Last Friday, the Colorado legislature passed a ban on smoking in most buildings open to the public. While this isn’t really a local issue anymore, I wanted to make a few comments.

While I personally feel that smoking is an unhealthy, smelly habit, and admit that I prefer a non-smoking environment to a smoking environment, I’m not sure how I feel about this law. On one hand it makes for a nicer environment, on the other it tells business owners how to run their business and interferes with the free market. Tobacco has been on the government and public hit lists for some time, with good reason. I anticipate in the next 5 - 10 years it will become completely illegal. Although this is probably a good thing for the health of american citizens, where will it stop? How long before fried foods are outlawed? How long before riding a motorcycle is too dangerous? How long before we have legislation forcing us to get 8 hours of sleep a night?

The most interesting thing I find about the smoking ban issue is that it’s so non-partisan. This bill was actually introduced by a republican. I would think that the democrats would fight it just to cause problems, perhaps standing up for individual rights. All of the news reports I’ve read and seen don’t list any dissenting voices. Even the ACLU is quiet. They will stand up for gay marriage because it’s popular, but not a peep is heard to defend business owner’s rights when states start passing restrictive legislation. Hypocrites.