Where to sit (Should smoking be banned in public places?)

Member Name: emmaball

Product:	Should smoking be banned in public places?
Date:	19/06/02 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: End to passive smoking

Disadvantages: Smoker become isolated and social misfits

My name is Emma and I am a nicotine addict!

I have smoked since I was 11 and have still not got the willpower to give up.

However, I am not a selfish person, I try not to inflict my smoke on those who don't appreciate it and have never even been tempted to light up in a no smoking area as I have seen many others do.

I'm not sure that this is an argument that can ever be properly settled. It appears to be a question of rights from both sides of the fence. A non-smoker would argue that they have the right to breathe air that is not polluted by cigarette smoke. While a smoker would argue that they have the right to have a cigarette if they wish to do so.

I'm not sure these two viewpoints can ever be reconciled and I think that this is always going to be a touchy subject.

As I said earlier I smoke, my boyfriend does not. About 50 percent of my friends smoke. Those who don't smoke do not complain about sitting in the smoking sections of pubs and I would never smoke anywhere that would upset anyone else. When I first starting seeing my boyfriend he allowed me to smoke in his car. I didn't think this bothered him, years later he told me he had only let me do it because he was scared of upseting me and that the smoke in his car had made him feel really ill (i felt so guilty).

As a smoker I always ask if the people near me mind me smoking and if they say yes then I move away from them or put out my cigarette.

I have found though that some non-smokers (only some, please don't get offended, I don't mean to generalise) can be quite petty about the whole issue. I was once sitting on a bench at a bus stop enjoying a cigarette. A woman came and sat down next to me and asked me to put my cigarette out. There were several other places she could have chosen to sit and it appeared that she just wanted to moan, because I was already smoking when she sat down so she need not have sa
t there in the first place.

I have experienced a number of episodes like this and while I am aware that such behaviour is not representative of all noon-smokers, I can see why smokers can be so stubborn about when and where they smoke.

I think the current situation in many public places (smoking and non-smoking sections) is probably as good as it can get. As a smoker I still sit in the non-smoking section of restaurants because I can't stand smoke or the smell of smoke while I am eating. I know many smokers who would agree with me on that. I also never smoke in the street, though I am not sure exactly why, it just feels wrong.

I think people should (as they are at present) be given a choice as to whether they wish to smoke or not. Those who are opposed to it can sit in a separate area. This means that everyone can be happy. There are many smokers out there who are struggling to give up, but there are many others who still enjoy a cigarette, I don't think that people should be isolated because they smoke.

Like that woman at the bus stop, everyone has a choice whether to sit in smoking or non-smoking.

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