Backers of the measure counter that smoking is a public health hazard and should be more tightly controlled. This really isn't about pitting smokers against nonsmokers. It's about the health impact of smoking. Cities across the country are enacting ever greater limits on where people can smoke. Anchorage, Alaska, recently joined the ranks of more than 170 cities and towns nationwide that prohibit smoking in workplaces and restaurants.
States are also increasingly active.
Most now restrict smoking in government offices and indoor public places, from arenas to grocery stores. About half have non-smoking requirements on workplaces. The San Francisco measure, introduced by Tom Ammiano, a member of the city's board of supervisors, would not close existing tobacco shops. The Technical Assistance Legal Center has developed a template of the Oakland model and is offering it to other cities. While attacking tobacco has become politically safe in many areas, the fate of such restrictions depends heavily on local dynamics.