Denver Post Columnist David Harsanyi provides his take on the smoking ban issue.

If all you need is a Jesus Complex and a seat in the legislature to ban unhealthy activity, what stops Boyd, Johnson et al. from banning hazardous activities like eating at fast-food restaurants, rock climbing or getting married?

….I suppose legislators believe it’s too complicated for the average citizen to distinguish between a sign that says “No Smoking” or “Smoking Allowed” and choose for themselves. That would require legislators to treat Coloradans as adults. Actually, children are often treated with more respect.

As readers of this site know, I oppose smoking bans. Prohibition has never worked. If you don’t want to eat in a restaurant that allows smokers, then eat somewhere else. If you’re concerned about second hand smoke in a bar, drink at home. Business owners have rights too, and that should include the right to allow their patrons to light up if they want.

David Harsanyi’s book, The Nanny State, will be published in September. It has the provacative tag line:

How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and other Boneheaded Bureaucrats are Turning America into a Nation of Children