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Posted on Thu, Sep 27, 2012 : 1:50 p.m.

Good to see smoking ban's positive impact on community

By Letters to the Editor

It is good to read of the numerous studies in Michigan that now show the Michigan Smoke-Free Air Law has not adversely affected business profits and has actually increased profits of many Michigan businesses.

These studies mirror the one reported by AnnArbor.com on Sept. 17, which was conducted by the University of Michigan. We have stayed over in beautiful Washtenaw County several times while traveling on the way to vacation in Windsor, Canada, and enjoy the Ann Arbor area.

These statewide smoking laws are showing similar results among 37 other states that have smoke-free laws. I am a Conservative Republican and business owner here in Illinois, and I can tell everyone that our strong five-year-old smoke-free law has been good for both health and business.

The smoke-free law is strongly supported by both political parties, along with over 84 percent of Illinois residents, including a majority of smokers, according to recent polls. Congratulations to the great state of Michigan with the success of the Michigan Smoke-Free Air Law. Ann Arbor and the entire state is much better off for having these smoke-free protections in place.

Bill Kerschner

Rockford, Ill.

Comments

Tex Treeder

Tue, Oct 2, 2012 : 5:42 p.m.

Agreed. This is just one aspect of increasing government control. It's only a matter of time before smoking is completely illegal. And while many of us might have chuckled at M's comment about soda, don't forget that the mayor of New York has already tried to do just that. (See http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/nyregion/bloomberg-plans-a-ban-on-large-sugared-drinks.html?pagewanted=all)

Macabre Sunset

Fri, Sep 28, 2012 : 9:34 p.m.

It's pretty simple: you want your legal drug fix, do it in private.

M

Fri, Oct 5, 2012 : 5:38 p.m.

A restaurant or a bar IS private.

BernieP

Fri, Sep 28, 2012 : 6:44 p.m.

There are more than two parties and this election year we're getting in a primer in why.

CynicA2

Fri, Sep 28, 2012 : 3:40 p.m.

Just who goes to a bar to get healthy, anyway?!?

Tru2Blu76

Fri, Sep 28, 2012 : 7:42 a.m.

Eh, so where's the 100% ban on pot smoking. where's the 100% ban on illicit drug consumption, where's the 100% on heart disease, on cancer, on causing traffic deaths? Kerschner is from Illinois: one of the three top Ban-O-Manic states in the union. So of course he has nothing but glowing (and misleading) praise for the latest moronic move here in Michigan: he's proselytizing on behalf of the disease known as Ban-O-Mania.

whatsupwithMI

Fri, Sep 28, 2012 : 2:18 a.m.

?? how does commenting that freedom of someone to smoke in a confined area infringe upon my freedom to be healthy get marked inappropriate by the minders ?? take a bong hit, why don't you, minders: relax.

CynicA2

Fri, Sep 28, 2012 : 3:38 p.m.

Just who goes to a bar to get healthy, anyway?!?

Skyjockey43

Thu, Sep 27, 2012 : 9:09 p.m.

And when they decide to ban $5 lattes due to the detrimental effects of caffeine, will you be writing the same supportive editorial? Or let's follow Bloomberg's example and ban large sized sodas. Next we'll get rid of ice cream. After that we'll just keep going down the list off all the terrible things the government tells us we don't have a right to do since they know what's best for us. Say goodbye to Michigan football. I mean, someone could get hurt right?

Billy Bob Schwartz

Thu, Sep 27, 2012 : 11:31 p.m.

There is a big difference between doing something that is bad for you and doing something that is bad for you and forcing others to do it, too. I love my American liberty, including the right not to have to inhale some other idiot's used emissions.

a2citizen

Thu, Sep 27, 2012 : 11:26 p.m.

"...And when they decide to ban $5 lattes due to the detrimental effects of caffeine..." They haven't gone that far yet, however, they have banned throwing your latte in someones face. Inch by inch, step by step,...

Atticus F.

Thu, Sep 27, 2012 : 7:48 p.m.

Chair restraunts like TGIF, and Applebees, who make more off of food haven't lost any money. However, smaller neighborhood taverns have seen a huge drop in business. It's mostly the small business owners who have suffered. But they were not included in the survey.

whatsupwithMI

Fri, Sep 28, 2012 : 1:49 a.m.

Oh, small tavern owners make their money.. selling cigarettes? Please.

Atticus F.

Thu, Sep 27, 2012 : 7:49 p.m.

*Chain restaurants.

M

Thu, Sep 27, 2012 : 7:34 p.m.

And all we had to do was cede a massive amount of liberty at both a citizen and business level. That's called fascism, folks. Next they will come for your soda. What next? America is not the land of the free anymore. We are the land of government control.