Public Smoking Bans

[Carlene 12]

"This for all you non-smokers out there, you and you only, because I know for a fact that you don't know this. Ready? Non-smokers die every day." -- Bill Hicks, Relentless

Of course they do.....but I prefer old age to lung Cancer.

[Hazelbunny 0]

"This for all you non-smokers out there, you and you only, because I know for a fact that you don't know this. Ready? Non-smokers die every day." -- Bill Hicks, Relentless

My mom has COPD - she gets out of breath drying off after a shower. I quit smoking when I got bronchitis three years ago and could barely take a breath and had an asthma attack picking up my 9 month old baby. I realized that was the way my mom felt EVERY DAY! No way...not for me.

My pulmonologist said some people can smoke until they are 95 years old and it nevers does any harm. Some people smoke for a few years and have problems. I didn't want to be one of the ones that had problems. And I don't want my kids exposed to second hand smoke and end up like my mother.

[DerickM 1]

good article on smoking

http://www.rogerwallace.com/smoking.html

Like the guys says it all boils down to: It's icky... let's ban it!

[green 6]

good article on smoking

SMOKE, SMOKE, SMOKE THAT CIGARETTE.....

Like the guys says it all boils down to: It's icky... let's ban it!

Read his manifesto and loved it. I even bookmarked it. Thanks, Derrick.

[Evilah 1]

I believe that some foods are addictive. Even foods that don't have proven addictive substances (life caffeine) in them. I've never fallen prey to cigarettes, or caffeine, or alcohol, but certain things, like french fries ruin weeks of dieting for me. First it's the french fries, then the spicy chicken sandwhich, and before I know it, I'm all tired and haven't been cooking healthy food and I'm wanting only to eat more and more fries, and mayo, and anything deep fried with a crust.

About smoking bans, I wish we could ban car exhaust. I'm terribly sensitive to it. So is my neighbor. I absolutely avoid traffic. If I go to a store with a 2 ton diesel sitting out front running, I RUN THE OTHER WAY! If I have to drive through tons of traffic to get somewhere, it ruins it, cause I'm sick when I get there, and can't enjoy whatever it is.

Evilah

[nicnaknut 0]

My mom has COPD - she gets out of breath drying off after a shower.

I started smoking way back when it was socially acceptable and smoked for 45 years. I quit almost 2 years ago and was diagnosed with COPD/Emphysema and I'm like Hazelbunny's mom, I have a real hard time breathing while drying off after I shower. I will be going in for banding in October 2007 and hope that it will help on my breathing to get some weight pressure off of my diaphragm so I can get better lung expansion. I am hoping to gain better heatlh so I can do things with my kids and grandchildren again.

I too defended my cigarette addiction with all of the different reasons that smokers give and was offended by those that looked at me like I had some dreaded disease that I would give to them if they walked by me. Because of that I try not to judge or treat smokers any different than anyone else, but the tobacco companies are to blame for the addiction. Since the 1980's they are the ones that started manipulating the tobacco, filters and cigarette papers with chemicals to keep you addicted to cigarettes. When you die from emphysema or lung cancer, you suffocate to death because you literally cannot take any more air into your lungs.

I tried to quit smoking hundreds of times through the years, but I finally made up my mind to quit and my Dr. gave me a prescription for Zyban. It is an anti-depressant and really does help. Particularly by helping to take the hard craving away. I am allergic to the patch, the gum made me sick to my stomach and the logenze burned my mouth, so the Zyban was the only thing I could take, but it worked. I am now smoke free for almost 2 years. :clap2:

Now I want to join the "Band Wagon" and become a "Loser For Life."

[bitteroldhag 0]

As a smoker, I'm getting tired of the health Nazis telling me what to do. I don't want to endanger anyone, but I'm just not convinced that smoking out of doors is likely to kill anyone. But I have noted increased incidences of hyperthermia in the summer and hypothermia in the winters among smokes forced to huddle outside. We have a designated smoking area in front of Seminary Hall where we teach. It's amazing how many non-smokers hang around there. Why? Because the smokers are fun and they enjoy us. We also do a whole lot of counseling out there. But take heart, smoking Nazis, most of us smokers are old and we'll check out before long and leave the world a better place.

[BJean 16]

I like your attitude, Bitter! :eyebrows:

[Ausie 0]

its not ilegal, and hey if you want to screw up your own health that is your choice.

however it is proven to harm other people who breath it second hand smoke.

[marnie723 0]

Here's something to think about....Ontario has been debating legalizing marijuana, it even was legal for a VERY short time before the law was overturned. If smoking pot WAS ever made legal than I guess all you tobacco smokers won't mind having marijuana blown in your face & interrupting your meal , smelling like it & getting stoned even if you don't do it yourself ? I'm just throwing the thought out there because in my mind it's the same thing. I don't do it but I don't want it wafting into my face either.

[marnie723 0]

Also another point would be that banning smoking in areas like restaurants, bars, schools including outdoor areas probably will make a huge difference to not getting younger generations addicted. If they can't light up in these areas maybe they will never start if for no other reason than the inconvenience. How many smokers wish they had never started ?

