Ranting and Raving: This Time Smoking!
Okay, I'm a smoker.
I'm not proud of it, but it's a fact. I want to quit, and soon, but I don't know when. Okay?
Way back when I lived and worked in Maine, it was okay to smoke in all bars and in the smoking section of all restaurants. Later, it was illegal to smoke in all restaurants. Well, okay, after eating, people went to the bar to smoke. For about two years, it's been against the law to smoke in bars in Maine. Guests and profits went back (according to an article in the Bangor Daily News) about 30%.
In Germany, it's legal to smoke in all restaurants and bars. Up until a few months ago, there wasn't even one restaurant in Munich that even had a smoking and non-smoking section!
This has changed, as non-smokers (mostly American tourists) wanted to have a smoke-free environment to enjoy their meals.
Which I understand! Most restaurants here have more than one room, and it would be easy to designate one room to the smokers.
But no, the politicians are thinking about banning smoking from all restaurants and bars. Just like that! One minute, you can smoke everywhere, the next minute, nowhere!!!!! No: "Smoking section," no: "just for bars." Cold Turkey!
The German government takes Euro 2.20 from every pack sold. Restaurants and bars in Munich supply almost 30% of employment here. Isn't this step just a bit too drastic for the economy?
As I've said, I want to stop smoking. And I plan to stop soon. But: a drastic stop, a ban, would be fatal for the economy.
Just my thoughts...
Eingestellt von Alix @ 1:03 AM
3 Kommentare
3 Kommentare:
They banned smoking in Telluride the summer I lived there... which forced tons of drunk people on to the street to smoke ... which kept the rich people awake ... which had the law repealed in the town. :) Let's see how Munich likes bar loads of drunks on the street (well - ok - given Octoberfest - they don't seem to mind).
Personally - I hate being near smokers and love the law but the anarchist in me says "legalize everything".
This isn't really being done because of tourism, is it? I find that very hard to believe. So few Yanks travel that I can't imagine them having an impact on anything.
Alix - FYI - they (the benevolent gods at Google) enabled upload images for all blogs. So - uploading your photos should be really easy now. They just added a button to the editor thing you use while posting.
Yeah, here in NYC, there are still plenty of smokers. At the bars, they congregate outside by the door to smoke - it's become a very social thing. I see lots of friendships made and pickups happening out by the doors...
and it to my knowledge, it hasn't affected revenues.
As a non-smoker, I love the law. I can now breathe in bars, and don't go home smelling like a chimney.
But when I lived in Williamsburg over a bar, I hated it - drunk smokers directly under my window as I tried to sleep!
Good luck with quitting, Alix! Save up all the money you would've spent on ciggies and do something extravagent.
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