• LAVA Moderator: Shinji Ikari

For or against the smoking ban?

eras3r said:
As a smoker, I think it's a good thing. However, I do wish that the places that do allow smoking used proper filtering systems and ventilation in the building.

This is a good point. Decent air filtering and ventilation can make the smoke barely noticeable if it's done right.
 
anonymous1419 said:
You're forgetting one key part to this. Second-hand smoke is supposedly more dangerous than actually smoking.

How can this be true? Does anyone actually believe this? I used to smoke. But now I stay away from locations where I know it might bother me. I say if you don't like it, go somewhere else.
 
papasomni said:
How can this be true? Does anyone actually believe this? I used to smoke. But now I stay away from locations where I know it might bother me. I say if you don't like it, go somewhere else.

So I should have to sacrifice eating at my favorite restaraunt because of all the smoke in it? I'd rather have the ban in place so I can enjoy my meal without that nasty aroma of stale smoke everywhere.

EDIT: This was taken from marketwatch.com:
Secondhand smoke contains more than 50 cancer-causing agents.
Every year, 53,000 die from effects of secondhand smoke, said Serena Chen, policy director for the American Lung Association of the East Bay in Emeryville, Calif. Of the annual deaths from secondhand smoke, 41,000 are caused by heart disease and about 3,000 are due to lung cancer, she said.

EDIT#2: My bad papasomni...what I was referring to was a bunch of anti-smoking propaganda garbage that I just double checked on and found out it's nothing more than a scare tactic to con people into thinking that smokers are bad people. However, although it's not MORE dangerous than active smoking, it's still a huge hazard to others, as stated in the quote above. So I still agree with the ban and still think it's ridiculous I should have to sacrifice going to my favorite restaraunt because of all the smokers.
 
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anonymous1419 said:
You're forgetting one key part to this. Second-hand smoke is supposedly more dangerous than actually smoking.

Where the fuck did you hear this? lol. Thats just straight up not true.

The danger of secondhandsmoke is highly exaggerated. i aint sayin it dont have NO affect at all, but please. Spare me the martyr shtick. Boo fuckin hoo. I aint got no problem with people who dont wanna be around smoke, and i always ask people when i dont know them, before i light up a stoge becuz its just polite. If people dont want me smokin around em, i move somewhere else. Shit, when i smoke butts WITH other peopel who smoke, I still blwo the smoke away from them. but straight up, the SECOND you start to whine, bitch, and cry about how horrible it is, and how you can DIE from it, and how im ruining your life, and wah wahh bawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, then i dont give 2 fucks about your self important ass, and i aint gonna be nice about smokin around you.

YOU be civil to me and you get the same treatment. I dont mind smokin somewhere else, and if there is kids around, i NEVER smoke. i aint gotta be asked to do that, i just dont do it becuz i dont want them to get subject to that. But You try and tell me some stick up your ass speech about you you you you you and your lungs and you this and you that, then fuck you, cuz I dont push my smokin on you and I make a effort to make sure everyone is happy, but PLEASE dont say incorrect, un factual shit about how standing 10 feet away from a smoker is OMG JUST AS BAD AS SMOKING A PACK A DAY YOURSELF!! 8o Its common fuckin sense people. Secondhand smoke is a small health risk, but do the research yourself and see how the studies are skewed and manipulated to try and show it as a greater risk than it actually is. the ANTI smoking industry is startin to be just as manipulative and sneaky as the tobacco industry.
 
^ as usual lacey, you hit the nail on the head in your own very elegant way. :)

I totally agree with everything you just said, and I think and act the exact same way. Me and my gf both smoke and we will even ask each other if it's ok if one of us smokes after a meal if the other one isn't done eating, because even if you're a smoker someone blowing smoke right in your face while you are eating can get irritating. If we make that much of an effort around smokers I think you can imagine that I try to be very polite about it to non-smokers. But some people think that the very fact that you are a smoker gives them the right to be a rude asshole and treat you like a piece of shit. If you act like that why am I going to bother trying to be polite?

Granted, smoking is bad for you, but anti-smoking propaganda (and it is propaganda - they use false information, are dishonest in their use of statistics, and use scare tactics) has been so pushed on people that some of them who will believe anything on tv and are of a certain mentality think that cigarette smoke is almost literally the same thing as poison nerve gas, as if cigarettes emit mustard gas rather than tobacco smoke.

Every time the issue of second-hand smoking comes up, I have to bring up the following fact: while cigarettes can cause cancer, it takes years - often many decades of heavy smoking to cause lung cancer or throat cancer. No one starts smoking at 16 and dies of lung cancer at 26 that was caused entirely, or even mostly, from smoking. Some people smoke heavily for their entire lives and never see any ill effects, even though they live to an old age. Breathing in a little bit of second hand smoke isn't going to have much effect at all. The levels of second hand smoke is some places is mostly negligible in a lot of cases anyway. In restaurants that are divided into smoking and non-smoking sections, a lot of times you can not even detect any signs of smoking. You can't smell it or see it. I know that a lot of times I couldn't when I wasn't a smoker. In any case, being occasionally exposed to moderate levels of second hand smoke is highly unlikely to cause cancer.
 
lacey k said:
Where the fuck did you hear this? lol. Thats just straight up not true.

