The anti-smoking self righteous

[BEG]

so those that quit, how did you do it?

I took wellbutrin for a week while smoking and then just quit cold turkey on a Monday.   Hurt for about 3 days but after that is was easy.  I had smoked since I was 15.  Quit in 2007.

When my mom had the cancer scare she had to have an xray before the biopsy. I went with her that day to the hospital for the xray.  The doctor reading the xray was shocked by how much emphysema she had. He told her that that part of her lung would never grow back. We walked out of the office, as she walked by a trash can she threw away her pack of cigarettes. She never had another cigarette. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't easy for her but she had the scare of lung cancer behind her to help her quit. Kind of like when you are pregnant, it is much easier to take care of yourself and take your daily vitamin when you are doing it for your baby.  Or you have some life threatening disease, it gives you an extra push to actually get off your ass and do something about your health.   

[Mike220]

The new E cigarettes that deliver nicotine to the brain, are remarkable, much better then a nicotine patch or pills that have 100 side effects.

They deliver the same tactile touch, visual sense, a red end glow to the end of the devise and simple water vapor to give one the feel of a regular cigarette.

The nicotine inserts cost about the same as a carton of cigarettes each one and there are 6 inserts for $ 10.00 for around $5.00 a carton.  No fire is involved, no way a dropped device can set fire to a sofa or  smolder in the garbage.

Don't care. I smoke for the flavor, which is why I'm more likely to smoke cigars or my pipe than cigarettes. But I do also keep a can of body spray around for after I smoke. It helps a bit.  

We all wonder about people on Oxygen that blow up a bathroom sneaking a butt, these prevent that and the people can with bad lungs that face death from being on oxygen and lighting up can now get their hit in a safe way.

I don't wonder at all. They were idiots. Darwin won that race.

[Lacarnut]

I smoked 3 packs a day for 30 years before I quit. I am not one of those anti-smokers. In fact, if someone walked up to a smoker from 50 feet away and started giving them a hard time, I would tell them to mind their blankly blank business. Let people smoke that want to as long as they do not affect others.

[rich_t]

Smoking in our city parks and all city facilities is illegal and we enforce it religiously.  I also freely pass out littering citations to every smoker who throws their butts out the windows of their cars.  I find it disgusting.

Do you also ticket those throwing out things like gum wrappers etc. with the same vigilance?

[rich_t]

Do you also ticket those throwing out things like gum wrappers etc. with the same vigilance?

Waiting for a response from TC.

[Lacarnut]

Do you also ticket those throwing out things like gum wrappers etc. with the same vigilance?

Doubtful cause I could issue 20 tickets a day for people throwing trash out their car.

[thelaughingman]

The only smoker I give a hard time to is my daddy    And, I actually secretly like the smell of his cigarettes.

I am reminded of my uncle whenever I smell pipe smoke, so that's not an entirely unpleasant smell to me.

[thelaughingman]

For a little levity:


[youtube=425,350]zaH0WTTfc1I[/youtube]

[Gina]

I am really craving one now

[Habsfan]

I'll smoke a cigarette at home with my coffee or after a meal.

I agree with banning it in public places like restaurants, airplanes etc.

 

[Thor]

I'll smoke a cigarette at home with my coffee or after a meal.

I agree with banning it in public places like restaurants, airplanes etc.

I don't agree with banning smoking in public places like restaurants & bars. Those are private entities and the owners should be able to do as they choose.


I remember my  early days of flying. Smoking was allowed. Funny thing, if the pilot had his head screwed on right, the smoke was sucked right out of the aircraft. Nowadays, confined in an aluminum tube at 35 Angels with a bunch of smokers sucks (and I smoke).  I'm not quite sure what changed. I will say that I didn't smoke that much while in the airplanes.

[Habsfan]

I don't agree with banning smoking in public places like restaurants & bars. Those are private entities and the owners should be able to do as they choose.


I remember my  early days of flying. Smoking was allowed. Funny thing, if the pilot had his head screwed on right, the smoke was sucked right out of the aircraft. Nowadays, confined in an aluminum tube at 35 Angels with a bunch of smokers sucks (and I smoke).  I'm not quite sure what changed. I will say that I didn't smoke that much while in the airplanes.

I remember the smoker's sections on the planes. Gag. The ventilation system couldn't handle it. The air is much better now. I smoke at home. I don't want to breathe stagnant smoke on a plane.

[MP_Sarge]

More to the point, I don't want my KID breathing it.

I think establishments that cater solely to an adult clientele should have the *choice* of banning smoking. 
I support laws that prohibit smoking in places that allow minors on the premises.

[Habsfan]

Well I never smoked around my KID 

He's a non-smoker, non-drinker. So my occasional cigarette didn't do anything to him.

[MP_Sarge]

I was agreeing with you.
Smoking on planes would force kids to breathe it, just to go see Grandma for Christmas.

[Habsfan]

Misinterpreted your reply. My apologies.

[MP_Sarge]

That happens a lot.
I know I'm queer, but I didn't think I *typed* with a lisp.

It's all good.   

[Thor]

I support laws that prohibit smoking in places that allow minors on the premises.

I don't support any type of law like that. If it's a smoking establishment or the establishment has a designated smoking area, then the parent(s) should step up, be responsible and not take their children in there. It's that simple. "Inga" & I sit in the smoking section at IHOP here in town, hoping NOT to be seated next to a bunch of screaming, hyper-active, whiney assed kids. It doesn't always work as parents bring their kids into that section more often than we'd like.

[MP_Sarge]

Generally I would agree, and oppose government intervention to legislate safety and common sense.
I, however, draw the line where children become involved.

I disagree with your approach on two counts.
The first is that my own experience has been that most places do not have adequate ventilation.  Depending on the design of a venue, the smoke drifts over to tables where children are seated.  The parents have attempted to protect their children, but cannot.

