Banning smoking outdoors?

[MrsMerryHenry]

Did anyone else hear about this on R4 (PM programme) this evening? I can't find an article about it anywhere. Is this a serious proposal?

It does make me when smokers complain about infringement of civil liberties over this issue. I don't believe I have ever heard a smoker talk about non-smokers' civil liberties being infringed every time someone lights up. And non-smokers have been putting up with second-hand smoke for about as long as humans have walked the earth. So although a very small part of me feels a wee bit sorry for smokers, that they're being pushed into a corner, the rest of me goes "ROFLROFLROFL it's about time."

Cars and industry serve another [useful] purpose too. Though we definitely need to improve pollution from them.

The problem with the pub garden poface is that the landlords cannot afford to marginalise some of their best customers, the smokers, who love being able to sit in the sun with a pint or whatever. It wouldn't make economic sense.

Saying that a cafe near me has a patio area and they won't let customers smoke there, don't know of any pubs that do.

They said the same thing about smoking indoors, eve, that pub owners couldn't afford to marginalise their customers, that it couldn't be enforced. but people adapted. What do all the smokers do on a wintry night? not go to the pub? No they go, and smoke at the front door. Same thing with the garden.

poface the place I was referring to is a Pizzeria, open at night as well, you should visit it if you come to this aread.

I am a non-smoker and proud. My mum was a smoker and has nearly died several times in my life due to the illness she developed as a direct link from smoking.

I will never see the appeal of something that we KNOW causes diseases (never mind anyones Granny who smoked 80 a day and lived to be 90 ) which if it doesnt does worsen your health and not only that but makes you fucking reek.

Lets face it, broken down to its parts even smokers agree its vile. You wouldnt smoke a stick of formaldehyde or a stick of tar, right? Yet those are key ingredients. If I had my way I would outlaw smoking in anywhere but the smokers own home. No, walking through a cloud of smoke outside a pub probably wont passively kill me. But why should I have to put up with that stink? It was bad enough in pubs when your eyes would sting due to the smoke and you smellt like you'd smoked a packet when you got home.
And I dont care if this makes me unpopular with smokers. I have some great friends who are smokers, whom I respect and admire. But I still think they're idiots for smoking.

Apologies for the rant; my personal experiences have embittered me...

You forgot radioactive lead and polonium 210 wolf, amongst others:

'Each cigarette smoked can also be equated to one chest x-ray, and a non-smoker living with a smoker may receive the equivalent of 12 chest x-rays per year'

from the University of Iowa, 'Radiation Exposure, The Facts vs Fiction here

Thanks abouteve. I hope so too.

hang on a moment folks. Do you remember when there were lots of smokers trying to give up, but it was so hARD to stop when pubs and such were filled with other smokers...the commonest thing I heard was 'Oh I am going out to the pub, which means torture, I will have to have a few when I;'m there because everyone else will be'.

So maybe the indoor ban is working? I mean maybe lots of smokers did it just as part of the s
cenery - because in a pub situation, that was just what you did and now, well if you have to go outside it kind of spoils the congruousness of it - it has become incongruous. Therefore perhaps smoking 'socially' is starting to look a bit silly.

I actually AM sweet and considerate pofaced, not that you'd know because you don't know me.

FWIW I would not smoke in a pub beer garden on a sunny day, I never smoke around my ds or any of my friends kids.

You will mostly find me, on an odd night out, stood under the heaters freezing my tits off outside P&P on the street having the odd fag.

I just object being told i should not do something perfectly legal outside.

oh I don't know Po - the brickworkds obviously wasn't serving much of a purpose (apart from stinking out an 20 miles radius and affecting people's asthma) as they closed it down several years back.

And cars - well - I know a lot of people that use a car when they blatantly don't need one.

And as for the smoking not serving a purpose - actually I think I'd have probably ended up joining my DH in the psych unit if I hadn't had my caffeine and nicotine to fall back on in the last 2 weeks .

Must add though (as a smoker) I think the banning inside was a good idea. Took my DS3 (2)for a pub lunch the other day and it was nice to not sit in a smokey environment.

And yes I can smell it - most people smoke the particularly rank cigarettes, yes roll-ups still smell/make people smell, but even I can smell the cigarettes.

skewed logic Dr N, you say you don't do exactly what I object to because you are considerate, and then say you object to what I object to because it is legal.

OK, here's a thing for your smokers who don't want to smoke those things that look like tampons: this.

My bro has one and he says it's great. He hasn't smoked a real cigarette since Xmas last year. They have some sort of atomiser incorporated so that you feel like you're inhaling and you actually exhale water vapour (which looks like smoke) so it's 'pretty cool'.

Of course, there are talks about banning these alternative products too.

Well good it is closed down always then, isn't it? I agree, people use cars too much. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Sorry things have been stressful for you, and about your dh, that sounds very hard. I can understand why you needed to smoke more recently. But terrible things happen to non smokers too, they feel just as bad, but don't smoke as they are not addicted. ~Breaking the addiction, perhaps when things are easier, can only be a good thing.

The ban has blown the social aspect out of the window. It's an addiction and most smokers, though not all DrNortherner, for one, are addicted. Giving up is possible but the stress of doing so makes people just carry on.

There are lots of pubs closing though as a result of the ban.

well perhaps more energy should be put into getting the govt to provide more useful support to those trying to give up, instead of complaining about 'smokers' rights?'

I tell you what if I wasn't a smoke then I think that last 2 weeks would have turned me to them anyhow lol.

There is a very effective method which isn't available on the NHS. It's not Nictoine Replacement Therapy, that keeps the person addicted to Nicotine without the pleasure that the occassional cigarette does actually provide.

It remove all traces of nictoine from the blood so that the patient doesn't experience the cravings in the same way as a cold turkey quit, but of course
a certain amount of can do attitude is also needed with this method. Costs about £400. If this was available on the NHS I would be straight down the clinic.

I did smoke for about 6 months always. Towards the end of a very abusive relationship and the ensuing break up. I had to stop though as I ended up in hospital with an asthma attack. But even I felt the physical effects of addiction and withdrawal. It was very hard. But I had no choice.

oh and I should just correct my post about the pub lunch.

I didn't take DS3 for a pub lunch - I took DH for a pub lunch with DS3 in tow (any of the DS's would be lucky at their current ages to get taken for a pub lunch just with me LOL).

I wouldn't ban smokers smoking those tampon lookalike thingies. They're hilarious.

Well I'm off to get a very healthy take away.

Been good chatting.

thing is that for some of us it's not just the nicotine hit that makes it addictive - I've used all the various quitting aids going - and still managed to smoke while using them.

And I've never yet seen a "fake" cigarette that's menthol

although having just done a quick google I've found these -

"Made with naturally-grown Marshmallow, rose petals, Red Clover and other selected herbs"

this is slightly off topic - but isn't marshmallow a very sickly sweet full of sugar????

At the link I put in you can get menthol flavoured nicotine and the pretend cigs are quite good.

Or smoke a tampon

yea - but I bet they "taste" something like cigarettes don't they - I can't stand cigarettes I can only smoke tobacco these days.

I need a cr*p free tobacco to put my menthol filter tips with.