Secondhand smoke concerns

Mary Shriver spent seven years breathing in secondhand smoke from her colleagues in a cramped government office. She eventually passed away from lung cancer. Now, a court in Washington, D.C. has awarded her estate $400,000 in damages. This payout to her family is being hailed as the largest settlement ever granted in the US for passive smoking and marks the first major legal win against the federal government.
- "This sets a massive precedent that could open the floodgates for hundreds, if not thousands, of similar cases," noted Marco Rubio from a consumer advocacy group supporting the ruling.
The late Mary often complained about her workspace, but since there were no regulations banning smoking at the time, she was stuck. She passed away from lung cancer in February 2000 at age 57. The court allocated $260,000 for physical suffering and $130,000 for emotional distress. This case serves as fresh ammunition for the recently passed anti-smoking laws that prohibit smoking in larger offices, restaurants, bars, and factories. The goal is to end secondhand smoke exposure and curb a habit that statistics show kills 90,000 Americans every year.

Speaking of smoking bans, I have to admit—even though I’m usually not one for strict bans—I’d be totally on board with smoking being allowed to be prohibited tomorrow.

I don't smoke myself, but I've been a passive smoker for years, whether at work or out at bars. Honestly, the thought that my health could suffer because of someone else's habit really weighs on me. It's especially frustrating because you can't exactly avoid smokers while still trying to live a normal social life.

😠

I’m right there with you—I am all for smoking being allowed nowhere near public spaces. I mean, honestly, why should someone who has made the personal choice to poison themselves get to force that same secondhand smoke on me? It just doesn't make sense.

Jonathan Lewis40 said:I couldn't agree more. I am firmly in favor of a total ban on smoking in all public spaces. Why should someone who chooses to poison themselves have the right to poison me too?

By that logic, I’d just ban you from driving your car.
Why should I be forced to breathe in the toxic exhaust fumes coming out of your vehicle? 🙄

David Harris44 said:I’d basically ban you from driving a car altogether.
I mean, why would you be out there poisoning me with your exhaust fumes? 🙄

Look, transportation is a necessity—it’s how we function. Plus, we already have emissions testing to keep things as clean as possible. Smoking, though? That’s a choice. And if someone really needs a fix, they can just head somewhere else where they aren't bothering people who don't want to deal with it. It’s just basic tolerance—you know, common courtesy. Honestly, it's about culture. I’m not going to pass gas right next to you at the office; if it's that bad, I'll step outside. Why should you or anyone else have to breathe that in?

David Harris44 said:I’d ban you from driving a car myself.
Why would you want to poison me with your exhaust fumes? 🙄

Interesting analogy, and pretty much what I expected. But it just doesn't hold up. 🙂

Ugh, I seriously can't stand people who would rather pick a fight than just put out their cigarette in an enclosed space. It's so annoying!
My partner is a heavy smoker, but thank God he only does it in his own room... or heads outside.

David Harris44 said:I’d ban you from driving altogether.
Why should I have to breathe in your car's exhaust fumes? 🙄

Didn't you quit smoking, though? 🤔

I’d cast my vote for her in a heartbeat. Honestly, I’d even pull the lever for the Republican Party if they just promised to ban smoking in all public spaces and indoor areas right this second! 👍

Hannah Ortiz84 said:An interesting analogy, and one I saw coming. But it doesn't quite hold up. 🙂

It is certainly telling how 90% of smokers immediately jump on the bandwagon regarding cars. 🤔

What a bunch of smokers!!!

🙂

Jesse Fox14 said:I’d probably vote for her in a heartbeat. Honestly, I’d even throw my support behind the Republican Party if they promised to ban smoking in all public spaces and indoor venues right now. 👍

Just watch out, because if any die-hard Republican Party supporter overhears you, we’re doomed—if they ever actually get that idea into their heads, they’ll just drag us back a hundred years. 😁 😁 😁

Hold on, why does it have to be every single public space?

Look, I’m not out here poisoning anyone just because I light up on the street,
in a park, or whatever.

I don't agree with an outright ban... I'm more in favor of segregation.

At offices, restaurants, and places like that—fine, a total ban makes sense.

