Health Before Liberty

From the John Locke Foundation:

Should smoking be banned from all restaurants in North Carolina? That's the question that HB 76 will answer with a "Yes" if it is passed by the North Carolina Legislature. Advocates of a statewide restaurant smoking ban pose the issue as a way to improve health and control health care costs. The health effects of direct smoking are not controversial—pulmonary, respiratory, and other body functions are compromised as a result of smoking cigarettes, the effects are cumulative with prolonged use, and the damage can be irreversible. The effects of second-hand smoke, on the other hand, are very controversial.