A new bill threatens to outlaw smoking in bars throughout Louisiana. Let’s send the message that government should not meddle in every aspect of our lives.

Congratulations Louisiana, Smoking Ban Defeated

Posted: June 2nd, 2009 |

Today, Louisiana has bucked the national trend, and said “No more smoking bans.” To everyone who spoke out against this unconstitutional law, congratulations: your voices have been heard. This website will remain here for you to ensure that Louisiana does not go down this road again.

One of the interesting things about smoking prohibition is how similar it is to alcohol prohibition. Smoking bans are a powerful political issue today. Similarly, alcohol prohibition was a powerful political issue in its day. In the late 1910’s many Americans said that prohibition was the wave of the future, and many states were enacting alcohol bans. The political momentum of that movement ultimately led to the nationwide prohibition of 1919, which, as we know, was eventually repealed.

Since publishing this website, we have had many conversations with people on either side of this issue. One of the common themes was the inevitability of smoking bans, and this sentiment is understandable when considering current national trends. But when we take a step back and look at the history of prohibition, we learn that bans can be part of our country’s natural progression in learning how to deal with addictive substances in a responsible manner. When we finally stop
obsessing over banning smoking in every place imaginable, maybe then we can start to learn how to better deal with addiction, teen smoking, and teaching people how to make healthy lifestyle choices.

One Comment on “Congratulations Louisiana, Smoking Ban Defeated”

  1. 1 Karl Worth said at 7:59 pm on June 2nd, 2009:

    Too bad our legislators in Wisconsin didn’t have the guts to reject this last month. They even included all hotel and motel rooms. People where is your common sense.