Florida Smoking Ban Amendment

[ivylass]

This November, there will be an initiative on the ballot to amend Florida's Constitution. This amendment, Amendment 6, will ban smoking in all enclosed workplaces, including restaurants and their connected bars. Stand alone bars would be exempt, but smoking would be banned in private residences if they are used to provide health care, child care, or elder care.

[ivylass]

I do not smoke, but I am opposed to this ban. It would punish business owners as well as those people who are doing nothing illegal. I have created a website to bring attention to this issue, but I don't want to be accused of spamming. Is it okay to list the website? I'm not selling anything, this is a political issue.

[Phantom Lord]

Would any home with children fall under the "child care" provision, basically making it ILLEGAL for parents to smoke in their own home?

[FreeTally]

Yes, all Florida Freepers need to get out and vote and defeat this fascist piece of crap amendment. I don't smoke myself either, but understand I can protest with my business if I don't like permitted smoking.

The smoking Nazis wont give up. I urge severe civil disobedience on the part of patrons and owners if this passes.

[ivylass]

It's child care for profit, so theoretically if you have kids and smoke but don't care for others for money, you are still allowed to do so.

My website is www.noamendment6.com. The other side, to be fair, is www.smokefreeforhealth.org

[ivylass]

The FL Restaurant Association is opposed to this ban.

[FreeTally]

The FL Restaurant Association is opposed to this ban.

They would be stupid not to be.

Find someone who is in favor of the amendment, and ask them why the FRA is against the ban. They will probably say something like, "Because they put profits before health......". When they say something like that, simply reply, "Oh, so you are admitting that you are in favor of an amendment that you know will cost private individuals money? Now I see where you are comming from".

[ijcr]

Does anyone know who "smoke free for health" are?

They do not appear to be a 501c,and they have not filed with the IRS.

They provide no info about officers, salaries, donations anywhere.

[monkeywrench]

Bttt!

[ivylass]

I don't know who they are. I'm assuming they are a PAC. They have endorsements from a lot of medical fields, the American Cancer Society, etc.

I have e-mailed them asking how this ban will be enforced. On their website they claim it will be self-enforcing, since restaurants will no longer have to deal with the "complex" regulations dealing with smoking and non-smoking sections. I found this hard to believe, considering the FLRA is against it. I received a reply stating that if the ban is passed, legislation will be proposed to enforce the ban...more taxes!

[Republicus2001]

kill smokers

[Republicus2001]

Have the Florida officials found the missing girl in their custody or has that been forgotten now?

[Republicus2001]

don't these people have anything better to do like - FIND THE MISSING GIRL IN FLORIDA'S CUSTODY - DAMMIT!

[ivylass]

That is two different things. The anti-smokers were unable to legislate the ban, so they are circumventing the legislature and getting the people to vote on this to amend the state Constitution. DCF has nothing to do with this.

Unfortunately, Floridians have no other ways to make laws than to amend the Constitution, which I think is a big mistake. It makes the Constitution unwieldy and open to any special interest group with an ax to grind.

[summer]

Thanks for the flag, monkeywrench. On another thread about this matter, I wrote the following:

This is an example of where a "law" is really not necessary at all. I have been to restaurants in FL where the owner already chose to have a "no-smoking" policy throughout. Other eating establishments prefer to seat smokers outside, and non-smokers inside. I think the owner of the business should decide this one. Not some new "law."

[Drew68]

Sadly, this will probably pass --especially if Florida's constitution can be amended with 50%+1 of the vote. Only around 20% of the adult population smokes. Most of the remaining 80% are either indifferent to or hostile to smokers' rights.

You know what they say about democracy:

"Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what's for dinner."

This is the plight of smokers in a nutshell.

[this_ol_patriot]

My work (hospital) of course has a ban on smoking, they also have a ban on aromatic toiletries including deodorant, hair spray and shaving cream, they now ban political and religious bunper stickers on employee cars parked on company property, they allow no bulletin board postings of a political or religious nature, they have dismantled the chapel in the building and no longer give Good Friday as a holiday and call Christmas "winter holiday" I guess the liberals at large still celebrate "Xmas". No menorah, creches or Christmas trees are allowed to decorate the once cheerful holiday time hallways. There is more coming.

Yes this all happened AFTER they banned smoking and saw how easy it was.

[ivylass]

I hope it won't pass. But even if it does, it has to pass by a substantial margin or the legislature will not give this law teeth. The enforcement of this ban will be covered in the next legislative session. If there is a slim margin of victory, I don't think the pols will be anxious to enforce it. And I don't think it's merely a smoking issue...business owners will also be affected. There may be more support out there than we know.

I will appear on an Orlando/Tampa talk radio show on Wed June 26 to talk about this issue. 1470AM in Tampa, 1190AM in Orlando, The Guetzloe Report, from 10a-11a.