The new non-smoking law won’t be enforced until October 1, but businesses are already starting to implement it. The first sign I saw of the new law was last night, when I went to the Saucer for our weekly trivia match. A team member showed up and started looking for an ashtray… and found that there weren’t any ashtrays in the inside room.
He asked a manager about it. “The indoor room is nonsmoking until 8,” the manager told him. (8 PM is when they stop admitting people under 21.) “You can still smoke in the Garden, as long as all the garage windows are up.”
I hadn’t noticed any difference until my friend inquired about smoking… but afterward, I did. For one thing, I noticed that I wasn’t coughing every few minutes. I also noticed that the air in the room was clear for a change, instead of a smoky haze. I kind of liked it.
As more team members showed up, a discussion arose about the smoking ban and whether government is going too far intruding into people’s lives. Hmmm. I’m not 100% in support of the new law, but on the other hand I wouldn’t characterize it as “going too far.” I mean, we pass laws to prohibit corporations from releasing chemicals, toxic chemicals that kill people, into our rivers and streams. Is it really that different to prohibit individuals from releasing chemicals, toxic chemicals that kill people, into our air?
Anyway, the new law is what it is, and it appears to be here to stay. I still wonder what smokers at the Saucer are going to do in January – they’ll want the garage windows raised so they can smoke, but then everyone who sits in that room will freeze to death.
The Rapscallions took third place last night, bringing our gift certificate stash to $290. We’ll cash them in before the next trivia night.