Monday, May 14, 2007

Smoke-free Minnesota in October




The Minnesota State Legislature voted on Friday to approve a smoke-free law for all indoor public places and workplaces, including restaurants and taverns! Congratulations to the smoke-free advocates to our west!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hope you're happy that you're definately going to force some businesses to close for good, and cause many people to lose their jobs. And all for what? You're paranoid fears of secondhand smoke, when you can already find places that are volunatarily 100% smoke-free?

Groups like yours(Smokefree Wisconsin) are sad groups to watch. I hope your group, and all other anti-smoking organizations in Wisconsin, are ready to take ALL the blame when many Wisconsin businesses close, and many workers lose their jobs for good.

Jennie said...

I'd like to respond to the previous comment--- "paranoid fears". Secondhand smoke causes heart disease, cancer, and respiratory infections. These are not paranoid fears, they are serious problems. As you'll read in my post on my Dad, smoking and secondhand smoke cause real problems and hardship. I wish that my Dad had been more paranoid about the health problems that smoking causes.

In regards to businesses closing, the writer has not checked his or her facts. While there are initial fluctuations in revenue, many businesses, including bars, find that smoke free air brings in more customers.

Finally, I read an email today from a waitress who works at a restaurant with a "ventilated" air system who wanted to thank SmokeFree Wisconsin for their efforts to make Wisconsin a healthier place for ALL Wisconsin workers. Perhaps "anonymous" should talk to a few more workers before jumping to such conclusions.