What is your opinion regarding smoking and the new laws?

[Edmunda]

^{I think smoking around children is a bad example for them, glad the ban is in effect where I live}

[Zooba]

I have mild asthma, so when I'm around smoke my breathing is constricted, but not dangerously so. My dad started smoking hookah and when I was a kid and has progressively gotten more and more addicted. My mom broke every one of his hookah pipes to try to discourage him, but he couldn't stop, so we installed a separate air filter and air conditioner, as well as a separate duct airway system in one room in the house, and he's allowed to smoke in that room only.

 

I don't think there are any laws against smoking in my country at all, but private establishments usually have designated smoker/non-smoker areas, without any governmental decrees :P

[tytio]

I feel like restricting places people smoke is fair, and constitutional (I live in the states) because your rights cant be infringed upon by the government UNTIL they infringe upon the rights of others. I feel that second hand smoke infringes upon my rights and the rights of others, thus I feel that placing laws on smoking in public is ok

[000]

Most of you act like smokers are these vile demons from hell that follow you around and blow their smoke straight into your face. I'm not really sure how it is in other countries but here when a non-smoker sees a smoker light up they don't go standing right next to them.

[passiflora]

Most of you act like smokers are these vile demons from hell that follow you around and blow their smoke straight into your face. I'm not really sure how it is in other countries but here when a non-smoker sees a smoker light up they don't go standing right next to them.

Haha I don't think that's the case, but I guess it just goes to show how much smoking truly bothers some people. I work outdoors in public parks all summer long, and people smoke all the time in areas like that. They're outside and not smoking right next to me, but I can still smell it and it still irritates my throat and lungs and makes my eyes water.

 

I don't mean to generalize, but in my experience, smokers tend to be a tad inconsiderate at times (just when it comes to smoking -- they could be wonderful people in every other aspect!). They often see smoking as a right, while I see it as a privilege, or at something that doesn't trump others' rights to good health. Never mind my own health, at work I rarely see anyone use a bin/ashtray - it's tossed on the ground where it pollutes flowerbeds, ponds, or places where children play, or into a trash can where it's a fire hazard and the smell of burning plastic irritates everyone even more. Cigarette butts are one of the most common forms of litter (between a quarter and a third of all litter, I believe).

 

The laws here are no smoking in public buildings or within 3 metres of a door/window/air duct, and I hope they keep implementing stricter laws. Don't get me wrong, I know and love many people who smoke, but I feel like it's such a useless habit. :(

[Nataluna]

well even though Australia has strict smoking laws, you get people who think its prefectly fine to smoke outside doorways,

 

the irritating thing is when people do that in front of hospitals. or in places of high traffic, shopping centre entrances, in my case my campus library. i go in and out of the library 10-15 times a day, and last semester at any given point there would be 10 people outside each entrance smoking, and because its semi shielded, there isn't much of a breeze to blow the stuff away.

 

so yes i think people are inconsiderate, the laws against smoking in doorways were implemented years ago and people still do it. if they took a walk for 10 metres to the lovely grassed park area just down from the library, i won't mind at all. there are benches and there were ash trays and a gazebo that was specifically installed so people could smoke even if it was raining

 

instead because everyone complained about the library in particular, we now have a campus wide ban. and i think thats unfair because smoking is an addiction, and people can't just stop. but now they have to walk 20 minutes to get off campus to get a smoke and you can't do that between classes. its also unfair because we are an international campus, and we get students from countries where there is heavy smoking, and now suddenly they are expected to quit.

 

but those facilities were in place before i started uni, and i rarely saw people use them despite extensive notices and campaigning by the student body and the administration. so this has so far proved to be the only effective solution to produce any results.

[Airotia]

I grew up around smokers, my whole life. I think my only reprieve from second hand smoke growing up when I was younger was when I lived with my uncle for a while, who smoked outside. My younger sister, who is seventeen, has smoked since she was twelve, as often as she could manage to get a cigarette I kept it covered up for her because I knew she wasn't snatching any from my dad, just getting them from friends, so I didn't feel it was a bad thing or anything. My older sister has been smoking since she was about twelve as well, and she's like, thirty now. In a family of five I'm the only one that doesn't, and will never, smoke.

