As I think everyone on the forum knows, I was a big supporter of the
general smoking ban. However, acting as the Devil's Advocate, I also believe that
now that we have won, we can allow a few compromises. One of these would be
allowing smoking in open air areas -- i.e., outside. This would allow smokers
to go outside of a bar for a smoke and would allow smoking construction
workers to do so on the job. The amount of secondhand smoke that would be
experienced by those passing by a smoker outside would be minimal and I doubt that it
would be especially harmful to anyone.
Let bars put a big ashcan outside one of their doors where smokers can
suck down their coffin nails without bothering the rest of us. Some smoke might
drift back in as they exhale on their way back to the bar for a drink,
especially on some January night when it is 30 degrees below zero, but I do not
think that it will enough to seriously harm anyone. I, for one, do not begrudge a
smoker the desire to smoke in relative comfort and insisting that they do so
in their own private home seems excessive to me.
As for construction workers, well, the idea of some carpenter smoking
while he hammers nails doesn't bother me overly much. Most homes are built a
reasonable distance from the nearest neighbor, meaning over 10' feet, and that
should be enough to dilute the effects of a cigarette that is being smoked
outside. That is not to mention the large office construction sites that are
hundreds of feet from the nearest residence. It's the air that can be trapped
inside an office, restaurant or bar that bothers me, not what someone is doing in
the park.
So, I say let's support Mayor Kelly on some sort of compromise. Allowing
smoking outside is language that can easily be worked into the ban.
Something along the lines of . . . Saint Paul hereafter bans smoking in any indoor
area, including all work sites, restaurants, bars, etc. . . Indoor areas to be
defined as any area covered by a roof and enclosed by wall or barrier of any
kind.
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