Positive effect: By Summer Krinsky

The glamourous allure of smoking is an image that has been ripped apart by the overwhelming scientific evidence that smoking is detrimental to our health. However, despite the warnings, some people choose to continue the habit. But that’s just it–some people choose to continue. By making that choice, they are consciously putting their own health at risk. But should the health of the people around them be put at risk because of their own foolhardy decision? I do not think so.
Therefore, it’s clear that we should have a smoking ban. It was once thought that smoking wasn’t unhealthy, but when scientists found out that it led to cancer, the use of the Surgeon General’s Warning became necessary. However when scientists discovered that second hand smoke was also dangerous, no major preventative laws, until now, were put in place. On May 1st, Michigan is finally taking initiative by putting a law into place which is banning smoking in almost all public places.
According to cancer.org, an estimated 46,000 deaths due to heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers occur per year. Second-hand smoke causes an increase in the number and severity of asthma attacks in about 200,000 to 1 million children who have asthma. The point is, second-hand smoke is real, and it’s a problem.
Despite all of the health risks that smoking brings, some people will continue to argue that a public smoking ban is against our constitutional commitment to freedom. But don’t I deserve the freedom to walk down the sidewalk without walking through a disgusting cloud of smoke? Smokers could indulge in their own backyards; they don’t need to be out in public, forcing others to inhale their bad decisions. When someone’s pursuit of happiness intrudes upon someone else’s pursuit of happiness–and their health–then they should not have that freedom.
Health is wealth. As cheezy as the saying might sound, even though Michigan’s economy isn’t doing very well, a law which will protect citizen’s health should be enacted despite the poor economic state.
So, it’s all relative; saying smokers should be free to do as they please sounds like a reasonable statement at first. However, it’s not accounting for the people our there who want to be free to not breathe in smoke, and, frankly, don’t want to increase their risk for cancer by being out in public.

Negative effect: Emma Enache

Smoke-filled restaurants have long caused griping among non-smoking customers, and restaurant owners responded.  More and more privately-owned places frequented by the public, like restaurants and some bowling alleys, are non-smoking or at least pretend to be by having non-smoking areas.
But on May 1, almost all public places—that is, indoors—will be mandated non-smoking by the Michigan government.  (The law excludes the gambling floors of Detroit’s three commercial casinos—MGM Grand, Motor City and Greektown, cigar bars and tobacco stores, home offices and company vehicles.)  This isn’t necessarily a good thing.Actually, it’s a really bad thing.
Michigan’s economy has been spiraling downward, and with its many small businesses, restaurants included, are struggling to stay afloat.  They need all of the customers that they can get, and with the smoking ban, many customers may choose to stay at home, where they can eat and drink with their cigarettes in hand, costing those restaurants precious revenue.  And while in some cases this loss in revenue may be made up for by new customers being more receptive to smoke-free environments, that will not be the norm.  Most of those customers will stay loyal to the other restaurants  that   they frequented while public smoking was still legal.  They  likely won’t venture out and try a new restaurant.
Under the law, outdoor terraces of bars and restaurants will be non-smoking.  Theaters, concert halls, bowling alleys, even bars—all non-smoking.  Lawmakers took the idea too far.  It is apparent that the smoker’s perspective was not even considered.  Now, a non-smoking bowling alley will easily lose a great part of its revenue, and a smoke-free bar will have less customers.  Some restaurant patrons have already started savoring their final cigatettes.    Concertgoers will stop paying for their tickets if they are forced to leave the building and miss parts of their show to have a cigarette.  Smoking was part of the experience for the smokers at these locations and  their “fun” is being stripped away so suddenly.
This ban could have been extremely beneficial to the residents  of Michigan.  Instead, it took power away from business owners and will end up further hurting the state’s abysmal economy.