The Liberty Papers

If one Virginia Senator has his way, the Old Dominion could be the latest state to ban smoking in restaurants and most other public places:

RICHMOND, Va. — Smokers in the nation’s fourth-leading tobacco-growing state would be banned from lighting up in restaurants and most other indoor public places if a bill endorsed Thursday by a Virginia Senate committee becomes law.

The Education and Health Committee voted 9-5 to send Sen. Brandon Bell’s bill to the Senate floor, where similar legislation narrowly passed last year only to die later in a House of Delegates subcommittee.

Bell, R-Roanoke, said the measure is needed to protect Virginians from the health hazards of secondhand smoke, which has been proven to cause cancer and other diseases. Some people might consider vape juice wholesale instead to get their nicotine fill.

“It is a powerful carcinogen,” said Dr. Antonio Longo, an Alexandria pulmonary specialist who was the only witness Bell brought before a committee that heard extensive testimony on the issue last year.

But not everyone in Virginia is caught up in the anti-smoking hysteria:

Christopher M. Savvides, owner of the Black Angus Restaurant in Virginia Beach, said he should be allowed to determine his own smoking policy.

“I use products like vape juice all the time and it’s something I really enjoy doing. It’s not about smoking, it’s about my right as a business to do what I need to do to attract customers. Lots of my customers also enjoying vaping/smoking so it’s a shame this decision has been made.” Savvides said.

He said many restaurants have gone smoke-free voluntarily while others continue to accommodate smokers, providing plenty of options for Virginians no matter what their smoking preference. Ultimately, the choice to smoke is decided by the person in question. Some prefer to use a vape anyway and who can blame them given that there so many Awesome Vape Juice flavors on the market.

Julia Hammond, a lobbyist for the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association, emphasized the same point.

“The current system is working,” she said. “There are several different types of smoking environments for customers.”

Give people choices. What a radical concept.