Should smoking be banned from restaurants and other public places?

[The Arizonan]

I am sick of breathing in foul-smelling, carcinogenic smoke just because smokers couldn’t bother to smoke outdoors.

What do you think?

[Pyro]

Absolutely. I understand the personal liberty argument with these issues, but as smoking presents a clear health hazard to anyone in the vicinity of the smoke, I favor a general smoking ban for enclosed workplaces (restaurants, bars and casinos not exempt) as well as in or near public buildings.

[dead0man]

There are restaurants you can smoke in?  And define "public places"

[Illiniwek]

Was shocked to realize that my apartment building allows smoking, and now that a chain-smoker has moved in, the odor is seeping through the walls and pipes and making my apartment reek. If people want to be dumb on their own then fine, but no one else should have to put up with it.

[The Arizonan]

There are restaurants you can smoke in?  And define "public places"

I think I meant literally any indoor place that is not a person's home.

[President Johnson]

From public places, yes. Restaurants should be free to have separate rooms for smokers.

Germany actually has a total ban on all train station, but nobody here cares outside the big city main stations (where police patrols). I recently discovered that they have begun to lift the ban with limited smoking areas in open space stations of smaller cities. I'd prefer the total ban, but it can hardly be enforced since security personell costs a lot of money and the police has other things to do.

[Big Abraham]

No. If businesses want to accommodate smokers, that's fine with me

[darklordoftech]

If parents can force their kids to go inside against their will, yes. Otherwise, no.

Considering that politicians make laws, this isn't off-topic.

[Badger]

Duh.

But leave obvious exceptions for hookah and cigar bars.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Absolutely. I understand the personal liberty argument with these issues, but as smoking presents a clear health hazard to anyone in the vicinity of the smoke, I favor a general smoking ban for enclosed workplaces (restaurants, bars and casinos not exempt) as well as in or near public buildings.

[dead0man]

Duh.

But leave obvious exceptions for hookah and cigar bars.

yeah, that's where I'm at too.  Ban smoking in all public places except for places whose purpose is smoking.  If one is against second hand smoke, these places should be easy to avoid.