Poll: Should smoking be made illegal?

[Vryyk]

I don't think asking the state to protect us from ourselves is a good idea. The job of the government should be to protect us from other countries and criminals.

Just because cigarettes are bad is no reason to ban them, things like coffee, candy and soft drinks can also be harmful, but it should be left to the individual's discretion whether or not partaking is worth it.

Things like acid and meth need to be banned because they pose a significant risk to people not participating in the act (psychoactive drugs tend to decrease inhibitions and increase aggression) as well as massive debilitation to the individual in question (posing potential risks to dependents), but for the most part, people should do as they please.

And even though I don't smoke personally (nor do I allow it in my house/car) I think sin tax at the present levels falls just short of an outright attack on personal choice. Suppose congress decided soft drinks posed too significant a risk to our health. Obviously they would have no constitutional/legal grounds to ban it, so instead they would have to turn the tax levels up to ungodly levels. In that scenario, bereft of any sort of "moral high ground", the whole things sound ridiculous. But it is exactly what they have done with smoking. Only with smoking, there is the thin veneer of "greater good" over an obvious profiteering racket.
*climbs off of soapbox*

 

[Geekosaurus]

By this theory we'd also have to ban things like alcohol; I can't see that happening any time soon. I think drugs will eventually become more widely available rather than more drugs being banned. I'm reminded of the opening of the film Layer Cake; 'One day all this drug monkey-business will be legal; once they figure out how much money's in it: not millions, fucking billions.'

 

[dogenzakaminion]

Speaking as a smoker who enjoys it, has no intention of quitting and started by my own will, I of course voted no. However, I'm not a complete asshole who thinks smoking should be allowed anywhere at any time. I respect other's feelings toward it and I think the current smoking law (not in public spaces unless it's outside) works fine. If you're outside then you can move, or the people who don't like it can move. If you're in your house it's your rules, but it's still possible to respect other's wishes right? I don't think it should be made illegal, but I think those who do smoke should understand that we're essentially "in the wrong" and should be more flexible.

 

[Vryyk]

FYI, alcohol is actually poisonous, and that's why we get drunk from it when we drink too much, so it is harmful regardless for all the smarty-pants' out there. I don't think heavily taxing it would be the right thing to do considering they would still buy, they'd just lose an arm and a leg in the process. I don't think it sould be banned, but I think there should be more programs to help quit.

I agree with you. Alcohol can certainly be bad, but banning it is an exercise in futility (as the American Prohibition showed) as well as ethically shaky. If more people are to stop, WE as citizens need to make the push. I'm partial to a bit of whiskey every so often, but many are partial to a bit of whiskey every five minutes. Followed by a bit of spouse abuse.

Other citizens should provide ready sources of help for people who need it, and the government should provide jail cells for those who hurt others while intoxicated.

 

[C95J]

Make the tax higher, there is no downside.

The government will get more money from tax.

Less people will smoke making healthcare cheaper and people happier

 

[MassiveGeek]

snip (yeah that or some variation thereof - be creative!

Yup exactly. That's all a question of manners and not one of smoking though. The first two girls are poorly mannered and their behaviour is out of line. The woman at the end wasn't to know you had a problem with it, but when you politely let her know she politely moved, no hard feelings. I think that's how all these situations should be dealt with, and I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have a problem with each other.

What do you think should happen if it is raining, there is a small bus shelter and nowhere else dry for ages around, the bus is going to be half an hour, and you and a smoker find yourselves waiting there?

I'm usually dressed to deal with any type of weather, so I wouldn't actually mind to much to stand out in the rain. If they did ask me if I minded them smoking, I would of course be honest and tell them yes, I do mind - then the ball is in their hand, maybe they don't have a problem with waiting really, or they just really have to take a smoke, then I can move away(or maybe they can if they're dressed for the weather). My reaction would probably depend greatly on their actions in this situation.

 

[jack583]

smoking does not just harm the people that smoke, but also the people around them.
smoking has no health benefits at all.
tobacco only kills whoever breathes it in, even after you smoke.
the smoke clings to your clothes, forcing others to smell it.
and for those who say "i'm just exercising my right to smoke" i say this: you are interfearing with my right NOT to breathe that smoke.

Unless I'm forcibly entering your home and smoking there, you're ALWAYS welcome to fuck off elsewhere.

that would be called "breaking and entering"
which is illegal

Yes... relevant?

there are people who smoke and there are people who don't
the ones that do not smoke don't harm anyone when they exhale
those who do smoke harm themselves and others

I believe he was talking about the breaking and entering part. Which isn't relevant.

As for smokers harming others, drinkers harm way more WAAAAAAAAY more. Infact the amount of people that smokers harm (due to smoking) is very very small. Yes they harm themselves but that is their choice

EDIT: I think the quote button is being a bit weird.

the fact is that smoking harms the smoker and those around them, the amount affected shouldn't matter
smoking causes damage and has no health benifits.
yet, marajawana has little to no negative side affects for adults and can be used to treat glaucoma and it is illeagal.
what possitive side effects can come from smoking that you can't get from something else?