The danger of secondhandsmoke is highly exaggerated. i aint sayin it dont have NO affect at all, but please. Spare me the martyr shtick. Boo fuckin hoo. I aint got no problem with people who dont wanna be around smoke, and i always ask people when i dont know them, before i light up a stoge becuz its just polite. If people dont want me smokin around em, i move somewhere else. Shit, when i smoke butts WITH other peopel who smoke, I still blwo the smoke away from them. but straight up, the SECOND you start to whine, bitch, and cry about how horrible it is, and how you can DIE from it, and how im ruining your life, and wah wahh bawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, then i dont give 2 fucks about your self important ass, and i aint gonna be nice about smokin around you.

YOU be civil to me and you get the same treatment. I dont mind smokin somewhere else, and if there is kids around, i NEVER smoke. i aint gotta be asked to do that, i just dont do it becuz i dont want them to get subject to that. But You try and tell me some stick up your ass speech about you you you you you and your lungs and you this and you that, then fuck you, cuz I dont push my smokin on you and I make a effort to make sure everyone is happy, but PLEASE dont say incorrect, un factual shit about how standing 10 feet away from a smoker is OMG JUST AS BAD AS SMOKING A PACK A DAY YOURSELF!! 8o Its common fuckin sense people. Secondhand smoke is a small health risk, but do the research yourself and see how the studies are skewed and manipulated to try and show it as a greater risk than it actually is. the ANTI smoking industry is startin to be just as manipulative and sneaky as the tobacco industry.

Jesus fucking christ did you even bother to read the post ahead of you? Specifically MY post retracting that statement and now understanding that that's something I remember hearing in health class years ago and now realize that it is indeed all factless bullshit. It's obvious that you didn't, so let me summarize it for you: I'm sorry that I posted an incorrect fact (which actually is taught in junior highs and high schools around the nation) but second-hand smoke is STILL dangerous and I am still, therefore, for the ban.
 
SA said:
Since we're talking smoking bans, what do you think about banning smoking inside a car where there are children present? This is currently being tabled for Ontario. Anyhow, do you think parents have full right to subject their kids to second hand smoke in such closed spaces as cars?

Where bars are concerned... I think it is unfair to compare second hand smoke to alcohol, as was done in the first post. If I frequent a bar for ten years and enjoy the company of a group of people who drink vodka cocktails, simply being in their presence for three hours a night for three nights a week is likely not going to kill me. If those people chain smoked, on the other hand, I'd be playing russian roulette with lung cancer, among other things.

right on


fuck smokers and their ongoing (weak) arguments to avoid putting some effort in to stop such a fuckin stupid vice.

freedoms my arse. essential freedoms extend only until you begin to infringe onto the health and safety of others.
 
About 7 years my province enacted a smoking ban. I had been going to bars and clubs for a couple years already by that point. I enjoyed lighting up with a whiskey in one hand and a cigar in the other.

I'm a casual smoker, if some offers I'll usually take, but I don't smoke very often. Honestly I like the smoking ban even though I wasn't a big fan of it when it first came into effect. No more burn marks on clothing from drunks in the bars who can't stand straight, no chance of smoke damage to music gear. Taking a step outside to light up isn't a hassle.

Unless it's in the winter. But the cold weather gives me incentive to smoke less since it's sometimes as cold as -45. People who want to smoke will still smoke. Waitresses don't have to deal with constant smoke inhalation, neither do customers.
 
lacey k said:
but straight up, the SECOND you start to whine, bitch, and cry about how horrible it is, and how you can DIE from it, and how im ruining your life, and wah wahh bawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, then i dont give 2 fucks about your self important ass, and i aint gonna be nice about smokin around you.

... But You try and tell me some stick up your ass speech about you you you you you and your lungs and you this and you that, then fuck you, cuz I dont push my smokin on you .

when i say fuck smokers ad second hand smoke, you may hear "me me me. cancer cancer cancer", well when you attempt to justify this shit, which admit to being seriously dangerous to your health, all i hear is "i don't wanna quit, i don't wanna take the effort and discomfort. i wanna keep coughin up lungs and dough to some completely useless drug to get my fix for the next five minutes. wahh wahh wahh."

daily smoking, due to it's frequency, cost and health implications is by far the most pathetic of all addictions imo .


still <3 you tho..... ho ;)
 
"fuck smokers" is a bit too harsh, IMO, L. I'm an ex-smoker after all, so I can readily identify. I tried to quit three times before I succeeded (fourth time was the charm). The key to my quitting was the sheer realisation that this is one of the least beneficial habits ever!. It serves no bloody purpose whatsoever. No high, no buzz, no "losing myself", NOTHING. Just a waste of money and lung. It's not enough to want to quit this dragon, L. This one has one of the worst grips of all addictive substances.
 
