San Fran - Thank You Nanny, May I Have Another?

Rachael Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle writes:

A proposal to greatly expand San Francisco's smoking ban won high praise Monday from health professionals concerned about the dangers of secondhand smoke, but got a cool response from local bar and nightclub owners who fear the restrictions would drive away customers.

Nice, neatly divide up the players for battle.  Nice doctors vs. evil business people.

San Francisco's original smoking limits went into effect more than a decade ago and at the time were some of the toughest anti-smoking laws in the United States.

But since then, the city has fallen behind in tackling the effects of secondhand smoke, which can cause asthma, heart ailments and other problems, health officials warn.

"We are not against smokers," said Dr. Mitch Katz, who heads the San Francisco Department of Public Health. "But the thing we most need to do is protect people from the harms of secondhand smoke, and this legislation is a great step in that direction."

Only problem there is those assertions have never been proven correct.

Give at least a mention to the other side and then get a "victim" to support the fascist proposal.

Don Alan, who owns the Hemlock Tavern on Polk Street, fears being forced to shut down a smoking patio. It was created, he said, "for the safety and convenience of our patrons and to reduce noise and clutter in our neighborhood." He and other business owners testified that losing the smoking patio would hurt business, which is the last thing they want to see in this anemic economy.

Suki Wen, who works at a coffee shop in Chinatown, said the proposed prohibition couldn't come soon enough.

"When I'm working, I can smell the smoke from outside," said Wen, 24. At the end of the shift, the scent of cigarette smoke lingers on her clothes. She also is worried about the health risks of secondhand smoke. "We can't get away from it," she said.

Let me see if I have this right.  San Fransisco already bans indoor smoking of tobacco, now they want to ban it outdoors too.

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