Are you a smoker?

[Mycernius]

With recent talk in Great Britain on banning smoking in all pubs and resturants, and simillar bans coming in across Europe, what are peoples views on this. How many smokers and non-smokers frequent Jref?
I am not a smoker myself and think that bans in Eating establishments should be banned. As for pubs a seperate room should be available to those who do smoke.

[HomicidalMouse]

I dont smoke and i don't mind people smoking. However, people who say "if my smoke bothers you, don't breathe" really annoy me and should be shot.

[Sally_Hawn]

Yes, I am. And smoking was already banned in restaurants and even bars in NYC and Ontario. In Canada, some coffee shops have smoking rooms for smokers.

[Brooker]

I respect that some people are bothered by cigarette smoke, but I think that there should be at least one place that people should be able to smoke in public, and that's bars. I mean, bars?! Come on! Are they going to ban drinking in bars next? That's what you go to bars for: to drink and smoke. I'm cool with airplanes and restaurants being non-smoking, but I'm not in favor of banning all public smoking. The non-smokers have gained so much ground in their quest to live in a smoke-free world, but now they're just getting greedy.

I've had big debates about this with several friends and I don't really want to get into it too deeply again, this is just what I think and my mind is made up. I think bars being the last place for public smoking is fair. If people don't like that, there are smoke-free bars they can go to, but they're usually not popular because most people want to smoke when they go to bars. Even people who aren't habitual smokers like to have a puff sometimes when they're having a drink.

+ =

[Duo]

I'm am non-smoker and am in favor of the bans. If u wanna smoke, go do it at your house or in the street, park whatever, other people shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of your actions. I get annoyed when we go out sometimes we have a friend that smokes, oh perfect i can smoke now' she says as soon as we enter sm place, or u don't mind, but hell yeah i mind, i mind that i have to smell bad afterwards, i just think that if you wanna smoke you shouldnt oppress others, so i can't wait till all these bans go legal in all of europe, we need to culturally start a firm stand against smoking.

[misa.j]

I am allergic to cigarette smoke, start to sneeze and my eyes get watery, so I was happy when they banned smoking in restaurants and bars in NY state.

I used to smoke cigarettes for seven years and quit all at once for my health, and now I have a really hard time with cigarette smoke.

[smoke]

i am...in case you didn't guess...and i think it sucks how smokers seemed to get treated like they have the plague.
both smokers and non-smokers have equal right. the UK government squeeze every taxable penny out of cigarettes and they do everything thy can to try and force you not to smoke.
i do understand that passive smoke is horrible, even as a smoker i hate it and my partner is a non smoker but thankfully she has no problem with me smoking.
if the government want everyone to give up, then ban cigarettes, period. if you can't buy them, you can't smoke them...but of course they wont do that becasue it is a vast source of income.
in one hand they clutch money made from cigarettes and in the other they grip anti-smoking campaigns and legislations (whica is paid for from the other hand).
people hav the right to do things that are unhealthy...people smoke, drink and eat whatever they want. but lets be honest, what is more anti-social and detrimental to society; chain smoking or bing drinking?
i think smoking should be lower on the list of the governments worry.

[smoke]

sorry for the rant...need a cigarette to calm down now!

Peace

[Duo]

i am...in case you didn't guess...and i think it sucks how smokers seemed to get treated like they have the plague.
both smokers and non-smokers have equal right. the UK government squeeze every taxable penny out of cigarettes and they do everything thy can to try and force you not to smoke.
i do understand that passive smoke is horrible, even as a smoker i hate it and my partner is a non smoker but thankfully she has no problem with me smoking.
if the government want everyone to give up, then ban cigarettes, period. if you can't buy them, you can't smoke them...but of course they wont do that becasue it is a vast source of income.
in one hand they clutch money made from cigarettes and in the other they grip anti-smoking campaigns and legislations (whica is paid for from the other hand).
people hav the right to do things that are unhealthy...people smoke, drink and eat whatever they want. but lets be honest, what is more anti-social and detrimental to society; chain smoking or bing drinking?
i think smoking should be lower on the list of the governments worry.

the issue is not what's unhealthy to you, but to society at large. If one drinks a lot, mainly he only hurts himself, whereas smoking hurts other passive persons as well as the user. Therefore, the gov has to look out for the rights of the unprotected individual. If you want to smoke that's fine, do it at home, at a park, wherever, but not at a closed public location. Those people are not abusing your health, therefore they deserve the same respect back.

[Brooker]

I think the businesses themselves should be able to decide if they want to allow smoking rather than be told what they should do. I mean, it's their place, right? I have the right to tell people if they can smoke in my home or not. I don't understand why it's so hard to go to a non-smoking place. Is that such an inconvenience? If people are going only to non-smoing places, it may encourage other places to go non-smoking. I don't go to people's homes and tell them what they can or can't do, why go to a smoking establishment and tell them they can't smoke? There are lots of bars out there, choose one that suits your tastes.

