The Straight Story]

Smoking Ban Fines Adding up

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The House of Cigar currently owes the state nearly $13,000 in fines related to Ohio's smoking ban.

But the House of Cigar is joining with some other establishments by refusing to pay, at least for now.

"If you enter a smoke shop, it's what you're expected to encounter, I think. If you're not a smoker, why bother to come see us," said manager Todd Francisco at the Worthington location.

Francisco is annoyed about a recent $5,000 smoking ban violation a House of Cigar received. He claims it was over an ashtray sitting inside one of his central Ohio stores.

http://www.onntv.com/live/content/onnnews/stories/2011/05/09/story_smoking_ban_fines.html?sid=102

"If you enter a smoke shop, it's what you're expected to encounter, I think.

And if you enter a bar that allows smoking you can expect to encounter it as well. Choice, it used to be an American value - but some folks just like to control others and remove choice to save their souls (thankfully, we have lots of rw fundies out there whom I think we should work with so that more laws can be passed to save all the sinners).

[jberryhill]

1. Nonsmokers deserve a tobacco-free smoke shop environment

And that goes for hookah bars, too. Get rid of the hookahs, and nobody gets hurt.

[CBGLuthier]

2. I enter cigar shops all the time and do not smoke any tobacco product

I buy cigar boxes. I have also witnessed people buying cigars and paraphernalia that are obviously meant as gifts.

I knew a man years ago who complained that stores would sell cigarettes but not let you smoke in their establishments. I told him they also sell condoms.

[Deep13]

3. No matter how you try to make it so, ...

...it has nothing to do with sin. To control health care costs we simply have to control the causes of disease. The illnesses and the costs are a bigger threat to our personal freedom than these regulations. Restrictions on smoking in business is known to reduce the number of smokers as well as to spare employees who choose not to be avoid poisonous materials in the area.

Anyway cigars and cigar smoking are perfectly legal in Ohio. What is illegal is subjecting employees to it. If people want to do it in a social setting that badly, they can set up a private club with no employees.

I think I'm on firm progressive ground here. Part of the progressive movement has been to protect public health. Crying "personal responsibility" in the face of reasonable and actually pretty modest anti-smoking rules is pretty reactionary.

[WatsonT]

4. Yeah I can't really see an argument for banning smoking in an area specifically dedicated

to smoking.

Anyone who goes in there A) knows exactly what it is for and B) can be assumed to have an interest in smoking themselves.