So last year my city council narrowly passed a smoking ban. Since Jan. 1 this year everything has been smoke free, including restaurants and bars. And it has been wonderful. I can now go to a bar with friends without having to hold my breath when somone walks by (in case they are a smoker) or if I need to go use the bathroom or something. You see, I have asthma. Normally, its well controlled, but smoke is one of those triggers that can really aggravate it. It can start me up coughing or wheezing or worse. Plus, I just hate the smell of smoke. I don't wear strong perfumes or scents or anything-- I try to be considerate too. So the ban was passed. And it has been nice. Also if DH goes out with friends after work he no longer smells when he comes home!

We recently had city council elections. The Mayo, a piper smoker, is planning to call for a vote to immediately repeal the smoking ban. Unfortunately it will probably get repealed.

I think this is very silly for a couple of reasons. No. 1: My state is waiting on a signature from the govenor to pass a Statewide smoking ban starting in Jan. The Gov said he will probably most likely sign. No. 2: If the buisinesses and everyone had six months to prepare for going smoke free, shouldn't they have six months to prepare to go back to smoking? And since it has been five months, aren't they used to it by now. They claim it is hurting buisiness, that smokers are going elsewhere. Maybe a few people-- I don't see that when I go out. Places look just as crowded to me as they always did. Besides, we only have small towns immediately around my city (pop about 180,000) There aren't many other places for people to go unless they are willing to travel.

So what are they going to do, repeal a ban so they can smoke for six more months? How bad is their nicotine craving? This just seems crazy to me.

Any thoughts?

“They lie about marijuana!

Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated.

Lie!

When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort.

There is a difference.”

- Bill Hicks

:faint:LMFAO :D:D:D:D

That is so true! :eek: :heh:

green,

second hand tabaco smoke is harmful. i dont know anything about pot.

and just because there are harmfull things out there in the air, and sure there are-how is that a reason for it to be ok to add other harmful things? if one hazared is out there, dose that mean its ok to add another?

michee,

one difference i can see between the big mac and the smoking-big mac affects the eater. smoking affects the smoker AND other people breathing in harmfull second hand smoke.

A whiff of second smoke from someone who is smoking outdoors is not going to kill ya. The concentration in terms of parts per million is simply not sufficient. Let's not confuse this fact with the fact that you and many others disapprove of the habit. I have no problem with smoking being banned from confined spaces, that is to say indoors.

And most certainly, if eating Big Macs results in morbid obesity, other people will be affected. Both medical personnnel and medical facilities do become diverted in order to treat medical conditions arising from obesity and medical insurance fees do rise. Too many Big Macs will affect the life of the organic spinach eater.

its not a whiff its lots of whiffs and it is harmfull.

i dont dissaprove of the habbit itself. i'm just stating that its harmfull.

its strange i acually like the smell of it.

and the big mac thing- i was talking about natrual result of the actions. not the man-made consequences that are part of a system that has so many issues and problems with it as it is, and should be changed. but thats a whole other topic...

Sorry to have to say this but it is true. Smoking kills everyone it reaches. You, me, him, her, all of us. It needs to stop.

Plus, and here is the best part, we can discourge kids from starting to smoke. If there is less places for them to go to smoke or be exposed to people smoking the better. If we can stop kids from starting, that would be fantastic. If they see people having to go outside in the rain or snow this will instill in the kids a sense that smoking is not fun it is a drag ( sorry for the pun ).

We need to stop children from starting to smoke. We have all got the band for our health. Physical and mental health, we need to help the kids for their health and future health. I please ask all people who smoke to not fight the ban in bars and resturants. Make smoking inconvenent for children to start. Thank you.

, Bob

Everybody who breathes has died also. Damn air!!! :tired

yes we all will die. no kidding.

so what dose that mean, that unhealthy habits are ok? lots of things will kill you or make you sick. since we all will die-is it ok to just go do them?

some overweight people live long lives. so i geuss its ok to eat junk, even though it makes you sick and gives you health problems.

some reckless drivers dont die or kill/hurt other people in car crashes. lets drive recklessly.

some people will survive gun shots. lets shoot people.

if someone wants to screw up their own health its there business. but stop hearting other people. thats not nice.

I understand where you are coming from. However it is not the governments place to regulate individual health and safety.

If a person does not want to breathe in secondhand smoke they can always go somewhere else.

at this day and age, i dont even know what the government's place is anymore when it comes to so many things.

yet SO many laws are desinged to protect individual safety and health. without them we will have chaos, putting it mildley.

i am not trying to say who's job is it to say stop. i am saying-it is not ok to hurt others. if second hand smoke would not have been harmfull, then anyone can say-smoking is my business alone, and i would'v had to agree.but it is harmfull.

and avoiding smoke is not so simple as going somewhere else

While there are some laws in place to protect individuals most laws on the books are designed to protect public health and safety. there is a subtle difference.

the public is build of individual people.

and when it comes to second hand smoke-it is harmfull to one, two three and more individuals, a.k.a the public.

This is just the same as having a "No peeing" section of the swimming pool....

LOL, no Jack. Silly. The smoke knows where to stay. That's why smoking sections in restaurants are effective. The smoke knows not to cross the invisible line between that table in smoking, and this one next to it in non-smoking.

“They lie about marijuana!

Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated.

Lie!

When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort.

There is a difference.”

- Bill Hicks

HAHA, I think we were seperated at birth.... my twin brother lives in Oregon! and his name is derrick!

I am all for banning smoking in public places.

If someone wants to smoke around me, they shouldn't exhale.

I generally avoid situations where there will be smoke, smoking or the lingering noxious fumes of same.

I don't usually post here on this "rant" thread--but the smoking thing I have no qualms about professing. I don't like cigarette smoke!

As a few others mentioned, I also lost my father at 51 to lung cancer (when I was 14), my stepfather to several forms of cancer, and then my mother at age 64 when her heart stopped. All of them were heavy smokers since their late teens.

After being exposed to second-hand smoke for decades, I frequently get upper respiratory infections and have allergies. I hope I never develop lung cancer due to this exposure like Dana Reeve did recently (a life-long non-smoker).

It still bothers me to this day that my dad never got to see me graduate from high school, be the first in the family to graduate from college, he wasn't at my wedding to walk me down the aisle, and he never got to meet my son.

After watching my father and stepfather waste away to 130 pounds or so, I'll never understand why anyone would want to start smoking in the first place (if you're already addicted, that's one thing--it's hard to quit).

IMO, if a person chooses to smoke, they can go ahead and smoke because it was their choice to puff away, but I shouldn't be forced to inhale their smoke since I have made a conscious decision not to smoke.

That seems like a fair arrangement to me!