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pig · 11-05-2006, 08:47 AM

Personally, I'd like to have most public places free of cigarette smoke. I think that's pretty close to the case for libraries, other public buildings, schools, etc. When it comes to bars and restaurants, I'd like to have a tobacco license similar to a liquor license. Not really too expensive, but providing a natural way to separate bars and restaurants where one can smoke, from those places one can't.

Unless we are actually going to make cigarettes and other tobacco products illegal, based on their negative health affects, I have a problem with making the use of a legal product illegal in public. One can argue a similarity to public decency laws, or I guess shitting in public, but I'm not sure I see that as a direct analogy. I'm not a regular smoker - mostly an occasional pipe or cigar - but there are some places I would actually miss the cigarette smoke. However, I can understand the situation of people like Sultana, who have asthma which might/will prevent them from going to the shows. I'd be willing to lose the smoke in most places - but I'd like to retain some places where I can have a bourbon and smoke a cigar, maybe shoot a little pool.

In the end, I think certain compromises can be reached other than a complete blanket prohibition of smoking, or having all public places, bars, and restaurants open to smokers. Which I think is linked to the reason that people are so adament in their opposition of cigarettes - it has a substantial affect on what they can do. If someone is allergic or strongly offended by the smell of cigarette smoke, then they simply can't go to bars at night. That would piss me off too - as has been stated, smokers can argue that other people should be more tolerant of their smoke, but in the end a non-smoker can't avoid the second-hand smoke in certain situations. It really isn't up to the smoker to decide what the non-smoker should have to put up with. I think tobacco zones would drastically alleviate the problem for both sides.

11-05-2006, 08:47 AM	#17 (permalink)
pig pigglet pigglet Location: Locash	Personally, I'd like to have most public places free of cigarette smoke. I think that's pretty close to the case for libraries, other public buildings, schools, etc. When it comes to bars and restaurants, I'd like to have a tobacco license similar to a liquor license. Not really too expensive, but providing a natural way to separate bars and restaurants where one can smoke, from those places one can't. Unless we are actually going to make cigarettes and other tobacco products illegal, based on their negative health affects, I have a problem with making the use of a legal product illegal in public. One can argue a similarity to public decency laws, or I guess shitting in public, but I'm not sure I see that as a direct analogy. I'm not a regular smoker - mostly an occasional pipe or cigar - but there are some places I would actually miss the cigarette smoke. However, I can understand the situation of people like Sultana, who have asthma which might/will prevent them from going to the shows. I'd be willing to lose the smoke in most places - but I'd like to retain some places where I can have a bourbon and smoke a cigar, maybe shoot a little pool. In the end, I think certain compromises can be reached other than a complete blanket prohibition of smoking, or having all public places, bars, and restaurants open to smokers. Which I think is linked to the reason that people are so adament in their opposition of cigarettes - it has a substantial affect on what they can do. If someone is allergic or strongly offended by the smell of cigarette smoke, then they simply can't go to bars at night. That would piss me off too - as has been stated, smokers can argue that other people should be more tolerant of their smoke, but in the end a non-smoker can't avoid the second-hand smoke in certain situations. It really isn't up to the smoker to decide what the non-smoker should have to put up with. I think tobacco zones would drastically alleviate the problem for both sides. __________________ You don't love me, you just love my piggy style