I’ve already made it clear where I stand on a public smoking ban. This new data from Boston University published in this months edition of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Minds really makes a strong argument to outright banning smoking in public places.
Results Youths living in towns with a strong restaurant smoking regulation at baseline had significantly lower odds of progressing to established smoking (odds ratio, 0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.42-0.85) compared with those living in towns with weak regulations. The observed association between strong restaurant smoking regulations and impeded progression to established smoking was entirely due to an effect on the transition from experimentation to established smoking (odds ratio, 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.33-0.86).
Conclusion Local smoke-free restaurant laws may significantly lower youth smoking initiation by impeding the progression from cigarette experimentation to established smoking.
You can read the entire study HERE. More importantly, contact your local legislators and encourage them to ammend HB 4136 to ban smoking in all workplaces including bars and restaurants. Contact Senators that sit on the Government Operations and Reform Committee (Senators Bishop, Patterson, Cassis, Kuipers, Schauer , Clarke, and Olshove, which hasn’t met since Nov. 2007) where the bill is sitting now and encourage them to call the bill and pass it on to the full Senate.
Mid-Michigan Dining 
My clothes smell a lot better when I get home from the bars, that is for sure.
After four months, many Chicago area bars are ignoring the ban to keep their customers. Any fines which may someday be imposed are considered another cost of doing business, like a new tax.
I respectfull disagree with that, Bob. I lived in Peoria, IL before moving here and working in the media, we covered Bloomington/Normal. They went smoke free six months before the state did….Springfield went even before that. Since B/N went smoke free, there was not one bar or restaurant that closed because of the smoking ordinance. Not one bar in Peoria has closed since the Smoke Free Illinois Act. My mom works in a bar/restaurant in the middle of Iroquois County and they have actually seen business increase since Jan. 1. I’m not saying every business will survive, but the vast majority will and actually see increases….and for those that fail, new ones will pop up with better business plans.
I am thrilled at the prospect of a ban on smoking in public places in Michigan. I am a teacher of sixth grade students. I devote one month of our life skills program each year teaching students about health risk behaviors. Students are always surprised to learn that second hand smoke is more dangerous than the smoke inhaled by the smoker. People have a right to breath clean air in their workplace, and all public buildings! I applaud all efforts to ban smoking in Michigan. Hopefully, it will deter young people from ever starting this horrible life long habit.
The smoking ban is a good idea, but it doesn’t go far enough. They need to make smoking illegal outright!!