The Fight to Ban Public Smoking

As public smoking bans have become more common in the majority of states, there have also been some outdoor smoking bans that have been implemented in public places where it used to be permissible to smoke. This is beneficial to non-smokers who like to enjoy the outdoor environment of a park or outdoor theater without the pollution of smoke from cigarettes, cigars or pipes. These bans are usually put in place to protect the lungs of those who do not choose to smoke. When there is smoking allowed in public, the smoke from the cigarettes goes into the air that the non-smokers breathe as well, polluting them without their permission. Even with the bans that are in place, there are usually designated areas that people can go to smoke when they want to do so. Thus, everyone's rights are protected, those who want to smoke and those who want to protect their lungs from the smoke of others.

There are decisions made legal by the different states in regard to bans on public smoking. The restrictions are varied in the types of bans on public smoking, from bans in all public places, to bans in travel places, and bans in restaurants and businesses. There are still some states that have not implemented bans on public smoking and have left those decisions up to the individual business owners as well as the different cities that are within that state. Many of the states that do not have bans yet are states that have tobacco as a large industry in that state, and thus have a lot of influence by the tobacco industries in that state to lobby against the bans.

The bans on public smoking in workplace areas usually require that there by an area designated for smoking, even if it is outside in the back of the building. There are sometimes rooms that are designated as smoking areas for people who would like to smoke. In travel places, such as airports, bus stations, or train stations, smoking is banned on the vehicles and is banned in the stations except in certain designated areas. There are also public bans on smoking that affect restaurants so that there is no smoking in those places of business. Even in states that do not have smoking laws, there are restaurant chains that will induce bans on smoking in their restaurants to keep them smoke free for their customers.