As of Jan. 1, it is no longer legal to smoke in public areas in downtown Littleton, the latest Colorado city to enact a smoking ban. (Kenneth D. Lyons, The Denver Post)
Re: “Are downtown smoking bans a trend in Colorado?,” Jan. 4 news story.
In John Aguilar’s excellent article reporting on the trend to ban outdoor smoking, the issue of these bans infringing on the rights of smokers was raised by two of the men interviewed. This is a tired, old and very misguided argument put forth by the tobacco industry and those who support it.
Secondhand smoke is a known carcinogen. While smokers are free to smoke in places where no one is harmed by their addictive behavior (and it is an addiction, not a habit), no one is free to engage in an activity that is harmful to others.
Public spaces should be safe for everyone. That includes pregnant women, asthmatic children and older adults with pulmonary disease. All public spaces should be smoke-free and I applaud the cities in Colorado that have taken the step to protect the health of the general public from tobacco.
Carol L. Goldstein, R.N., Englewood
This letter was published in the Jan. 7 edition.
Submit a letter to the editor via this form or check out our guidelines for how to submit by e-mail or mail.
