Smoking (hell, sin)

[No*s]

"You have given out too much Karma in the last 24 hours, try again later."

Looks like I can't frubal you for that point ND

[Master Vigil]

I smoke a cigar every now and then, but I definitely don't think smoking should be allowed in public places. I don't feel I should smoke a cigar somewhere next to a person who may have asthma. That would be definitely selfish and disrespectful on my behalf.

[painted wolf]

Sadly Tobacco money is spent by the states however they see fit. Very little actually goes to anti-smoking education.

I sould add that while I'm not a 'smoker' I do smoke tobacco in religious ceremony, though rarely.
The tobacco I use is hand grown and treated with respect in a sacred way.
Tobacco is sacred to Native Americans, it is abused by industrial greed IMHO.

I beleve firmly that the sacriligious use of Tobacco is what makes it dangerous. Companies add chemicals and additives to make it addictive and potant, and it becomes a killer. Tobacco has strong medicine and its treatment is what makes it harmful or helpful.
Disrespect equils death.

wa:do

[Majikthise]

It's crazy here in Mass. You can't even smoke in a bar.This is a privately owned establishment and as long as the owner posts warnings there should be no problem.The anti-smoking lobby(I call them smoke-nazis) has become a little over zealous.My brother was on a job on Cape Cod on his lunch break.He was in his car having a cig after lunch across the street from a park when a policeman told him he could not smoke there.It was the middle of the day, all impressionable youths in school,and they had to screw with him.Give me a break!

[Prima]

The point is that just because you smoke, you shouldn't 'make' other people smoke. Those who wish to smoke should do so in an area where others do not have to breathe in their secondhand smoke.

Libraries...that's a no-brainer. You're in a place full of paper, for god's sake. Don't bring anything in that could set it on fire!

Bars...that's up to the owner. If they choose to let customers smoke, ok. Their bar, their rules.

Schools...um, hello? NO! A lot of children (elementary-aged) mimic what they see. The more they're exposed to it, the more likely they will smoke.

Places that aren't well-ventilated: smoke is harmful. The smoke that comes out of a cigarrette is the same kind you were taught to avoid in Fire Safety programs. Not only does it harm your lungs, it also hurts any other exposed membrane - mouth, throat, eyes. If you want to do it, fine. Go for it. But don't make other people breathe the stuff in, too!

Our King's Dominion just started a great policy. (if you don't know, it's an amusement park) They made 16 'smoke zones' where people can go to have a cigarette. That way, it's contained. Also, EVERY ride can be seen from a smoke zone. So if you're waiting for a friend/child/whatever to get off a ride, you can see it. And you can't use that for an excuse for lighting up around others!

Another thing people don't think about is the litter...cigarette butts are EVERYWHERE. It's gross, unsanitary, and just plain ugly. By confining smoking to designated areas, it's easier to keep streets clean.

[No*s]

Originally Posted by Majikthise

It's crazy here in Mass. You can't even smoke in a bar.This is a privately owned establishment and as long as the owner posts warnings there should be no problem.The anti-smoking lobby(I call them smoke-nazis) has become a little over zealous.My brother was on a job on Cape Cod on his lunch break.He was in his car having a cig after lunch across the street from a park when a policeman told him he could not smoke there.It was the middle of the day, all impressionable youths in school,and they had to screw with him.Give me a break!

That's exactly why I'm ambivalent about making restrictions on peoples' actions in privately-owned "public" places . It can, and it will, be taken to an extreme that I would consider coercive and a violation of civil liberties...even if that particular violation would make me more comfortable.

[Scuba Pete]

Florida has banned smoking from ALL restaurants... I am not sure if it applies to bars, but I think it does. It was a matter of worker safety. No one should have to work under those conditions.

[Majikthise]

http://www.davehitt.com/facts/epa.html

[Unedited]

I don't smoke.

I don’t think there should be taxes, no matter what the money is used for. Melody made a good point, if you tax tobacco, you should be taxing other things too, and where would that stop? I don’t think more money for education would improve anything much. Kids are already well informed; it’s up to their parents and friends, and more importantly themselves.

I think smoking is a horrible, disgusting habit, and don’t want to be around it, but I’d much rather see a restaurant smoke-free because the restaurant decided to do it, not the government.

This discussion made me think of two pictures I’ve taken and wish I could find. The first is of three of my friends all in their DARE shirts smoking, and the second I took on the Tour d’Eiffel. It looks over the edge at a breathtaking view of Paris, with cigarette butts littering the ledge. My pictures always go missing when they become useful.