Smoking Ban in Dallas is a Relief

I always have loved Dallas, Texas. Even as a 12 year old kid visiting Dallas from my home state of California, I knew I would move to this area someday. I finally did move just a few years ago. What I didn't count on was not being able to go out to bars or clubs in the Big D without coming home smelling like an ashtray and unable to stop my nose from running and eyes from watering for hours. Thankfully I don't have to worry about it anymore because the Dallas City Council passed a city ordinance which makes smoking inside bars a thing of the past.

The new law took effect on April 10, 2009, just before my latest birthday. It was the best birthday present I have received in awhile, as it gave me back the option to go out with friends and actually enjoy myself. I did indeed go out to a smoke free dinner in Dallas with friends, then to a bar for a couple drinks and a game of pool, smoke free again. Please understand that I do not hate smokers, in fact a few of my friends and family members that I love dearly happen to still be smokers. I say "still" because the fact is that probably 80 percent of the people I know who use to smoke, are no longer smokers. Between the stigma, the smoking bans and the high taxes added to cigarettes, it has helped people to stop smoking completely. As for those that still smoke, most of them are respectful enough to stand away from me when they smoke and they don't even light up in their own cars and homes let alone mine. I will admit it is frustrating to hang out with a smoker whose addiction is so strong they must leave in the middle of a meal or movie to run out and light up a cigarette. Of course, when they come back to sit with you, the smell permeates off their clothes and hair and breath, which is rather unpleasant to be around.

But let's get back to the new ordinance in Dallas because I know there are people on both sides of the aisle with very strong opinions about it. I obviously come from the non-smoker point of view which is that I don't feel that you as a smoker have the right to endanger my health with your second hand smoke. I should be able to go to a restaurant or even a bar, without having a known public health risk smack me in the face as soon as I walk in. The American Medical Association estimates that 40,000 Americans die each year from illnesses related to second hand smoke. I would rather not be added to that statistic.

My grandfather was a smoker, cigarettes and tobacco in his pipes, and he died from lung cancer at 64. My dad was a lifelong smoker who suffered from emphysema and strokes before dying, also at age 64. I have seen and felt first hand the heartbreak caused by tobacco use. So yes, I fully support the no smoking ordinance in Dallas and I have high hopes that Texas will follow California's lead and ban smoking in public places state wide. It will be just another one of the happy surprises I have had since moving to Texas, disproving some of the stereotypes that many people have about Texans. So next time you happen into a bar or club in Dallas, just breathe, because now you can.

Sources:

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/public-health/promoting-healthy-lifestyles/smoking-tobacco-control.shtml

http://smokefreestl.org/dallas-city-council-votes-to-expand-smoking-ban.html