Bill calls for statewide smoking ban(Wyoming of all places)

[VegasWolf]

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/01/13/news/top_story/09e6d026e29e281887257261006bac54.txt

<snip>
CHEYENNE -- A bill to ban smoking statewide in public places, including restaurants and bars, is both timely and controversial, the main sponsor said.

Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, the chief sponsor, said House Bill 141 embodies the basics of the Colorado statewide smoking ban and the Cheyenne citywide smoking ban.

Thus far, 11 states have adopted bans against smoking in indoor public places.

Zwonitzer said another 10 or 15 states are considering statewide bans as part of their legislative agendas this year, which makes it a timely issue.

In Wyoming, three cities have adopted smoking ban ordinances, beginning with Laramie in 2004, followed by Cheyenne and Evanston last year.

</snip>

There goes the Malborough Man!

[medeak]

1. thought Nevada was the worst

place to ban...except for casinos of course.

My local hangout owner says he will move before he stops allowing smoking (unless there's a complaint) but now move where?

[VegasWolf]

2. You are absolutely right! There are some die hard smokers here. I do some

volunteer work a a local hospital. It is sickening to see all these 50, 60, 70, and 80 year olds standing in the elevator in their hospital gowns, naked underneath, pushing their saline solution stands in front of them headed outside for a smoke. It is unbelievable. Some of them have to smoke through openings in their throats. It is enough to make you gag. Nicotine addiction is awful, it should be outlawed in all states.

[medeak]

3. huh?

perhaps am too groggy to make sense of your post..pro or con?

Spent 30 yrs as respiratory therapist and owner of several home health companies... still believe in the old west adage of freedom.

[tchunter]

4. seems strange

ironically, the marlboro brand on the simpsons is called "laramie" after the city in wyoming

[VegasWolf]

5. It's simple, I'm totally against smoking! Nicotine addiction is a killer. I think taxes on

a pack of cigarettes should be around 10 or 15 dollars a pack to compensate for the increased health care costs on society.

[medeak]

10. thanks for clarifying

respect your opinion.

My family in NYC is going nutso with smoke in every doorway..having to walk through it.. Now mayor wants a 15 ft margin?

And halfway agree... my Dad SAYS he got emphysema from 2nd hand smoke while conducting orchestras in Vegas (actually think he was smoking between shows wink wink as would find a pack now and then in his pocket)

By the way.. he's 90 and cured himself by taking up the trumpet at age 80 gawd love him.

Presently live in cowboy country and love these old codgers who are one of a kind and will never give up their lifestyle pushing steers and grabbing a drink in the local hangout with a cig. Come and visit us..we're only 7 hours north of you and have lotsa legal brothels in the middle of downtown. Hope they never change that...else it would be bedlam when sheep herders get off the range. ;-)

[VegasWolf]

16. LOL!!! Thanks, we've been wanting to see the country up that way!! Best wishes! nt

[napi21]

20. You worry about YOU and let me alone!

I guess I'll have to smoke MORE so I can die before you folks get your damn ban everywhere.

[VegasWolf]

21. Rather than die, why not just quit smoking? As a heavy ex-smoker I know that no one

smokes for the fun of it. Especially in these days.

[napi21]

29. I smoke because I wnat to, AND because of all the darn

selfrightous people demanding that I quit! I don't like to be TOLD what to do, and I don't tell others what to do either.

I've always tried to respect the wishes of others, no matter what they were. I just wish others would do the same for me.

[NotGivingUp]

35. i'm an ex-smoker, and i'm on your side. i am sickened by all these people

wanting to tell other people how to live their lives.

[bperci108]

22. I believe in "freedom" too.

You are free to kill yourself in any manner you choose.

However, you are NOT free to take me, or anyone else, with you because we have to steep in your smoke in a public place.


I say: Ban all smoking in public nationwide.


Now flame away..... :hide:

[Toots]

31. Then you shouldn't mind if I were to piss in your drinking water

Freedom and all..If you should have the freedom to polute my life giving source so should I yours...Humans need three things to sustain life. Food, Water, and Air. Why do you think you have the right to polute my air. I don't give one damn if you polute your own air in fact I think you should but why do you think you should be free to abuse me? Do it in Private not Public...

[bperci108]

36. Sounds like we are in agreement.

Maybe you should go back and re-read my post a little closer.


Did you mean to respond to the poster I responded to, perhaps?

[High Plains]

15. Yeah, like outlawing illegal drugs. That really worked.

[VegasWolf]

17. Yes, except smoking bans are working. Fewer people are smoking. As taxes

on cigarettes rise and people stand outside in the cold and rain just to get their fix, then more and more people stop smoking. Whatever it takes to help people off their addiction is good for those people.

[truthisfreedom]

19. I quit. It's just so much easier to quit when nobody is smoking in front of me.

Smoking is death.

