smoking laws

[svero]

What is your feeling on laws that prohibit smoking in public places like restaurants, shopping malls etc.. Interested to hear what people have to say pro and con.

I'm a non smoker - have been all my life, but I don't particularly like anti-smoking laws. I feel for instance, that a restaurant owner should be free to have a smoking section if he wants to. I wont go on though. I'd rather like to hear what other people have to say first.

 

[Tricky]

Take a look at this thread before you get too wound up. A lot has already been said.
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edited to add:
And this one

 

[arcticpenguin]

Some people smoke, everybody breathes.

I have been in restaurants where the non-smoking section was a joke. In one instance, a long room was divided lengthwise with a 4 foot high wall topped with plastic plants. This wall served as the dividing line between the smoking and non-smoking sections, so people seated only a couple feet from me were smoking away. In addition, a ceiling fan directly overhead was blowing their smoke down on me.

I think one important issue in recent smoking bans is the effect on the workers. You could claim that the customers choose to be there, but the workers do not really freely choose to be in all that smoke as there is economic pressure. If you claim the workers are voluntary, apply the same reasoning to other workplace dangers - dangerous chemicals, asbestos, nuclear power plants, etc.

 

[Evolver]

Even before a medical condition kept me away from smokers. I had chosen to not patronize any bar or restaurant that does not have a non-smoking section.
That said, I don't feel the government, local or otherwise should have the right to decide what legal activities are allowed in a business.

Other points on smoking:
Smoking bans tend to congregate smokers by the entrances to buildings. This means that I have to walk through their clouds to get in or out.

As a person who once managed a number of employees in a business, I found that smokers tended to think that they were entitled to take a smoking break anytime their addiction hit. They never notice how unfair this is to non-smokers.

Why do most smokers just throw their butts out of their car windows on the highway? Is it because they don't want their ashtrays to smell as bad as their mouths?

(end of rant)

 

[Cleon]

Why do most smokers just throw their butts out of their car windows on the highway? Is it because they don't want their ashtrays to smell as bad as their mouths?

It's not "most smokers." I don't throw my butts out windows. Nor do most of the smokers I know.

The people who DO throw their butts (or anything else) out windows do so because:

1. They're arrogant louts who think the world is their garbage can.
2. Think it's "cooler" than using the ashtray that came with their sh!tbox.
3. Have no consideration for those of us who ride motorcycles. Burning objects hurt, dammit!

Every time I'm on my bike and see someone throw a butt out the window I make sure to get right next to them and give them the "I'm number 1" signal. Mature? No. But hopefully it will get them to think about throwing burning objects out the window at high speeds where not everyone is in a steel/fiberglass cage.

 

[arcticpenguin]

Every time I'm on my bike and see someone throw a butt out the window I make sure to get right next to them and give them the "I'm number 1" signal. Mature? No. But hopefully it will get them to think about throwing burning objects out the window at high speeds where not everyone is in a steel/fiberglass cage.

Do you say anything to help them realize the link between your friendly wave and their actions?

 

[MoeFaux]

A happy capitalist environment has a lot of private business who run things their own way to create healthy competition.
The government should have no say in what a private business owner wants to allow in his establishment. If the place sucks, people go somewhere else.

I agree with the above post, though. I've worked several jobs with smoking co-workers. Every 15 minutes, they'd leave for another cigarette, while I only got my allotted break time. There were moments where I considered just buying a pack and holding on to a lit cigarette just to take a break.
Hey, but, managers usually notice stuff like that and act accordingly. If they see an employee working hard and another goofing off, they remember. And that's not karma, that's just what's fair.

 

[Brown]

Why do most smokers just throw their butts out of their car windows on the highway? Is it because they don't want their ashtrays to smell as bad as their mouths?

I used to work with a man who was one of the kindest, gentlest and most polite men I've ever known. He was a true gentleman. No matter how rude others were to him or how stressed he was, nothing ever made him lose his cool, except... watching smokers discard their butts carelessly. If he saw a smoker flick a butt out of a car window, that activity, for some reason, would really infuriate him.

