No to Smoking Ban in Public Places and Restaurants, Essay Example

The increasing number of public smoking bans gives us an opportunity to contemplate multiple consequences of the restrictions which are already showing their true colors. It appears that smoking-banning social and public health policy cuts both ends. While it does make the lives of a privileged group (non-smokers) more pleasant, it creates a situation of social stigma for others. Moreover, it can be ruinous for a number of businesses which are bound to lose customers if they succumb to smoking ban. Many already predict a fiasco to the current campaign against smoking and suggest looking back to the unsuccessful experience of the alcohol ban in 1920’s. Let us investigate the opposing opinions.

First of all, smoking ban is intended to discourage smokers from maintaining the harmful habit, to prevent non-smokers, especially adolescents, from taking up smoking, and to protect non-smokers from the effects of second and third hand smoking. Second hand smoking, i.e. inhaling the smoke as a result of people smoking around you, is held responsible for about 10% of smoke-related deaths and may be a highly annoying for health-conscious expectant mothers, parents of young children, elderly people etc. The phenomenon of third hand smoking has been recently described by scientists as a harmful effect of tobacco particles which stay on the skin, clothes, and belongings of non-smokers. The smoking ban surely protects their rights but it does so at the expense of no less important rights of smokers. It is a strictly private choice – whether to smoke or not. For many, the transient comforting effect of a cigarette or an image of Sherlock Holmes-like intellectual, a macho or Liza Minelli from Cabaret, which is certainly associated with a pipe, a cigarette or a cigar, is more important than the concern about health. The smoking ban deprives people of their right to choose.

The discrimination cast on smokers by smoking ban works both in workplaces and, for instance, restaurants or other public places. This discrimination creates a situation of social stigma which may gravely affect smokers’ self-esteem and performance. For example, people who are used to drawing comfort from an occasional (or regular – it does not matter in this case) cigarette when they find themselves in a stressful situation and need to regain control over themselves, suffer a lot from not being able to have their cigarette because of the ban. If this person still decides to smoke a cigarette, he / she has to do it furtively, which can in no way boost one’s ego and help someone feel secure, professional, and confident. Ronald Gilbert et al. in the research titled Is Smoking Stigma Clouding the Objectivity of Employee Performance Appraisal? says that a smoker is likely to be estimated negatively by his / her colleagues because of smoking-related bias (Gilbert 1998). A smoker is viewed as potentially endangering the health of other people and even as having psychological disorders which prevent him / her from quitting smoking. The performance of smoking employees tends to be rated lower that of their non-smoking counterparts. This is a case of conspicuous stigmatization fraught with a bunch of problems including the development of inferiority and superiority complex, intolerance etc.

Another strong argument against smoking ban is voiced by business owners who are afraid that it will significantly harm their business. Those especially concerned are sole proprietors who have no corporate support and may find it very hard to survive a decrease in demand. Owners of small restaurants whose patrons visit them to have a dinner, a drink, and a smoke, are likely to suffer a lot from a smoking ban because the regular customers will no find another place to spend their time – the place where they will not be restricted in their need to smoke. The results may be really ruinous for a small enterprise. If it shuts down, it may very well be replaced by some franchise operation which is unlikely to be vulnerable to customer loss resulting from the ban because it has a brand name to attract clients. In the effect, a small local business is replaced by an economic giant – a situation which may not be too fair.

Of course, the extent to which the smoking ban affects a business varies depending on the type of business. For example, a family diner is more likely to benefit from it than a cigar bar which will have to change its image dramatically to survive the blow.

The complains of business owners tend to meet with the calculations of present economic reports according to which the smoking ban helps economy (and, of course, promotes public health). These calculations rely mainly on the presumed well-intendedness of the population in health sphere, but the reality does not appear so encouraging for business.

Overall, like any decisive measure, the smoking ban finds many opponents and victims. Wouldn’t it be wiser in this case to just promote a smoking ban rather than impose it? The fact is that many businesses such as restaurants are already banning smoking of their own accord just because they believe it is time they did it because it will benefit their image, make it friendlier to customers and finally result in commercial profit. There is already a great variety of restaurants to choose from – non-smokers can just opt for restaurants which support the smoking ban and not complain if they choose to dine at a place which allows smoking. Why should not we let restaurant owners decide for themselves?  After all, variety is democracy. We do not know yet what a total smoking ban can result in. What if it would mean a rise in drug or alcohol abuse? Would our public health service be happy with the result?

A human being is too complex to say it will obviously benefit from prohibition of smoking. We do not know what form our need for psychological comfort or even for just having some minor defect (or for anything else – the list is to be continued) which currently is satisfied by smoking will find if this opportunity is closed.

Works Cited

Morin, Robert. Smoking Bans: Unconstitutional or Unhealthy? Associated Content. Health & Wellness. June 28 2007. August 4 2009. <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/288201/smoking_bans_unconstitutional_or_unhealthy_pg5.html?cat=5>

Oliver, P.S. Ban the Ban: Public Smoking Bans Hurt Society More than Smoke. Associated Content. Health & Wellness. May 16 2007. August 4 2009. <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/242619/ban_the_ban_public_smoking_bans_hurt_pg3.html?cat=17>

Gilbert, Robert; Hannan, Edward; Lowe, Kevin. Is Smoking Stigma Clouding the Objectivity of Employee Performance Appraisal? Public Personnel Management, 27, 1998.

Seacrest, Diane. Smoking Ban Issues in the USA. Associated Content. Health & Wellness. April 04 2005. August 4 2009. < http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1048/smoking_ban_issues_in_the_usa.html?cat=17>