text: I live in Ohio and I'm a smoker.  I believe that in certain cases it is fine to not allow smoking, like in office buildings and court houses and the like.  I also believe that the owner of the property should be able to decide whether or not he wants to allow smoking.  As in privately owned restaurants and bars.  These places may be public in the sense that anyone off the street can go in there and sit down and have a meal/drink.  However, its like listening to bad music, if you don't like it, don't listen.  If you don't like that people are smoking in a certain restaurant, don't go there.  It's called choice and the fact that some people don't smoke or don't want to be around smoke shouldn't limit the number of places smokers can go and enjoy a meal or drink and be able to have a cigarette when finished.  Also, it is ridiculous to make people stay fifty feet or whatever from the entrance to a building.  Outside there are many other carcinogens in the air besides smoke that people breathe in every minute of every day.  Not to mention that being outside in itself takes away the second-hand smoke factor.