But in America, there are way too many smokers for it to be illegal
to smoke in bars or clubs.
I get it, you non-smokers think the smoke is bothering you, that we're poisoning you,
but you need to show some respect for us by, well,
providing designated smoking areas at work and such.

Now you guys want to ban smoking everywhere... it's overkill. Bans never
actually solve anything.
Making comparisons to countries like Ireland or the USA isn't even fair,
because they actually have functioning states, whereas over here, everyone would be smoking
regardless of whether there was a ban or not.

Charles Young said:Hold up, why does it have to be every single public space?

I don't think I'm poisoning anyone just because I light up on the street,
in a park, or whatever.

You’re dead wrong! Honestly, the smoke on the sidewalk drives me crazy. Like, I’ll be standing at a red light waiting for it to change, and some guy starts puffing clouds right in my face... It’s one thing when you walk past a cafe patio and just breeze through, but when someone blows smoke directly into my face while I'm just walking down the street 😠 or strolls ahead of me with a cigarette and I have to practically sprint to dodge them... man, sometimes I just want to grab their cigarette and toss it!
Or anywhere else where you're stuck waiting outside in a line. Just gross. 🙂

Take it from a proud former long-time smoker! 😁

Charles Young said:Hold up, why does it have to be every single public space?

I don't think I'm poisoning anyone if I light up on the street,
in a park, or whatever.

It’s not all public spaces, it’s specifically indoor public areas—like waiting rooms, bars, restaurants, clubs, etc. Nobody is going to stop you from smoking on the street or in a park or any other outdoor spot.

Charles Young said:I'm not against a ban, I'm just for segregation.

We already have segregation: this section is smoke-free, that section is for smokers, there's a one-meter gap between tables. It's a mess...

Charles Young said:Anyway, there are too many smokers in America for them to ban it
in bars, clubs, and stuff.

I'm not a fan of that logic—just because a majority of people do something bad doesn't mean it shouldn't be banned. If anything, it's precisely because there are so many smokers that we need to regulate it.

Charles Young said:I get that non-smokers find the smoke annoying and feel like we're poisoning them,
but you guys should show some consideration by
providing designated smoking rooms at the workplace and such.

A dedicated smoking room at work. 👍

Charles Young said:Now you want to ban smoking everywhere, how extreme. Bans never
actually achieve anything.

And smoking hasn't done anyone any good anyway (except those profiting from it)...

Charles Young said:Comparing us to places like Ireland or the USA isn't really fair
because they actually have a functioning state, whereas here everyone would smoke regardless
of any ban.

Comparing ourselves to places like Ireland or the USA is necessary if we want to move forward (at least regarding this law). If everyone actually paid$167 for a cigarette where they aren't supposed to, then everyone would follow the law.

I can't say I agree with you on this one.

Regarding this idea about people actually paying fines... nobody is ever going to pay $167 for smoking being allowed. They’d rather just go to jail or take on community service.
Prisons are already overflowing with traffic violators anyway, so if we actually enforced a ban, the whole system would collapse. From what I hear, there are already 80,000 people waiting to serve time for some minor or slightly less minor offenses. Now, take that number and multiply it by five, and you have an idea of how many people will be lighting up at clubs or bars over the weekend and getting caught. Honestly, there wouldn't be room in the jails for a single offender except for smokers (LOL?). Then everyone would just be racing through the streets, and road fatalities would spike because they know they won't face jail time for another ten years.

Smoking gives me pleasure. So, when you claim it brings nothing to the table, personally, it brings plenty to me—and that's something that should be respected.

In the bars and clubs... do you even realize how many coffee shops there are in a city like Chicago?
You simply cannot regulate that legally. You would need hundreds of thousands of honest cops just to collect the fines (see above 😁).
That is never going to happen here, and even if it did, it would just be a dead letter on a piece of paper.

As for the segregation issue, it isn't my fault that the law is poorly drafted and failed to account for it...
If they actually introduced regulations regarding that, people wouldn't just be a meter apart; they'd be separated by glass walls and things like that.
It isn't my fault the legislature doesn't know how to do its job. 🙂 :

The conclusion is that you first need about 10+ years of spreading a non-smoking culture, and then you pass a law similar to what those other countries have done.

Nothing happens overnight here. That's just how it works in America.