The second is, as you've experienced in your trips to IHOP, parents *won't* always make decisions that are in the best interest of a child.
I view the prohibition of smoking in child-accessible venues the least amount of government intervention to solve the problem.

One option is allowing people to vote with their feet, and parents with children simply refusing to patronize places that permit smoking or fail to have adequate separation and ventilation to spare non-smokers and children from second-hand smoke they don't wish to inhale.  Again, your IHOP experience indicates that this would probably not be successful, since there will always be a percentage of families that continue to patronize the locations, contrary to their childrens' best interests.

Another solution would be enacting legislation to require business owners to have adequate ventilation.  This creates a significant financial burden to the business owner, and therefore is a solution I cannot support.

A third would be some sort of active enforcement of "smoking sections" that would make it unlawful to permit children to enter [although that still doesn't resolve the above issue of smoke being un-contained].

I don't view smoking as a right.  Granted, going to IHOP as a family is not a right, either, but what do we do in cases where children are being endangered through their parent's actions?
Even if smoking *were* a right, as the old adage goes "your right to extend your fist stops at my person".  Or in this case, my child's person.

I do feel that, even in the smallest possible government, one of the most crucial roles is to protect its citizenry, ESPECIALLY those unable to protect themselves.  In this case, children.

[rich_t]

Generally I would agree, and oppose government intervention to legislate safety and common sense.
I, however, draw the line where children become involved.

I disagree with your approach on two counts.
The first is that my own experience has been that most places do not have adequate ventilation.  Depending on the design of a venue, the smoke drifts over to tables where children are seated.  The parents have attempted to protect their children, but cannot.

The second is, as you've experienced in your trips to IHOP, parents *won't* always make decisions that are in the best interest of a child.
I view the prohibition of smoking in child-accessible venues the least amount of government intervention to solve the problem.

One option is allowing people to vote with their feet, and parents with children simply refusing to patronize places that permit smoking or fail to have adequate separation and ventilation to spare non-smokers and children from second-hand smoke they don't wish to inhale.  Again, your IHOP experience indicates that this would probably not be successful, since there will always be a percentage of families that continue to patronize the locations, contrary to their childrens' best interests.

Another solution would be enacting legislation to require business owners to have adequate ventilation.  This creates a significant financial burden to the business owner, and therefore is a solution I cannot support.

A third would be some sort of active enforcement of "smoking sections" that would make it unlawful to permit children to enter [although that still doesn't resolve the above issue of smoke being un-contained].

I don't view smoking as a right.  Granted, going to IHOP as a family is not a right, either, but what do we do in cases where children are being endangered through their parent's actions?
Even if smoking *were* a right, as the old adage goes "your right to extend your fist stops at my person".  Or in this case, my child's person.

I do feel that, even in the smallest possible government, one of the most crucial roles is to protect its citizenry, ESPECIALLY those unable to protect themselves.  In this case, children.

Should parents that smoke be banned from smoking inside their own homes in your opinion?

[MP_Sarge]

As a rule?  No.  To even be aware of whether a parent was doing so would constitute a violation of the parent's 4th Amendment rights in most cases.

However, I would not object to official involvement in a situation where a Doctor diagnosed a child with a life-threatening respiratory ailment and there was a body of evidence that suggested the parents were smoking in the home.

[LC EFA]

My business - my rules.

Don't like it ?

Maccas is that way ----------->

[Gina]

All of my kids have been NICU kids.  The dr's were adamant that they not be around someone smoking or someone that smoked (unless they changed their clothing/washed their hair).  

My mil smokes, I never required her to do that and never had any problems.  I guess I would be regretting that decision right now if it had caused a problem though.

[Thor]

Ohh, gee, I guess that since I grew up in the 60s and 70s that I'm permanently damaged due to all of the second hand smoke I ingested as a child. There were NO smoking sections. I don't recall ANY places, INCLUDING stores that didn't allow smoking. I never have had ANY problems with my lungs as a child and even after I started smoking. (It may be catching up to me now after almost 40 years of smoking) I was actually quite healthy as a child, regardless of the fact that my mom & grandmother both smoked around me. I firmly believe that the second-hand smoke data is skewed, but I also believe that cigarette companies stepped over the line when they started "enhancing" cigarettes.

Hell, we didn't have seat belts, car seats, uber-safe playground equipment, and many other things that todays world requires for children and I grew up just fine. We had toys that weren't "safe". [sarc] I always wonder how did so many of us 50s, 60s, & 70s children managed to make it to adulthood. [/sarc]

I will admit that a child with lung problems shouldn't be around smoke, perfumes, cleaners and other chemicals commonly found and/ or used in the home.

Certain perfumes make me physically ill since Desert Storm.  Why?? I haven't a clue.  (I'm talking severe headaches, my sinuses stuff up immediately, and I get nauseated to the point of wanting to vomit). Only recently are some people actually addressing this. (and very few at that) I don't go around preaching that people can only wear certain types of perfume, cologne or none at all. I just leave the "contaminated area" and go on about my business.

Your opinions equate to nanny statism. That does not jive with Conservative ideology in the least.

[Revolution]

^ The "enhancing" of cigarettes also comes from the FDA, Thor. I have noticed that whatever brand I get now (and I've sampled a couple since the new regulations) has more cigs than not that have a black resin that sticfks to the filter, and makes it harder to hit on. It's not just the regular yellowish natural filtered stuff. It's like a black dot, and I firmly believe that is from the chemical they use to make cigarettes go out faster. Unless I'm drawing off of it regulkarly, it goes out on me more than I'd like, and because of THEM, it's a bit more of a chore to inhale. That's purposeful, and freaking idiotic.