 

I have breathing problems from time to time, and my family members tend to smoke in front of a fan because of that, but I totally understand and support these smoking rules. Inhaling a little bit when you're eating shouldn't really affect you in the long run, but it's still unpleasant and ruins the meal for non-smokers. I also understand the strict rules in regards to selling and promoting cigarettes, because it is a negative habit, and it is very detrimental to your health. I would love for smoking to eventually die out entirely, but I know that's never going to happen. I don't support extra cigarette taxes, because while it doesn't mean I'll have to spend more on something, a lot of smokers are lower-middle class, and they need tax breaks more than ever nowadays. I know there was a big uproar lately because a tax had been proposed in my area, and my Dad was all in a tizzy about it.

[Emily]

I live in Ontario as well, and as others have said, we have pretty strict laws governing snoking regulations. I'm a social smoker. If I'm at a bar or a concert or something, I'll have a couple. I like menthols because, believe it or not, they actually help clear my sinuses. I'm not what you call addicted though. I go through (maybe) a pack a month, and even that's a little excessive.

 

I agree with what most have said. The laws are in place for the good of the many. I would believe that, in 2012, the majority of people are non-smokers. Majority here meaning more than 50%. If two or three people are smoking in a restaurant and it disturbs the other twenty, why should the twenty have to leave? I never really got "smoking sections" anyway. It's not like the second hand smoke knows it has to stop when it drifts over into the non-smoking areas. It's been medically proven that smoking is hazardous to the health of, not only the smoker, but those near the smoker. In my mind, prohibiting smoking from public places is effectually no different that prohibiting mustard gas or other chemical weapons from being unleased in public places. They're all dangerous, but in different ways. When I want to smoke, I go outside away from the building (far past the suggested distance) and away from everyone else, and down wind. I am very aware that people don't want to be subjected to my smoke. I don't understand why others feel it's their right to do whatever they want, even though it harms those around them. If you don't like the regulations, quit.

 

My father quit smoking cold-turkey 2 months before I was born 22 years ago. With all the smoking aids available now, it is infinitely easier. If you want something bad enough, you'll find a way to do it.

[lilshadowdweller]

Most of you act like smokers are these vile demons from hell that follow you around and blow their smoke straight into your face. I'm not really sure how it is in other countries but here when a non-smoker sees a smoker light up they don't go standing right next to them.

 

I never seen state any such thing; but I've heard smokers say something similar to you - always about how one shouldn't "come near" them. Obviously, a non smoker will not but the problem is when a smoker comes into an area where there are no smokers and starts smoking because they feel it's their right and everyone else should have to go away. If it's a public place, a smoker should stay where they are, not think they have some sort of invisible right where everyon else around them has to move away.

[keiwo]

non-smoker here but two of my flatmates smoke and a lot of my older family members do as well. it's a complete waste of money and life and i understand that psychological addictions are very hard to overcome but it certainly isn't an impossible feat. i don't believe addiction of any kind qualifies as illness. it pisses me off a lot when people say they 'can't' quit smoking, especially when they haven't even made a conscious effort. i feel like people are selectively ignorant to the detriments of smoking, making it harder for them to quit. if you really want to do something, you'll do it. it's that simple.

 

i agree with laws that ban smoking from populated public places such as schools and workplaces. i, personally, don't want the smell of smoke clinging to my clothes and hair (it's friggin awful), and nor do i want to breathe in air polluted with vile cigarette smoke. the tax on cigarettes here was put up (again) late last year, but i'm not sure it's done much to help the problem. i wish cigarettes could be phased out of society altogether, but i know people would run riot and then just find another vice. idk it's basically disgusting and one of the worst habits a person could ever have

[SuperAttackPea]

I live in ontario as well. I previously lived in California and it is illegal to smoke on any educational institution there. But in Ontario, it seems ok to smoke on university campus. Last semester, I was living in dorm and facing a place where people could smoke. I seriously hated it when I just open my window and smell the stinky smoke. I hated it. I wish I could open my windows without worrying about second hand smoke

[Cassia]

I live in Ontario, where there isn't really a problem with smoking. However, every 2 years, I go to visit my relatives in China, where smoking is prevalent, especially in restaurants. As a child, I had asthma (which has gotten a lot milder, thankfully), and would have trouble breathing when exposed to too much smoke. Once I actually had to go to the hospital for it, where...wait for it...there were people smoking! Even though there were huge no smoking signs plastered everywhere, no one seemed to take notice of them, and no one seemed to enforce the rules. Another thing I find really ridiculous was how I went to a few restaurants that had "non-smoking" sections, either above, or beside the smoking one. It's not like the smoke knows where to stop...

[jadorablack]

I lived in China for 8 years and the smoking there is CRAZY. I don't smoke but I may already have lung cancer. I think it's gross and that no one should do it, but all of the smokers I know wish they could stop, so don't think the smokers themselves are gross, just the action of smoking. A lot of kids will cough loudly or something whenever they pass by a smoker to tell the smoker not to smoke. I think this is extremely rude, but at the same time, there are certain places where people should not smoke, and if their smoking is putting other people's health in danger....

