Surely the only reasonable argument for a smoking ban is that it imposes negative externalities on non-smokers in the same venue? The fact that many non-smokers dislike the smell of tobacco smoke would probably not in itself justify a smoking ban; it is the supposed negative health consequences of second hand smoke that motivates the ban. There is no equivalent ‘passive snorting’ effect for cocaine so there is much less reason to impose a general ban on taking cocaine in restaurants. If cocaine was generally legal I can’t see a good justification for banning it in a bar or restaurant.
Even if secondhand smoke were completely safe, it could be banned for the same reasons as litter, which also tends not to be harmful to humans, just unpleasant. As for cocaine, maybe its general legality would let it be used in downscale places which don’t want to attract families with children; but I expect lingering cultural pressures would keep it out of family places to avoid alienating core clientele, and keep it out of fine dining places for the same reason they forbid you to patronize them barefoot (because it gives off a low-status signal).
I think it is unlikely that general smoking bans would have become common were it not for the supposed negative health effects of smoking. Particular venues may have privately forbidden smoking to avoid exposing their customers to smoke they found unpleasant (as some did before general smoking bans became widespread) but my impression is that the clincher for the argument for a general ban which enabled such bans to overcome resistance from smokers and bar and restaurant owners was the health argument. I don’t think littering is a very good analogy as no property owners were in favour of allowing littering on their property—it is a form of vandalism. In stark contrast, some of the strongest resistance to smoking bans came from bar and restaurant owners who wanted to allow smoking in their establishments because they believed it attracted more business from their customers.
I’m sure if cocaine was illegal many family oriented establishments would have a private ban on its consumption. I’m less convinced about your fine dining theory—cocaine is very popular amongst the kinds of people who often frequent expensive restaurants (finance industry workers, celebrities, the media, etc.).
I have even been to some Fine Dining restaurants in LA where I’ve seen Cocaine being used. They weren’t lining it up on the tables though, and it was done pretty discretely.
From what I have read about the 20s and the Speakeasies. I get the feeling that we would see cocaine use become very prevalent in all manner of upscale places. It would be just one more method of showing off one’s sophistication and wealth or importance.
The smoking bans have me at a loss though. I mostly worked at bars and nightclubs during the period right before and after the passage of the ban in CA. I know that none of the owners of the clubs or bars supported the bans, and one of the owners owned several pretty expensive restaurants down near Union Square. He was scared to death that he would lose business at all of his places if the ban went into effect (and he did lose one restaurant). Yet, I never asked him specifically why he was opposed to the ban, nor if he might support it in a different form (better isolation for smoking clientele, for instance). I know as a non-smoker I was hoping that it would pass, but as someone who worked in places where my pay depended upon tips… and tips only come from customers… It made me worry a bit (and smoking customers tended to tip better, as they were usually drunker than the non-smokers).
Surely the only reasonable argument for a smoking ban is that it imposes negative externalities on non-smokers in the same venue? The fact that many non-smokers dislike the smell of tobacco smoke would probably not in itself justify a smoking ban; it is the supposed negative health consequences of second hand smoke that motivates the ban. There is no equivalent ‘passive snorting’ effect for cocaine so there is much less reason to impose a general ban on taking cocaine in restaurants. If cocaine was generally legal I can’t see a good justification for banning it in a bar or restaurant.
Even if secondhand smoke were completely safe, it could be banned for the same reasons as litter, which also tends not to be harmful to humans, just unpleasant. As for cocaine, maybe its general legality would let it be used in downscale places which don’t want to attract families with children; but I expect lingering cultural pressures would keep it out of family places to avoid alienating core clientele, and keep it out of fine dining places for the same reason they forbid you to patronize them barefoot (because it gives off a low-status signal).
I think it is unlikely that general smoking bans would have become common were it not for the supposed negative health effects of smoking. Particular venues may have privately forbidden smoking to avoid exposing their customers to smoke they found unpleasant (as some did before general smoking bans became widespread) but my impression is that the clincher for the argument for a general ban which enabled such bans to overcome resistance from smokers and bar and restaurant owners was the health argument. I don’t think littering is a very good analogy as no property owners were in favour of allowing littering on their property—it is a form of vandalism. In stark contrast, some of the strongest resistance to smoking bans came from bar and restaurant owners who wanted to allow smoking in their establishments because they believed it attracted more business from their customers.
I’m sure if cocaine was illegal many family oriented establishments would have a private ban on its consumption. I’m less convinced about your fine dining theory—cocaine is very popular amongst the kinds of people who often frequent expensive restaurants (finance industry workers, celebrities, the media, etc.).
I have even been to some Fine Dining restaurants in LA where I’ve seen Cocaine being used. They weren’t lining it up on the tables though, and it was done pretty discretely.
From what I have read about the 20s and the Speakeasies. I get the feeling that we would see cocaine use become very prevalent in all manner of upscale places. It would be just one more method of showing off one’s sophistication and wealth or importance.
The smoking bans have me at a loss though. I mostly worked at bars and nightclubs during the period right before and after the passage of the ban in CA. I know that none of the owners of the clubs or bars supported the bans, and one of the owners owned several pretty expensive restaurants down near Union Square. He was scared to death that he would lose business at all of his places if the ban went into effect (and he did lose one restaurant). Yet, I never asked him specifically why he was opposed to the ban, nor if he might support it in a different form (better isolation for smoking clientele, for instance). I know as a non-smoker I was hoping that it would pass, but as someone who worked in places where my pay depended upon tips… and tips only come from customers… It made me worry a bit (and smoking customers tended to tip better, as they were usually drunker than the non-smokers).