Don't expand smoking ban, says Indiana LP

The New York Times may think every city in Indiana should follow Bloomington's lead and ban smoking in all public places -- but Libertarians disagree.

"The last thing Indiana cities should do is to copy Bloomington's lead," said Indiana LP Executive Director Brad Klopfenstein. "It's not the government's job to set cultural norms."

His comments came after a September 30 article in the New York Times quoted a health official who said, "One way to start changing cultural norms on smoking is to institute new [smoking] policies."

The official also applauded Bloomington's comprehensive ban, which made it a crime to smoke in all public areas and workplaces, including restaurants, retail stores, and offices. That ban went into effect on August 1, 2003.

But Klopfenstein said it shouldn't be the government's business to ban things just because they are "maligned" by a certain percentage of the population.

"Maybe these cities ought to ban coffee," he said, tongue-in-cheek. "It stains teeth a nasty shade, the smell will not stay confined to the cup, it causes bad breath, and caffeine is a health menace."

Rather than relying on more laws, said Klopfenstein, individual businesses should be allowed to decide if they will permit smoking on their premises.

"Libertarians have no problem with businesses that decide that they will not allow smoking," he said. "[Then], smokers and nonsmokers can decide for themselves whether businesses' specific smoking policies matter enough to patronize one business and avoid another."

Libertarian Party on Smoking bans

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