Being a smoker who is trying to stop smoking I support stopping smoking in bars. But it is something of a civil rights issue. The idea of the government protecting us from ourselves is a bad idea. The list of things we do that can be harmful is pretty long. I won't even begin that list.

But perhaps if we gave bars some incentive to make there bar non smoking. Maybe tax breaks for non smoking bars on there alcohol or property taxes. Or how about reduced insurance rates. I'm sure there are other incentives that would give bar owners "business" reasons to curb or have non smoking times. Maybe if they are allowed to have "smoking clubs". When I was in Turkey I went to "gaming clubs" that were the place where people would smoke tobacco, play cards and drink tea. These sort of clubs would allow those who smoke as part of the social atmosphere to do so.

Anyway I think there are other ways to deal with the problem other than iron hand of dictators making these decisions.