CHRYSTAL MCCONNELL/Arizona Daily Wildcat Michael Crutcher, a visiting lecturer from the University of Kentucky, enjoys a cigarette and beer on the outside patio of Gentle Ben's. He says he smokes because "the chicks dig it."

Arizonans might soon be asked to snuff out their smokes.

The state Legislature is considering a bill that will make it illegal to smoke in any public place, including all restaurants, pool halls, bowling alleys and bars.

A smoking ban has already been instituted in several states, including New York and California.

"It's a work-safety issue," said Democratic Rep. Linda Lopez, who proposed the ban.

"The main goal of the smoking ban is to protect the health of the employees and the patrons of these establishments," she said. "Smoking is right up there with asbestos as far as danger in the workplace goes."

Last year, Tempe voters passed an ordinance that banned smoking in all businesses, including bars.

Initially, there was a small drop in sales tax revenue from bars, but that has come back up, said Republican Mayor Neil Giuliano of Tempe.

Only a few bars closed, he added.

"They were places that relied on people coming in at 11 a.m. and staying all day," he said.

Adam Downing, an English senior, said employees who don't like the smoke should stay out of the business.

"If you are going to work in a bar, that is the risk you are going to take," Downing said. "If you don't like the smoke, go work someplace else."

In 1999, Tucson restricted smoking in businesses where 50 percent of the earnings were from food. This ban left bowling alleys, pool halls and bars free to allow smoking.

Lopez said the ban, if passed, would apply to all Arizona businesses.

"I will kill any proposed legislation that comes up allowing smoking in bars," Lopez said. "I just won't allow it."

Gary Welch, owner of Dirtbag's, 1800 E. Speedway Blvd., said business would suffer if the ban was passed.

"I have a lot of white-collar people who come in here during their lunch breaks," Welch said. "These people come here specifically to eat lunch and have a cigarette."

Kelly Evangelisti, a journalism freshman, said she doesn't believe the smoking ban would affect businesses.

"People are not going to stop eating," Evangelisti said. "People won't stop going out to restaurants just because they can't smoke."

Lopez cited data from a survey by Michael O'Neil & Associates as a platform to propose the smoking ban.

The survey, distributed to 1,000 registered Arizona voters found that, by more than a two-to-one margin, 67 percent of voters support banning smoking in all public places.

The survey found that 59 percent of respondents would be more likely to go out to eat at a restaurant if it was non-smoking.

"There are folks who don't go out because of the smoke allowed in businesses," Lopez said. "If the ban takes place I expect that those people would start to go out again."

Welch said it is not the politician's job to decide if smoking should be allowed in privately owned businesses.

"I am not a smoker but I choose to run a business that allows smoking," Welch said. "I think I know what is best for my business."

Veronica Zanotti, an elementary education junior, said that even though she is a smoker, she fully supports the proposed smoking ban.

"It is disgusting to eat while someone is smoking," Zanotti said. "I would never sit and smoke around anyone who is eating."

The proposed ban is not an infringement on smoker's rights to smoke, she said.

"I am a conscious smoker," Zanotti said. "I would rather kill myself by smoking than kill someone else."

Holly Dicenso, a manager at Click's Billiards, 3325 N. First Ave., said that the smoking ban would be less of a fire hazard, and it would save his business from equipment damages.

"I have removed televisions from here that were damaged by the smoke," Dicenso said. "The TV's had brown syrupy stuff on them just from the smoke in the air."

The proposed smoking ban would make the air not only smell better, but be safer to work in, he added.

"If someone wants to eat 20 cheeseburgers, that doesn't affect my health," Dicenso said. "If someone wants to smoke around me, that does affect my health."