Ian's Original Column
January 31, 2002
Up in smoke (response to my column re: smokers of 1/23/02 by Michael F. Meehan of Tempe, AZ)
In the My Turn column "Smokers 'assault' everyone," of Jan. 23, Ian Jeffrey Slavin made some valid points. Slavin also made som obvious errors in reaching his conclusions to justify government intervention.
Although smoke from a cigarette entering the lungs of a passive, non-smoking individual against his will does constitute an assault, the conditions that Slavin proposes do not force the non-smoker to tolerate smoke against his will.
In the example of two people, one a smoker, one a non-smoker, in a restaurant, I do not agree that the events are occurring in a "public place." Restaurants are private businesses that can allow or prohibit smoking at their own discretion and are in no way part of the "public domain."
Slavin ignores the fact that there are many non-smoking restaurant chains, all of the smoke-free (by law) restaurants in Mesa, and other options for the non-smoker.
Today, everyone has a choice to dine at a smoking or non-smoking establishment. What Slavin proposes is nothing more than using the force of government to remove the choice of restaurant proprietors to provide a smoking or non-smoking establishment to best meet the needs of their customers.