A year has come and passed since the Michigan Smoking Ban passed. It made it illegal to smoke cigarettes in places like bars and restaurants. While the main concern was for the health safety of Michigan’s populous, there have been ramifications that should have been foreseen.
First of all, according to a Detroit News article, the ban has had a negative impact on some businesses. In the past year, there was about a 4 percent decrease in on-premise liquor sales. This means less money is being spent in the public sector, which is not conducive to building a strong economy.
It should also be noted that fewer people have been spending time in bars, and because of this, less is being spent on not only liquor, but on Keno as well. While this might not seem like a big issue, the article points out it has cost around $67.9 million to the Michigan
Lottery. This translates to around $17 million not going into the public school system. Bars are feeling the gap as well, as they were subject to 6 percent of anyone’s winnings.
While these things are obvious now, one must think, is the ban worth it? While there are monetary losses now, there have been fewer instances of asthma, cancer, diabetes and heart disease in the last year. While this might be happenstance, some could claim the ban and this occurrence are connected.
What though, is the argument here? There are positive and negative aspects to the ban, but overall, I’d say more people are happy and healthy. While the state has lost some money, a number of people are patronizing restaurants for the first time that had previously been smoker-friendly. This is creating some revenue.
Furthermore, the losses occurring after the ban cannot be placed solely on the ban because Michigan, and more importantly, the United States, is in a recession.
So what’s the solution? I don’t think this debate has anything but an extreme solution. There isn’t much chance of the ban being lifted, and even if it was, there is no guarantee of bars and the like springing back.
So this is what I have to say: live with it.
A decision was made, and now everyone is going to have to live with the ramifications. Now that the effects are being felt, we can’t just abandon the plan. The plan of the ban was to decrease health issues associated with second-hand smoke. That’s working well, and I see no reason for the ban to be repealed. Sure, people are losing money; it’s much the same for every other industry in Michigan.
People, we have to wait and see if the effects are continually adverse. Patience is what I would urge. If anything has been very detrimental to American society in the past it has been brash decisions. People and legislators both need to take time and think: “Is what we’re
doing smart for the long run?”
So, all in all, I think the smoking ban is effective and it has accomplished its goals so far. I’m sure there are those who would disagree with me. Quite frankly though, they can go outside and whine about it over a cigarette.
