Tobacco.org

Ban pits health against freedom 

Despite what critics of smoking bans say, supporters of the proposed statewide ban say there is a legal basis for the initiative.

Organizations such as the Tavern League of Wisconsin and individual tavern owners have pledged to fight the proposal outlined Jan. 24 by Gov. Jim Doyle.

Critics of smoking bans, like the Cato Institute, argue that free societies allow all sorts of risky behaviors, like rock climbing and skiing, that endanger others, such as rescue workers. Moreover, many public health laws are justified because they protect people from hidden risks.

"Bars where smoking is permitted are hardly hidden risks," wrote Thomas A. Firey, managing editor of the institute's magazine, Regulation.

Those arguments do not carry much weight with people like Aaron Doeppers of the Czampaign for Tobacco-free Kids or Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of SmokeFree Wisconsin.

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