Imagine, the year is 2010 and smoking is illegal nearly everywhere. Restaurants, work places, bowling alleys and bars all ban smoking. The law states that the only place an individual is allowed to smoke is on his or her property.

Sound far-fetched? Well, this scenario just may be in the near future for Bowling Green residents.

There are at least 600 chemicals found in cigarette smoke, many of which are harmful to human health. These chemicals are harmful not only to the smoker but also to nearby non-smokers.

Ohio officials now feel the need to push the ban on smoking in restaurants and other public places in order to better protect public health.

This move to ban smoking has resulted in much controversy and differing opinions among Ohio residents.

“Just because someone else wants to ruin their body — that’s their prerogative. I don’t want to partake,” said Jonathan Kampfe, University senior and non-smoking advocate.

Bowling Green, along with nearby Toledo and Maumee, have experienced the effects of smoking bans in recent years. A ban on smoking in most Bowling Green bars and restaurants was passed in November 2002.

Teresa Boggs, owner of the Corner Grill in downtown Bowling Green, said when the 2002 ban was first introduced, their business suffered greatly. Within the last year, however, business has bounced back to levels similar to those before the ban.

Many argue that the smoking bans are essential for the health of the masses, including Carrie Belair, certified chemical dependency counselor with the Wellness Connection.

“This is just the beginning,” Belair said. “I think that smoking will eventually be banned entirely.”

Belair believes addiction also needs to be considered when focusing on the issue of smoking bans. According to Belair, flavorings such as sugar, cocoa and vanilla are added to cigarettes to increase their appeal.

“The stuff you would think to put in a cake goes into the cigarettes. It is a scam being run by the tobacco companies to get people hooked,” Belair said.

The discovery and increasing knowledge of the health hazards brought about by cigarettes has been a large part of this heated debate. According to the truth.com, over 50,000 people die a year from secondhand smoke.

In Toledo, the Board of Health cited the health concerns from second-hand smoke in Section 3709.21 of the Ohio Revised Code. In 2001, the Board passed a regulation banning smoking in most public places, according to ASH (Action on Smoking and Health).

The proposed regulation prohibits smoking in all public areas, which are defined as every enclosed, indoor area to which members of the general public are invited or in which members of the general public are normally permitted. Thus, the regulation prohibits smoking in bars, restaurants, tobacco shops, bowling alleys, and in almost every indoor place in Lucas County, Ohio other than private residences, private cars and private clubs.

Although it is currently the decision of local governments where smoking bans will be invoked, many believe voters should have the final say on the decision.

“Federal or state government has no business telling communities or individuals where or where not to smoke,” said sophomore non-smoker Dan Vandersomers.

Vandersomers believes the state violates an individual’s right to make decisions concerning his or her own health, and that this should not be the case.

Jed’s Bar and Grill, located on Main Street, has a wall set up to separate smoking and non-smoking sections. The smoking section also has a ventilation system to keep the smoke from drifting into the non-smoking area. Owner Emily Ruetz believes that having two separate sections allows Jed’s to satisfy the largest number of customers.

“We are not required to put up a wall and install a ventilation system, but we do so to prevent business from suffering,” Ruetz said.

This type of ventilation system separating smoking from non-smoking sections of a facility may not be the answer, according to a study performed by James Repace which appears in the September 2004 Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

This Delaware study found that even with ventilation systems designed to clean the air, there is still 20 times the outdoor level of pollutants in an area where smoking is allowed. Repace’s study found in order to cut the air contaminants from cigarettes to a safe level, it would need a machine “comparable to a tornado.”

According to the current Bowling Green law, facilities that gross 30 percent or less in food sales can allow smoking. Also, facilities that possess a liquor license and allow the consumption of alcohol on the premises can allow smoking.

Bowling alleys fall into this latter category and most allow smoking. Al Mar Lanes permits smoking in the bar area, as well as at back tables located behind each bowling lane. Al Mar Lanes does, however, restrict smoking on Saturdays between the hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. due to the presence of children at the facility.

Varsity Lanes has similar rules, allowing smoking only in restricted areas which include standing tables and dining areas. Varsity Lanes and Al Mar Lanes both have liquor licenses.

Local governments are concerned with the health of the majority of the population, but a smoking ban will also create increased costs to smokers who can’t kick the habit, or just choose to smoke.

The controversy is really more fundamental than just smoking. Many question whether perceived threats to public health supersede the rights of the individual. There is no easy answer to this dilemma.