smoking in public places

[TerraFrost]

some cities are banning smoking in all public places, citing that even second hand smoke isn't good for you...

others argue that it shouldn't be up to the city how restaurants, or whatever regulate themselves...

what do you think?

(sorry i don't have a link to a more depth article about it)

[Neerowolf]

I don't like smoking at all. I think everyone should stop smoking altogether, but thats my opinion, and everyone has their own. I don't want people to smoke in public because second hand smoke is more deadly then smoking regularly.

[Toby]

I thinks its a great idea it saves people lungs and their money.
they should have a insted


some people that smoke might leave the city

[Wardagger]

I really dont care. By the time this world is so messd up and so much pollution, I will be in dead because this is going to take hundreds maybe thousands of years so thats why I dont care.

[shahmask]

that moron aggie of a mayor you have there in austin terra, and his friends on the city councel postponed the date of the smoking ban. round rock's is still in place.

[Nyufrost]

One of the things that shocked me the most when I visited another state a few years back was that people were smoking in the grocery stores while shopping!

Here, people cannot smoke in stores, malls, restaurants, bars, offices and so on. I believe there is also a law about smoking within a certain distance of the entry of a public building.

I am really unsure as to the longterm effects of secondhand smoke but the smell itself can be unpleasant and cause teary eyes so it's definitely an immediate irritant.

I think it's a good thing to ban smoking from major public places but I think people should still be able to smoke outdoors. It would be nice if they didn't just drop their butts on the ground tho because those things just never seem to deteriorate.

[Neerowolf]

I think smoking is really gross, it makes your lungs look blah...

[shahmask]

not to mention the smell lingers and makes walls and cielings change colors. it also makes ppl's teeth look disgusting

[Gigafrost]

Well, lemme see. I can see smokers already arguing that this would violate their freedom to choose to smoke. Too bad the idiots don't realize that they're already violating everybody else's freedom to *not* smoke by doing it. Really, smokers who argue things like that should be shot, as people like them are selfing and greedy bastards who don't care what happens to other people at all.

Of course, another argument could be the addiction people have to it. Hmmm, if I recall correctly, most mass murderers compulsively kill people. My point is that addiction and compulsion does *not* make it right. I can understand that this might add extra stress to smoker's lives, though. Heck, this will be problematic for college students who smoke if they can't smoke at school (which would be a blessing to non-smoking students).

Nicotine receptors in the brain get "filled" when somebody gets nicotine into their system, and so more receptors are grown (these are things on the end of the lines). What ends up happening is that the brain has trouble communicating as efficiently unless they've got nicotine in their system. It's nothing big, but this is the reason for the "smoking so I can think" thing, as I understand it. They feel sluggish unless they smoke.

Oh, and yes that effect does wear off eventually, but I'm not sure how long. The reason that would be problematic for some students is because they smoke before class or before an exam to calm their nerves and clear their mind. Not that I'm saying that smoking should stay un-banned because of that.

[Javafrost]

smokers who argue things like that should be shot, as people like them are selfing and greedy bastards who don't care what happens to other people at all.

Whoa. Do you really believe that?! I know and love a lot of people who are pretty severely addicted to nicotine. I don't think they should be shot for being in denial or whatever causes the continuation of the smoking.

[Gigafrost]

But do they argue that they have the right to just smoke everywhere? Or do they understand that other people don't want to be exposed to it?

[Javafrost]

Most of the smokers I know are very respectful of non-smokers, and have adjusted well to the restrictions placed on where they can smoke.
Then there's my dad. I'll admit, he just might not be "firing on all cylinders" but he doesn't seem to understand at all that others don't want to be exposed to his smoking. Where he's at about it is hard to understand. All the same, I don't think he should be shot for it! That seems a bit extreme to me.

[shahmask]

one problem with smokers not understanding what non-smokers go through is all the things that cause the reactions to cigarette smoke don't work anymore. especially their ability to smell that damn smell. anyways, im glad round rock's smoking ordinances haven't been officially challenged yet.

[Nyufrost]

I once was on a flight from San Francisco to St. Louis and a man lit a cigarette. Other passengers complained and the stewardess told him to put it out but he refused. He continued to smoke for the whole flight and was annoying everyone ... including other smokers. I mean, what could the stewardesses do? They moved him to the back of the plane but you could still smell the smoke all over the plane. Ugh.

That man was a good example of a smoker who should be shot ... at least with a tranquilizer gun.

[shahmask]

hehe, sounds good. that's when you call the air marshalls to have him picked up at the destination. i believe dissobeying a flight attendant is a federal offense.