Smoking Ban .... your opinion

[Mosschops30]

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I just came back from Ireland too-most people I know are thrilled with the ban. Haven't seen mentioned here the stated reason - that the staff in these places were within their right to have a smoke free workplace-and they are much healthier now one year on according to the paper. My friend's dad just died HORRIBLY and fast of lung cancer aged 62-he never smoked, but worked in factories where everyone else did-hs dr put it down to passive smoking.

I'm all for a total ban as well. It's totally gross and harmful to anyone around it - none of the other things listed (alcohol, chocolate etc) harm anyone but the consumer.

The outlaws smoke and although they go outside to do it they stink to high heaven when they come back in and I sure as hell don't want them breathing on my kids - bleurgh.

When they visit and hang their coats up in the cloakroom it makes it smell and when MIL sends things in the post, even the envelopes smell.

Sorry, off at a bit of a tangent there!

I agree with a ban, but then I would as had gave up last year and dh is now into his 5th week of not smoking, it so nice not smelling smoke around us or on our clothes, I hate it when I am walking behind someone who is smoking or when someone who smokes walks into where I work it make me feel physically sick and have to get the air freshners out...

Gobbledigook - "Alcohol doesn't harm anyone but the consumer" - I could present a strong argument to this statement. I won't, because I don't support a ban on alcohol - just as I don't support a ban on smoking. Just keep the smoke away from those who don't want it. If people want to kill themselves - that's fine with me. These days, nobody can claim lack of education about the effects of smoking. (My mother was advised to start smoking by her GP "to help her nerves". Some years ago, obviously.)

OK, the effects of alcohol on one person can affect another but not in the same way that passive smoking can - there is a clear difference.

I don't see what's wrong with banning smoking in public places - yes it's a person's right to smoke but it's also a person's right not to - but you don't get that right if everyone around you is smoking (e.g. in beer gardens, at the bus stop, in the shopping precinct). Smoking and passive smoking can cause lung cancer, it's a fact, and I for one don't want me or my children exposed to it anywhere we go outside our house.

I think it should be banned in all public places. Yes a smoker has the right to smoke but a non-smkoer has the right not to. Imposing smoke on someone I think is selfish when a nonsmoker doesn't have the choice.

How enclosed would a public place have to be for a ban?
Smoking in a park would be OK with me; possibly not for some of the posters here.

a park would be ok with me - by public places I meant indoors where the smoke is contained in the atmosphere more so than outside. sorry if I didn't make that clear. Saying that however, I find it annoying whenstanding at the bus stop and the person next to me smokes and it blows my way. I end up breathing it and move - sometimes losing place in queue.

StuartC.. re your comments..."What next after smoking has been banned?
Ban alcohol (of course)
Ban chocolate (it doesn't do any good, is addictive and makes some people fat)
Ban conversation (some people are quite nasty and cause upset to others)
Ban holidays (waste of natural fuel resources; and keeps people away from productive work)"..

That's just being pedantic really isn't it! Sorry but it is! And that old chestnut about alcohol hurting people other than the drinker.. well yes of course it can.. but that's no reason to settle for letting it continue to be legal for a certain minority to poisoned/polluted the air!

These pro-smoking 'arguments' always smack of real desperation and the flogging of an extremely dead house!

I'm not a pro-smoking campaigner (I don't smoke).

I just don't understand - why would you ban someone from smoking in a park?

People should have some freedoms - shouldn't they?

Dead HORSE not dead house!

Because parks contain other people who might be 'down wind' of the disgusting smell/harmful toxins. And parks are frequented by children..and people in general hoping for a breath of 'fresh air'.

Blimey - I thought some of my views were extreme!

Tops of mountains perhaps...?

Personally I'd love for smoking to be banned in all but your own private house. The realistic side of me would be happy for it to "simply" be banned from restaurants, pubs, children's areas etc.

I can still remember the disgustingess (not a real word!) of working with a smker who smoked at their desk. It was revolting - I used to get up and leave my desk whenever she lit up. Oh the joy when smoking was banned from the office!

Agree with Miss Galway, its much more pleasant for us non-smokers here and we are in the majority. And it was was not just specifically in bars but in all workplaces .i.e its there to protect the bar-staff

Stuart, not meaning to hound you here.. but I don't think it's an extreme view really. I mean smoking is harmful and unecessary and there are no two ways about it. I tend to sit on the fence with a lot of issues.. not deliberately.. but I can usually see both sides. I know I am biased by my circumstances.. but with smoking and I can't even see two sides.. there don't seem to be two to consider!

There was a time years ago when I lived in digs (pre-kids) when the first thing I did in the morning when I opened my eyes was light a ciggie and that was before I got out of bed! Maybe as an ex-smoker I am worse but I can't stand smoke now.

I hate smoky atmospheres, wouldn't let anyone smoke in my house or near my kids. I hate going to restaurants with people smoking nearby and hate it when smoke gets blown in my face when standing even several feet away from smokers. It amazes and disgusts me that at half time during netball matches, players light up - how bad is that?

I say ban it in public places - what people do in their own homes is up to them and nobody elses business.

No - not on mountain tops either! I frequent mountain tops thank you very much! - I'd ban bloody mobile phones from mountain tops too!

Don't forget that one of the aims of banning smoking in public places it to encourage peolle to stop smoking altogether. There are no argumnets against the diseases associated with smoking which impacts on all of us via the NHS!

I really liked the last advert I saw which showed the wreath for the mum's coffin with the voice over saying how she always smoked outside and never in front of her children. Didn't help the children in the longrun, not to have a mother.

here here mears. I also think the one where the lady has to tell the kids she has got cancer is harrowing. Most smokers think it won't ever happen to them though - oh how wrong they are!!

Have to say I feel very strongly about smoking too. Would absolutely love it to be banned altogether myself but can see why it won't (I can dream tho'). Am all for freedom of choice generally but as many others have said, inflicting smoke on someone else removes that and puts them in danger of passive smoking. That is just NOT acceptable. I don't want my children to ever have to breathe in cigarette smoke. Personally I can't for the life of me see the appeal of smoking, it just kills you in the long run - why help yourself to die earlier? Its your choice I suppose but don't take me with you! One of the things really annoying me at the moment is people smoking at children's parties, I so want to go and snatch them and jump on them (the cigarettes that is not the people ) but I'm not brave enough.

I think a ban is a stupid idea. Smoking outside does thousands of times less harm than traffic fumes: shall we ban that?

I'm all in favour of some sort of legislation to encourage non-smoking pubs and restaurants - maybe tax breaks or something to those that introduce a ban. But nobody forces anyone to walk into a smoky bar - smokers in bars are a lot less guilty of "inflicting" toxins on people than drivers are.

I find too much aftershave offensive too and it's probably harmful in some way. let's ban it.

But SenoraPostrophe, the traffic fumes are an unfortunately by-product of a useful device! That can't be said about cigarettes..
Pollution in general does worry me.. but just heard an ecouraging ad on the radio as I drove home.. Toyota's new Car Of The Year winner runs on alternate petrol/electricity.. so you get the same performance.. only half the pollution. And I'm sure techcology will produce totally eletric cars with as good a peformance as petrol/diesel.

Still no case for smoking though. There is no point to it.

SJ x

But my point is that traffic really does inflict its fumes on people. Smokers don't generally, because anti-smokers can choose not to go into smoky pubs etc. The amount of toxins you'd inhale from standing near a smoker in a park is absolutely miniscule and, like I say, perfume probably does as much harm.

If, on the other hand, this ban is about protecting people (smokers) from themselves, then why aren't we banning junk food?