Public Smoking Ban

[TwentyFourSeven 0]

As the UK Legislation thats being put through the commons says it will ban people from smoking around food in public places, so bars that serve food will have to be smoke free. It be interesting to know how split the OFP community is on the subject.

Personally I don't smoke or hardly drink now I have a family of my own. So I dont care about bars and people smoking as Ive been there done that, but I do hate smoking when Im eating. So I would only go to a smoke free restaurant which is so hard to find in the UK.

For me going out and being with people that smoked didnt bother me as its part of the ritual of going out (to be expected) but when Im at home or out walking theres nothing I hate more than breathing in people smoke.

Afterall smoke is water vapour based so im taken in someone elses fluids, which i reserve for my wife only, (unless had a few pints and im out of sight ;))

[SpongeBob 0]

But chewing tobacco is still legal in bars and restaurants, right?

[TwentyFourSeven 0]

Does anyone still chew it??? I thought that went out of fashion as it was a big cause of Oral cancer?

[DracoPaladore 0]

AFAIK, Canada has had a ban like this for a long time. In resturaunts, it makes sense. But Bars, I dunno. If it's like a pub or a resturaunt with a bar, then I'd say no since the smoke would still reach people or their food.

[TwentyFourSeven 0]

I have no doubt,, I think Los Angeles has had this law for a long time aswell and I know Ireland brought this law into effect last yeah to. Just the UK slow to catch on especially before an election

[stevevcb 3]

Suits me to a tee, being a non-smoker.

[EiZei 0]

With all the surveillance/police powers being increased I hardly can bother with smoking bans.

"We want to arrest people without giving any reason or even allow outside contact and be able to search homes without even notifying. - Ok, those dirty brown terrorists are the only ones with anything to hide."

"We want to ban smoking in public places because of health concerns. - YOU GODDAMN FREEDOM HATING LIBERAL ORWELLIAN SCUMBAGS!!"

[sputnik monroe 102]

I don't like smoke and I find it to be a pathetic vice. I think the choice should be up to the individual establishment though.

[red oct 2]

Does anyone still chew it??? I thought that went out of fashion as it was a big cause of Oral cancer?

cigerettes can cause oral cancer just the same as any tobacco product and i've seen people using chewing tobacco especially since its becoming cheaper to buy than a pack of cigerettes.

edit:

this kinda reminds me of the GTA SA radio comercials:

man: "I need a smoke."

soccer mom: "You Murderer!!" (gunshot)

Maurice: "A flower is nothing more than an educated weed. And like all weeds, all living things need to be extinguished! Like a life-support machine, or a cigarette! Which I won't be able to smoke anymore if the fascists in the state government have anything to say about it with that damn Proposition 421... Tobacco is a plant, people! And if it comes out of the ground, we should be able to smoke it! Like coal! And opium! Next caller!"

[TwentyFourSeven 0]

Lol Red, great game and great commercials,  when I first bought the game I went and drove up a pier overlooking the sea and played the radio caller stations to hear all the amuzing stuff. sad i know

[denoir 0]

I think that the government has no place interfering there. It should be up to the restaurant/bar/whatever to decide. You always have the choice of going to a non-smoking establishment.

Smoke free bars stink - literally, of booze and sweat. Utterly disgusting.

TwentyFourSeven:

A note about the poll choices - "Id like to get a bunch of liberals into a room and passive smoke them to death.".. I'm assuming you are implying that liberals want to ban smoking. It is however very contrary to the fundamentals of Liberalism, which focueses as the name imples (liber :free) the rights of the individual.

Definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism

The US usage of the word is different, but as I understand you're from the UK. In the UK the LibDems have strayed away from their ideology on the subject and gone socialist ( full support of the ban ). Their youth/student organization seems however to have stuck to liberal values:

http://www.ldys.org.uk/web/news/20041110001.html

Quote[/b] ]LDYS chair Chris Lomax said "Liberalism is about tolerance and choice, about devolving meaningful power to local areas, about ensuring maximum freedom for all whilst minimising harm to others. Our new smoking policy sets this out clearly, that passive smoking is harmful, that non-smokers should be free to breathe clean air, but that smokers should still be provided the opportunity to enjoy their habit in a social context. Nanny state government interference is not needed here, the decision should be left to individual bar owners, local authorities, and ultimately the public in the venues they wish to frequent."

Worth mentioning is that the Liberal group in the European Parliament opposes total bans as it infringes the rights of the smokers.

[TwentyFourSeven 0]

Quote[/b] ]A note about the poll choices - "Id like to get a bunch of liberals into a room and passive smoke them to death.".. I'm assuming you are implying that liberals want to ban smoking. It is however very contrary to the fundamentals of Liberalism, which focueses as the name imples (liber :free) the rights of the individual.

Was running out things to put, so it was a fun option. Which I didnt think many would Poll...

[denoir 0]

Well, I voted for it because I hadn't read the other alternatives properly

I saw that the first one was pro-ban, the bottom one was don't care, and the one above it had "death" in it, so I assumed that it was an anti-ban choice. Well, my real opinion is #2, that it's big brother gone too far.

[barcode6 0]

AFAIK, Canada has had a ban like this for a long time. In resturaunts, it makes sense. But Bars, I dunno. If it's like a pub or a resturaunt with a bar, then I'd say no since the smoke would still reach people or their food.

Only some places in Canada have a ban, but more are on the way.  For instance in Calgary, where I live, they have banned it from pub patios so as not to expose passers by to the secondhand smoke.  This struck me as an odd way to go about it since it doesn't protect the workers inside the pub from secondhand smoke, which is the central argument here supporting the ban. So now we can't smoke on the patios and the servers still get lung cancer.  Not logical, but then when has a governing body (anywhere) been logical?

