Imagine a hot summer evening with air that is already heavy and humid- cigarette smoke on top of that, even the most insensitive of us cannot handle it.
Take for example the first weekend of Houston Symphony concert when there are literally thousands of people in the theater- among whom is also the sensitive population that includes children, the elderly and patients perhaps (given that the theater is in the med center). On such days I wonder- why not ban smoking at all of Miller Theater (right now smoking is banned only in the seating area and not on the hill or around it)? I have seen parents smoke around their children and if they want to put their child in harm's way by smoking in the privacy of their homes-well then it is their problem. But when it comes to city property I think it is a whole different story and it is the government's responsibility that vulnerable people are protected.
It has been long established beyond doubt that smoking is harmful for the person who smokes and for the people who inhale the smoke.You can argue all you want. You can invoke priavcy, my body- my right (women folk- this is not for you, your body is not your right apparently- well that is a story for another day), or whatever else you can think of- but the evidence against smoking is pretty STRONG and it is about the collective good of the community.
I must add though- I find it quite interesting that there is quite a large number of health care workers who smoke in the Houston med center area (I could not find any statistics on this).
Read more about the harmful effects of smoking here
Read more about environmental tobacco smoke here
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