Astarte says that smoking bans in bars just aren't the end of the world. Seriously! Even the cigarette junkies learn to deal, and the non-smokers get to enjoy the night without tarring their lungs and smelling smoke on their underwear the next morning. Good times all around. I'll add two more things. First, it's very, very close to an undeniable fact that smoking bans actually improve the social lives of smokers. Everyone now has to wander outside to light up, where you get to mingle with... other smokers. Lots of new people you might not otherwise meet inside, an easy excuse to chat, and, if that's what you're after, everyone's make-out compatible here, since there's not the much-dreaded smoker's-breath barrier. (Well, it's true...)

Oh right, and the other thing: the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis just released two studies on smoking bans, including a case study in Missouri. Some economic benefits, very few if any drawbacks, that's their conclusion. So if you believe in stuff like numbers, that probably settles it.