February 8, 2008
Proposed Va. Smoking Ban Killed in Committee
Virginia's latest effort at passing a smoking ban has received a predictable blow: The Richmond Times Dispatch reports that a House of Delegates subcommittee unanimously killed legislation Thursday to ban smoking in restaurants and most other indoor public places in Virginia. Similar legislation died in the House of Delegates last year.
Gov. Tim Kaine has sponsored a package of similar bills in the Virginia Senate that seeks to ban smoking in most public buildings, bars and restaurants, which was passed by the Senate earlier this week. That package will now head to the same House committee that rejected a smoking ban yesterday, so signs do not look good for the state to enact any form of a smoking ban in the near future.
Photo by yonas1




For crying out loud, even London and Paris have smoking bans!! Ugg...I HATE Virginia!!
honest question...what is the reasoning behind blocking this?
Probably some combination of 1) supporting the state's tobacco industry, 2) not wanting the government to tell people what to do (except of course if it involves sex or another issue they disagree with), and 3) a general feeling that whatever the Democrats want, they're against.
Virginia is a tobacco growing state which would be the reason behind blocking it.
Virginia is a tobacco growing state which would be the reason behind blocking it.
House of Delegates subcommittee unanimously killed legislation Thursday to ban smoking in restaurants and most other indoor public places in Virginia. Similar legislation died in the House of Delegates last year.
This sort of legislation is a cancer on our personal liberties and is nothing but smoke and mirrors anyway. I think it's about time that Richmond started butting out of residents' personal choices. If I'd wanted smoke blown up my ass, I'd be at home with a carton of cigarettes and a short length of rubber pipe.
Dang. That's something else. Maybe they'll go after the trans-fat issue next.
@Hamonryebitomayo: One word:
Freedom
I think Federal Reserve economist Dr. Michael Pakko's article, sent by many of us to the committee, helped dispel the BS notion that smoking bans do not hurt some bars and restaurants.
http://stlouisfed.org/publications/re/2008/a/pages/smoking-ban.html
Someone asked what the reasoning was for blocking the ban. Simple: the reasons supporting the ban are based on lies, lies about the deadly health effects of normal exposures to secondary smoke and lies about the ban's economic effects. Visit http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4472 for a short booklet (The Generic Stiletto) that outlines those lies briefly and clearly and you'll see why the ban failed. - = - Michael J. McFadden - = - Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains" - = - www.TheTruthIsALie.com
The unnamed subcommittee is ABC/Gaming:
Link here