I Think This is going too Far

TORONTO (CP) - The time has come to debate whether or not smoking should be banned in some apartment buildings, Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman said Tuesday amid growing pressure to curb the deadly effects of second-hand smoke in high-rises

Now I am big on the idea that second-hand smoke is a health hazard. I think that tobacco could justifiably be declared a controlled substance. In fact it would be now if we were starting from scratch.

But as long as tobacco is legal then we can not ban people from smoking in their homes. If landlords declare their building to be smoke-free then great, it may even be a selling point to many tenants. But it is overstepping to suggest that the government should ban smoking in a private dwelling.