The main reason that we should ban smoking in restaurants and other public areas is because the smoke does not remain solely in the smoking area. Having a smoking area and a nonsmoking area in a building is better than having everyone mixed together and I will admit to that however; if you drop food coloring in water doesn't it spread? Smoke has the same effect and anyone who has ever paid attention to it will notice that fact. Smoke spreads from the smoking section all through the building in the air, therefore spreading the dangers with it. For this reason smoking should not be allowed in public buildings.
There are many different ways to protect ourselves from secondhand smoke. The most obvious is to stay away from it and that is where the basis for banning smoking in public areas has arose. There are however other ways to protect ourselves and our families and these include never smoking in your home or allowing others to smoke in your home and if someone must smoke inside limit them to a well ventilated room that is cut off from the remainder of the house, choose restaurants, daycares, and schools that are smoke free, and remember that many of the dangerous chemicals that come from secondhand smoke remain even after the cigarette, pipe, or cigar is gone (2). As stated by U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona the only way to control secondhand smoke is by making indoor areas smoke free (3).
Perhaps I am on the side that I am on because of my allergy to secondhand smoke as well as my daughters or perhaps simply because of thinking about what it does to our bodies. I have family members who smoke and also understand the flip side of things, but the family members that smoke are also courteous and don't smoke around the nonsmokers in our family. I do however personally believe that if smokers want to put their own health in danger that that is fine, but putting nonsmokers or children's health in danger because they don't want to be separated or don't want to have to just smoke at home or in their cars is uncalled for.
Smoking in public areas and weather or not to ban it is definitely a hot issue today. Smokers do have a right to their freedom; however the entirety of the United States has a right to be able to remain smoke free and have freedom from secondhand smoke. Whether a decision will ever be made that will be fair to both sides of the issue will be reached is unknown. The government continues to weigh the risks of secondhand smoke with the number of angry smokers. If the issue is truly looked into and the risks are truly weighed I do hope and believe that our government will decide it is better to look out for our health.