The bottom line that this debate usually comes down to isn't health (although you often hear that reason because it sounds more compelling), it's that non-smokers just don't like cigarette smoke, which I can understand. But just because you don't like something that other people do doesn't mean that no one should be allowed to do it. I don't like smoking at home or at the park. I like to smoke at bars. One smoking bar in my neighborhood is all I ask. Non-smokers can have everything else. It just seems a little unfair that they want to make it so that you can't smoke anywhere in public. Why not leave one last safe haven for smokers? I don't see how that's unfair to anyone.

[Duo]

ok, i agree with you there, if people want to have smoking bars for smokers is fine with me

[Miss_apollo7]

I am a NON-SMOKER and hate the smell of cigarettes, I prefer a ban in all restaurants and bars.
However, few of my friends smoke, and I respect their choice of smoking and their needs to smoke in a night out or after dinner, but I also want the choice to say no to passive smoking, like my few smoking friends have a choice to smoke all they want....therefore, I agree to a "smoking room" for those who want to smoke their cigarettes...
Luckily, only few of my friends smoke, meaning clean air in our apartment....

[miu]

I used to smoke every day but I smoked so little (maybe 1-3 cigs a day) that I figured it'd be just the same if I just quit. Now I smoke only if I go out to a bar etc - drinking and going out are the things that I associate the most with inhaling toxines ^^;

I dont smoke and i don't mind people smoking. However, people who say "if my smoke bothers you, don't breathe" really annoy me and should be shot.

You also have the kind of people who can be extremely rude to you if you smoke. Suppose that you're walking on the street smoking and someone walks past you and makes a nasty comment about your smoking - it's not like you smoke just to annoy other people? Smoking somewhere you shouldn't smoke is an entirely different thing from smoking on the street or somewhere where there isn't a clear sign saying that you shouldn't smoke there. And I doubt that most smokers will come exhale smoke on your kids either. If you have an oppinion, it doesn't have to mean that you have to be really rude about it! I always ask if my smoking bothers someone sitting next to me (and I don't even smoke all that much).

I read that in Norway bar and restaurant owners protested the ban saying that people will stop coming there if they're not allowed to smoke. It turned out that since smoking was banned, there wasn't any increase in bar etc bancrupcy. And when you really think about it, why do people go to bars - to smoke or to get wasted?

I think the best way would be to have smoking and non-smoking areas so you can choose. Some people smoke only when they go out and it's a part of something they do when they want to relax so I don't think it should be banned entirely. But then again, my point of view is a bit biased ;)

[RockLee]

I'm the same as u misa j, I can't stand smoke.As for my part they can ban SMOKING! It's unhealthy, expensive and good for nothing ! they have to get the taxes even more up to make ppl quit permanently Smoking shouldn't be allowed ANYWHERE, except your own house,car or outside.

[Lina Inverse]

With recent talk in Great Britain on banning smoking in all pubs and resturants, and simillar bans coming in across Europe, what are peoples views on this. How many smokers and non-smokers frequent Jref?
I am not a smoker myself and think that bans in Eating establishments should be banned. As for pubs a seperate room should be available to those who do smoke.

[x] Non-smoker. Do agree on bans
I think smoking bans are a good thing. If you want/have to enter certain places, I don't want any nasty fumes there - it stinks really awful and is very unhealthy as well.
Right now, over here smoking is banned in schools, some railways and some public places. I hope this is soon extended to all public places, public transportation and restaurants and such, as it already is in Italy.

[jeisan]

im a social smoker, and i dont agree on the bans. becuase i think it infringes on the rights of the smokers and the busines owners. the way i see it if the non smokers dont like the smoke they can go somewhere else the doesnt allow smoking, so leave it up to the business, like brooker said. they can have non-smoking bars etc most restraunts here are non-smoking now unless they have separate ventilation for each section and some dividers, which is fine with me, i dont like smoking when im eating anyway. i dont mind offering the courtesy either way but it seems like alot of the fanatical non-smokers want to take everything away from the smokers and that aint cool.

[kirei_na_me]

Well, I used to smoke, but quit quite some time ago, and didn't smoke that much to begin with. As they say, no one hates smoking like a former smoker.

Here, in the heart of "tobacco country", privately owned restaurants don't even have separate non-smoking sections.

Smoking not only makes your teeth yellow, your clothes and hair smell bad, and your skin look like leather, but it also puts you at risk for emphysema and all kinds of cancers. People can put themselves at risk if they so choose, but they should not put others at risk. Go smoke outside.

There is no way in hell that I would allow anyone to smoke in my house around my children. My own grandmother, who has been smoking unfiltered Camels for 65 years, has to go outside to smoke when she visits my house.

[CC1]

I don't smoke--have never smoked--and will never smoke. I did however grow up with two parents who smoked. I like the bans on airplanes, government buildings, etc..., but I agree that maybe it should be up to businesses to choose though. It is afterall a private business! I wear contact lenses and I can not stay in a place that is full of smoke for more than about an hour before I have to leave because my eyes are so irritated! I also think that it is disgusting how your clothes and hair smell after being around smokers. But if a business wants to allow smokers and the added wear and tear it puts on their business, than I guess we should let them choose...I for one will probably not go there anymore!

I did find it interesting that Maciamo is for the bans...I didn't think that you would ever choose anything that takes rights away from people!