I always think my solution to the smoking ban was the best one:
All pubs, bars, nightclubs, resturants, etc. are "Non-Smoking" by default, and have to apply for a licence to become "Smoking" premises". That means people can make a choice as to where they go - nonsmokers who do not mind being in smokey environments can choose to go to a smoking venue, and similarly, smokers who don't mind not smoking can go to nonsmoking pubs.
It just seems fairer to give people the choice, rather than enforcing the "right" of one person - be it a nonsmokers "right" to breathe clean air or a smokers "right" to smoke - upon the other group.
[btw, I'm a nonsmoker, but the vast majority of my friends smoke. The smoking ban annoys me because my friends sometimes have a habit of going out to smoke in a group, making it difficult to keep a conversation going]
Posted: 2009-12-27 21:19:47