We agree with the city of Athens’ smoking ban (effective Jan. 1) and Ohio University’s plan to abolish tobacco products on campus (beginning Fall Semester 2015).
Athens City Council voted to charge $50 for smoking a cigarette in city parks or parking lots, and for disposing cigarette butts on sidewalks or streets.
The decision is a push to keep the city clean and environmentally friendly — two things pretty much everyone can get behind.
This opinion is a change of pace for us, as we generally take the stance that personal freedoms (speech, expression, assembly, etc.) should be protected.
But we think the benefits of a smoke-free society outweigh the infringements on smokers’ personal freedom to light up in a public area. Few non-smokers are singing the praises of secondhand smoke.
Simply put: We are sure that the campus and uptown areas will be better off because of the university and city’s decisions to diminish tobacco use.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.