If he had the opportunity to scold the smoker, he would do it. Most of the time, however, he would simply rant: "That's right, throw it out there for somebody else to clean up, it's not your problem, is it??"

It was the selfishness of smokers that angered him. On one occasion, he noticed that a smoker had burned a hole in the carpet of my office. He promptly called in our maintenance guy to repair the burn, and a short time later, he spearheaded an effort to ban all smoking in the office.

Once smoking was banned in the office, a large all-weather receptacle was placed by the front door, because that's where smokers congregated. Curiously, many smokers would not use the receptacle even though they stood only a foot or two away from it. There were some cigarette butts in the receptacle, but there were several dozen strewn around the general area, too. As you may have guessed, he wasn't happy about this, either. (I have seen this same phenomenon elsewhere. Some smokers literally will not go two feet to put their butts into a proper receptacle.)

On my way to work, there is a corner where I have to stop in order to make a left turn. There are literally hundreds of cigarette butts on the island next to the turning lane. Cigarette butts, by far, account for more waste strewn on that island than any other type. I wish some people wouldn't be such selfish slobs.

 

[arcticpenguin]

A happy capitalist environment has a lot of private business who run things their own way to create healthy competition.
The government should have no say in what a private business owner wants to allow in his establishment. If the place sucks, people go somewhere else.

I agree with the above post, though. I've worked several jobs with smoking co-workers. Every 15 minutes, they'd leave for another cigarette, while I only got my allotted break time. There were moments where I considered just buying a pack and holding on to a lit cigarette just to take a break.
Hey, but, managers usually notice stuff like that and act accordingly. If they see an employee working hard and another goofing off, they remember. And that's not karma, that's just what's fair.

I thought your use of the bolded word was ironic in this context. I am reporting it to Alanis.

 

[MoeFaux]

A friend of mine told me a story of how he was riding in a limo with one of the Rolling Stones. I don't remember if it was Mick or Keith.
He was wearing a huge fuzzy jacket that went down to his ankles, and all over it was this odd mix of decorative buttons, as if they were just randomly sewn on. My friend thought nothing of it, just that it was the Stones eccentric style, unil he saw him drop some ash from his cigarette onto his coat.
"Look out, you've dropped some ash onto your coat", he said.
To which the Stone said,
"Oh, *#%@, time to get another button."

 

[MoeFaux]

I thought your use of the bolded word was ironic in this context. I am reporting it to Alanis.

Ah, yes. You got me. Please don't make me listen to "jagged little pill" again.

 

[Cain]

Working with a team of chemists, I am currently creating a spray carcinogenic to humans. More importantly, it will make your clothes smell and eyes water. Whenever I enter a restaurant or bar I plan on spraying the solution into the air at random. On a few chance occasions I may even squirt someone directly in the eye. Please understand that this was not intentional, and definitely try not to construe it as a physical attack. Your eyes will get better shortly and the smell will go away after a much-needed shower. Don't worry, the health affects are marginal -- it would take an ungodly amount of the stuff to give you cancer. Oh, the cough is also only temporary. Joy!

But that's not taking it far enough. I'm going to distribute liters of the stuff over the Internet and resort to hi-tech guerilla tactics. Anyone ever hear of "flash mobs"? Whenever you identify a smoker bothering you personally or an innocent bystander, just send out the message, brother. We will promptly converge on the offender - be all over him like ugly on Chelsea. We'll have to wear masks, of course. The entire spectacle will be as startling as the chemicals we're cramming down his throat! (Feel free to dress as a clowns, mimes, or pirates. We especially need clowns. People are scared of clowns.)

Smoking bans tend to congregate smokers by the entrances to buildings. This means that I have to walk through their clouds to get in or out.

