If a business wants to allow smoking then the so be it, government should stay out!

A person should not have to choose between enjoyment and a toxic environment. Indeed, NO business should be open to the public (and they are not with the exception of smoking)that has a toxic environment. What if a private business owner wanted to spray formaldehyde through a mister system because he likes the smell ? Everyone would be in an uproar and he would be shutdown. Smoking is no different. Cigarette smoke contains formaldehyde. Any of the chemicals in cigarette smoke when taken individually and introduced to an indoor environment would be a public health hazard and would be banned. I fail to understand how smoking is different. I've said it a number of times, but it bears repeating...it is not about personal freedom. It is about public health. And the government is about the public health. People are brainwashed that smoking is somehow different. It is not. It is proven to make people ill and die. To allow it in enclosed spaces is wrong. A judge in Arizona barred a couple from smoking in their HOME. That's right, their HOME. It was a fourplex and the smoke constituted a health hazard for the other 3 units. As far as automobiles and joyriding, you have a good point. We are ALL responsible for the environment; however, I stand by my original statement. Overall, autos, factories etc, serve a useful purpose. Smoking, when used as directed, kills. Period. It serves NO useful purpose (with the exception of keeping a steady supply of patients for Oncologists and Morticians). The government is on the path to ban smoking altogether. By taxing it and limiting it's use it is attempting to get people to quit through other motivations (too expensive, too much hassle) because as addicts, they rationalize why they do it and minimize the risks. I've tried to approach this round from a public health view, but the employer aspect relayed in previous rounds is still important. OSHA has a law that states thus: Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, often referred to as the General Duty Clause, requires employers to "furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees". Section 5(a)(2) requires employers to "comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act". By allowing smoking in their place of business they are in direct violation of this act. In addition, as it pertains to air quality, "the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposes to adopt standards addressing indoor air quality in indoor work environments. The basis for this proposed action is a preliminary determination that employees working in indoor work environments face a significant risk of material impairment to their health due to poor indoor air quality, and that compliance with the provisions proposed in this notice will substantially reduce that risk." Smoking kills. If it just killed it's adherents I wouldn't care. But because of it's transmission protocol, it is inhaled by all. Just because it is 'socially' acceptable does not make it right. If we are banning lead paint, asbestos, etc. because of toxic environment concerns, cigarette smoke should be banned as well.