Wisconsin Governor Doyle recently called for a special session to pass a statewide smoking ban (among other things). I support one, but only as long as it is discussed and debated properly.

There is a lot of anti-smoking sentiment in the state, but there are also those that feel that their rights are being trampled. I’ve been on both sides of the debate. I smoked for 14 years, and quit almost 3 years ago. Although I can no longer stand the smell of cigarette smoke or odors, I also experienced how difficult it is to quit. I’ve seen many others struggle to quit. I don’t agree that the first amendment allows people to assemble peacefully for the sake of smoking… I never visited a bowling alley just because I was a smoker (I did it to bowl). But the reality is that smokers still have the right to choose to smoke… as much as I have a right to bitch about how much they reek (don’t get me wrong; I also complain about those that bathe in perfume).

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I came across an ad in the Onion newspaper about Repeal Day. It turns out that the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed on December 5, 1933 by the Twenty-first Amendment.

So, to commemorate the occasion, I recommend responsibly enjoying a drink. Personally, I’ve got a couple of beers that I would like to appreciate.

Dewar’s Repeal Day Web site (must be at least 21 to enter)

If there’s one thing about which I agree with County Executive Scott Walker, it’s strengthening the smoking ban around county buildings. He recently passed a new executive order banning smoking from within 30 feet of all county buildings, including Mitchell International Airport, and he is now pushing the county board to pass a county ordinance to make this permanent.

I know that smokers are all for safer locations to smoke, especially during the brutal Wisconsin winters. But it’s not a question of pushing them out or forcing them to quit; it’s a matter of public health, especially with health care costs increasing steeply.

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Last month, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed into law a bill that makes the state smoke-free. This means that smokers will not be allowed to smoke in almost any public building.

There are exceptions. According to the Chicago Tribune, smokers can smoke in private homes (at least the freedom to smoke isn’t banned altogether), as long as a day care or any public business is not conducted in the same space. Furthermore, “They can smoke in designated rooms in nursing homes and hotels, according to the law. They can smoke in tobacco stores, as long as 80 percent of the store’s revenue comes from the sale of tobacco.”

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