The growing trend of smoking bans

dustyharbor7 said:Fine, whatever. You’ll get all your little perks and benefits, sure, but if you get caught smoking, buying, or selling cigarettes, you’re headed straight to jail—just like with drugs. That's how it works. 😉 !

Total BS.

Exactly! 🙂

By your logic, the entire US government would be behind bars. Over here, they're charging about $10 a pack.

Look, it was actually easier for me to quit weed than cigarettes. In the last eight years, I've barely thought about weed once, but cigarettes are constantly on my mind, and I'm only five weeks into quitting.

Yeah, whatever... This whole thing with cigarettes, the bans, all that nonsense... It’s NEVER going to go fully underground, and there's one simple reason: cigarettes make too much money to ever stay legal. And even when they do go illicit, that cash just ends up flowing into someone else's pocket anyway.

Just look at the math. / Prescription meds at the pharmacy cost way more than what you can find at a convenience store. So, do the math yourself—where do you think people are actually going to buy them? 😉

Betty Hill82 said:That works! 🙂

By your logic, the entire Dutch government would be behind bars. Around here, they’re charging about two bucks per pack.

Look, honestly, it was actually easier for me to quit weed than it was to kick the cigarettes. In the last eight years, I’ve barely even thought about weed once, but cigarettes? They are constantly on my mind. I’m currently five weeks into quitting.

Well, I don't think the whole government would go to jail by my standards, but you did say something that just doesn't track. Based on your post, I get the feeling you aren't actually living here in the States... because in America, they don't charge two dollars a pack, though they probably should be charging more. If smokers want specific benefits to help them deal with their addiction or for medical treatment, then there should be a way to pay for that directly. We shouldn't all have to foot the bill through general taxes, especially when our healthcare system is already struggling so much. Otherwise, when it's finally my turn to need a doctor or some kind of treatment, I might find myself stuck on a massive waiting list because the system is basically in a coma due to lack of funding...

Anyway, if you go back and read my previous post, I mentioned that I'm not actually in favor of bans. What I said was just my response to your somewhat vague idea about what kind of benefits smokers should receive... so I was just answering vagueness with vagueness... though I think mine was a bit more grounded.

Sh

I mean, honestly, I gave up on thorns just as easily as anyone else—it’s not that hard once you decide—but cigarettes? Man, those things have a grip on me and I’m still at it... such a bad habit, I know... but if I can actually kick them (and believe me, coming from someone who smokes and isn't even trying to quit yet), then I truly, deeply believe anyone can do it too...
I just don't feel that desperate urge to stop right this second, so I guess I'll just keep on smoking for now.

Look, man... smoke all you want, as long as your clouds aren't hitting my space... I honestly don't give a damn if people smoke—if they want to wreck their health and smell like an ashtray, that's on them. Just don't force it on everyone else.

dustycanyon6 said:Honestly, give me a break... As long as your smoke isn't blowing in my face, I really don't care. Look, if people want to mess with their own health or deal with smelling like an ashtray, that's entirely on them. Just don't go forcing it on everyone else.

👍 👍 👍

I know people in my area who claim to be PASSIONATE SMOKERS...🙄 "passionate," my foot...
As if being that "passionate" gives them some kind of right to terrorize everyone else who isn't...

Then there are the decent smokers I know—people who actually pick a time and place so they don't bother anyone. Maybe they’re just regular addicts without all the drama...

dustyharbor7 said:Look, I'm not saying you should go to jail, but you just said something completely wrong. Based on your post, it doesn't seem like you're actually living in America... because here, they don't just hand out 2 dollars per pack, even though they should be charging way more. If smokers want specific benefits to help quit or for treatment, that money should be collected from them directly. We shouldn't all have to foot the bill, only to find out when it's my turn for a doctor or some medical procedure that I can't get an appointment because the healthcare system is basically in a coma due to lack of funding.

