In New York City , a so-called public health ordinance is being considered that would vastly increase the number of deaths from secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke causes thousands of deaths every year from cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses, attacks the immune system, and lowers resistance to many air borne diseases. Tobacco smoke carries carcinogens - cancer causing chemicals, and particulate matter, including radioactive particulate matter. This ordinance is akin to pouring raw sewage into a swimming pool, then telling people not to worry because the city ordinance has required a special filter that gets rid of SOME of the sewage. There may be lots of things that people like to get secondhand - but smoke is not one of them.
Smokers can still smoke - outside, and in private.
But their death dealing pollution should not be permitted in any restaurant or other workplace. The specific language that should be removed can be read in this web site. The tobacco industry is trying to take us all back to tobacco's good old days - when smoking was everywhere, and everyone was forced to smoke secondhand. The tobacco industry is nothing more than a very powerful, very greedy drug pusher. The nicotine cartel is working to convince legislatures in New York City, the states of Minnesota and Washington, and elsewhere, to discriminate against those who dare to breathe in public.