Have there really always been bars that didn't allow smoking? I never saw any in Ireland before the smoking ban. It's not a viable business model.
The rationale behind a ban is approximately thus: Smoking is unpleasant for non-smokers who are a majority. Due to co-ordination problems non smoker disutility from being exposed to cigarette smoke outweighs smoker utility from smoking and this is stable and bad. The government, in an attempt to increase total utility bans smoking in workplaces and total utility goes up.
Forced is perhaps the wrong word but I'm just hoping they bring in a smoking ban here in Shanghai. Going outside to smoke just isn't that much of a hardship and it makes things more pleasant for non smokers and many smokers.
> Have there really always been bars that didn't allow smoking? I never saw any in Ireland before the smoking ban. It's not a viable business model.
I dont know about irland but in Switzerland I was in a Non-Smoking Irish bars for years befor the smokingban came.
Also if it is not a viable buissness model it seams that most people just dont care. Why then do we need to regulate it?
As far as your argument goes for utility, it seems that most non-smokers simple do not really care but the smokers care a lot. Thats why the market is the way it is (or was). Also explain this, lots of resturants where non-smoking only partly smoking befor the smoking bans, so the market does not generally seam to have a problem with banning smoking where people dont want it.
My rational is that I dislick smoking in restaurants but I dont really care in bars that much.
It seams to me that the total utility is much better matched if you let the market do what it does. Also the market is able to change if utility changes much faster then the goverment can change law.
The rationale behind a ban is approximately thus: Smoking is unpleasant for non-smokers who are a majority. Due to co-ordination problems non smoker disutility from being exposed to cigarette smoke outweighs smoker utility from smoking and this is stable and bad. The government, in an attempt to increase total utility bans smoking in workplaces and total utility goes up.
Forced is perhaps the wrong word but I'm just hoping they bring in a smoking ban here in Shanghai. Going outside to smoke just isn't that much of a hardship and it makes things more pleasant for non smokers and many smokers.