 

[Kasper Gundersen]

Well, smoking in it self, ins't that bad, but it's not funny if you sit in a bar, with two people smoking beside you, blowing smoke into your lungs... On the other hand all my friends are smokers, but I'm not... I've may already been infected with nicotine, so what the f*ck do I care?

 

[Caspertjuhh]

No, let people smoke.

 

[MassiveGeek]

-Snip-(is how you write it right?)

If there is plenty of space there usually isn't a problem, because the smoker will usually not stand close to me while lighting a cigarette, so mostly there isn't a problem in that sense. However, one time I was sitting on a bench waiting for the train. Two girls comes and sits down on the bench, starts talking - no problem. Then they light up a cigarette each, completely ignoring that there's another person on the bench.

This is what I can't stand. Because there were plenty of other spaces(and benches) for them to light a smoke on - what they did was just plain rude. I actually told them this, and with some snarky comments they moved. It's no big deal, but I wish people wouldn't be this rude.

Another situation. I'm waiting at the bus stop, sitting on the bench there completely alone. A lady walks up and sits on the bench. She lights a cigarette, and I cough, she then turns to me and apologizes very politely, then moves away. This is decency. She realised that I was there and respected me by moving away and having her cigarette a bit farther away.

Do you see my point? All I'm asking is decency, of course from both people, but the situation is in fact more dependant on the smoker, because they're the one lighting the cigarette - I don't know if you're a smoker most likely, and they don't know I'm not. So why not just be decent and light the smoke a bit farther away?

That's basically my point.

So you take your hate for rude, stupid people who happen to smoke out on smokers?

Makes sense. Most of the smokers in this thread have been decent people - as in they usually mind people around them. To lump millions in with your apparently limited encounters with smokers is pointless and retarded.

You know why you can't think of a time where you saw a smoker not light up next to you, and you didn't notice until he flicked away the butt or whatever that he was smoking?

BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T NOTICE, that's why! Most people don't even pay any attention to anyone outside of their precious bubble that they don't even notice when someone (ie, a smoker) purposely does get out of the way, or stands outside of a train terminal. But oh, shit, some of the smoke crept through the opening and shit's about to hit the fan because half an ion of potentially harmful air got in your face!

What?

I don't hate all smokers and never said I do, what the fuck are you talking about? What exactly are you mad about? Why don't you read the whole conversation before raging over one post that doesn't even say what you claim I'm saying?

Let me clarify it for you then: I hate it when people are douchebags, and smoking in someones face is a douchebag act. If they DID move away and smoked a bit further away, even if I noticed, they were in fact further away and showed respect: I wouldn't yell at them for it, I would probably just myself move a bit further away and do my part of the whole decency thing.

If they do light a cigarette in my face, then they're fucking rude. I never said ALL smokers are rude assholes who always light up in my face, I'm just saying that it's common decency to not do it, and I wish no one fucking did.

What are you TALKING about?

 

[jack583]

smoking does not just harm the people that smoke, but also the people around them.
smoking has no health benefits at all.
tobacco only kills whoever breathes it in, even after you smoke.
the smoke clings to your clothes, forcing others to smell it.
and for those who say "i'm just exercising my right to smoke" i say this: you are interfearing with my right NOT to breathe that smoke.

Unless I'm forcibly entering your home and smoking there, you're ALWAYS welcome to fuck off elsewhere.

that would be called "breaking and entering"
which is illegal

Yes... relevant?

there are people who smoke and there are people who don't
the ones that do not smoke don't harm anyone when they exhale
those who do smoke harm themselves and others
why should people who don't smoke have to breathe second-hand smoke?

Because unless I've invaded your home and pinned you down so I can breath my second-hand smoke at you, you've always got the freedom to fuck off elsewhere to protect your precious lungs from the immeasurably small amount of damage that my second hand smoke might do. That means it is your choice to breath the air that you like slightly less, and that means you're damaging yourself. In other words, if you want total control of your environment, stay the fuck out of the shared space.

let's say that there is a space with 5 non-smokers and one person that is smoking. all six people have to be in that spot for some reason; waiting for a bus, a cross walk sign to say "go", ect. should the person that does smoke leave because he/she is the minority?

 

[lacktheknack]

No. Imagine the black market.

However, get it out of public. I can barely breathe as is.

How about we get you out of public, and the overwhelming majority of the rest of us who cope with trains, trucks, cars, motorcycles, ventilation systems, buses, factories, the list goes on get on with our lives in public with the option to make no difference to the quality of the air outside by smoking open to us?

Point: Missed.

Well, I didn't give enough information. I'm asthmatic and have bad reactions to cigarettes. As in: Breathing in the smoke puts me in the hospital. Car exhaust doesn't do this, I don't live near factories, etc.

So if you smoke near me, you kill me. I need to be in public more than you need to smoke. Period.

 

[Vryyk]

Make the tax higher, there is no downside.

The government will get more money from tax.

