PITTSBURGH — Allegheny County Council will vote on six amendments to the county’s new anti-smoking ordinance at its meeting Tuesday evening.

When the ban was passed last month, it included all businesses — including taverns, bars and clubs — and allowed exemptions only for tobacco retailers, like cigar shops, or events staffed by volunteers.

But County Executive Dan Onorato pushed for more exemptions after council learned that a state law could exempt casinos from the ban.

The Allegheny County Bar Association met on Monday to oppose the amendments. The group said the law’s stated purpose is improving the health of workers — and that other business considerations should take a back seat to that goal.

But council is considering modifying the ban for some smaller taverns, and in other circumstances.

I remember a time in our not to distant past where we tried to ban the drinking of adult beverages which only ended in the illegal consumption of adult beverages. I have to pinch myself sometimes when I read stories like this because it really makes me wonder if there is any intelligent life down here anymore. I mean come on if smoking is bad then ban the manufacturing of the substance or make it illegal to purchase said bad item but if it is legal to purchase cigarettes then it has to be legal to smoke them.

Let them smoke if they want to and if I do not want to be surrounded by smokers when I go out for a nice dinner then I will not frequent places where smoking is allowed or where I have to dine with chain smokers who do not have the courtesy to think about other peoples feelings and rights as they fill the air with their putrid smelling cancer sticks. I think the marketplace will be able to handle this issue just fine without the help of more stupid laws which only apply to some people and not others. So I think this item belongs on the LOON ALERT list