After spending roughly $200/month on lattes, cappuccinos, iced tea, and iced coffee at Starbucks, I ended the work day with a large $0.99 iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. From now on, I will be frequenting Caribou, Dunkin' Donuts, and other privately-owned, local coffee shops. I won't even conduct business with the Starbucks kiosks in malls and department stores. I will not give a cent of my hard-earned money to a company that caters to not only the Progressive Left but also the FDA, Big Pharmaceutical Companies, and Americans for Non-Smokers' "Rights". I will not spend any more of my limited income on a business that ignorantly classifies electronic cigarettes as tobacco products comparable to traditional, analog cigarettes or blatantly suggests that water vapor is harmful to bystanders in the exact same way as tobacco smoke containing carbon monoxide, tar, and about 4,000 other chemicals, some carcinogenic. I believe that either the CEO is completely misinformed about the countless studies surrounding the safety of inhaling "secondhand" e-liquid vapor or he is being lobbied/bribed by an anti-tobacco/pro-Big Pharma affiliated organization, particularly with ties to the federal government.
However, I seriously doubt that local chains will comply with this new policy. Starbucks banned smoking on its outdoor patios at least a couple years ago, but nearly every local Starbucks chain I went to had either ashtrays or smokers' poles near the outdoor seating. Also, the 25ft rule is impossible to enforce since most Starbucks are located within 25ft of some other privately-owned business.
