The primary reason for a ban on smoking in restaurants and bars the effects of second hand smoke on other people. It is considered such a great health risk that many states have legislated to protect those who do not smoke from incurring one of the many dangerous side effects of being in an enclosed area with other smokers.
A secondary reason for such laws goes to the idea that by regulating public areas where people are allowed or not allowed to smoke, this will somehow deter people from smoking. The idea is to help people quit (or not start) smoking. By reducing the number of smokers, the health side-effects are reduced, and the overall cost of health care, in the long run, is reduced. In theory. This is of course assuming that by taking away a place to smoke, the smoker decides it is too much work to keep up the habit and quits.
I live in NC, where there is a smoking ban in restaurants and bars. While I love this laws for purely selfish reasons (I'm not a smoker and I hate the smell of second hand smoke), I do not think it will be successful in lowering the amount of smokers in the state. If nothing else, the biggest complaint is that many bars are losing business because the crowd of those who smoke AND drink is dwindling.
Banning smoking all together would probably have the same effect as prohibition had. And we all know what that did for actually reducing drinking in America. Hah.
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