I wish I had never tasted potato chips or pepsi but I have & now I need the lap band to make it illegal....haha

[green 6]

I am very much in the way of a libertarian when it comes to the issues of sexual practices between consenting adults and this includes prostitution, the use of soft drugs, and the use of tobacco and alcohol. Nevertheless, I am all for certain curbs. In France it is illegal for prostitutes to solicit near schools or hospitals. This seems like a good idea to me. The current legislation which bans indoor smoking in public places also makes sense. While I am a libertarian when it comes to the use of alcohol, I do believe that the penalty when caught driving under the influence should be severe, and the penalty for killing someone while driving under the influence should be very severe. It should be noted that using a cell phone while driving is also an unsafe practice, some say that this is almost as risky as driving under the influence.

Nevertheless, I do not believe that suffering a whiff of second hand tobacco or marijuana smoke while you are on the street and not in an enclosed space is anymore lethal than sucking in a load of vehicle fumes. While you may disapprove of the practice of smoking this really is an ill-advised witch hunt. Open air smoking fumes do not equal car exhaust.

I live in Toronto, which is a large city in southern Ontario. As soon as the mercury begins to rise during the summer months we find ourselves subjected to a number of days when there are smog advisories. These are warnings that the air in southern Ontario and northern New York state just isn't moving and that it is so polluted that we should avoid outdoor activities. Now, this toxic air is blamed upon excessive vehicle use and on industry; no one has blamed the cigarette and ganja smokers as of this time of writing.

Each summer we citizens are asked to car pool/use public transit and to avoid turning on our air conditioners as much as possible. We have never yet been asked to butt out.

Smokers in Ontario have long been accustomed to being forbidden to smoke indoors in public places.

As for ganja, this has never, ever been legal in Ontario. It is certain that the above poster is not clear on her facts. Canada's previous government was considering decriminalizing the simple possession of pot. This change would have meant that the guy caught with a joint or two would never end up clogging up our legal system; dealers would still be on the hook. This is, as you can see, entirely different from legalising the drug. I will also mention that Ontario is only one of ten Canadian provinces and as such simply cannot set its own policies on the legalisation of those drugs which are deemed to be illegal by the federal government of Canada.

I will mention that I do, however, have friends who smoke even though I don't. I sure don't have anything against pot, it is just that this is a drug which reacts very badly with my own brain chemistry. I don't enjoy the drug. This is why I don't use it. I have never become stoned from smelling pot fumes.

I will also confess that I found the above posts very irritating because the writer showed no grasp of the facts concerning either Ontario or Canada's stand on soft drug use.

[marnie723 0]

Marijuana legal in Ontario

Hi Green. As a Canadian, I too lived in the GTA area for many years before getting transferred to the U.S. so I do have some knowledge of Ontario & Canadian laws. This legalized pot law was so brief alot of people aren't even aware it happened that's why I sent the above link. If you scan the net you will find lots of articles about this in 2003. Sorry, but you need to check your facts. A friend of mine also is an OPP officer & works in narcotics so I remember when this happened & the many discussions we had. I'm not on a witchhunt I was merely trying to make a point that although smokers feel they have rights, would these same people complain if pot was being blown around....would they find that offensive. I personnally like the smell of pot but I still don't want to suck it in nor do I want to suck in exhaust fumes....it's all pollution that I personally can't stand the smell of.

[Michee 2]

I have read a majority of posts on the thread, I was a smoker until April when I quit cold turkey. I was banded in August.

I am an addict, I am addicted to nicotine, sugar, and white flour. I cannot control myself with these substances. I must abstain from them. I also overeat other foods, which is not an addiction, but a problem with food that I have had for many years. The band helps me not to overeat, but abstinence is the only treatment for my addiction.

Some posters have said that eating a big mac is different than smoking. Clearly they do not have the same addiction issues as I do.

The argument I have heard is that eating is mandatory but smoking is optional. This is RIDICULOUS, eating processed garbage is most certainly optional. I can bet that not one person on LBT gained copious amounts of weight from eating too much organic spinach!!

I am glad that I quit smoking, but for those of you who enjoy smoking, I say go ahead and enjoy it.

My father smoked from the age of 11, he died at the age of 82, as the result of a car accident.

I know the stats show that smoking shortens your life span, so does driving, being male, and being left handed.

Peace and love to all

[green 6]

Marijuana legal in Ontario

Hi Green. As a Canadian, I too lived in the GTA area for many years before getting transferred to the U.S. so I do have some knowledge of Ontario & Canadian laws. This legalized pot law was so brief alot of people aren't even aware it happened that's why I sent the above link. If you scan the net you will find lots of articles about this in 2003. Sorry, but you need to check your facts. A friend of mine also is an OPP officer & works in narcotics so I remember when this happened & the many discussions we had. I'm not on a witchhunt I was merely trying to make a point that although smokers feel they have rights, would these same people complain if pot was being blown around....would they find that offensive. I personnally like the smell of pot but I still don't want to suck it in nor do I want to suck in exhaust fumes....it's all pollution that I personally can't stand the smell of.

Wow! I am eating crow even as I type. It's one thing which is band-compatible! I didn't know this about Ontario and grass. Cool, I think that lots of things should be legal, but not indoors nor while driving a car. Well, maybe prostitution should be brought indoors...

I very much apologize for my erroneous and snarky post.