Smoking ban is smoking hot

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the smoking ban in San Angelo. As a staff, we have several opinions on the matter.

We think that people who choose not to smoke have the right to clean air wherever they go. It's not much of an "inconvenience" for smokers to go to a designated smoking area away from those who are health-conscious. Even in bars and places where one might expect smoking to be okay, the air should be kept as clean as possible. People wouldn't stand for an extremely unhygienic bathroom—air should be kept clean as well. It might even be more important because serious diseases and other health issues can come from secondhand smoke.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, "more than 126 million nonsmoking Americans continue to be exposed to secondhand smoke in homes, vehicles, workplaces, and public places. Most exposure to tobacco smoke occurs in homes and workplaces." It also says that about 22 million children between the ages of 3 and 11 are exposed to secondhand smoke.

The most important thing is that no one smokes around large groups of people in public anymore. Smoking is allowed at home, so this ordinance does not protect the children of smokers. At the same time though, it does not unreasonably infringe upon smokers' rights. There has to be a balance, and we believe this ordinance has found it.

Although students are still allowed to smoke on campus, they must be at least 15 feet away from an entrance. This means that people no longer have to walk through a cloud of smoke when they enter a building. This is also good, because the fresh air tends to alleviate the smell of cigarette smoke. At this point in history, almost everyone knows about the harmful effects of first and secondhand smoke. People have a right to make an educated decision over whether or not to put their health in jeopardy, but they do not have the right to put the health of others at risk. We support the smoking ban because it protects individuals who do not smoke, and when it comes down to it, it is a win-win situation. After all, smokers don't smoke less; they just smoke in different places.