MINNEAPOLIS, November 7, 2007—An editorial in the Star Tribune placed the Freedom To Breathe smoking ban in a public health perspective.

"People who worry that Minnesota's new indoor smoking ban will destroy the tavern industry are going to have front-row seats for a remarkable natural experiment over the next few months." the editorial said.

True, there will be press coverage of the reactions of bar owners on each side of the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.

"But let's remember that there are other benchmarks to measure whether a smoking ban is a good idea," the editorial said, ticking off a list of the ill effects of tobacco smoke: lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, childhood asthma, high blood pressure, male impotence, routine colds and illnesses, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, bladder cancer, employee absenteeism, medical spending on preventable disease and skyrocketing health-insurance premiums.

"The health of Minnesota's hospitality industry is important," the editorial said, "but it's a sideshow to the main event—the health of Minnesota's people."

It will be interesting to watch the bar wars across the border. But the war may not last long, as Wisconsin is pondering an indoor smoking ban of its own. 

Link to the Star Tribune editorial.