 

My cousin and I were walking somewhere and the person in front of us dropped his cigarette butt on the ground. My cousin picked it up, tapped the person's shoulder and said "Excuse me, I think you dropped this." And then he handed the person the butt back. I just thought that was awesome :)

[moni_rawr]

I smoke and agree with the restrictions on where you can smoke because I hate the smell of secondhand smoke (funny, I know). Here in Arizona, you have to be at least 20 feet away from an entrance and you're no longer allowed to smoke in bars/pool halls. Perfectly fine with that because it's my choice to smoke and others should not be forced to inhale secondhand smoke nor have to leave because of the smoke. And when there's children (even my 18 year old niece) around, I don't smoke at all because I'm not going to be the one who gets them started on smoking. I know it's a nasty habit, so I try my best to make it so that my habit only effects me.

I also love the cartons of cigarettes in Thailand, they show black lungs that look disgusting. Of course, the packs inside have a man holding a baby while he's smoking...but at least the cartons show you what happens when you smoke.

[passiflora]

I also love the cartons of cigarettes in Thailand, they show black lungs that look disgusting. Of course, the packs inside have a man holding a baby while he's smoking...but at least the cartons show you what happens when you smoke.

Do they not have that in the U.S.? :O Here in Canada, you have to have a picture and a warning, and I think they just changed it so it now has to cover 75% of the package instead of 50%. Smokers on my Facebook have been complaining about how disgusting the pictures are, so obviously it's working. :laughingsmiley:

[moni_rawr]

Do they not have that in the U.S.? :O Here in Canada, you have to have a picture and a warning, and I think they just changed it so it now has to cover 75% of the package instead of 50%. Smokers on my Facebook have been complaining about how disgusting the pictures are, so obviously it's working. :laughingsmiley:

 

No. The cigarettes have the brand name, what type they are, and whatever colors that type of pack is. They have a small warning on them, but it's on the bottom if I remember correctly (too lazy to go find a pack) and it's just a surgeon's warning about how smoking may cause cancer. There's quite a few "stop smoking" commercials with people who have lung cancer in the hospital and such trying to get people to quit...but they're not effective.

[glorious918]

Smoking is bad for my health. Never smoke before and never will.

[kyedigsme]

I've never smoked and never will. Neither has my husband. I can't stand the smell of smoke - I get a headache, feel nauseous, etc. I hold my breath when I have to walk past people who are smoking. We live in a basement apartment, with a door between our half of the basement and the landlord's (owner of the house - I've come across a few people who don't know what a landlord is). The landlord (and perhaps his wife) smokes like a chimney. When my husband first moved in (we weren't married yet, I still lived at home), I thought that there was no way I could ever live in the apartment. The smoke smell drifted into the apartment constantly. It was awful. We put towels under the door between our side and theirs to block the smell, and we got plenty of candles and air fresheners. Now, we only smell the smoke occasionally, like when we run our window air conditioner (it must pull in smoky air from above). I've found that many people who smoke tend to proclaim that it's their right to do so, and it's their choice to ruin their body. However, what they fail to acknowledge is that the non-smokers have the right to breathe clean air.

[lilshadowdweller]

The landlord (and perhaps his wife) smokes like a chimney. When my husband first moved in (we weren't married yet, I still lived at home), I thought that there was no way I could ever live in the apartment. The smoke smell drifted into the apartment constantly. It was awful. We put towels under the door between our side and theirs to block the smell, and we got plenty of candles and air fresheners. Now, we only smell the smoke occasionally, like when we run our window air conditioner (it must pull in smoky air from above). I've found that many people who smoke tend to proclaim that it's their right to do so, and it's their choice to ruin their body. However, what they fail to acknowledge is that the non-smokers have the right to breathe clean air.

 

We had the same apartment in our old place! It was a very old, very small basement apartment. ANYWAY, it smelt so strongly of smoke everyday! Our sheets, or clothing, EVERYTHING. Even though they were above us, I feel we got it worse than they did with their second hand smoke. We put an air purifier down there, and when we moved out, our Air Purifier was ruined from the smoke. We cleaned it as best as possible. The inside was brown with tar, I bleached it. I couldn't get everywhere. The filters were destroyed. When we turned and kept our purifier running, it would emit pretty much that gross smokey smell. It was there permanently. We had to buy new filters. That's pretty bad.