Recently, several eating and drinking establishments in State College have decided to go smoke-free, and cities such as New York City and Philadelphia have passed laws keeping cigarettes out of restaurants and bars.

Smoke-free bars in State College would be beneficial to the health of bar employees and others who happen to be drinking there, not just the smokers themselves. For students and area residents who work 40 hours a week in bars, customers lighting up while drinking could cause respiratory health issues down the road.

For these reasons, among others, new developments at the state and municipal level could eventually lead to a smoking ban in State College, which would prohibit the act in work places and public venues such as restaurants and bars.

The move would mean that Pennsylvania would no longer be the only state in the northeast without Clean Indoor Air Legislation -- and that's something we should applaud.

A study published last October by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that bar workers in Scotland significantly improved in respiratory health and lung function after one month of the country's new smoke-free workplace law.

Smoke-free bars also prevent irritated eyes, inflamed airways and exacerbation of asthma symptoms -- improvements that would make going out a much more enjoyable experience.

Although the argument could be made that the ban would hurt local bars' business, there is plenty of evidence to counter this.

So far, smoke-free laws have been passed in 11 states, and research shows they haven't had an adverse effect on local businesses. The American Lung Association of California said that profits increased nearly 6 percent despite the state's smoking bans.

Even if students couldn't smoke in bars when they went out, it wouldn't stop them from going out altogether. If every business downtown went smokeless, smokers wouldn't start staying at home every weekend. People don't go out to smoke, they go out to socialize and drink. The recent push to move St. Patrick's Day to March 2 proves that students care significantly about retaining their bar experiences.

However, despite its benefits, maybe the legislation is not really needed. Even if Pennsylvania didn't pass a law to join the other 11 states, the growing trend of smoke-free bars in State College would probably continue. Whether or not this legislation gets passed, students should continue to support clean air downtown. Any good business knows the customer is always right, and when you don't give the customer what they want, profits decrease.

Students and other residents who prefer to socialize with clean air could simply stop going to bars that allow smoking. Businesses would change their policies to align with the majority opinion.

For those who want to smoke, there's plenty of places to take a few drags without hurting the health of others nearby.

Bars and restaurants don't have to be such places.