Public Smoking Bans

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

...Sometimes you have to save people from themselves.

Susannah

No, you don't.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I don't think its fair that smokers are always getting another law thrown at them or the taxes raised 60 cents per pack and now this smoking law.

Very true! I now purchase all my cigs in Mexico where they don't have sin tax. So Mexico is getting the revenue and the US gets none.

Now there is a lot of logic on the part of closet smoker lawmakers.

[DerickM 1]

Just wait until they achieve their goal of eliminating smoking and all that tax money just *poof* goes away.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Smokers ARE expensive, no way around that. We are. Plain and simple. But the reality is that we pay a lot more than we cost. Between the lawsuits against drug co's by individual states and taxes, the public is making a fortune off of those who actually purchase cigs in the US (unlike me). We fund a variety of programs but the reality is that the gov't is simply charging us farrrr too much money and we are now buying our cigs from indian reservations or on line from countries outside the US.

The US got greedy and now they will lose the tax revenue and gain the costs of smokers.

Silly stupid gov't.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I wonder how my fellow fatties would have felt if we had a sin tax on calories. They are expensive, we fatties cost Medicare and Medicaid billions of dollars. When we were fat, would we have paid $10.00 for a Mickey D's burger or would we have found a tax free cheaper way of getting our fix of the day? It does NOT mean we could just STOP eating calories, it means we would FIND a way. Com'on, let's get real here.

It's an easy answer if you aren't a smoker, but apply the same rules to calories and fat. How about a $1.00 per calorie. What would you do in Mickey D's waiting line? Would fatties still be soooo pro-antismoking? I don't think so.

Folks, an addiction is just that. It is an addiction. So you kicked yours with a band. Give me the same thing for smoking and we'll talk. In the meantime, you have nothing to say to me.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

<p>

I agree with every word you have stated through out this thread!

</p> <p> </p> <p><img src="http://www.LapBandTalk.com/images/smilies/wink.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Wink" smilieid="5" class="inlineimg" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Sometimes it just takes the basic facts to make the almighty non smokers to wake the hell up.</p> <p> </p> <p>So it's not THEIR addiction. Well, what if it was? Turn the tables and people are forced to think through their sillycrap.</p>

[MzAngel 0]

Hey over eating is so gross, do ppl realise that their putting so many calories into there bodies and harming themselves ...............

I'm sure that's got you upset, turn the tables and see it from a diffrent perspective, the same way many of us have food addictions we couldn't kick, believe it or not there are also those that have smoking addictions. Smokers are not stupid, they know what there doing to their bodies, they know about the chemicals and all that stuff. Either they just don't have the will power to quit, or in some cases, they don't care they enjoy smoking.

[MzAngel 0]

Actually, Green, it was the Flight Attendants union that lobbied to have smoking banned on airplanes. The sky is their workplace, so to speak, and they felt they were trapped in a smoking environment. I heard one say that anyone who wanted to smoke should feel free to step out onto the wing.

It's funny you say that LOL, about a year ago I was on a flight from Australia to the UK, about 7 hrs into the flight I got that whiff of smoke and boy was I already craving a ciggie badly. I followed my nose and low and behold I found the secret room that all the flight attendents where smoking in LOL:roll: I turned on the charm and they let me into the room to have a few ciggies with them. It turned out the room was a cross between a staff room and a communal sleeping room.

[susannah 2]

Hey over eating is so gross, do ppl realise that their putting so many calories into there bodies and harming themselves ...............

I'm sure that's got you upset, turn the tables and see it from a diffrent perspective, the same way many of us have food addictions we couldn't kick, believe it or not there are also those that have smoking addictions. Smokers are not stupid, they know what there doing to their bodies, they know about the chemicals and all that stuff. Either they just don't have the will power to quit, or in some cases, they don't care they enjoy smoking.

Good on ya mate!:biggrin1: You smokers sure do have a fire in your belly. It must be all the battery acid and ammonia firing you up.

I think seeing my stepmother's father slowly die a horrific death from lung cancer was fairly shocking. Very sobering.

My weight has so far only effected my own health. I pay for my own private health insurance and my taxes also cover the medicare levy. Unfortunately passive smoking harms other people's health and it is being inflicted upon them against their will. Susannah

[anon 1]

Hi there,

I'm from England..... There is already a ban on smoking in public places in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Eire, and Wales..... we will be following suit on July 1st 2007!

I don't smoke, I've never smoked... other people's personal choice has never bothered me at all.

