To the editor:

I frequently travel to Lawrence on family and business trips. I have lived in California more than 15 years, and am writing to voice my support for the anti-smoking movement now taking shape in Lawrence. In the state of California, smoking is prohibited in all restaurants and bars. The patrons appreciate eating or drinking in a smoke-free environment, and patronage has not been lessened by this anti-smoking regulation.

Those who choose to smoke are given designated space outdoors for that purpose. Smokers’ freedom of choice is honored while maintaining a smoke-free environment for all other patrons — a win-win situation for all. We need to acknowledge the right to good health as being at least as important as freedom of choice.

Barbara Casella,

Sacramento, Calif.