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House Passes Restaurant Smoking Ban
By Josh Rogers on Wednesday, March 22, 2006.
The 189-156 vote came after about 3 hours of debate and several attempts to amend the measure to avoid an outright prohibition.
The arguments for and against the ban weren't subtle…….Proponents, like Hampton republican Sheila Francoeur, tended to stress the health of restaurant workers and patrons…….
"I believe in the motto of live free or die as much as anyone in this room, but I will ask you if any of you have watched anyone die of lung cancer or associated illnesses"
Opponents, meanwhile, cast the prohibition as something antithetical to more than just the state motto.
"This bill is against all traditions of this legislature…..It puts us in the role of big brother…..it uses emotion rather than facts to regulate…..It is anti-business anti-choice and anti-freedom."
That's Deputy House speaker Ken Weyler…….He went perhaps the furthest of any of the bills foes…..claiming that the ban would produce no public heath benefit because second hand smoke posed what he called only mythical hazards.
"Let's not make decisions based on hype and emotion backed up by junk science."
Other points of contention were over the bills economic effects……Proponents say studies have shown that restaurants and bars that have gone smoke-free voluntarily have, if anything, seen profits increase……They also reasoned that since NH's neighbors all ban such smoking, loss of business to bordering states is impossible……Critics dismiss such claims as beside the point…….Expect such arguments to be rejoined as the bill move on to the senate….There it's expected to face an uphill fight……..While Supporters point to a recent UNH poll that found about three quarters of state residents in support of the proposed smoking ban…critics are taking heart from the fact that the ban has some powerful foes -- these include Senate President Ted Gatsas, and Senate Majority leader Bob Clegg.
"Obviously there's a good number of us who believe that restaurants already believe the ability to make their establishments non-smoking and they don't need government to come in and say do it."
The Senate will begin hearings on the proposed smoking ban in the coming weeks.
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I cannot believe they spent 3 hours debating this. It's a no-brainer; smoking raises health care costs and passive smoke hurts others. There is nothing positive about smoking. Come on NH, get your heads out of the Red Neck Woods and join the 21st century.
As a person who does NOT smoke, I can't believe that people support the right to take away the business owners rights on how they feel fit to run their establishment. People can go on and on about the ill effects of smoking, and although that may be the case, what I don't think many are taking into consideration is that the right is being taken away from the individual to do what he or she sees fit for their lives. If a business owner of a restaurant chooses on their own to ban it from their establishment, it should be their right - not the Government - . Many will choose on their own to go smoke-free, and some will not. But it is the principal of the freedom of choice being taken away from the owner. Ask yourself what will be next? Maybe they should make it illegal to sell fatten food as well. Afterall, doesn't that cause harmful effects to the body as well? Doesn't drinking cause harmful effects to the drinker and possibly the passerby who gets caught in the cross-fire of their oncoming vehicle after drinking too much in a bar? Maybe we should just have the government shut down everything that represents our freedoms. If you don't smoke, don't like smoke, than simply find a place to go that doesn't allow it. If the workers don't like it, there will be plenty of places they can get new jobs in a non-smoking enviroment. I hate to break the news that most of the bar workers do smoke, so I don't think that are the vast majority who are complaining. The bottom line, let people make their own choices. Lastly, for anyone who does smoke, I am sure they are extremely resentlful of someone trying to tell them how to conduct their lives. They want to smoke, let them. You just go to your smoke free place and leave them alone. Totally impossible to debate. You have lost sight of what freedom of choice is in our country. Easy to see we are losing it on a daily basis if you would choose to dig deeper to see the whole picture of what is really going on. Instead, you would rather preach to people how to conduct their lives, their businesses and so on based on what YOU think is right. I wish you would take the time to really think about this. It is just the beginning. It may be "just a smoking" thing, but is far more than that. Women's rights are already being affected, cures for sickness are being affected all because of the Government telling us what they think it should be. Health care is being regulated by Government and the list goes on. Not exactly a "LIVE FREE OR DIE" society.
If I own a restaurant, it should be my property to allow or not allow smoking. The only exception to this should be if smoking is made illegal altogether. Otherwise, it should be my decision to allow or not allow it. JUST AS IT IS MY EMPLOYEES DECISION TO WORK IN A SMOKE FILLED ENVIRONMENT OR NOT TO WORK IN IT. This is common sense. The language used is as if it's the employees only place they could or are ever going to work. It's rediculous. The poster saying it's Big Brother is somewhat right. Honestly, it's pretty silly that smokers pay more taxes every year just for being a smoker but are losing more rights to enjoy the very thing they're fixing highways with. I mean... New Hampshire still isn't rediculous with those taxes but it's taxation on people with a problem. If anyone has ever met an addicted smoker then you KNOW that it's not just a simple matter of "oh i think i'll quit smoking" and then it's done. It's a problem. Anyway, yeah. That's my personal opinion on the subject.