The Ingham County Board of Commissioners’ made the right decision Tuesday in passing a ban on smoking in most county businesses.

The proposal was passed by a vote of 11-2, and would require businesses that allow smoking to create a separate room with ventilation directed to the outside.

Enforcement of the proposal will be done on a by complaint basis.

Originally, bars, bingo halls and restaurants were a part of the smoking ban proposal, but they were excluded after owners of such establishments argued the smoking ban would negatively impact business.

We agree. It was a good idea to exclude bars, bingo halls and restaurants from the proposal because these are places where people usually expect to be surrounded by smokers.

There would be no reason to regulate these places since they usually receive a good amount of profit from smokers, and would be the most likely to be negatively impacted by a blanket smoking ban.

But such businesses should still attempt to improve their ventilation systems. Owners of smoke-heavy establishments should be exploring ways to make their environments more pleasant when building or remodeling their businesses.

The proposal provides for smoke levels in bars to be checked periodically, which may help such business work toward cleaner air.

The ban can only benefit employees of other establishments. While people can choose whether they want to spend time in a smoke-filled bar, there’s generally no way to escape secondhand smoke at one’s place of employment, where spending hours of time a week is a requirement.

People should not be forced to be exposed to smoke when they go to work every day. Nonsmokers, those in poor health and people with asthma should always be considered.

The smoking ban proposal should positively affect the health of Ingham County residents.