My recommendation: the simpler, the better, especially for coordination purposes. Of course, people are going to step outside for smoking, but the one way to avoid the issue of gantlet-running, even with neighborhood bars, is to force smokers into whatever enclosed area could be constructed, or in the absence of an available space, include the doorways in the ban. If they want to smoke, let them move off and away from patron entrances. The state finally banned smokers from the entrances to office buildings. You can, too.
Smirting. Right. Someone tell me what this has to do with public health. People smirt inside now, they'll smirt outside after. Let's not even touch this issue. Just make them smirt and smoke and foul the air around the corner from the doors. It won't rid us of the gantlet, but close. As for other consistency issues, clearly banning smoking from one's own home office is dumb, or even enforceable. As someone said recently, some day, parents are going to have to stop smoking in the vicinity of children anywhere - and that may include one's own home. Ban it now. Andy Driscoll Saint Paul -- on 6/15/04 10:46 PM, Rybak, R.T. wrote: > > I could use some advice from list members on ways to mitigate an > unintended consequence of the proposed smoking ban: > > After the ban is in place, people at a restaurant or bar who want to > smoke will presumably walk outside to light up...forming the kinds of > front door smoking gatherings you see already outside office buildings. > The groups outside bars and restaurants will probably hang around longer > because they probably don't have a boss pushing them to get inside. > > This has actually set off somewhat of a trend in New York where the new > word is, if I have this right, "smurting"---smoking and > flirting---because smokers looking for partners who can tolerate the > smoke have a self selected group in that smoking line outside the front > door. > > This all probably won't be such a big deal in entertainment districts, > but it could cause real problems outside bars in residential > neighborhoods like the Chatterbox or Maslack's....especially with bars > now open until 2 a.m. > > As I've said, I think the ban is going to pass...and I think on most > levels that's a good thing. And I don't think this issue in itself is > enough of a reason not to do this but I want to address this, and see if > there is anything we can do about it, BEFORE there is a problem. > > On or off list: Does anyone have any thoughts about how we can address > this issue? > > (FYI: Another issue that I think we have to address before this moves > forward is consistency....This could get real crazy, real fast, if we > have a web of different ordinances in every city. Toward that end, I'm > meeting tomorrow with a group of suburban mayors to see if there is a > way we can get on the same page. From bars and restaurants I've talked > to, consistency with key suburbs, esp. Bloomington, St. Louis Park, > Golden Valley, Eden Prairie....is probably more important that with St. > Paul......If anyone has information or thoughts about the suburbs and > the proposed ban, please pass that along, too.) > > R.T. Rybak > REMINDERS: > 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at > [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. > 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. > > For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html > For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract > ________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls > REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
