Banning Smoking in Houston-area bars

September 2, 2006 will be the third anniversary of my last drag on a cigarette. It took me 7 attempts to finally quit. I haven't missed it. In fact, on occasion, I've been that bane in every smoker's ear, that tiny tear in the paper near the filter, that tireless wind that snuffs any attempt to bring fire to tobacco. Yes, I have been the annoying ex-smoker, whose words fouls the air like the stench of a cold ashtray, chiding fact after emphysemic fact about the perils and poisons of the pack-a-day puff.

Lately, I've worked to hold my tongue. Smoking is a personal choice, true. However, today, being this is my platform--since I don't have any readers anyway--and I'm not addressing anyone specifically, so as not make a lecture--I'm going off. Besides, the City of Houston has made it topical. So, maybe if I put this in here on the web, I won't repeat it to the those who don't want to hear it. I can direct people here if they want to know more.

Working in asbestos litigation, showed me what happens to people who spend a lifetime smoking. Specifically, one plaintiff, who developed peripheral occluded arterial disease, which meant that he couldn't walk more than 30 feet from his house. When he retired 12 years ago, he got in bed and stayed there. He has not been anywhere, other than the doctor's office, since then. He claimed to have smoked 3 packs a day for about 50 years and was still smoking. His doctors told him stopping smoking could improve his condition, but he wouldn't listen. He also has been diagnosed with emphysema and heart disease, both directly linked to his smoking. He's a typical story in the health care morass of asbestos litigation (asbestos symptoms and symptoms related to tobacco use are painfully similar under the x-ray inspection required by the courts).

Of course, you don't have to maintain the habit--buying cigarettes and lighters, obsessively--for your doctor to consider you a smoker. If you've ever spent time breathing in a smoky bar then you are a passive smoker. Studies show that 40,000+ people die each year from it. That aside, if you are a non-smoker wishing to remain one, then going out to a bar can be a difficult experience, maybe even as annoying as listening to someone lecture someone else on smoking. It can make you nauseous, gasping for air and leaves an unpleasant smell on your clothes. It's the part of smoking that, as a smoker, I never got, but it can be really bothersome for those who seek to avoid it. Since I'm still young and like to go out for a beer, I've long dreamed of a place to sit smokelessly and enjoy a cold one. When I've visited New York and Austin, I've always appreciated the ban.

And, it looks like Houston may follow in the footsteps of other major cities. I hope it happens.