Anyway, read my previous post where I stated I'm not in favor of bans... this was just my response to your nonsense regarding what kind of benefits smokers ought to receive. I met your nonsense with a bit of my own... but at least mine made sense.

S

In the US, bans aren't always in effect anyway, and I didn't say anything about AT&T...

I live in the Netherlands and I don't talk nonsense; I just draw logical conclusions.

Look, nearly a billion dollars (which the European Union gives to the tobacco industry) would be plenty to cover what I said.

And then you, who are using our money for this, claim it's a drug. Seriously, who's the idiot here????

Let's say I've been a smoker for 10 years. In those ten years, I've paid enough into this country to cure THREE cases of lung cancer. Where is that money???
In the end, what am I offered as an option? What kind of patches? Nicotine. 😁

It's a business, but you're looking at it too much from a non-smoker's perspective, so you can't even understand me. No, I'm not smarter than you just because I smoked—I'm stupider, I was incredibly stupid... But at least I deal with better information regarding this stuff.

I used to go through a pack and a half every single day for five years straight. I haven't touched a cigarette in three months now and
honestly, I feel pretty great. It’s funny how you don't realize how much of a fool you were being until you finally step away from it all.
😁 😁

Betty Hill82 said:In America, bans aren't always in effect, and I haven't really said anything about AT&T....

I live in the Netherlands, so I’m not just talking nonsense; I’m just looking at things logically, I guess.

Look, the nearly billion dollars in the European Union that gets handed over to the tobacco industry every year is more than enough to support what I was saying.

And then you people, who use our own tax money for this, claim it's like a drug. Honestly, who's being foolish here?

Let’s say I have ten years of smoking under my belt. Over those ten years, I’ve basically paid enough into this country's system to cure THREE cases of lung cancer. So, where did all that money go?
In the end, what am I left with? Just some nicotine patches. 😁

It's a business, but maybe you're looking at it too much from a non-smoker's perspective, so I don't think you can really get where I'm coming from. No, I'm not smarter than you just because I used to smoke—I'm probably dumber, since I was so reckless back then... I just happen to have better information on the subject.

I mean, everything they said probably holds up. I don't know the actual costs of cancer treatment, though. Maybe if there were a doctor around who could explain how much a hospital day costs, or the average length of stay, or the price of scans, tests, surgeries, and medications (if there even are any, not for a cure, but for... well, I'm not a doctor, so I don't know) and things like that. It should be pretty easy to crunch those numbers. And it all ties back to the money; tobacco definitely makes a profit. But the whole point of this thread is about bans... and like I mentioned before, I'm not necessarily against bans, but I am against being bothered by the smoke. I think Target did a great job with their restaurant setup; they made this glass enclosure for smokers, so they can eat and smoke and smell themselves, while I can just enjoy my meal in peace without the cigarette smoke getting in my way. 🙂

S

Personally, I think splitting up bars and restaurants into smoking and non-smoking sections sounds like a perfectly reasonable idea to me.
As for all this talk about medical costs and stuff, who exactly is picking up the tab when someone wipes out on a motorcycle without wearing a helmet? Or when some worker ignores basic OSHA safety protocols on the job?
Besides, since when did we start acting like non-smokers are somehow immune to cancer?

hollowtrucker77 said:I actually think the idea of having separate bars and restaurants—one for smokers and one for non-smokers—sounds pretty reasonable to me.
As for the medical side of things, I mean, who’s actually footing the bill for someone who wipes out on a motorcycle without wearing a helmet? Or for an employee who ignores basic OSHA safety protocols on the job??
Besides, since when did non-smokers suddenly become immune to cancer??

Well, if they don't die, they'll just end up paying a fine!

And about those workers... yeah, you're right. It feels like nobody ever actually holds them accountable for skipping safety steps... it's definitely a massive loophole.

I guess nobody ever explicitly said that non-smokers can't get cancer, but you really have to admit that most people dealing with lung or throat cancer are smokers...

