Don’t snuff out rights

I started smoking in my early 20s and stopped in my late 30s. I was finally able to kick the habit because I had pneumonia; every puff of the cigarette was painful. More and more studies showed smoking to be bad for many people, and the price of cigarettes was being forced higher and higher by taxation.

So, smoking and secondhand smoke put people at risk. But I just don’t understand the mentality of people who are trying to force their views on this topic.

People can work anywhere. In fact, if employers want more candidates to choose from, they might implement air scrubbers or even ban smoking in their establishment.

I bet people who are lactose intolerant don’t eat at ice cream shops, and people who really can’t stand smoke don’t go anyplace that produces smoke.

I would much rather be seen as a city that looks for ways to keep freedoms and rights in place while pushing for ways to keep the environment safe.
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Larry Gray Jr.