Senate bill bans smoking in Texas bars and restaurants

[Cannonball996]

im torn on it to, im not a smoker, but I dont think the government should tell businesses what to do in this case. however the committee did bring up a good point about the employees, and weather or not they have a right not to work in a hazardous environment.

[kpc01]

Hell ya finally! anyone know when this goes into effect? I can finally hit up some of the bars again without almost dieing

[kpc01]

I see what you're saying about it, but we can't pick and choose (although we do) specific things we want banned and not banned. Especially as a person who quit smoking I'm more inclined to hit non-smoking bars. No temptations, and then all the things standard non-smokers enjoy. However, it really is not fair to the owners.

I like the government effort to make people paranoid and aware of the problems with smoking. I don't believe banning it everywhere is the right way to stop its usage. May as well stop alcohol consumption in bars. A bit extreme I know, but I feel rules like this are extreme. Plus drunkards can be dangerous to those around them and you'll smell like alcohol the next morning when the spill their drink on you. Second hand alcohol.

I know, dumb comparison but just trying to stay light hearted about something I feel is fairly serious.

I wouldn't mind it so much but "most" not all smokers are so disrespectful. We went to Cracker barrel not too long ago with my 1.5 yr old daughter and sat in non smoking...there were 4 fatties chain smoking after they ate and we had to leave it was so bad. I'm generally against government intervention in anything but all the disrespectful smokers ruin it for the nice ones. Yesterday when I left the hospital a "non smoking" campus there was 3-4 WT standing at the first parking log that the walkway passes with their IVs and all smoking...I guess they thought they were exempt

[Fst86gt]

Smoking should be allowed in enclosed rooms only. No non-smoker should be able to smell the smoke. I love the idiots that stand by the door and I have to walk through their death stick residue.

[ceyko]

I wouldn't mind it so much but "most" not all smokers are so disrespectful. We went to Cracker barrel not too long ago with my 1.5 yr old daughter and sat in non smoking...there were 4 fatties chain smoking after they ate and we had to leave it was so bad. I'm generally against government intervention in anything but all the disrespectful smokers ruin it for the nice ones. Yesterday when I left the hospital a "non smoking" campus there was 3-4 WT standing at the first parking log that the walkway passes with their IVs and all smoking...I guess they thought they were exempt

We can chase our tails on this argument and I can bring up a million and one other things. At the end of the day business owners should have the final say.

I feel they should be supported by the court system if they ban smoking, but I don't feel it is right to force them to ban smoking. What if the owners smoke?

I agree, non-smoking sections are a joke. Hell, the wife and I when we smoked never smoked in a restaurant or around people eating. Even at that, I have the ability to not eat a place that is annoying in that manner. (i.e. old school Dennys come to mind. )

[ceyko]

Smoking should be allowed in enclosed rooms only. No non-smoker should be able to smell the smoke. I love the idiots that stand by the door and I have to walk through their death stick residue.

Hope you don't even plan to travel the world. Americans are about the biggest pussies when it comes to cigar/pipe/cigarette smoking that I've ever seen.

Yet, some of these same people find it cool to smoke a hooka pipe.

[Fst86gt]

I smoke cigars. I am very considerate when and where I smoke them.

[Slowhand]

Hope you don't even plan to travel the world. Americans are about the biggest pussies when it comes to cigar/pipe/cigarette smoking that I've ever seen.

Yet, some of these same people find it cool to smoke a hooka pipe.

Thank goodness for all of that research that shows secondhand smoke to be harmless!

[kpc01]

I hear ya...I could argue both sides as well all day long so I don't think its a winnable argument either way, just depends on the decision makers opinions. I personally am glad only because of the reasons I stated, I would love to be able to enjoy a restaurant or even go to a bar once in a blue moon without having to deal with it. They say if you don't like it don't go, and I've done that for years now and don't have a problem with that statement, but now that its happening I can go have fun again. I am VERY allergic to smoke and got to where I couldn't go in bars anymore so this is a win in my books...whether its "fair" or "right" I can't say but hell what does the gov't do that IS right anymore?

We can chase our tails on this argument and I can bring up a million and one other things. At the end of the day business owners should have the final say.

I feel they should be supported by the court system if they ban smoking, but I don't feel it is right to force them to ban smoking. What if the owners smoke?

I agree, non-smoking sections are a joke. Hell, the wife and I when we smoked never smoked in a restaurant or around people eating. Even at that, I have the ability to not eat a place that is annoying in that manner. (i.e. old school Dennys come to mind. )

[ceyko]

Thank goodness for all of that research that shows secondhand smoke to be harmless!

Yeah, thank goodness for research! Tells us all kinds of great things!

I read some research that if you go to bars where smoking is not allowed, you won't have to deal with the deadly second hand smoke.

[ceyko]

I hear ya...I could argue both sides as well all day long so I don't think its a winnable argument either way, just depends on the decision makers opinions. I personally am glad only because of the reasons I stated, I would love to be able to enjoy a restaurant or even go to a bar once in a blue moon without having to deal with it. They say if you don't like it don't go, and I've done that for years now and don't have a problem with that statement, but now that its happening I can go have fun again. I am VERY allergic to smoke and got to where I couldn't go in bars anymore so this is a win in my books...whether its "fair" or "right" I can't say but hell what does the gov't do that IS right anymore?

The only point I'm making is in this case it is okay for you. Hell, since I quit I don't care either and like I said I prefer non-smoking places - especially when drinking. Even if I did smoke, smokers will always figure out a way to get their smokes and bars will always make it as easy as possible for them.

However, going forward this is just another one of those steps taken to control things. Lordy, I know that sounds bad. However, this step is okay for you the next one may not be and slowly choices are taken away from people.

I generally dislike people who don't strap down stuff on their trailers. Maybe the government will ban trailers since their choices could kill me too.

Blah, I'm going to back out of this thread as gracefully as possible. Really, we have bigger problems in the US then this particular problem. They can be decisive when CRACKING DOWN on this crap. Border security though, look out.

[SMEGMA STENCH]

Buncha bullshit, they should just have smoke free bars that appeal to non-smokers. I don't smoke either. Quit a long time ago. And people that used to smoke, and quit, are a lot harder on smokers than non-smokers, in my experience.

There is probably a fairly easy way around this though, make all patrons register at the bar and have it be a "private club" for "members only". Yet to get a membership all it takes is walking up to the door and signing your name on a little card that you can keep in your wallet. I grew up in a dry town, and there were two bars in it, and that is how they circumvented the dry county laws.

[Nash B.]

It's an absolute travesty that you can't smoke while you drink, but don't let that damned devil's weed in our state!

Yeah, yeah, we get it - alcohol and tobacco = bad, marijuana = no worse...

[helosailor]

It didn't work out too well in Minnesota. A lot of bars just closed rather than go to the expense of building "smoking patios" and others became private clubs (the law there was for "public" establishments).

[mikeb]

I'm pretty divided on this. As a non-smoker I am VERY happy I won't smell like a fucking ashtray every time I go into a bar. But the common sense side of me says this is idiotic, and they have no business passing that type of legislation. I'd be interested to see what the Supreme Court would say about it.

this.

I'm not a smoker and hate going in places where it's allowed since i come out smelling like ass from the smoke. I remember back in the day waking up the next morning and my clothes still stank horribly from being in a bar the night before.

Today it's smoking. Tomorrow it may be something that i like, and that's the slippery slope of this legislation.

I visited bars in OKC when i used to work there and a lot of them had really good ventilation systems. I ate in the bar in chilis in OKC one time and even though there were people smoking in there you couldn't smell it because of the ventilation system.