Haylesbury on banning smoking in public (Should smoking be banned in public places?)

Member Name: haylesbury

Product:	Should smoking be banned in public places?
Date:	31/10/06 (735 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clean air, give non smokers a choice like smokers have one

Disadvantages: None

I know that I may well be out on my own here, but I smoke and I think smoking should be banned in public places. Do any other smokers feel this way? I know I am addicted, that is my responsiblity and I deal with that, I would like to quit, but I have not been able to. That is my problem. No one elses. I chose to start, I can't keep up the willpower to quit, so what gives me the right to breathe my smoke on small children, elderly people just wanting a quiet lunch or the public in general.

Even as a smoker when I go to a smoking pub I feel sick at the amount of smoke in the air. It makes the whole place smell foul, it makes my eyes water my head hurt and makes me cough. And I smoke 20 a day of these myself, so it's not like I am not used to ciggarettes.

I personally chose to take myself off my seat in a pub and walk outside and have a ciggarette. It's not hard, there are numerous sheltered area's around most pubs. Not only that, but I do not hover around the door smoking with the door wide open, I will go as far away from the pub as possible and light up. That way people arn't forced to breathe in my ciggarette smoke just walking into a pub.

If someone makes the choice to come up and talk to me whilst I am smoking, thats their problem, perhaps that is selfish, but I will continue smoking as normal, I don't claim to be some form of perfection where it comes to smoking. But I will not go and sit down next to a non smoking family on a public bench and light up. In fact, if I chose to sit on a bench and light up it will be empty or have someone already smoking on it. If someone comes over and sits next to me then I won't put it out, they chose to sit there, but I do not force my smoke on anyone... If that makes sence.

I once walked right through town as it was so packed with people and down a lane where there were two empty benches and very few people. I sat on the bench and lit up a ciggarette. When I was about half way down the ciggarette a lady comes up and sits next to me and procedes to cough a lot. I asked if she was ok and she said it was the ciggarette smoke. I moved to the other bench despite being there first. That annoyed me. Some people go out of there way to make a point that you are a smoker, why sit next to the smoker if you don't like smoking and there is another free bench, I will always move if there are not other benches availible and a person does not like me smoking, but when there is a free one, its just a little annoying. I don't really drink, but if I go out I won't chose to sit at a table with drinkers and ask them not ot drink around me when there are other tables free and empty. I know it's not the same, alcohol does not contaminate the air, but its still on my mind. If I chose to sit in one place when there are other options what would give me the right to tell the people what to do. Please non smokers, don't do that!

Anyway! To round up my review which started with a lot of passion for not smoking in public and then ended with a rant... I as a HEAVY SMOKER believe smoking should be banned in public places and wether it is banned or not you will not see me purposely breathing my smoke towards you. Thanks

Summary: SMOKERS HAVE SOME RESPECT!