NH: Free Staters kill statewide smoking ban

[DadaOrwell2]

Volcanvites:

Would welcome your thoughts on this article...

From NHfree.com
5/15/06
New Hampshire's Free Staters kill statewide smoke ban

Acting nearly alone against the American Cancer Society and a massive juggernaut of established lobby groups, a few dozen Free State Project members have managed to preserve New Hampshire's hands-off approach to smoking in bars and restaurants. N.H. is currently the only state in New England which allows consumers and businesses to make the "smoking decision" for themselves, and last month's vote assures that the market - rather than state regs - will determine smoking policies in 2007.

While Free Staters have been on the winning side of many lobbying efforts in Concord, this victory for property rights is significant, because it's virtually certain things would have gone the other way were it not for the Free Stater immigration.

Since the Free State Project targeted New Hampshire for libertarian migration in 2003, about 150 hardcore freedom activists have trickled into the state, aiming to preserve its Live Free or Die culture and roll back government there to a third of its present size. Aided by the state's predisposition toward liberty and their own relentless involvement, these incoming activists had already achieved an impact completely out of proportion to their numbers.

But past Free Stater victories involved alliances with other groups such as gun rights organizations and homeschoolers. This is the first they have won on their own, with only the pro-liberty legislators as allies.

And it was a close fought battle. With the rest of New England now under the thrall of smoking bans, many of the state's traditional ban opponents (such as restaurant and bar owners) switched sides, leaving the novice liberty activists holding the line nearly unassisted. Libertarian volunteer-lobbyists were outnumbered about three to one in the hallways and hearing rooms, losing on this issue in the House of Representatives, lacking support from the governor and winning in the Senate by only a single vote. To become law, a New Hampshire bill must pass all three elected branches.

Narrow or not, the victory changes the course of New Hampshire history a bit, and for the first time ever, Free Staters can say they did it virtually alone.

May 14 article in the Concord Monitor:

<http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060514/REPOSITORY/605140337/1265/48HOURS>



Details on the Free State Project:
www.FreeStateProject.org <http://www.freestateproject.org/>

[Osborn F Enready]

I look more and more forward to my move to New Hampshire everyday.

Thanks for the update Dada.

[DadaOrwell2]

Update:

the smoke ban is still dead LOL

[The Second Law]

Haha, nice bump.

Nice, though, since I hadn't heard of this. All I have to say is way to go, New Hampshire. Down here in Dallas, it's really nice to not have smoking, well, pretty much anywhere, but such laws are absolutely despicable.

--Second

[RickSp]

Must be nice having so few pressing isues that a smoking ban rises to the top of the list.

I guess one has to choose one's battles. Making restaurants and bars purveyours of second hand smoke might not be the on I might choose. I guess when I visit New Hampshire I'll have to order take-out to avoid breathing someone else's secondhand death.

[Osborn F Enready]

Or you can open a smoke free establishment in NH Rick, just for when you go there.....

If non-smoking bars and restraunts is really an issue, some will start up and survive.

[DadaOrwell2]

Most restaurants are already smoke free up here. Voluntarily, or more accurately because their customers demand it.

[Osborn F Enready]

Thanks for the affirmation Dada.

[brien]

Quote by: RickSp Must be nice having so few pressing isues that a smoking ban rises to the top of the list. I guess one has to choose one's battles. Making restaurants and bars purveyours of second hand smoke might not be the on I might choose. I guess when I visit New Hampshire I'll have to order take-out to avoid breathing someone else's secondhand death.

Ric: I am confident that some NH restaurants and bars will go smoke free. It is a winner in terms of business decisions. Smokers are in the minority and when one has a choice, I think the smoke free restaurant and bar will prevail to the majority of diners.

The important kernel of this decision is that the State is not forcing a decision one way or another on private business. I applaud their decision.

btw, before Connectricut restricted smoking in restaurants and bars, there were many successful establishements that were voluntarily smoke free. It only makes sense when smokers are in the minority that some restaurants in NH will go smoke free.

[brien]

Quote by: DadaOrwell2 Most restaurants are already smoke free up here. Voluntarily, or more accurately because their customers demand it.

My point exactly.