Celebrating the ban
Rog writes: Just writing to celebrate Scotland's ban on smoking in public places. Can you really deny that this is not making life healthier for all Scots? Don't you think people should give up smoking to avoid damaging their health? Or is tobacco money just too tasty for you?
My vested interest? Health. My Dad was killed by tobacco. I hope that makes you happy because you seem happy discouraging others from giving up. I'm not interested in choice. This is not a political or a choice issue. It is a health issue. For you, it's a money issue. I guess you're in favour of people legally doing coke, heroin or speed? Anyway, can't wait until the wider ban comes into force south of the border too.
posted by Simon Clark @ 16:29
13 comments
13 Comments:
For years I have had to put up with noxious fumes if I want to go into a pub, just so a minority of tobacco addicts can get their fixes. Now the rights of the rest of us have been reinstated and you just can't take it. Nobody's stopping anyone from smoking. Many of the smokers I know already go outside to smoke - not only will they not be disadvantaged by the legislation, they welcome it.
Just give me one reason why it's OK for a smoker to blow poisonous smoke in my face, but it's not OK for me waft other unpleasant and unhealthy gases in theirs. If I brought my car indoors and left the engine running everyone would expect me to switch off or face prosecution.
Next time you want a good puff indoors, just ask someone to fart in your face. Then you'll know what it has felt like for the rest of us!
Yours, able to breathe and to return to pubs and restaurants long avoided, and especially proud to be Scottish today.
I totally support the ban and it is much more pleasant experience to be in a pub. I have little sympathy, it will blow over, excuse the pun. Regarding
friendships being lost, if the friendship is at all important then one will regard the inside to the outside of the building to resume their friendship.
I'd like you to know that I am another non-smoker for whom today is a glorious day. Ever since childhood I have hated being subjected to other people's smoke. I don't feel that today is a victory; it is simply a return to what should always have been normal.
I hope that in time your organisation will realise your errors.
The ban is just soooo good. Thank God pathetic people like you have not prevailed. Goodbye Forest – up in smoke! I can actually go to my pub and enjoy a pint, hurrah! Freedom from a pathetic bunch of addicts!
I am disgusted by the introduction of a smoking ban in Scotland. It represents the end of democracy since the people in Scotland did not vote for it. The very heart of liberty has been ripped from Scotland and it is now not worth living in. I am quite sure the atmosphere in the bars will change - all character and self determination has been outlawed.
paul, robert, bob and sj...
you ...
no, I can't be bothered. You just aren't worth it.
Paul, if you were to bring a car into the pub and leave the engine running it would kill EVERYONE in the pub within 20 minutes - car fumes are THAT harmful, so the comparison is just a joke.
However, you raise an interesting point about why nothing is being done about the clear danger of car fumes, which we all have to inhale. We have no choice on the matter, unlike the choice on whether to walk into a smoky pub or not.
Is there any evidence regarding car fumes causing lung cancer, perhaps many of these deaths attributed to passive smoking?
As for Pauls claims that having tobacco smoke blown in ones face is like having someone fart in ones face, I couldn't say. But I'll take Paul's word for it! (Some of those anti smokers have really wierd habits - asking people to fart in their faces, bringing their cars into the pub...).
I would not worry too much about the smoker racist comments here. Soon entrepreneurs will set up venues where a smoker can go for a pint and a smoke. Those places will be guarded by mafia thugs who will take care of any complaints of tobacco smoke by applying the order of the boot.
You won't be paying taxes for those pints. Perhaps you can also purchase tax free smokes. That'll be nice.
Paul, when someone farts in your face now that the smoking ban is in you'll be sorry that there is no smoke! I wouldn't go near the pubs if I were you! You'll drop dead on the spot!
The greatest of all laugh that I had here in Ireland was when a well-known anti-smoker happened to be in the path of an on-coming fart. She was buried in her jumper for about 10 minutes, now and again trying to come up for air! I had never seen her as bad as this when smoking was allowed! Boy, that made my day!
