No Smoking Allowed in Columbus!

And it's about time, too. Major kudos to the Columbus City Council for enacting a ban on cigarette smoking in public places.

I like a good bar - but the number one thing I hate about them is coming out smelling like an ashtray. You just KNOW the damage that's being done to your health in such places, yet smokers just puff away like they own the place.

Now, I'm not going to tell anyone that they can't smoke. In fact, if you're a smoker, then I congratulate you on being brave enough to withstand the hordes of evidence that you're harming yourself by taking on such a nasty habit. But that does not give you ANY right to harm me just because you want to light up. If you want to light up, then go somewhere that your habit is not harming my health. I have the right to go into a public place and not expect to be made sick.

Major kudos to the cities around Columbus, as well - the suburbs. From all reports I'm hearing, most of them are looking to enact similar bans. This is going to make it easier for Columbus businesses to weather the storm of people stomping out because they can't smoke, and looking for other places to do it.

Now, if there's only a way to get smokers to stop littering by throwing their butts out the window at every traffic stop...