You own a business that you run with your money. You have certain criteria for hiring, promotion, salary, benefits, etc. Is it the role of government to dictate criteria for these decisions about your business with your money? I think not.
Yet according to South Carolina code 41-1-85, you can’t use tobacco use as one of these criteria. I’m not aware of any other specific like this in South Carolina Statute that dictates employer’s personnel decisions. S. 180 simply deletes that section.
There is opposition to this bill based on arguments about personal liberty, privacy, and responsibility. Some have pointed out that tobacco users get picked on regularly for the politically correct. I am respectful and sympathetic to these valid points, however, I disagree with the notion that government can dictate this decision on employers. The emphasis is not about tobacco use (whether its good or bad is a different debate), it is about getting government out of the way of commerce.
As usual, this open forum welcomes all viewpoints, so feel free to comment.
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