Pittsburgh is all smoked up!

On December 6th, 2006, the Allegheny County Board of Health met in the early morning to discuss Pittsburgh's new ban on smoking in the workplace. The board approved the ban and agreed that it would go into effect on January 2, 2007, with a budget of 25,000 dollars. This ban will make sure that all public buildings and workplaces in the county are smoke free with a few exceptions.
"Don't expect to eat a smoke-free meal at:
1.) Bars with fewer than 10 employees
2.) Bars where food sales make up less than 10 percent of their business
3.) fundraiser staffed by volunteers (no minors allowed on premises)"
Dan Onorato, the county chief executive, interestingly does not support this new bill. He feels that some restaurants cannot be asked to hold up to the "fifteen foot rule", which states that one must be fifteen feet away from the premises of a building in order to smoke. He argues that fifteen feet away from certain, smaller, local restaurants would leave a person smoking in the middle of the street! Although smokers in the Pittsburgh area agree with Mr. Onorato's views, the ban is still being issued in January, regardless of their opinions.

From 1920 to 1933, the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes" was prohibited in the United States. This amendment was passed through the US Constitution's attempt to end social problems that many Americans were experiencing and was formerly known as the "Dry Law". Prohibition of alcohol or smoking is not new to Americans and citizens in the Pittsburgh area may find that their new nonsmoking rules may turn out to be more of a blessing than a nuisance.