I'm a smoker, and since I smoke less under the new rules, I don't necessarily mind them.  But I have a problem with being compelled to alter my behavior by force of law.  Smoking is bad, and a burden on the healthcare system because we all pay for my lung cancer (ignoring the large tax revenues from sales of cigs that offset that). By the same logic I should be able to demand a law that keeps my neighbor from eating at McDonalds because I don't want my tax dollars to pay for his heart attack.  Granted, sitting next to him while he is stuffing his face isn't going to make me fat too, but it's still someone else making decisions for me.   Another example: I wear my seatbelt because it is a smart thing to do, and hate getting stopped on my way to work with a seatbelt spot check and a threat of a fine.

At times I feel like I'm being trained to let others do the thinking and deciding for me, and that the governing entities that rule my life think I'm too stupid to breathe on my own.  Welcome to the 'nanny state'.   I don't mind that others don't want to be exposed to my secondhand smoke, and with that in mind I've always been a considerate smoker.  I'm just waiting for the day when I won't be able to smoke on my own porch...

[TwentyFourSeven 0]

Thats an interesting perspective barcode its good to hear the other sides thoughts on the subject.  It's hard to deal with peoples liberty issues when it comes to bans as theres always someone on the receiving end getting their liberties kicked.  So whats good for some is bad for others.  Someone suggested a way forward is to have proper none smoking/ smoking dividers in pubs.  But all those non-smoking sections ive seen are powered by a tiny fan resulting in it doing nothing at all.  Perhaps the tobacco industry should tackle the emitions problem from smoking if thats at all possible, so it only harmed the smoker.  I mean the habbit cant get any more expensive can it

[Ares1978 0]

It's a drug and smokers are addicted, that's all there is to it. Rights don't even enter into it. And lets face it, people are stupid, they really REALLY need a nanny sometimes.

[quicksand 0]

Here in Romania it's smokers heaven.You can buy them at just about any age from every imaginable store with no one asking the questions or respecting the interdiction to sell them to youths.

Then you can enjoy them at very atmospheric clubs/pubs or bars,always engulfed in a cloud of smoke and can drink your liver out at an age when you just go with the trends,are easily manipulated and society facilitates your newly discovered vices.

I've been aproached since I was eleven to take a smoke and always greciously refused seldmoly trying it in my own privacy and realising they aren't worth it.For me it was easy,I enjoyed sports and was my entire youth a trend rejectionist but others weren't so lucky to realise on their own what they are doing.

Yet even if I've grown in such an enviroment I don't agree with a full ban on it for the reasons already outlined.

[-Ash- 0]

I'm a smoker but I never smoke on public transport or whilst people are eating.. My home town of Liverpool is on the verge of becoming England's first no smoking city so I think it's gonna be a thing of the past soon.. Hope so as it will give me more encouragement to quit.

[Acecombat 0]

Well i'd support a smoking ban in public places everywhere , nothing good comes out of smoking for the , smoker or the one recieving its crappy smoke.

[da12thMonkey 1943]

I don't mind people smoking so long as it's not where I'm eating, so I support banning it in restaurants and the like. However I think it should be up to the establishment to decide whether people can smoke in their bar or pub. Coming home from a pub, not stinking of other people's cigarettes would be strange.

[RED 0]

I'm all for the ban (even if it is a bit unfair), the only pubs near me are smoke filled holes. Some of my friends enjoy this and as such do not want a ban, I can see their point of view, but choose to ignore it. I am hoping to eventually become a professional fighter, breathing in smoke would definitely not do me any good.

Bring on the ban!

RED

[dmakatra 1]

In June Sweden is passing such a law as well. Suits me fine. In fact I love it. I'm working in a restaurant (just a few hours a week) and it's not very nice working in a smoke full enviroment. If it was up to me, I'd ban smoking in every public place. Like on the streets or outdoor conserts.

[Major Fubar 0]

This falls well out of the spectrum of what is covered by the Offtopic section.

TwentyFourSeven, as you are a new member, I would suggest you take some time and acquaint yourself with the forum rules.

[SpeedyDonkey 0]

The main argument that some of the legislators use is that this law is to primarily protect the employees in these restaurants. This makes it somewhat easier to justify the part about governments interfering in others business. I mean if this was optional, a waiter expressing a wish to work in a non-smoking area might find himself in a worse position then his colleague that accepts the terms for working in a smokey area, and hence endangering his own health for the sake of the job.

Personally I don’t smoke. I’m not too bothered when others do it though. What I do hate is when my clothes pickup the smell, that kind of bugs me, but other than that I’m fine. I have nothing against this ban, and I do think that there are ways to cover the smell of sweat, if nothing else, people might start showering before they show up at the pub, wich is a good thing.

[barcode6 0]

It's a drug and smokers are addicted, that's all there is to it. Rights don't even enter into it. And lets face it, people are stupid, they really REALLY need a nanny sometimes.

I would argue that I'm not stupid (who wouldn't). By your logic they should make smoking, alcohol, dangerous sports, fatty foods, and a host of other personal indulgences illegal. We need to be told how to live I guess; let's all run and hide behind the gov'ts apron strings. I also never claimed that smoking was a right, but the choice to smoke or not is.

There's always non-compliance as an option... Considering the Premier of my Province is a smoker, an alcoholic, and a fat bastard too boot I'll be the first one to ignore any new laws.