Against Public Smoking Ban In Chicago, Iowa

Against Public Smoking Ban Across the United States early 60 college campuses around the United States have smoke-free policies that affect the entire campus. Recently Chicago, Illinois passed the Clean Indoor Air Act, an important step towards smoke-free bars and restaurants. These recent actions post the question for the University of Iowa. The Iowa campus has around 30 bars near the downtown area. Would a smoking ban for the cities bars be good for the city or the campus? A public smoking ban on Iowa City bar would damage the business structure, public rights, and the city itself. I believe the students at this University should start a group representing your rights as an individual and represent the rights your city’s downtown bars. I feel that this issue would be one in which students would very much involved in because it would affect some students’ weekend nights at the bars.
In comparison to the smoking ban in Chicago, Illinois the city of Chicago limits people to smoke to a minimum of 15 feet away from public buildings.
“As far as bars go, I am down with them to stay smoking because it’s an isolated environment that you can choose to go to or not,” said Jailynn Suswal, an administrative assistant at The John Buck Co. “I don’t understand the whole bar population being required to be non-smoking.” “Now that smoking isn’t allowed within 15 feet of buildings, walking downtown sucks,” said Suswal, the administrative assistant. “The sidewalks are consumed with pockets of smokers, and as a pedestrian, I am constantly walking through clouds of smoke.” If this policy of the 15 feet rule were in affect here, it would create more second-hand smoke on our city’s
sidewalks. Smoking bans could prove to be disastrous for businesses by chasing away customers and could create unemployment. Criticism of the bans largely centers on bars and restaurants. Opponents say that governments are infringing on people's right to enjoy a legal activity--cigarette smoking--in certain indoor settings. Restaurants and bars should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they want people smoking on their premises without having the government interfere, opponents assert. Critics further warn that smoking bans in bars and restaurants will chase away customers, which could cause people to lose their jobs or even drive such enterprise out of business because of the financial strain of lost revenue. Challengers of smoking bans say that the measures represent an unnecessary intrusion upon the rights of business owners to regulate smoking in their own establishments. Business owners, not government officials, should be the ones to dictate whether people can smoke in restaurants and bars, critics assert. "In the United States of America, this is not the way it's supposed to be," says Audrey Silk, the founder of New York City Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, a smokers' rights group. "You're not supposed to legislate people's behavior, and work to socially engineer them because you said so." Bar and restaurant owners who oppose smoking bans say that, aside from lost revenue, the bans have created several first-time problems. In some cases, owners have had to hire extra bouncers and security guards to monitor the often-unruly smoking areas outside their establishments. "It's just a big headache in a job that had enough headaches to start with," says New York City nightclub owner Amy Sacco. There is evidence to prove that bar owners have reported sharp declines in sales and profits in the months following the institution of statewide or local smoking bans. They cite a report published in May 2004 by the New York Nightlife Association and the Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association, which found that, within 10 months of going into effect, New York State's smoking ban resulted in 2,650 lost jobs. The report also found that bar and tavern workers in the state of New York lost $50 million in earnings due to decreased business in the months following the imposition of the smoking ban. Meanwhile sales of kegs of beer declined noticeably during the first eight months of the smoking ban in Montgomery County, Maryland. I believe that in a capitalist nation such as the United States, it is an injustice for government regulations to have such a profound negative economic effect on private businesses. In conclusion, passing a smoking ban for Iowa City bars would have effect on business, students, and the city itself. This issue is definitely not in the best interest for Iowa City bars. The bars should just stay where they are now. People choose where they want to go; if they don’t want to be around smokers they can choose a place where there are not as many smokers. Today’s society is all about choices and options.