Outdoor smoking ban under consideration in San Luis Obispo

[The Straight Story]

Outdoor smoking ban under consideration in San Luis Obispo

First smokers were banned from lighting up inside, now San Luis Obispo considers putting a stop to smoking outside.
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In 1990 the city passed a ban on smoking in public buildings, including bars and restaurants. It was the first of its kind in the country.

California adopted a statewide law in 1994, adding bars to that list four years later.

San Luis Obispo City Council members are considering a ban on outdoor smoking in public places. It is an issue that has some smokers fuming. Talk of a ban on smoking outside in San Luis Obispo has some smokers fearing some of their personal freedoms are vanishing.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28305915/

[DS1]

1. sweet

:popcorn:

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. .

:evilgrin:

[Warpy]

3. This is excessive

and I say that as someone who is terribly allergic to tobacco smoke. In fact, I hate tobacco smoke. I would be thrilled if some horrible disease wiped out every tobacco plant on the planet tomorrow.

However, as much as I dislike smelling it outdoors, it is not concentrated enough to trigger a severe allergic reaction. I really can't see any basis for banning it outdoors on health grounds because it isn't concentrated enough to be that big a health hazard, certainly no more so than any other air pollutant.

I'm a big girl. I can put up with an unpleasant smell now and then. The loss of freedom for people to socialize outdoors while they smoke is the kind of silly overkill that will start a backlash against the sensible regulation of it indoors in public spaces.

I hope they don't pass this stinker of a law. It smells worse than the smoke does.

[NYC_SKP]

8. Right you are, it's excessive.

Other cities have banned smoking in all apartment rentals.

The funny thing to me is that they won't ban any of the dozens of chemicals that go into cigarettes.

I smoke an additive free brand.

[valerief]

12. I wish there was a ban on certain fragrances. Damn, there are some painfully stinky people

who think they smell sweet.

[Warpy]

15. Who don't know the difference between smelling good and smelling?

They lasted maybe 2 hours in my workplace before somebody puked on them.

Most of them made the connection. Post op patients have notoriously twitchy tummies.

[RainDog]

4. fucking totalitarian assholes

the left can be and is just as bad as the right about a range of issues.

[NYC_SKP]

5. I was smoking a cigarette in a restaurant in Charlottesville last Monday night.

Nice place, the C&O down in the old part of town.

It felt like a trip back in time after years in California.

[SoCalDem]

24. In Tahiti, there are ashtrays in elevators and

we hitched a ride on a school bus that traverses the Island (Moorea)..and the bus driver was smoking:rofl:

[NYC_SKP]

25. I'll just move there!

:party:

[TahitiNut]

33. There's a reason it's called "paradise."

:rofl:

[DJ13]

6. Im always amazed at how totalitarian formerly liberal areas have become

The place still has echoes of their former 60's liberalism in the various shops, and its a shame how far from their former ideals they've turned after reaching middle age.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Will they be banning cars too?

Those fumes can be pretty toxic.

[wuushew]

9. mute point if electric cars ever go mainstream

and California would not be buring the coal to charge them either.

[antipode]

28. Moot, not mute. They will be using nuclear power to charge them.

Hopefully.

[Fumesucker]

10. Yawn... Let me know when they start throwing people in prison simply for possessing tobacco..

I'm against this sort of stupid ban but honestly, when compared to the penalties for just having an herb which is undeniably far less harmful and addictive than tobacco an outdoor smoking ban is trivial.

Disclaimer: I don't smoke cigarettes but my wife does and cigarette smoke doesn't bother me much at all. I was perfectly happy having non smoking areas in restaurants and bars if they had a halfway decent ventilation system.

[madeline_con]

11. I can't believe how close the vote was!

This is ridiculous! The litter can be reduced with some public ashtrays and ticket writing. This is lame. Maybe a perimiter of so many feet from an entrance would also help, but this? :eyes:

[MineralMan]

13. Ah...my old stomping ground...

San Luis Obispo led the move in CA to ban inside smoking, and continues to be a place that wants to control people's public activities. Nice place, other than that.

[Greyhound]

14. Vanishing? What's left to vanish?

Oh wait, I know, we have the right to surf the nets and do as we are told.
:kick:

[OwnedByFerrets]

16. I hate cigarettes, but this is too damn much.

[20score]

17. Damn! This is what they spend their time on? I don't smoke, but I can't stand this move toward

making it illegal. Sorry, but this level of whimpiness should be fought tooth and nail.

[Cleita]

19. I was just asked to serve on the grand jury in this country.

I wasn't going to do it, but his post is making me think about it. The grand jury oversees what other branches of government are doing in this county among their duties.

[Cleita]

18. Crazies in our county are trying that and they are also trying to keep

people from smoking in their homes and cars. If they are so against smoking, why not just ban the sale of cigarettes? That's what they are going for prohibition and we know from history how well that works. I'm an ex-smoker myself and it won't affect me, but for chrissakes smoking isn't criminal. People who smoke need a place to smoke in. It would be a much more equitable arrangement to set aside smoking areas for them.

[BigFatAndyReid]

20. Was this guy elected or was there some sort of coup?

Is das Furor Romero also considering marshal law on jaywalking and pets doo-dooing on the sidewalk? This guy needs to be reigned in and impeached. What a tool!

[Xenotime]

21. The only people who are against it are those who insist on forcing their fumes on others.

[Ex Lurker]

22. there are a lot of non smokers on this thread who are against it n/t

[taterguy]

30. Oh great, another crazy cyclist bitching about people who drive too much

:eyes:

[rvablue]

31. Do you drive a car Xenotime....yeah, thought so. Hypocrite. n/t

[taught_me_patience]

23. I applaud this move

Smoking in dense areas, even if it is outdoors, is akin to smoking indoors. Hopefully, one day, apartment buildings will ban smoking on balconies.

[Better Believe It]

26. As an ex-smoker this would be a horrible and undemocratic move

that right-wingers would use to attack those "latte drinking rich elites".

Smoke doesn't bother anyone outdoors unless you insist on getting in their face to whine.

Will we be banning meat next?

[taught_me_patience]

27. It certainly does bother people

outdoor malls are a good example.

[JANdad]

32. Then Stay In Your House...

and order everything on line and get out of my life!

[Quantess]

29. This is the trend.

I don't know about the rest of the country, but indoor smoking bans have been in place for years in California, then Washington, and now Oregon. Starting in 2009, no smoking in Oregon restaurants, bars, etc.

It has actually worked very well, and, generally has not hurt businesses. Most people don't allow smoking in their own homes, even if they smoke themselves, so it really isn't much of a stretch for most smokers to just step outside.

But an outdoor smoking ban...that sounds like a challenge.