Damn anti smoking fanatics! Bars can't serve food and allow smoking? WTF!

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Holy crap I really suck cause i drive an SUV and smoke!! I do however respect non smokers and will not light up if there isnt already smoke going on in the room. But wait my suv is a little one not a giant one, and when u got 3 kids its that or a minivan and well my rodeo is just as good as a minivan, cause that little compact car dont fit the kids.

[DRoseDARs]

Bullsh*t, you just want to look cool. [/sarcasm]

[Lul Thyme]

Originally posted by Asher
I've never been happier and the bars have never been busier since they've banned smoking where I've lived.

And there was a huge hubub by bar owners when it happened about how it would destroy them...

Same in Ottawa.
There is no smoking in any public building now.
At first bar complained but after two years it's all back to normal and rising.
It's also in all of Quebec since last May and bars are doing just fine.

[Lul Thyme]

Originally posted by Wezil


Sorry, went out for a smoke.

Sure, Lulu's had many of the issues you mentioned earlier to deal with but they were surviving. It was the economic damage done by the non-smoking law that put them under.

Quite simply, business is in business to make money. If going nonsmoking was profitable then they (bars and restaurants) would not have to be forced to go smoke free. They would follow the dollars and do so willingly.

There are many reasons and arguments for such bans but let's be honest about the economics of it.

The thing is youre comparing a city wide ban to one restaurant going smoke free.

If one restaurant goes smoke free of course it'll lose money.

If they are all forced too, they can all not lose money!

Just like trees.
If one tree grows shorter, he gets no sun.
If all tree were forced to grow shorter, they would get as much sun while saving energy !

EDIT: I see Asher has made that point, and I dont think it's very hard to understand. As I said, we also have facts on our side because many cities/countries throughout the world have similar bans and bars restaurants and such havnt had their business reduced on the whole.

[Lul Thyme]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
If non-smoking bars are popular, more of them would be created. That's how the market works...

The economics is not the only issue, there are health issues etc...

But focusing only on this, actually restaurants here WERE starting to be non-smoking even before the law.
For example the whole St Hubert chain was non smoking about a year before the law was passed in Quebec, etc...
There was a definite trend towards that.
In things such as opening a restaurant or making it non smoker (which is more complicated then you think, you often need to repaint and change furniture because everything is smelly) there are initial costs in changing meaning that the market can have a lag behind the popularity.
This was actually the situation here.
That's why the ban WAS popular although restaurants were just starting to becoming non smoker on their own.

[MOBIUS]

Re: Damn anti smoking fanatics! Bars can't serve food and allow smoking? WTF!

Originally posted by Dis
It seems question 5 passed. I think the anti smoking fanatics confused people with question 4. Now bars can't serve food and allow smoking at the same time? WTF? This will also affect my place of business as well. I guess we have to stop serving food. Which sucks, as I can get free food at work. .

At least that's what it seems like to me. I haven't heard on any word what this passage will mean. But it seems to me like 1000's of cooks will be out of a job. People will be driving home even drunker because they don't have any food to absorb the alcohol. Or there will be more drunk drivers as people drive themselves to taco bell, then drive themselves back to the bar.

And many of our top restaurants also have bars attached to them. Including one our former lt. governor owned (Lorraine Hunt). Bootlegger, Black Mountain Grill- both are considered good restaurants. Are they going to have to close or go smoke free now? I can't believe this. Stupid voters. I think they got confused between question 4 and 5.

The funny thing is I don't smoke and don't like cigarrette smoke. But I like to grab a fish n' chips at my local bar. Now I apparantly can't.

Good! All smokers should die a slow and painful death IMO...

Oh wait!

[Cort Haus]

The good thing about smoking for non-smokers is that it gives them a section of the population they can legitimately despise and crap on from a very great height. People just love getting indignantly self-righteous and morally superior, and having smokers to look down on clearly gives many people a lot of pleasure.

I don't know about other countries, but the tax revenue from tobacco in the UK is vastly higher than the cost to the health system of smoking-related illness. So smokers are shouldering a heavier tax bill so that non-smokers can pay less tax.

[Lul Thyme]

Originally posted by Cort Haus

I don't know about other countries, but the tax revenue from tobacco in the UK is vastly higher than the cost to the health system of smoking-related illness. So smokers are shouldering a heavier tax bill so that non-smokers can pay less tax.

So from a strictly government economical point of view, smoking can be good.
In the short term.

Im not going to argue this, because it may be correct.

The point is that, this is far from the only angle.

For example, Id rather have to pay a bit more tax, to compensate and not have cancer from breathing smoke for example.

This is a complicated issue and I dont want to oversimplify it but focusing ONLY on the economical point of view is oversimplified.

[Dr Strangelove]

I have asthma. I've sufffered from asthma since I was 2 years old. You have no idea how smoking affects me. I'm glad they're removing smoking from restaurants and public places.

[MRT144]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
The good thing about smoking for non-smokers is that it gives them a section of the population they can legitimately despise and crap on from a very great height. People just love getting indignantly self-righteous and morally superior, and having smokers to look down on clearly gives many people a lot of pleasure.

Yeah, thats totally what non smokers do.

[Cort Haus]

Fair cop, MRT. It should read "some non-smokers ...".

[Ben Kenobi]

I don't smoke, but it seems to me the nicest folks I know all smoke.

So where do I fit in?

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove
I have asthma. I've sufffered from asthma since I was 2 years old. You have no idea how smoking affects me. I'm glad they're removing smoking from restaurants and public places.

I don't disagree with the virtues of removing smoke from enclosed spaces. It's the demonisation of smokers and treating them like scum that I disagree with.

Too bad they don't remove cilantro/coriander from restaurants. The effect on me is like smoke to an asthmatic.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Have they banned smoking at home in Canada yet?

We're getting there.

Ontario is currently starting into automobiles (not allowed in 'company' vehicles - even if you are the only person to use the vehicle).

We'll get to homes soon.

[MRT144]

the smoking in company vehicles thing should be something imposed by the company itself.