To think it will serve some smokers right if outdoor smoking is banned

[user1485342611]

Yesterday a friend and I were sitting outside a cafe in a park (no indoor seating) having a coffee. We were the only people there as it was late in the afternoon. A couple sat at the table right beside us and proceeded to light up and enjoy a couple of cigarettes with their coffee.

I was sitting at the bus shelter a couple of evenings ago and a guy sat down beside me and proceeded to light a cigarette. I got up and walked a few feet away and stood until the bus came. He just smoked away, oblivious.

There was a long queue at the ATM today as several in the area weren't working. A woman smoked away in front of me and around loads of other people as we all waited for our turn.

Surely, just because smoking isn't illegal out of doors, it doesn't mean smokers don't have to show any consideration of cop on towards others.

AIBU to think that some smokers (and I know it's only some) will have only themselves to blame if smoking out of doors is eventually made illegal?

Personally!...

YANBU. I wish smoking was banned in outside seating areas of restaurants and cafes. Its so nice to sit outside in the summer, but I hate it when I'm in the middle of eating and someone lights up next to me. I think it's quite discourteous, even if it is legal.

I could put up with the bu stop and ATM examples, but I don't get why it's allowed in areas people are eating and drinking.

You say smoking is non-essential but it's fairly essential to our economy, in the same way that taxes on petrol and diesel are. You can hope the government will ban these environmental hazards all you want but they make too much money, sorry. YABU.

I'm not a smoker either.

I will say, honestly, that I am a smoker and have been for quite some years - I enjoy it.

Having said that, I absolutely refuse for anyone to smoke in my house (including myself and my husband), always ask for a non smoking table in our restaurants (where I live we can smoke inside - not yet fully banned) and generally most smoke here (designated smoking areas are heaving).

However, most people are completely entitled to opinions.

Yanbu but of course most smokers will disagree with us

Smoking will eventually be banned. public health England are making more and more areas "smokefree" so it stands to reason it will be. It's the biggest reason for people being in hospital. You want to help the NHS? Quit smoking.

I honestly don't think they realise the stink they make and the impact they have even outside. It's vile. The litter is a whole nother thing. If you do have to smoke at least pick up your fag ends!

Yanbu op but many will think you are and we are up ourselves for looking down on smokers.

What upsets me more is the amount of people in their 20's who smoke, how stupid is that given all the info on health risks?

I completely agree with this. It's so baffling to see teenagers and young adults smoking, surely we are past the "smoking makes me look cool" generation.

I agree with you OP. Should be banned.

YANBU - I find many smokers are incredibly selfish and don't mind inflicting their smoke and ash on other people, including, quite often, their own children.

I was married to a smoker for almost 20 years. He often promised to quit but never did, even when our youngest son had one bout of croup/chest infection/asthma after another and one doctor after another told him he needed to quit - surprisingly, all dc's symptoms disappeared when exh and I split up . (He was also really perplexed when his first wife's asthma completely cleared up after they divorced.) It's a very selfish addiction and smokers tend to minimise the impact of their habit on the health of others. Alcohol and drugs are not the same - yes, if someone is addicted to them it can have a devastating social/psychological impact on those around them, but it is not a direct, physical impact of the sort that smoking causes.

I don't understand the argument that there are loads of sources of air pollution, so we should tolerate smoking? It doesn't make it more okay, just because your lungs are also being attacked by car fumes, etc.

Personally, I live in a very rural area with v low air pollution and the only air pollution my dc was exposed to on a regular basis was cigarette smoke. So I guess it was difficult to blame something else
easy to identify the problem.

I can't wait for smoking to be banned in all pubs, restaurants, on the beach, in parks. You cannot have a coffee outside without someone blowing smoke in your face in the summer, you end up by deserting every place with smokers.

Let's not even started on people who think its fine to vape everywhere, children playground included.

It's a bit different with smoking in the street.

Someone mentioned barbecue or bonfire, I do wish bonfires could be banned, they are illegal in some areas. So inconsiderate and unnecessary.

Have a you precious snowflake smoking outside will never be banned. I smoke but I make sure I move away from people.

Vaping is absolutely not smoking. It is ridiculous to drag vaping in to a thread about smoking. First of all you want the smokers outside - done. Now you want the smokers to quit - great, let's vape instead. Oh no, wait, now I want vaping banned too. Just NO.

I don't understand young people taking up smoking either. How can something their parents' and grandparents' generation are actually trying to give up appear cutting edge or a cool rite of passage to teenagers?

You know what else is a non-essential activity that impacts negatively on others? Whinging on the internet. You need to have SEVERAL seats.

Get your life.

The thing is, I was trying to be dramatic. I am not one for confrontation or who enjoys causing a fuss, I didn't want him go see me coughing because he might have been offended by it which could have caused an argument. I didn't even say it should be banned outdoors, I'm just saying there are a few people out there who are more inconsiderate than the rest. I can't help if smoke being practically blown in my face makes me cough. And tbh if my choices are to breathe in all the smoke and suffer a coughing fit, or look "dramatic and precious", then I still choose the latter. I think some people forget that different things really do affect people differently. It's great if it doesn't bother some people, but it's always something that has caused me throat irritation and there's not a lot I can do about that.

I think it is actually banned in bus shelters. I don't think banning smoking outside is ok, but people doing it in tightly packed queues etc are twats.

Vaping is not smoking. End of.

"The man in front of me lit up while we was waiting, here I am, 36 weeks pregnant and coughing and sputtering. I couldn't leave the queue and the man was totally oblivious. I turned my back to the queue but it didn't help, in the end I had to discreetly hug my husband so i could use his coat as a mask to try and stop the smoke getting to me. "

Goodness I'm amazed you didn't faint clean away

I agree with you op. On several occasions we have had people plonk themselves on our table outside the local pub, without asking if we mind, and lighting up while we are eating. Vile!

*I wasn't trying to be dramatic.
Damn typos at an important bit.

You do realise faithinthesound that no one is forcing you to come onto AIBU or to open threads about smoking? Non smokers, on the other hand, have no choice but to inhale smoke from other people's cigarettes.

Oh and thanks for giving me permission to 'have my life'. But it's all right. I'm on top of that.

Is there any actual talk of smoking being banned outside? Or is this just wishful thinking on your part?

I don't like Simon cowell, grape fruits, love island, the new minis, dark chocolate and crocs.

I think these things should be banned.

'It's lawful to fart outdoors but we consider it rude to deliberately do so in close proximity to others.'

It stinks to be near anyone having a fag. Smokers do in in your back garden, living room or car. Just not around people who aren't smoking. Not hard surely?