When smoking in bars becomes illegal in Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and several states within the United States, it ought to be time for Utah to come along, as well.

Utah lawmakers always have been a bit shy about leading the way on such things. That's because a majority of people in this state belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which also owns this newspaper). The church teaches its members not to smoke. It also teaches them to be tolerant of people with other beliefs. Lawmakers and others typically have been sensitive about appearing to push religious beliefs on others.

But the time has come to quit treating cigarette smoke as if it were a lifestyle choice or solely a religious issue. It is, in fact, a public health issue. The sooner nonsmokers are no longer forced to inhale harmful substances from nearby smokers, the better.

Last summer, the Salt Lake Valley Board of Health passed a resolution supporting a strict ban on smoking in all buildings, restaurants, private clubs, parks and other places where the public has access. Now, two bills have been proposed for the 2005 Legislature. One would extend the Indoor Clean Air Act to prohibit smoking in taverns and private clubs. Another would give cities the power to individually decide whether to ban smoking in those places.

To some people, laws such as these are particularly offensive because they strike at the places where people expect to be able to smoke. Some tavern and club owners call it a free-enterprise issue. An owner should be allowed to choose whether to allow smoking and let market forces dictate whether anyone decides to patronize the place.

Again, this would be fine if not for the public health issue. A business owner should not have the right to force workers into an environment dangerous to their health. Smoking is almost never a private matter. It is carried on the wind and dispersed, and there is plenty of evidence to show that secondhand smoke can cause health problems.

And, for the record, no one is talking about banning smoking from private homes — an idea often batted about by opponents of cigarette bans as a scare tactic.

Interestingly, Ireland's recent ban on smoking in all pubs is believed to have caused 7,000 people to quit the habit and another 10,000 to smoke less than they once did. Those are the estimates of the European Union's main health official, as quoted by the Associated Press.

Tobacco smoke definitely is on the run in many parts of the world. That's a reality Utah's tavern and club owners will have to accept.