One more thing, specifically for you, Ashley Watson.

It really grates on me when people go overboard demonizing smokers the way you do.

Ditch the drama... by any reasonable definition, secondhand smoke means spending your day sitting in a cloud of it—like in a bar or a club—not getting hit by a puff of smoke while walking down the street, for God's sake.

Enough with this whole attitude that smokers are somehow villains out to destroy your innocent lungs.

It’s truly extreme.

Charles Young said:Honestly, I’m getting pretty tired of this whole narrative that smokers are just villains out to destroy everyone else's innocent lungs.

It really is an extreme way to look at it.

I mean, I am a truly terrible smoker—I seize every single opportunity to encourage people to pick up the habit because it’s just so wonderful that everyone simply has to try it.

So, I’d like to take this moment to invite all the visitors here in the Wellness subforum to light up a cigarette.
The first one—and probably a few after that—might not feel great, much like when you hit the gym for the first time and your body isn't quite used to the strain 😁 😁 , but every subsequent one will bring pure bliss.
Once you've had a big, delicious meal, go ahead and spark one up; I guarantee you'll never want to stop.
Life is far too short to miss out, and let's be real—if someone is destined to pass away from illness, they’re going to do it whether they were fueled by nicotine or organic granola.

No, no! I don't work for Big Tobacco!

PS: Please don't take offense—this post is practically dripping with irony, sarcasm, and all that good stuff... 👋

Anyway, I’m off to light one up; my hands have started to shake. 😁 😁 😁 😁

I feel like I have to jump in because some of these posts are just totally missing the mark—specifically looking at you, HMM... we’ve danced around this before, but clearly, we need to clear the air again.

Look, everyone should be equal, right? We all deserve the same rights and freedoms. And part of that is the basic right to not be poisoned by someone else (unless that's something you actually want). My freedom ends where yours begins. If you take that to heart, you'll see that smoking around non-smokers—or even in mixed groups—is just unethical. You're essentially infringing on someone else's liberty. Even if the law hasn't caught up yet, that doesn't make it okay... there's this mindset sometimes that if it isn't illegal, it's perfectly fine, but that's not how ethics work. If there were any actual justice in this world, smoking wouldn't be allowed in public spaces, or at the very least, we'd have properly partitioned areas for smokers and non-smokers.

And I'm going to say this for the tenth time now: this isn't about banning smoking. It’s about not allowing it... it's about not allowing people to stomp all over the freedom of those who don't smoke. By not allowing smoking in public spaces, we'd actually gain an extra layer of freedom here in America... we'd be a tiny bit more democratic and free than we are now.

I really hope people can see the distinction between a "ban" and simply "not allowing" something. Honestly, signs should probably say "Smoking is not permitted" instead of "Smoking is prohibited." The natural state of things should be that you don't smoke in public, but I guess some people need it spelled out for them... It’s a lot like the whole weed debate. We aren't talking about legalization; we're talking about decriminalization.

dustycanyon6 said:I really hope people can grasp the nuance here—there's a massive difference between an outright ban and simply not allowing something. Honestly, signs should probably just say "Smoking is not permitted" rather than "Smoking is prohibited." It’s almost as if we have to remind people that the default state of public spaces is smoke-free, though clearly, some folks need it spelled out in bold letters. It’s the exact same logic we see with weed—we aren't talking about full-blown legalization, just decriminalization.

That is a spot-on way to put it. 👍

Charles Young said:One more thing, specifically for you, Ashley Watson.

It really bugs me when people start demonizing smokers as much as you do.

Come on, give me a break... by the definition of secondhand smoke, we're talking about hanging out in a cloud of smoke every day (like in a bar or a club), not some random puff hitting you while you're walking down the street, for God's sake.

Seriously, enough with this whole attitude that smokers are just evil people trying to ruin your innocent lungs.

Total overkill.

Look, I’m being completely honest here—that smoke bothers me. And I’m not even exaggerating. It was actually one of the reasons I quit. Maybe you don't get it, but if you ever find yourself quitting one day, I hope it clicks for you. I have nothing against someone smoking outside on the sidewalk, but please, don't blow it right in my face! Just like I don't care if people drive cars, as long as they aren't blowing exhaust fumes directly into my head!