The growing trend of smoking bans

bluewolf4 said:I’ve got enough backbone to risk cancer if I want to smoke.
The people who avoid smoking are actually the ones with weak characters.

😂 😂 😂 🙏

swiftscout8 said:So what, exactly? Is he going to fart on us? Radiation from the monitor? Is he destroying people's sanity by churning out buggy software? What exactly is he doing to ruin anyone's health? What could someone possibly get sick from here? 😕 🙄

I’m not going to waste any more breath than necessary on this... I figure you're smart enough to connect the dots yourself. We aren't kids; we don't need everything drawn out for us in crayon...

As for cancer... there have been a few cases in my family, unfortunately. It happened to people who never touched a cigarette in their lives, people who took great care of their health, but life just happens... they got it because it was written in their genes, not because of smoking or secondhand smoke. On the flip side, my grandfather hasn't smoked since he was twelve; he’s 75 now and still lights up with his morning coffee... you see plenty of examples like that. If I'm destined to get cancer, I'll get it. What am I supposed to do?

Picture a cafe patio right next to a highway where smoking is banned, while everyone sits there enjoying the "fresh air" filled with exhaust fumes... or picture a power plant 3.1 miles sitting right outside your city, next to a park where smoking is prohibited... it's all nonsense. The air we breathe is so polluted that cigarettes are a minor issue when it comes to protecting our health. Once those bigger problems are actually solved, then feel free to ban my cigarette; I won't complain. Until then, a law like that just feels hypocritical to me...

Melissa Gonzalez9 said:Just picture a sidewalk cafe on a street where smoking is banned, while everyone sits there breathing in exhaust fumes instead... or imagine a power plant 3.1 miles right next to your house, with a smoke-free park built inside its shadow... it's all nonsense. The air we breathe is already so filthy that worrying about cigarettes feels like a tiny issue for our health. Once those massive pollution problems are actually fixed, then sure, go ahead and ban my cigarette, I won't complain... but until then, this kind of law just feels hypocritical...

Look... For me, and I think most non-smokers would agree, being stuck inhaling someone else's smoke is way more annoying than the actual health risks. I—and honestly, most people here—don't need to imagine the ridiculous scenarios you're bringing up. In America, we're lucky enough to still have some decent air left. Just because it's relatively clean doesn't mean we should ruin it, right? And even if it wasn't so clean, why would we want to make it worse? Why not just switch to heroin then? At least you wouldn't be bothering anyone else with smoke, and let's face it, we're all going to die eventually anyway.🙂

bluewolf4 said:I’ve got enough backbone to risk cancer just by smoking.
The people who avoid smoking are actually the ones with weak characters.

Well, look at how great this cigarette looks on me, haha. Honestly, cancer is probably going to suit me even better than it suits you... you guys are far too weak to handle cancer. And if we all manage to stick around for the next 30 years, we’re probably all going to end up with some kind of illness anyway. At least I won't be crying about it because I actually enjoyed the smoke while getting it, whereas you’ll have the same outcome without ever having had the fun.🙂

I mean, if you truly value your life that little, there are plenty of much faster ways to wrap things up than through smoking.
As for the whole cancer thing, sure, it's true that there are countless ways to develop it, especially since our environment seems to get more polluted by the day. But honestly, why go out of your way to jack up the odds even further just by lighting up?
You might think you aren't noticing the damage, but surely you can see the yellow teeth, the stained fingers, the constant coughing... or is that part of your "look" too?

Man, I seriously can't get over that whole thing about cancer and "personality"...

Look, you hardcore smokers... I don't smoke, not because I'm terrified of cancer, but because cigarettes SMELL LIKE ABSOLUTE GARBAGE!!!!!

So, I'm sitting there this morning having breakfast in the non-smoker section, right? And this guy walks right into the smoking area. He starts eating, I start eating. I finished my food and wanted to sit there for a bit longer to finish my tea since my throat was killing me, but then this guy lights up and just blows the smoke straight toward the non-smoking side. Honestly, if my throat wasn't acting up and I wasn't feeling under the weather, maybe I could have just sucked it up and finished my tea, but since I was already feeling crappy, I just got up halfway through and left....

So, go ahead and smoke as much as you want. As far as I'm concerned, you can wear a space helmet with its own little micro-atmosphere filled with 50% cigarette smoke or whatever you like... JUST DON'T MAKE IT SMELL ON ME!