Less people will smoke making health care cheaper and people happier

The tax on cigarettes is already ridiculous. What right does the government have to try and dictate what we do with out lives? The "downside" here is that infringing on the right of the individual by financially punishing them every time they make a choice goes against the whole idea of freedom.

If you don't like smoking, disallow it in your house and car. That is your right as an individual.

If a restaurant owner doesn't mind smoking, they can allow in in their establishment. That is their right as well.

If the clientèle of that restaurant doesn't like smoking, they can deprive the owner of some income by going elsewhere. That is capitalism.

When the government says that we can not be trusted to make such a decision for ourselves and must be punished for making it, now we have strayed into something else entirely...

 

[Unesh52]

Not really an argument for making mandolins illegal, is it? And why shouldn't the restaurant owner be the one to decide if he wants impromptu mandolin playing in his restaurant instead of blanket banning mandolins from all restaurants, bars, pubs, hotels, and indoor public areas?

Well... yeah you're right.... My mandolin argument can only be extrapolated to mean that smoking in such places should be a social faux-pas (by the way, fuck spelling in French). though I would like to point out that that's an appropriate counter to the post I was actually responding to. He was suggesting that it was unfair of non-smoker to ask someone to stop smoking around them. That's not true. But back on topic:

The only reason I can think of to institute a legal prohibition would be if there was a significant health risk to the other people in the room. The whole argument seems to boil down the significance of second hand smoke. From what I understand, it would be too great a risk for everyone to be allowed to do it. Sure, the effects of a single smoker may be negligible, but if non-smokers have to inhale it at every restaurant, grocery store, bank, and library they go to, those effects can add up. Therefore, smoking should be banned in public places. That's a much better argument I think.

 

[Jonluw]

Well, by arguing that people know the risks of it and should be allowed to decide for themselves, you could also argue for the legalization of far heavier drugs than tobacco.

I, myself, do not think smoking should be outright banned, it should be purged over time. The narcotics industry's firm grasp on our culture must be loosened slowly and with care.

 

[elvor0]

Just ban the use of it inside like they do in Britain, or have smoking rooms, I smoke occasionally, but I always ask people if they mind if they say yes I just wont, or I'll step outside, even I don't like the smell, and I fully understand anyone not wanting you to smoke in their presence.

See, thing is, you don't need to.
Non-smokers hate the smell of smoke so much, businesses that prohibit smoking are generally much more successful than those that don't.

WOW. I would LOVE to see the study that this aborted fetus of an idea came out of.

Let's see..well, just for shits and giggles, let's start with the big 3 car manufacturers, Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Boy, they're just a steaming pile of success now, aren't they? All those bailouts are a sign of making the right call when they passed that anti smoking act on employees.

Grow the fuck up, you dolt. Whether a business prohibits smoking or not has exactly as much effect on how successful it is as my left nut has on how stupid your statements are.

(I know you're thick, so I'll spell it out - none. It has no effect.)

NO need to be so hostile, I would assume he's on about places like restaraunts, where it's perfectly acceptable to be asked not to smoke, no one who doesnt smoke wants smoke filling up a room when they're trying to have a romantic meal.

 

[MrFluffy-X]

I used to think it should be....when i was 12! now im all grown up and no longer an idiot! people know the risks its up to them, plus its good fun in night clubs going out for a smoke, taking a break and talking to randoms also stops me from drink too much.

plus i see it as a small way of getting back at the government treating us like children. You have to remember the tabacco companies have brought alot of good as well.

 

[jack583]

smoking does not just harm the people that smoke, but also the people around them.
smoking has no health benefits at all.
tobacco only kills whoever breathes it in, even after you smoke.
the smoke clings to your clothes, forcing others to smell it.
and for those who say "i'm just exercising my right to smoke" i say this: you are interfearing with my right NOT to breathe that smoke.

Unless I'm forcibly entering your home and smoking there, you're ALWAYS welcome to fuck off elsewhere.

that would be called "breaking and entering"
which is illegal

Yes... relevant?

there are people who smoke and there are people who don't
the ones that do not smoke don't harm anyone when they exhale
those who do smoke harm themselves and others
why should people who don't smoke have to breathe second-hand smoke?

Why should i have to to listen to idiots in the streets or binge drinkers who cause fights?.

I smoke around those who smoke and when i'm in the street i stay clear of people around me by walking on the outer street of where i live i actually tend to care about where my smoke goes but anyway my point is that while your saying why should they have to breath in 2nd hand smoke i'm also countering that with binge drinkers and midday drunk poeple in the streets giving you a not so great time.. its not really nice either.

first, name one good side effect of smoking that you can't get from something else.
second, i don't aggree with alcohol either. in fact a lot of todays problems start with someone getting drunk. if you have a problem with drunks go do something about it instead of just complaning about it. nothing gets done unless you do something.

 

[TehIrishSoap]

Every country should follow suit on what Ireland started.
Ban smoking in all public places.
It was enforced 6 years ago, and now when I go to watch a football match in my local pub with my Dad, I can enjoy the match, without having to inhale that horrible smell