S

My spouse and I both quit smoking six months ago. It hasn't been easy... we've put on some weight, and we're both struggling a bit with the kid, but we're finally getting back to a normal rhythm. We can actually go places now that were totally off-limits before. Sometimes I'll just sit in a Starbucks for half an hour enjoying the flavor of my drink. Or I'll hit up a nice restaurant. I don't get all agitated anymore, because I don't have to rush out after dessert and panic about finding a spot to light up a cigarette...

I live in Canada, where smoking is pretty much banned from public spaces altogether. You only see it in bars, and even then, it's restricted to designated areas.

God, it used to bother me so much. I felt like a second-class citizen. Now, I can grab a coffee at Starbucks to go, stand outside, and just enjoy it. Whether it's 90 degrees or 10 below zero, who cares... as long as I can smoke... yeah right...

In my opinion, there isn't a single smoker out there who is actually happy about smoking. No smoker enjoys that morning cough, the bad breath, or the way their clothes and hair constantly smell like smoke... they don't like the fact that they have this miserable habit they can't seem to break, either. They hate the massive amounts of money they throw away on cigarettes, and whether they admit it or not, they're always thinking about their lungs, cancer, asthma... At least, that's how I felt. Sure, maybe I enjoyed a cigarette or two after a nice meal... but everything else was just a cursed habit. You smoke, and you hate yourself for it.
Quitting is damn hard. At least it was for me and my partner. To this day, I still feel the urge to light up after a good dinner... but I won't. We've been "clean" for six months now. We go everywhere. Because we're allowed to. We are incredibly happy and proud that we managed to kick the habit. Considering what fools we were to start in the first place...

Like the saying goes, someone using cocaine is only hurting themselves. But a smoker? They're hurting everyone around them, and they don't have any right to do that.

analogwolf26 said:Like that person said, cocaine users only hurt themselves. Smokers hurt the people around them, and they don't have the right to do that.

Look, I never said cocaine users threaten me. I said the "geniuses" making these laws probably have more drugs in their bloodstreams than any nicotine addict ever could.
It’s just pure stupidity from the American population. Why weren't there laws against smokers back in the 1970s? They had actual problems to deal with then. They weren't just sitting on their asses trying to manufacture some imaginary, hyper-sensitive, fashion-model utopia.
And for the record, I don't hate smoking. I like the smell of tobacco in my hair. I don't feel like a second-class citizen when I step out of Starbucks to light up; I feel like I'm exercising the freedom offered by this modern diet world.
People say everyone loves the idea of opening separate bars for smokers and non-smokers. That sounds nice, but it’ll never happen. The people passing these laws don't go to bars, they don't drink, and they certainly don't eat meat. They don't care what's "convenient" for the youth because they never had real college days or the lifestyle that comes with it. We're talking about children of calorie-counting parents, sitting at the back of a classroom with thick glasses, pale skin where you can see every blue vein. Instead of playing football with the other kids and coming home hungry enough to eat a real steak and salad before having a smoke, they'll be "healthier" eating carrots prepared in some fancy French sauce made from weeds that taste like straw.

These are the people deciding the future for teenagers who will spend their entire lives stuck in forums and video games. And don't get me started—they'll probably ban video games next because they're supposedly a major driver of youth violence. Newsflash: during WWII, the Germans didn't have video games, and they still managed to kill the innocent world.
This type of parenting creates insecure kids who walk into school with an AK-47 and commit massacres because nobody wants to hang out with them.
I never want to quit smoking. It won't even cross my mind. I do what I like and act how I think I should, rather than trying to mimic those types at Starbucks. You know, the ones who go there because they're insecure, drinking coffee that's honestly disgusting and can't compete with a drink from a real bar run by bartenders with actual life experience. Not these kids covered in eighty-nine piercings, babbling about their vague visions of heaven and death, or reciting animal rights laws and ways to destroy the greenery on this pathetic planet.
You guys are free to embrace this new culture and pretend you're creating equality. But in twenty years, you'll realize you had more freedom waving your hand in a bar because the smoke bothered you than your kids will have when they're shoved into indoor enclosures for "sexual harassment" charges just because some rich kid's dad thinks a wink was an offense.

