The story of the state wide smoking ban has had an intriguing arc. The fact that the governor signed a bill banning smoking in all restaurant and bars this week was not as big of deal as I expected it to be. I thought there would be a little more clawing and protesting on the part of smokers and tavern owners, but the opposition has been minimal.
Several years ago when the ban first proposed there were some pretty nasty debates about health vs. people's individual freedoms. I don't know if there was less resistance this year because Republicans got trounced in the election, or if there was simply less coverage of the debate, because the newspaper industry is ailing. I hope it is the former. I guess with the overwhelming Democratic majority in both houses, many assumed the ban was a foregone conclusion, and since it has been discussed for several years, people have gotten used to the idea.
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