All you antis who are now celebrating, where were you before the ban? If enough of you voiced your opinions in an acceptable manner and spent enough time and money in pubs, clubs, etc then this ban would not have been needed as some publicans and club owners would have voluntarily made their premises non smoking, hence giving choice for all.
You only have to look at the reports from Ireland to see how many pubs, etc have closed with the loss of numerous jobs to see that you non and anti smokers just do not go out enough and spend enough to make up for the loss of trade from the smokers.
When the novelty wears off, I doubt you will go to the pub as often as you may be doing now, therefore causing a further drop in trade.
I am not a drinker and so going to the pub is not something I do. I do however find the behaviour of many drinkers and the smell of second hand alcohol offensive - who is going to protect me from that? As a general rule, more people are at risk from drinkers too, either from personal attack because the offender doesn't know what they are doing or from drink driving. Smokers do not actually cause harm to anyone(according to the World Health Organisation).
I however do like to go for a coffee when I am out shopping and for years there have been smoking and non smoking cafes, which have existed quite happily side by side in the high streets and side streets and catered for all. There is no sane reason why other establishments could not have done the same, except for the fact that non smoking pubs, as shown by Weatherspoons when they trialled no smoking pubs, would make a loss. It just goes to show that more people prefer the atmosphere of a smoky pub to a sterile pub!
Amen, Lyn
Most of these antismokers are not so interested in a smoke-free environment as they are in depriving others of the pleasure of smoking. Small-minded little twits.
Rog, I would just like to offer my condolences for the loss of your father. My husband died of lung cancer at the age of 51. Firstly, however, this could have been caused by a number of things including physical and mental trauma (he had had a couple of falls from his motorbike in the year or so prior to being diagnosed).
Secondly, I smoke. I did when he was alive and still do now, nearly 10 years on and have absolutely no intention whatsoever of giving up. The only reason I am still here is thanks to my ciggies. Without them I would not have survived the loneliness and financial stresses that followed. Apart from my late husband, all the smokers in my family have lived well past the expected average age and have been healthy and happy all through.
I also wish to commend Claire on how eloquently she put across the point regarding WWII, brilliant.
To all non-smokers: nice to see all of you displaying such a democratic and tolerant behaviour towards everybody that doesn't agree with you. In fact considering that I personally am a smoker but not a drinker, I can't really wait for the goverment to extend the ban to drinking and put a stop to the binge drinking culture. To present the same arguments, how many times have you seen a smoker faint out in the floor of a pub because he/she smoked too much? And more, medically heavy drinking is indeed verified to cause permanent brain damage whereas smoking health problems is just proven (arguably)statistically. Now if I wanted to do healthy I should be going to a gym. When I go to the pub, I want to relax and enjoy myself. If you are bothered by my smoke, just ask me to put it away and I'll do just that. Or you can keep to the non-smoking area and I'll keep to the smoking one. What you don't agree with is something to be respected, but to extend this, everybody else's beliefs (and rights) should be respected as well.
By the way do you drive? Consider your carbon footprint and in general the environmental damage you cause everytime you start your car. Lead is one of the most heavy and toxic elements in existance. So let's ban cars as well. What about factories? Their by product wastage per hour is well above my cigarette smoke, and more, it pollutes in more permanent way. So stop the factories as well. Anybody out there having gas service in their homes? the output of CO2 and CO is far more burning gas than your average cigarette. Hell lets stop using those as well.
In fact lets abandon modern society since whatever the other person does bothers us and let go back to the caves. In that case everybody will be happy, since I can smoke in mine and you can breath all the non-polluted air in yours....
And one last thing. Death by passive smoking is by the best approach dubious. We don't still know the cause of cancer. In Sweden whereas a public ban on smoking is been imposed for years now, there was in fact an increase in cases of lung cancer in the last decade. There are loads of medical research on the matter, if you want more information just google it, but don't just take anyones opinion on this, see for yourself, just make sure you read and listen to both sides before you make up your mind.
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