Unalaska, AK – A community member is circulating a petition to repeal the smoking ban in bars. The petition's author, Jessica Culp, says smoking should be allowed in places that only serve adults and not children.

"And it's not like we're saying, 'OK we'll put the whole thing up for a vote' or 'this is ridiculous; we need to revoke the ordinance entirely.' It's just, give us a place, where we don't have to be standing outside smoking a cigarette in 50 knots winds and snow and what have you."

Culp circulated the petition in bars and on a couple of fishing boats. She hasn't collected them yet to see how many signatures she has gathered, but she thinks it's about 300. She says she knows that many of the people who signed it are not registered voters in Unalaska, however, people who are not technically residents but who spend much of the year here should have a say.

"A good part of this was to point out to City Council that their job as city council is to represent the community. It's not to speak for the community," she said. "And when they issue an ordinance like this, that does affect the entire community, they need to put a little more consideration into people's opinions and maybe not do it when everyone's on vacation."

Culp said many people were out of town when the final ordinance passed in May. However, the council began discussing the smoking ban in December of 2008, almost six months before the final ordinance was passed. Each meeting was highly attended by both full-time and part-time residents. Culp did not attend any of them because she said she did not know about them.

Other frequent bar goers think the ban is beneficial for everyone. One community member, who prefers not to be named because of the political nature of the subject, said the smoking ban caused her and some of her friends to give up smoking.

"Personally, I went to the bar and I used to smoke with friends because it was the only way I could stand to be around them because if I was smoking the smoke didn't bother me. But since the smoking ban, I no longer smoke. And so that's better for my health altogether and for my children's health because you could smell it on my clothes and things."

Though Culp argues that non-smokers can just not go to the bars, this resident said there aren't many other options.

"I think in Unalaska there's not a whole lot of entertainment for adults. There's not a lot of places for people to get together, enjoy dancing, enjoy karaoke, enjoy jam nights. There's not a lot for adults to do except for to go to the bars."

The smoking ban passing in May with a council vote of 6 to 0 and went into effect in August. The ordinance includes a provision allowing businesses to build small, enclosed smoking shelters that are detached from the main building.

Culp is now running as a write-in candidate for city council.

In related news, the BBC reports that two recent studies show that the number of people who have heart attacks decreased by one third when communities implemented smoking bans. Studies show that second hand smoke increases the chance of having a heart attack by making blood more prone to clotting, reducing levels of beneficial "good" cholesterol, and raising the risk of dangerous heart rhythms.