Very good point, Phil, yet I think there are some differences between snorting cocaine and smoking.
Once upon a time, you did have patrons who would snort cocaine at formal dinner parties or at clubs. And, these were sometimes affairs where smoking was relegated to another room (actually, there are differences there between the types of smoking. Cigar and Pipe smoking was often relegated to a separate room, but cigarettes were allowed almost anywhere.
Although it does not explicitly discuss what I am saying here, the PBS Frontline series on Drugs did document the social uses of Cocaine, and mentions the many (now nearly impossible to find) movies that glorified Cocaine.
Long before I ever did any sort of Narcotic, I invested a lot of time in learning about these substances (mostly for professional reasons), and was surprised at how hypocritical our treatment of Alcohol and Nicotine is in comparison to Cocaine, Opiates, Amphetamines, and especially Hallucinogens and Cannabis (or its derivatives).
Personally, I think that we should allow clubs to decide for themselves what they will allow. I do understand that this will cut off a great many patrons from some venues, and that presents a problem that I am not certain if legislation is the way to handle—although it does need to be addressed.
But, then I could just be glorifying memories of stories about the days of speakeasies when one could buy anything at the bar, from alcohol to heroin.
Very good point, Phil, yet I think there are some differences between snorting cocaine and smoking.
Once upon a time, you did have patrons who would snort cocaine at formal dinner parties or at clubs. And, these were sometimes affairs where smoking was relegated to another room (actually, there are differences there between the types of smoking. Cigar and Pipe smoking was often relegated to a separate room, but cigarettes were allowed almost anywhere.
Although it does not explicitly discuss what I am saying here, the PBS Frontline series on Drugs did document the social uses of Cocaine, and mentions the many (now nearly impossible to find) movies that glorified Cocaine.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/buyers/socialhistory.html
Long before I ever did any sort of Narcotic, I invested a lot of time in learning about these substances (mostly for professional reasons), and was surprised at how hypocritical our treatment of Alcohol and Nicotine is in comparison to Cocaine, Opiates, Amphetamines, and especially Hallucinogens and Cannabis (or its derivatives).
Personally, I think that we should allow clubs to decide for themselves what they will allow. I do understand that this will cut off a great many patrons from some venues, and that presents a problem that I am not certain if legislation is the way to handle—although it does need to be addressed.
But, then I could just be glorifying memories of stories about the days of speakeasies when one could buy anything at the bar, from alcohol to heroin.