We in the UK have the NHS, we don't have to pay for our healthcare... Cigarettes cost around $11.00 per pack here to pay for treatment for smokers with health problems.... the government has come to the conclusion they can live without the extra revenue, as less smoking will lead to less..... Coronary heart disease, chronic lung disease, strokes, Deep vein Thombosis', Erectile dysfunction (yes, that's right, around 10% of all cases are caused by smoking, apparently!)

So the money not bought in will be offset by the healthcare savings made by our National Health Service.

I'm quite looking forward to going to the pub, coming home and not smelling of stale tobacco smoke!

Yes, there has been some initial loss in revenue by business, in Scotland.... but 12 months on and the bars, restaurants, pubs etc. all say that business is back to the 'pre ban' levels now that everyone has gotten used to it!

[MzAngel 0]

Good on ya mate!:biggrin1: You smokers sure do have a fire in your belly. It must be all the battery acid and ammonia firing you up.

I think seeing my stepmother's father slowly die a horrific death from lung cancer was fairly shocking. Very sobering.

My weight has so far only effected my own health. I pay for my own private health insurance and my taxes also cover the medicare levy. Unfortunately passive smoking harms other people's health and it is being inflicted upon them against their will. Susannah

You must of missed my previous post where I stated that I no longer smoke and can't stand the smell of it due to pregnancy.

You must of also missed the posts where I stated that I do agree with venue's either being totally smoke free or allowing smoke, that way the public is allowed to choose and no one has to be subjected to smoke if they don't want it.

The last I checked I lived in a free country, so smokers should not be made to feel like the outcasts of society when there doing something that is totally legal.

What got the fire going in my belly is years of comments such as "Don't you know it's bad for you" and "battery acid and ammonia" just to name a few. I will say it again, smokers are not dumb or stupid they know that it's not good for them, but like any addiction, smoking, over eating, drugs or alcohol it's an addiction.

[lizrbit 0]

I smoked three packs a day for 19 years, and just a pack a day before that leading back to 23 years.

In February 2006 i finally quit. My middle son had a stroke. He was 15.

His stroke was in December of 2005 and it STILL took me till Feb to put out the last one.

I live in Maine. Smoking IS banned everywhere in the state now and i say GOOD RIDDANCE! I dont care if smokers quit or not, but you CAN affect your household and all those in it with your smoke. DONT kid yourself that you arent. My middle son had NO other risk factors for his stroke other than my smoking around him all the time.

ITS A MYTH that you have to hit "rock bottom' before you quit. You can just decide to, get as MUCH help as you can from any source (psych, patch, losenges, fake inhalers etc) and do whatever it takes to do it . (like we all did with the band to quit our eating habits)

The first thing i noticed was my sense of smell came back within three months. I was sitting on the couch with my youngest son and smelled his hair, and it instantly reminded me of my brother when we were kids. The next thing that came back was my sense of taste, and i got to tell you, Grape juice and Peanut Butter on crackers is an AMAZING combination. The next thing that came back was my ability to finish a sentence without feeling winded...which allows me to preach about how horrible cigarettes are for you and how you are robbing yourself of some god given pleasures by continuing.

Ill preach about this as long as i have clear crisp air to breathe to preach with, and in Maine, its all crisp air...hallelujah!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Ill preach about this as long as i have clear crisp air to breathe to preach with, and in Maine, its all crisp air...hallelujah!

How much of your Mom's preaching assisted you in losing weight? Or is it the band that is helping?

[babygrl1234 6]

ITS A MYTH that you have to hit "rock bottom' before you quit. You can just decide to, get as MUCH help as you can from any source (psych, patch, losenges, fake inhalers etc) and do whatever it takes to do it . (like we all did with the band to quit our eating habits)

How much of your Mom's preaching assisted you in losing weight? Or is it the band that is helping?

She did sort of mention that. Though I do think the band is a much much greater tool.

I don't really care either way. I have smoked ocassionally. Either when I am stressed or when I am drinking. Luckily I can pick it up and put it down as I please.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

She did sort of mention that. Though I do think the band is a much much greater tool.

No, my point was that the lectures, grocery list of health issues, and finger wagging don't do ANYTHING to get smokers to stop smoking. It didn't work with weight, it doesn't work with smoking. To pretend it does a bloody thing is just that, pretending. It might make the nonsmokers feel like they are doing something but we all know better.

If anyone disagrees then get rid of your band and I will be happy to nag you about overeating.