S

bluewolf4, Melissa Gonzalez9, everyone else... you guys are honestly hilarious 🙂 😂

The sheer amount of stretches and mental gymnastics you go through just to justify yourselves is unreal 😬

But hey, go ahead... enjoy yourselves. Smoke away. It’s not our problem anyway, since you're smoking for your own sake. Credit where it's due—everyone has their little vices, though some people eventually become slaves to what used to be a hobby. Freedom of choice? Sure, a smoker gets to choose whether or not to light up. A non-smoker gets to choose whether to put up with the smoker or walk away. Quite the heavy choice, isn't it? 👎

I actually welcome these new laws and can't wait to see them in action 👋

dustycanyon6 said:Look... personally, and I think most non-smokers feel this way too, being stuck inhaling someone else's smoke is way more annoying than actually worrying about my long-term health.

I guess I was totally mistaken. I thought everyone here actually cared about health, but it turns out this whole thread is just a massive complaint session about how much cigarettes stink... what a brilliant argument... *sniff*... honestly, if we're going by smell, I find fruit tea offensive. Maybe coffee shops should just build separate rooms for anyone planning on ordering tea...

Me, and I’m pretty sure most people here, don't need to imagine the nonsense you're talking about. In the US, we're lucky enough to still have decent air quality. Just because it's clean doesn't mean we have an obligation to pollute it, right? Even if it weren't so clean, why would we want to make it worse?

Sure, nicotine and ozone holes... cigarettes are a major air pollutant, poor Americans... I'm practically appealing to all smokers to quit just so we can preserve the pristine air in our homeland...

Why not just skip straight to heroin? You won't bother anyone with smoke, and you're going to die eventually anyway. 🙂

Right, because addicts are clearly a much smaller social issue than smokers...?! 🙄

Well, yeah. There are about a hundred times fewer of them 🙂

Justin Gray89 said:There’s already been plenty of debate about smoking, but I wanted to reopen the topic after reading an article in The Washington Post.
Starting March 29th, Ireland is banning smoking in pubs, restaurants, and workplaces... Violators will face fines of $3,000!
Not a single EU member state has opposed this law.
Time will tell if this becomes a trend across Europe.
What do you think? Should America pass a similar law?

They definitely should... really crack down on them. Let them deal with the consequences later.😁

Douglas Phillips4 said:bluewolf4, Melissa Gonzalez9, everyone else... you guys are a joke.🙂 😂

The way you pull random examples and half-baked ideas out of thin air just to justify yourselves isn't normal.

That's just your opinion. You think we're funny, but honestly? We just feel sorry for you.
I don't owe anyone an explanation. I like the smell of smoke. Period.
Your comments remind me of those overachieving kids back in middle school—the ones with perfectly combed hair who act like they own the place.

For Justin Gray89:
I don't have yellow teeth and I'm not coughing. I picked up the habit when I was 16, but I've been brushing properly since I was a kid.

Nick doesn't need to make things up to justify anything. My first point was simply that Caloric people are hypocrites when they complain about smoking, even in places where it's perfectly legal.
If I'm an Atheist, I'm not going to church to protest religion. But some non-smokers walk straight into a bar where everyone is smoking just so they can cough on the fumes and lecture everyone about their "rights."

Here are a few more funny comparisons: atheism vs. religion, or smokers vs. non-smokers.🙂

And a pub or a lounge? That’s a cafe or a bistro. It’s not a "cigarette bar."😉
If there were places where you could smoke without bothering anyone—go ahead, smoke. I don't care. The problem is that those places don't actually exist in the real world, especially since people end up smoking in places where it's strictly prohibited anyway.

Those examples aren't funny. Sure, anyone can walk into a church, but Atheists don't bother showing up just because they're the minority—and they certainly don't go there specifically to protest religion. It’s the same deal with bars where most people smoke; you'll occasionally find someone who chooses that dive over Starbucks just to sit there and lecture everyone on their rights.

If you hate comparisons and analogies that much, I'll give it to you straight: If you walk into a place where everyone is smoking, you aren't welcome if you spend the whole night whining about your rights.
When we're in non-smoking areas, we don't smoke. Simple as that.
If someone ignores that kind of basic tolerance, I'm not with them. Same goes for a non-smoker in a place where smoking is allowed.
Anything else unclear??????

bluewolf4 said:Those aren't really funny examples. Sure, everyone is welcome in a church, but Atheists don't usually bother going there just because they're a minority... and they certainly aren't showing up to protest religion.

Actually, Atheists aren't even protesting against religion. Or faith, for that matter. I think the word you're actually looking for is "antitheist," not atheist. And honestly, I don't know a single antitheist. Take me, for example—I'm an Atheist, but I still show up to a church when a friend is getting married or having a baptism...

