I want to eliminate smoking, yes. I don't want people to die from second hand smoke either. I don't see the inconsistency there. Smoking and its byproducts are responsible for millions of deaths, even more disease, and a significant amount of money and resources are wasted to deal with entirely preventable medical conditions caused by smoking -- I'll admit, my agenda is stop that, and I may do so professionally in time. Human life has value to me, guilty as charged.
Furthermore
I want the public to be healthy and workers to operate in a safe environment. Bar and tavern employees have higher rates of lung cancer than almost all other occupations, even fire fighters and miners. There are more deadly chemicals in a cigarette than in a coal mine, including arsenic, ammonia and fucking cyanide. Relative to patrons, hospitality workers are actually in a worse position because their level of activity leads to more inhalation of the toxins and more contact with the residue on surfaces. Had smoking not been a cultural artifact, and studies on second hand smoke been made clear earlier, this wouldn't even be a discussion.
Again, as to "find work elsewhere" argument, I reiterate "fuck you". Economic coercion is a part of capitalism, this is why we've got unions and regulations in the first place -- people working in inhospitable conditions still want to work. What I'm saying is they shouldn't be forced to put up with one for the other. Some people can quit, other can't, I care about the them too.
Hospitality workers are predominately non-union jobs filled by female, working class, high-school educated workers. They've got next to no voice in power, especially compared to their employers who usually make the backbone of the increasingly important tourism industry.
Whereas coal mining was a dangerous profession, billions of dollars have been spent to develop methods and technologies to greatly and efficiently mitigate those dangers -- the risks they currently face when performed in a legally compliant mine are entirely reasonable and not any more significant than log-cutters or construction workers. Firefighters face the possibility of death in their daily work, they are trained and outfitted with the best in modern equipment and they have strict procedures and rules to best reduce risk. Their work has an obvious social necessity.
Hospitality establishments however, have proven economically viable regardless of smoking bans in spite of rhetoric. That harm in itself is unreasonable, it serve no purpose other than to cater to those using a recreational drug. I've never heard of tavern owners expending any effort to protect their staff, I suspect the costs of doing so would be prohibitive.
