The smoking ban is now moving to outdoors! I don't think I agree with this particular stance but I am sure that many people have reasons why this is a good idea. I recently got to discuss this topic (smoking ban in general) with my wife's uncle. He is a smoker and really gets fired up on this topic. He is convinced that this is more a freedom issue than it is a health issue. According to an article in USA Today there are now around 1,100 cities and counties that have banned smoking in outdoor areas. Some places where these smoking bans are in affect are parks, cafes, and stadiums. Is this a health concern or is it more a ban on freedoms in the United States? Fire safety was mentioned as one reasons for the smoking ban. I think this is a great reason for the ban. What better reason (other than health) do you need? Some beaches have banned smoking due to litter. The article said that cigarettes were the number one source of debris in global beach cleanups. Both of these reasons, fire safety and litter, were two reasons I had not even considered. I know, some of you smokers are saying that if we ban smoking due to litter then what's next, soda and juice cans? Well, the key to me is that evidentially these are not the number one source of debris. Stanford researchers also published some interesting findings in May concerning secondhand smoke outside. I do think that Big Brother is getting closer? If this spreads across the country, what is next?
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