Smoking bans

Bloomington and now Minneapolis have passed smoking bans. This is probably the opening up of the dike, as more localities are likely to pass bans now that the ball has started rolling.

I am supportive of bans in public places, for the sole reason of protecting employees. We have regulations that require employee protection for all kinds of carcinogens in the environment, and leaving out cigarette smoking is a big oversight. I am less concerned about keeping patrons from being exposed to smoke. As such, I don't think that a ban is the necessary solution, but it appears to be the best one. Dedicated smoking rooms, with or without ventilation, represent big investments on the part of business owners and seem to be less likely to work.

I generally don't make my socializing decisions based on the smoking or non-smoking status of establishments, but I do prefer non-smoking. Being able to enjoy music in a non-smoking environment is a definite plus.