In Bloomington and Indianapolis, where there's smoke, there's ire.
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"Ire" being wrath -- toward smokers.
Officials in Indianapolis and Bloomington are pushing to pass ordinances prohibiting smoking in bars, restaurants and workplaces. Smokers wouldn't be allowed to light up within 25 feet of a business, making outdoor areas off-limits.
Bloomington banned smoking a decade ago in all new public buildings and buildings that changed owners.
Delaware County commissioners debated this same issue last year when they were faced with a bill called the Delaware County Restaurant Children's Clean Air Act. In the proposal restaurants must provide an enclosed or ventilated area for smokers.
It never passed.
The option of offering smoke-free environments may be appealing to some, but calling for an immediate ban on restaurant smoking isn't fair to business owners.
Established restaurant owners shouldn't be asked to take on expensive remodeling projects or set up designated smoking sections to accommodate non-smokers. Having specific smoking areas will not solve the problem because smoke will drift into non-smoking sections.
This is not to say that smoking belongs in these places. Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in this country, killing 53,000 non-smokers every year. One nonsmoker dies of secondhand smoke for every eight smokers. Smoking kills 10,000 Hoosiers per year. That's approximately 27 Hoosiers each day, or one Hoosier every hour that dies from smoking-related respiratory diseases (smokefreeindiana.org).
Despite the facts, when it comes down to businesses, it is not a lawmaker's decision.
No one is making people spend money to sit and breathe secondhand smoke in restaurants and bars. Besides, non-smokers will continue to be exposed to smoke elsewhere. Banning it from a few public areas will not eliminate smokers entirely.
Business owners are aware of the smoke and should have the right to decide what smoking policy to adopt.
Encouraging self-regulation is fair to business owners who are providing a service, not a privilege, to the public.
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