Butt Out Already! (Should smoking be banned in public places?)

Member Name: DiFranco01

Product:	Should smoking be banned in public places?
Date:	01/12/01 (93 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Banning smoking in enclosed public places is a good idea.

Disadvantages: Banning smoking in other places may not be.

I, like many other Americans, am a smoker. I consume approximately twenty unfiltered cigarettes per day, one carton per week, and spend something like eighty dollars per month on my habit. There are better habits out there - both financially and health-wise - but I have chosen to smoke. It is my decision, and I believe it should not be tampered with or taken away from me.

By the same token, I do not believe that I have the right to expose other people (whether they are smokers or NOT) to the carbon monoxide that I inhale and exhale when I am smoking a cigarette. Just as I do not wish to be exposed to extremely loud car stereos whilst sitting at stop lights, other people do not wish to inhale my toxic waste.

So, should smoking be banned in public places?

Yes and no.

If the public place is enclosed, and no adequate ventilation is installed (such as a restaurant) then I believe smokers should either be isolated from the rest of the crowd or be told to put it out. If we are THAT desperate for our nicotine fix, we can always step outside into the fresh air, where the smoke will dissipate without coming into contact with other people.

If it is an open place, such as a park, then I believe nothing should be done save to place a few ashtrays out for smokers to responsibly dispose of their butts. You see, in open areas - with plenty of fresh air and breeze going about - the smoke dissipates and goes off into the atmosphere. Your children don't have to inhale it or smell it, and neither do you.
As for the people who say that the SIGHT of someone smoking a cigarette is offensive...well, we have ALL offended some stranger at one point or another in our lives - inadvertently OR on purpose. There are some things that simply must be dealt with: I must watch other people wear obnoxious tee-shirts and shove disgusting junk food into their mouths, and they must watch me suck on a cigarette.

Obviously I do NOT bel
ieve that smoking should be banned in your own vehicle or home. However, if it is public transportation - such as a bus, train, or airplane - I believe smoking should indeed be banned. As it stands right now in most of the United States, you are not allowed to light up if you are on a public form of transportation. I agree with this wholeheartedly, though sometimes I DO admit to cravings whilst I'm traveling! However, for this there are always nicotine patches, chewing gum, and other alternatives.

All in all, I believe I could summarize my beliefs with the following statement:
No smoking if it is in a public and enclosed environment.
Smoking should be fine otherwise.

Indeed, it would be a cleaner, healthier population if we would quit smoking altogether. However, regardless of how bad it is for me, I am still going to do it. It is my personal choice, and I believe that I am free to partake of it so long as I am not forcing anybody else to suffer the consequences for it. Let's face it: We all have our nasty habits. Please, don't interfere with my choices, because I am trying not to interfere with yours.

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