Smokers Don't Have The Right To Pollute Others' Air

I found this Letter to the Editor in today's Peoria Journal Star. I think it is well written and is at the heart of the smoking ban issue. I personally support a measure to protect the health and welfare of my family and myself.

I have been hearing a lot lately about smokers' rights. Imagine, if you will, that I have an aerosol can and I carry it with me wherever I go. My can contains a noxious, foul-smelling substance that contains known carcinogens.

Now imagine that you have gone to your favorite restaurant for dinner. You have to wait for a table, so you go to the bar to have a drink while waiting. I sit down next to you and begin spraying my aerosol can all around the area without regard for whom I may be annoying.

The smell disgusts you, it clings to your hair and clothes, and you know that your health may be adversely affected by this substance.

Next, you are seated at your table for dinner and I am just a few tables away, busily spraying my can all around me. The stench eventually reaches your table, ruining the enjoyment of your meal.

If anyone actually did such a thing at a restaurant or bar, they would likely be asked to leave and possibly charged with a crime.

Smokers don't have the right to pollute everyone's air. Please, Illinois legislators, pass the indoor smoking ban and protect everyone's right to breathe clean air.