Jump to full article: Indianapolis (IN) Star, 2009-10-25
Intro: It's time for the City-County Council to hammer home the coffin nails for some long-dead arguments that keep being propped up against the movement to clear the air in public places.
No, bars and restaurants don't sign their death warrant when they go smoke free.
No, smoking wherever you want is not a constitutional right; and when it harms other people, as secondhand smoke has been proven to do, it is a wrong.
No, property rights are not absolute for public accommodations; hence, we have fire codes and food-handling restrictions.
. . .
Economics and personal rights, far from being abridged by a smoke-free environment, have been enhanced in cities bold enough to go all out for public health. A city that takes pride in being a hub of the medical and life-sciences industries should be a leader in tobacco cessation. That moment may have passed; but the trend Indianapolis can follow has become clear as cigarette-free air.
As doctors tell smokers, it's never too late to quit.
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