Is Kitsap County ready to go smoke free? Kitsap County Commissioners don’t think so. Apparently, business is more important than health to some in the region — probably the healthy, we presume.

In their defense, this one’s a toughie.

As a county, should we pull the stinky, ash-ground carpet out from bars and restaurants that are just beginning to see signs of economic recovery or do we continue to allow second-hand smoke to kill with indiscretion? Not an easy one to answer and the two points of view on this one aren’t likely to see eye to eye anytime soon. Why?

A lot of drinkers smoke. Bar owners who have banned smoking can attest to the fact that a good portion of business drops off or heads down the road. On the other hand if every bar and restaurant was forced to ban smoking, the playing field would be leveled considerably. Smokers could still go their favorite spots, they’d just have to consider the fact that they’d have to partake in the nicotine elsewhere.

Meanwhile, non-smokers and others who don’t want to come home smelling like one of Dean Martin’s old suits could enjoy breathing freely once again. It comes down to a quality of life issue. If you’re alive and well, the quality goes up considerably. If you’re dying from someone else’s bad habits, it’s something else altogether.

The county commissioners should know that a total ban on in-business smoking isn’t the worst that will ever hit Kitsap County. They should also consider the fact that non-smokers who are fighting lung cancer from second hand smoke didn’t have much “freedom of choice” in the matter to begin with.