Hope my terrible grammar doesn't bother you while reading this (if you're even open-minded enough to read it). I don't care what anyone thinks of me, so I'm not bothering to fix it. 👋
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

You know, when you think about who actually decides on the rules we all have to live by, it’s not just about smoking... I guess it's pretty much like that with everything else in life.

As far as smoking goes, honestly, smoke as much as you want, just please don't make me smell it... okay? 😉

S

dustyharbor7 said:Listen to that. The way they push these laws through—it isn’t just about smoking. It’s almost everything. That’s how the game is played.

Look, when it comes to smoking, you can smoke as much as your heart desires—just don't make it my problem. Keep that smell away from me. Period. 😉

Š

It’s not about the smell. I don't care if it reeks. The issue is that it's toxic. It isn't just poisoning itself; it's poisoning me, too. And that is exactly where my problem lies.

Look, bluewolf4, when you smoke like that, you’re essentially infringing on my right to make my own health decisions. Go ahead and smoke all you want, but do it in the designated area.

What bugs me most is walking into a restaurant that still maintains separate smoking and non-smoking sections. You’re just settling in, ready to enjoy a decent steak, when some jerk decides to ruin the moment by blowing smoke right next to you. Of course, the guy thinks he’s being civilized because he’s sitting a few feet away in the designated "smoking area," and he couldn't care less that someone else is trying to eat. I wouldn't even bother confronting him—that's not the point. I'd go straight for the establishment. I'd make sure they faced enough heat to lose their permit to allow smoking indoors altogether. There is absolutely nothing more disrespectful than someone smoking while people are trying to have a meal. It’s disgusting. 🙂

swiftscout8 said:It isn't really about the smell itself. I mean, if it smells, it smells, but the actual issue is that it's poisoning me. It’s not just affecting them; it’s affecting me too. And honestly, that's where my real concern lies.

I mean, sure, it's poisoning you and all sorts of other things... but for me, it just plain stinks. Like, when someone lights one up right while I'm trying to eat... I don't even want to get into it.

Š

I’m all for it, and honestly, I can’t wait to see the Dutch follow the lead of the Irish.

One of the big arguments for this ban is the fact that people working in smoky environments are essentially passive smokers. You show up to work and you're basically poisoning yourself.

If you ask me, smoking indoors should have been banned the very second humans moved from sitting around a campfire on an open field into tents, cabins, or whatever structure we built.

And don't even get me started on the people smoking out on the sidewalk—I am praying they finally put some restrictions on them too. Especially those types who duck into a transit shelter or a bus stop waiting area and just fill the space with smoke. 😠 I’ll be there with my little one, who’s fallen asleep on the bus, and I have to sit on a bench waiting for the next ride while inhaling their secondhand smoke. My kid is breathing it in, too. Since he's asleep and heavy, I'm stuck sitting right there with him. 🙄

Stop talking nonsense. Every single one of your social circles has smokers in them, so just let them step outside the cafe or the club when you head out... we'll see how much you actually love these laws when it’s your turn to deal with it.

Generally speaking, smokers are mindful of non-smokers. They aren't blowing smoke in your face while you eat, they don't do it in your apartment or your car... but man, you all are incredibly loud about this whole "protecting our health" thing, acting like anyone would ever dare disturb your peace. You're doing a great job of policing yourselves.

But banning smoking in open spaces, outdoors—do you honestly believe the smoke from one damn cigarette is going to reach your nose before it just dissipates into the air?!!

Hypocrisy is really the only word for it.

One more thing... all of this is just a result of a massive fad. Now it’s trendy to stop smoking and lecture everyone else about how much we care about our health (yeah, right... 🙄) — basically, we're just putting others down to boost our own lifestyle status. We're just trying to be