I know of a couple college campuses that have created rules that go into effect this year prohibiting smoking within 25 feet of building entrance or exit. Smokers make it sound as though they're getting hauled off to concentration camps, though. Aw, poor babies. Have a good C-R-Y.

The government should have no say in what a private business owner wants to allow in his establishment. If the place sucks, people go somewhere else.

No say? No say? You can be the clown in regiment. Come dressed as you are. Never mind smoking, are you suggesting the government cannot impose now standard health and safety regulations? And if a diner says "No black people allowed!" well, that's also A-OK. According to the free-market, businesses that discriminate on the basis of race will immediately go bankrupt. Duh! And businesses that "discriminate" against inconsiderate bastard smokers will, uh, thrive or something. And if neither of those outcomes hold true? Big deal- it's a free-market.

"No, I don't mind if you smoke. Mind if I fart?" -- Steve Martin

 

[Tony]

A business is a private establishment, the (police) state has no place dictating how it should be run.

 

[Tormac]

A happy capitalist environment has a lot of private business who run things their own way to create healthy competition.
The government should have no say in what a private business owner wants to allow in his establishment. If the place sucks, people go somewhere else.

I agree with the above post, though. I've worked several jobs with smoking co-workers. Every 15 minutes, they'd leave for another cigarette, while I only got my allotted break time. There were moments where I considered just buying a pack and holding on to a lit cigarette just to take a break.
Hey, but, managers usually notice stuff like that and act accordingly. If they see an employee working hard and another goofing off, they remember. And that's not karma, that's just what's fair.

I'm trying to find the dilbert cartoon where the bald guy with glasses invents the "eargarette", a cigarette for non-smokers that one places in the ear, to allow non-smokers to take a cigarette brake. The eargarette would be a lot safer than startign to smoke just for a brake .

Does anyone remember when that dilbert came out?

 

[arcticpenguin]

A business is a private establishment, the (police) state has no place dictating how it should be run.

How far are you wiling to push that line of reasoning? Suppose a 'private establishment' wished to sell sexual acts with minors, for instance, are you saying that would be none of the government's business?

 

[Jaggy Bunnet]

A business is a private establishment, the (police) state has no place dictating how it should be run.

No say? So a business which sells heroin to six year olds is fine in your eyes?

 

[Tony]

No say? So a business which sells heroin to six year olds is fine in your eyes?

I dont have a problem with it. Freedom entails such things.

 

[Ian Osborne]

A happy capitalist environment has a lot of private business who run things their own way to create healthy competition.
The government should have no say in what a private business owner wants to allow in his establishment. If the place sucks, people go somewhere else.

Are you Shane Killian's sock puppet?

Seriously, not every town and village can support enough private businesses to create that sort of competition. What if there's only one restaurant in town and it allows smoking throughout?

There's this thing called society that many of us still care about. Businesses are making money out of the community, and I see nothing wrong with that community expecting some sort of standards, enforced through the law if necessary.

 

[toddjh]

What is your feeling on laws that prohibit smoking in public places like restaurants, shopping malls etc.. Interested to hear what people have to say pro and con.

I'm a non smoker - have been all my life, but I don't particularly like anti-smoking laws. I feel for instance, that a restaurant owner should be free to have a smoking section if he wants to. I wont go on though. I'd rather like to hear what other people have to say first.

I agree. In fact, I'd take it one step further and ban smoking in all public places (including outdoors). People choose to go to a restaurant, but they can't always choose to avoid public areas.

I think a non-smoking section in all restaurants is a good idea, but I'm not sure that making it mandatory is necessary. I bet just about all restaurants would choose to have one on their own.

Jeremy

 

[a_unique_person]

Why do most smokers just throw their butts out of their car windows on the highway? Is it because they don't want their ashtrays to smell as bad as their mouths?

(end of rant)

This is not true at all. In fact, I saw this car that was parked in our street once. The owner opened up the door, and tipped his full ashtray into the gutter. So, some smokers save up their butts to cause one big pile of litter, rather than many small pieces of it.