The Tennessee Legislature earlier this year passed a bill that ended the ritual of servers asking "Smoking or Non-Smoking?" when entering a restaurant. While many jumped on board when the law went into effect June 1 with other laws, some establishments waited it out until the late hours of September 30 before finally asking patrons to put out their cigarettes.
The "Non-Smoker Protection Act" does exactly what its name implies. Anyone who lights up in an enclosed space faces a $50 fine. Businesses choosing to ignore the law will receive a warning letter on the first offense, a $100 fine for the second and a $500 fine for each violation thereafter. Exempt from the law are locations that cater only to those 21 years of age and up.
I am not a smoker, but I can empathize with the feeling that non-smokers are going on the offensive. All the same, until they develop an apparatus to deliver the nicotine habit without second-hand smoke, this was one of the better moves our state has made in the interest of public health.
There are a few things, however, I would like to see cordoned off to the side of the restaurant away from my seat.
- The Loud, Attention-Deprived 3-Year Old section
- The Rude, I'll Tip You A Penny For Forgetting My Drink section
- The Obnoxious, Can't Handle My Booze or Control My Voice section
- The Birthday Party section (seriously, I don't know you. Not wishing you a happy birthday)
- The Friends of the Waiter/Waitress section (You're letting them dine-and-dash, I'm paying)
I am sure there are many more that should be taken up in the next session.