[Spangle]

30. I live in a "public ban" state

And have no problem smoking out side, in the rain, what ever. With the REST of the air pollution. Smoking should be done out side. Even in places that are suppose to have 'special' areas, it doesn't work out. The air mixes with the rest of the place.. so what is the point. And if it's a special room, the air isn't filtered. The joke was suppose to be that those who use the room, would get sick of all the 'smoke' in it. But when the door opens up, the smoke would just roll out. Again, same concept. For the most part, smoking should be out doors. But not all businesses should be forced to prohibt it.

cig smoke adds very little to our all ready much contaminated air. Which should be the REAL concern when it comes to protecting our selfs. Today, most lung diseases are automaticly blamed on cig smoke. That is just smoke and mirrors. LOL! It will fit the bill until society has a very limited number of smokers, but still massive rates of lung disease. Why? Because of the much ignored industral air pollution. And pollution coming from are autos. Talk about 'second hand smoke', you get worse case of it walkig through a parking lot. We really need to wake up and push are law makers to do something about this. What they have done so far, is put the whole blame on the smokers so that 'we' will be at each other. WE can confront each other. But WE can not confront the CEO's of the major pollutors. So we feel like we can do a 'little something' to make things better. And we ARE. But it's not enough.

As for curbing the smoking problem, raising taxes on cigs is pretty sad. That would be a tax on poverity. And I'm not for that at all. I am for trying to lower the costs on 'stop smoking' help aids. Even allowing some of the 'fake' stuff to be OTC. Like the inhalors. And 100% for cigs to be bought at the drug store using a script. Make it harder for people to pick them up for kids.

Many that are smoking now are doing so as self medication and are addicted to them. Even if they are ready to kick the addiction, they may not be ready to go without their 'self medication.' And vice versa. If given the option of cigs or booze, I can tell you right now. I parent better after a cig, then I do after a drink. <wink>

But back to the topic. Nothing wrong with a 'ban', so long as it's not crazy. Like banning it out side. When I'm out and about, I don't offten see smokers 'breaking the rules', unless it's situational. Like, high flow builds that have no out side covered areas that are accessable during bad weather. That will cause people to light up where they CAN. Which will be near the entrance ways (that are covered) that should be avoided. Some places want it so strict that you can't even smoke in your own private car. Again, getting stupid. That is just begging people to ignore the law. Once they are use to ignoring the law, then it's not effective as a law. There are lots of laws on the books that are ignored.

A smart law that isn't tring to punish people will work. A law that is unreasonable, is a joke and will not work. The point is to cut down on smoking and to prevent new smokers from starting down that road. Smoking out side is reasonable. Not being allowed to smoke at all, isn't.

[bperci108]

23. Nobody wants to "outlaw" anything except

....an anti-social, public health hazard.

It's the most legitimate purpose of government: "providing for the general welfare".

Smoke all you want in your car, your house, your yard or outside away from others.

THAT'S all anyone is asking; and it's a reasonable request.

[hlthe2b]

13. convert to a private club?

Aren't they exempt?

[CabalPowered]

6. Wyoming also has drive-thru liquor stores

Strange set of policies for vice.

[medeak]

7. can't figure out why local Indian reservation can sell cigs

for cheap but no liquor... typical govt

[VegasWolf]

8. But they outlaw prostitution. Do you consider all vices to be on equal footing? nt

[medeak]

11. brothels are legal here.... see above n/t

[bperci108]

24. It's not the "vice" aspect that's the issue....

it's the public health hazard.

[medeak]

26. our prostitutes are certified healthy once a week

by md...LOL

[uncle ray]

9. those damn libruls are at it again!

for the sarcasm impaired:

:sarcasm:

though i support a partial ban, i don't think the colorado bill is the one they should be moedling theirs after. i think bar owners and employers should be able to provide indoor rooms for smokers.

[medeak]

12. businessman's choice

Especially in Vegas.. unfair to discriminate against small businesses and give large casinos favor to do as they wish. But that's how Vegas is run.. Mormon mafia heh heh

[uncle ray]

18. the casinos are exempt from the smoking ban in CO too.

they are practically the only business exempt.

[medeak]

25. on the reservation? n/t

[uncle ray]

34. nope.

Cripple Creek. it used to be an almost dead mining town about an hour into the mountains from Colorado Springs, now a very busy casino town, the whole main street is mostly casinos. tens of thousands of gamblers a day go there. i'm not sure how the state law is, casinos are restricted to certain areas, just not reservations though.

[hlthe2b]

14. and introduced by a WY Repug, no less...

amazing...

[superconnected]

27. I forgot we had a Wyoming

[XemaSab]

28. Fuckin' A

:rofl:

[progressivebydesign]

32. I LOVE our statewide ban here in Washington!!!

It seems like a lifetime ago that it was enacted, but it was only a year. Everyone has adjusted wonderfully... Bars and clubs are not empty and being boarded up. It's so wonderful to be able to go anywhere you want and not be greeted with that stench. Of course I also lived in the first town that banned indoor smoking in California (may have been the first in the U.S.), and that was over ten years ago .It was the best thing they could have done for biz. The other towns nearby had to enact their own ban, because they were losing biz to the non-smoking town.

It's a good thing all around. AND the added bonus that it pisses of the corporate tobacco overlords.

[OKthatsIT]

33. They ignore the law in Texas