Well, if you hate comparisons and examples that much, I can just put it this way: If you go to a place where everyone smokes, you aren't exactly welcome if you spend the whole night complaining about your rights.

That’s why we talk about our rights here, and not at a local pub. 😉

It's the exact same thing for a Non-smoker in a place where smoking is allowed.
Anything else unclear??????

The real issue is that smoking is basically allowed everywhere, and the non-smoking areas aren't physically separated, so people end up breathing in smoke anyway. Plus, even where it's banned, people rarely follow the rules. Nobody really calls them out on it, because what's the point? It won't change anything...

dustycanyon6 said:Atheists aren't actually out to get religion. Or faith. I think the word you’re looking for is "antitheist," not atheist. And honestly, I don't know a single one. For instance, I'm an atheist, but I still show up to church for weddings or baptisms if someone I know is involved.

Exactly. You were thinking about bears and wrote "Atheists."

That’s why we discuss our rights here, not at some dive bar. 😉

I don't get it... If you just want to talk, why even bother opening a forum account?

The real issue is that smoking is allowed pretty much everywhere, and non-smoker areas aren't physically separated, so people end up breathing in smoke regardless. Plus, where it *is* banned, most people just ignore the rules. Nobody calls them out on it either, because what's the point in complaining? It won't change anything.

Give me a break. Where is smoking allowed besides bars and on the street? In a Cinema? A department store? Grocery stores? Smoking is banned in basically every public indoor space. 🙂 😁

bluewolf4 said:Look, if I’m an Atheist, I’m not exactly heading to a church just to protest religion. But I do notice how some non-smokers seem to gravitate toward bars where everyone is smoking just so they can cough on all that smoke and lecture everyone else about their rights.

Seriously, please—can you actually name a single bar in America where smoking is strictly banned?!
Are bars, pubs, coffee shops, or nightclubs really reserved exclusively for smokers? Who exactly is being discriminated against here?
Besides the whole smoking ban Law we have, maybe we should focus more on those cigarette companies that find every possible loophole to advertise their products anyway. Probably some fancy music club's idea of marketing, I guess.🙂

Oh, please—"I am the center of the world." I can't think of a more ridiculous slogan to promote cigarettes and smoking. 🙄 👎

Hey everyone, let's please stop wishing cancer on one another. Just a heads-up, those posts have been deleted...

bluewolf4 said:Yeah, you're right. I was thinking about bears, but I typed out Atheists instead... my bad.

Are you kidding me? What you were actually getting at sounds more like heretics, since they believe in things that theists don't. Atheists basically just don't believe—mostly because nobody can give them a straight answer to the question "What exactly is God?" so they can't even decide if they believe or not. Then there are antitheists, who actively believe God doesn't exist (they actually seem to understand what theists mean when they say "God," though...).

I don't get it... If you aren't going to talk, why even bother making an account on this forum?

Excuse me? 😕

Come on, where is smoking allowed besides bars and on the street? In the Cinema? At a department store? Grocery stores? It's banned in basically every indoor public space.

You put it pretty clearly there: "It's banned in basically every indoor public space." But wait... it's somehow totally fine in those public places where people hang out for hours, like bars or clubs... How much time do you really spend in a retail store? You walk in, buy your stuff, and leave. And besides that, would you even want to buy a shirt that reeks of cigarettes? Or a sandwich that smells like smoke? Not me. Same goes for when I step out of a cafe or a club and I'm absolutely covered in that smell...

Justin Gray89 said:Give me one single bar where smoking isn't banned. Just one. Anywhere in America.
Are bars, pubs, cafes, and clubs strictly reserved for smokers now? Who exactly is being discriminated against here?
Beyond that smoking ban, we should probably start looking at the cigarette companies that still find clever ways to market their products. Probably through music clubs or something.🙂

Look at New York City, for instance. Smoking is banned in every single bar and disco.🙂

And what's wrong with cigarette ads? Every company has the right to market its product.

bluewolf4 said:Just look at New York City, for instance—you won't find those ads in any bar or nightclub.🙂

And honestly, what’s the big deal with cigarette advertising? I mean, every company should have the right to promote their own products, shouldn't they?

Hey! I was asking about America, not New York City.
Regarding the advertising issue, in the US, the Law prohibits cigarette commercials. However, Altria uses indirect methods to advertise their products. Personally, I think even that kind of subtle promotion should be legally restricted.