Smoking Ban Does Its Job

My daily readings include several newspapers. To be honest I enjoy the free indie publications more than Star Tribune or the Pioneer Press. I'm usually frustrated more often than not when I finish the Strib. I was happy to hear the state-wide smoking ban that went into effect that more Minnesotans were trying to quit. I grew up in a household where both of my parents smoked. It wasn't until my late teens that my mother quit. Growing up in that environment can lead to two things: an early start on smoking or being repulsed by the smell of cigarettes.

My clothes reeked of cigarettes and I've never once smoked one. Just thinking about it now is frustrating. I always joke that no one smokes in California. That's far from true. But California's laws sure do make it difficult on smokers. They have for years and because of that along with other factors, it feels like most Californians do not smoke. I didn't make it out of Minneapolis for three months, right in the heart of the winter. I didn't venture far, only across the river to St. Paul, but it felt like I walked into an episode of the Twilight Zone. Where in Minneapolis my lungs were clear of tobacco, in St. Paul I couldn't breathe. The yellow tobacco grime covered the walls. My winter clothes, after only a few hours, needed to be washed. Asthma of years gone by showed signs again. I was miserable and told myself I'd never go back. Weeks later on a trip up to Moorhead/Fargo, I came across that same experience. It was a struggle for me to keep my breath, the constant threat of hyperventilation was present. I just couldn't "get it." The health of everyone was being directly challenged by the few. Since that weekend I've been lucky enough to stay out of too many smoking environments.

The laws have since changed and I'm thrilled to hear along with that the culture is changing. I've since been back to St. Paul, one the law changed last year, but now that I know the rest of the state has opened its mind to the smoking ban, I can safely open my lungs to many more cities.