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· Op-Ed
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He doesn't dispute the dangers of secondhand smoke, but travel columnist Christopher Elliott wonders if the travel industry has taken its crackdown on smokers a bit too far.
Jump to full article: MSNBC, 2009-06-22
Author: Christopher Elliott Travel columnist msnbc.com contributor
Intro: It’s more than a little ironic that the persecution of smokers is a legitimate issue in 2009. Just two short decades ago, the travel industry was more than accommodating to visitors who wanted to have a cigarette. You could puff away in rental cars, hotel rooms, restaurants — even on flights. . . .
Should the travel industry try to turn back the clock, pushing for laws that permit smoking in hotels, planes and restaurants?
No. The dangers of secondhand smoke are indisputable. But shouldn’t smokers be allowed to enjoy a cigarette, cigar or pipe when they aren’t exposing anyone else to the dangerous carcinogens to which they’re addicted? As long as smoking is legal in America, the answer to that question ought to be: “yes.”
Even ardent nonsmokers like Bill Armstrong, a consultant based in Calgary, concede that smokers should have a place in this world. “In my opinion, a smoking area in a hotel should be away from where guests normally go,” he says. “The smoke from the smoking area should not blow into the hotel, pool or rooms.”
I agree. I think just as we used to allow smokers to indiscriminately consume tobacco products anywhere, we’ve now gone too far in the other direction. Maybe it’s time for a little balance.
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