After returning home from the smoky haze of a D.C. bar, most GW students immediately dump their stench-filled clothes into their laundry bags before hitting the sack. But students at New York City and California universities can come home smelling fresh after a night at the bars, since the two locations have outlawed smoking in most public spaces, including restaurants and bars. Students at NYU and UCLA are also avoiding the dangers of secondhand smoke when they go out at night, a luxury GW students do not enjoy.

According to a July Gallup Consumption Habits poll, only 23 percent of Americans are in favor of a total ban on smoking in bars. While barely half the country views secondhand smoke as very harmful, D.C. residents are rightfully beginning to follow the progressive lead of California and New York City in owning up to the serious public health hazard posed by second-hand smoke – even if much of the rest of the country is not.

Smokefree D.C., an organization working to create a healthy environment for employees of eating and drinking establishments throughout the District, has helped push the movement to into the local consciousness. D.C. is rated the fifth healthiest city in the country by Natural Health magazine, but smoke continues to choke local bars, restaurants and clubs. A smoking ban, similar to the one recently enacted in New York City, is needed to address the obvious health risks currently neglected by many establishments in the city. Secondhand smoke is dangerous, especially for the employees of the local, cramped bars, and it is disturbing to non-smokers who are forced to suffer the consequences of a substance they chose to avoid.

With the leadership of Smokefree D.C., a significant number of bars and restaurants have disallowed smoking in their establishments. This is a positive trend – one that will hopefully encourage lawmakers to consider banning smoking in public indoor spaces in the future.