Recently, the mayor of a town in California called Calabasas has banned smoking. Not just in bars and restaurants, but in public, too. In fact, the only places you’re now legally allowed to smoke in Calabasas are in your car with the windows rolled up or in or adjacent to the common area of your home.

The point of this new law is to clear the air of second-hand smoke. While Ed Board can’t dispute the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, we do think the mayor of Calabasas took the law one step to far.

It’s one thing to outlaw smoking in bars, restaurants, malls and other enclosed places that the public frequents, but to ban smokers from enjoying a puff and a breath of fresh air in a public place is, well, cold-blooded. Smokers are people, too. And, people should have a choice.

Though we can see how this town ordinance could provide an incentive to curb people’s bad habits, perhaps even help them quit the cancer sticks, is this really the way a democratic society should operate – by essentially quarantining people?

Ed Board proposes a friendly amendment. How about suggested public smoking areas? Yeah, the town could hang signs in places around the area that say: a suggested smoking area. And, since the environment and other people’s health is of concern, how about installing an air filtering system in the suggested smoking area?

And, while we’re on the subject of limiting people’s freedoms, how about if the town requires non-smokers to wear gas masks in public? Because we all know other dangerous chemicals and pollutants are lurking the air, too.

And, while we’re at it, pollen can cause severe allergies and can cost those who combat them thousands of dollars just to so they are able to breath normally. Why don’t we limit the number of flowers each person can plant during the spring season?

Okay, maybe we went too far on that last example, but the point is: Smoking is a choice. And, just like some people chose to drink alcohol and walk in the public streets, there are always miscellaneous variables to consider, some of which are associated with crime.

Does this mean we should prevent people from drinking in private or public establishments followed by a stroll in a public place? No.

With every freedom, there comes a consequence. And without the freedom to make a decision and suffer the consequences, how could we learn and grow?

Second-hand smoke is bad for your health. Luckily, we live in a country where you can exercise your freedom and choose to walk away from it.