^
L2R said:
freedoms my arse. essential freedoms extend only until you begin to infringe onto the health and safety of others.



SA said:
"fuck smokers" is a bit too harsh, IMO, L. I'm an ex-smoker after all, so I can readily identify. I tried to quit three times before I succeeded (fourth time was the charm). The key to my quitting was the sheer realisation that this is one of the least beneficial habits ever!. It serves no bloody purpose whatsoever. No high, no buzz, no "losing myself", NOTHING. Just a waste of money and lung. It's not enough to want to quit this dragon, L. This one has one of the worst grips of all addictive substances.

my wife smoked when i met her. i never told her to quit. i simply made it a point that if she lights one up, then she can expect so kisses for sometime (yuck!). she quit without flinching.

i may use harsh language, but i'm not going to beat around the bush on the subject. what with so many smokers putting up so much resistance to quitting, just to delay the inevitably difficult quitting process... fuck that noise.
 
I'm sorry, you seem to be forgetting about the part that nobody is forcing you to be around smokers or going into businesses where smoking is permitted.
And I don't see any smokers in this thread preaching to you about your bad choices. How about minding your own business there chief.
 
I'm a smoker and favour the bans in bars and clubs. I can't stand the smell and it dries out my eyes which drives me nuts.

But one point nobody has mentioned and I've never heard anyone else raise: What about the people who go to bars/clubs as a group, usually containing both smokers and non-smokers, and have little choice as to where they go? Are the non-smokers just going to go to smokefree places? Unlikely. They will just put up with it so as not to appear 'lame'. If the places with good music and atmosphere happen to allow smoking, they'll likely still go, even if reluctant. I don't know many people who would separate themselves from the group simply because of smoking. It's all very well to say it is an individual's choice, but that's not factoring in group mentality. I'm sure a lot of people on this board are old enough not to "go along with the crowd", yet so many people live like that. Hence, I am all for bans, I hate smoking inside and am happy for the fresh air (mixed with death, naturally), it's nice to get away from the music and crowd for a few minutes.
 
Riconoen said:
I'm sorry, you seem to be forgetting about the part that nobody is forcing you to be around smokers or going into businesses where smoking is permitted.

Incorrect. As soon as you exhale smoke, you are no longer in control of where it goes. Quite regularly, even with smoking bans here in aus, i still HAVE to go through a lot of second hand smoke in my daily life. This is regardless of where i go.

And I don't see any smokers in this thread preaching to you about your bad choices. How about minding your own business there chief.

What is this thread about, silly boy? It's about smoking. Whilst i'm far from perfect and am quite prone to a bit of criticism, that is not what this thread is about. If you cannot handle an adverse opinion on a vice of yours, then stay clear of threads that solicit such comments.
 
caff said:
I'm a smoker and favour the bans in bars and clubs. I can't stand the smell and it dries out my eyes which drives me nuts.

But one point nobody has mentioned and I've never heard anyone else raise: What about the people who go to bars/clubs as a group, usually containing both smokers and non-smokers, and have little choice as to where they go? Are the non-smokers just going to go to smokefree places? Unlikely. They will just put up with it so as not to appear 'lame'. If the places with good music and atmosphere happen to allow smoking, they'll likely still go, even if reluctant. I don't know many people who would separate themselves from the group simply because of smoking. It's all very well to say it is an individual's choice, but that's not factoring in group mentality. I'm sure a lot of people on this board are old enough not to "go along with the crowd", yet so many people live like that. Hence, I am all for bans, I hate smoking inside and am happy for the fresh air (mixed with death, naturally), it's nice to get away from the music and crowd for a few minutes.

So we should enact a smoking ban just so you don't have to worry about feeling "lame"?
 
pennywise said:
So we should enact a smoking ban just so you don't have to worry about feeling "lame"?

Hahaha. Of course! I must be seen to be cool at all times.

Seriously tho, I'm simply raising the point that a lot of people go along with the group, and don't really have their own opinions on anything. I would be all for bar/club owners choosing whether to allow smoking or not, presuming people are intelligent enough to make their own decisions about where they go. However generally they are not, and so need laws to protect them. Although I wouldn't be against subtle measures to remove stupid people from the gene pool so....yeah. 8)
 
^Wow, you have an absurd advocacy of governmental paternalism.
Smoking should be prohibited as a choice simple because non-smokers can't make the correct decision of "smoking or non-smoking"?
 
L2R said:
daily smoking, due to it's frequency, cost and health implications is by far the most pathetic of all addictions imo .
I get the feeling your problem with second hand smoke comes more from your dislike of the habit, rather than from any health problems.
 
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