Dobe do Wha?
First I don’t smoke, I don’t like to be around people smoking. However they have the right to smoke if they want. So our city council just joined the fad of banning smoking in the city (that’s the way they put it). I’m sure they mean the restaurants and other public places. What really doesn’t make sense to me though is that they want to raise the tax on smoking to accomplish several things in the city. They want to remove taxes on groceries and put it on cigarettes. Frankly its non of the elected governments business if you smoke or not, nor is it in the right telling us where you can or can’t smoke. That goes for many things the elected government does. Lets think about this, ban smoking in the city, and yet up the tax on the smokers. Somehow I just don’t see this working out. What do you think about it?
Posted by geek on 07/01 at 10:09 PM
Comments
You know what, though? For all of the contradiction of this policy, it really does work. Most New England states have banned smoking in all public places - offices, stores, even restaurants and bars - but we've not seen any of the dire consequences the smokers' rights people were predicting. No restaurants or bars have closed (that I know of) due to lack of patronship (at least, not that I know about) and the revenue of cigarette sales is holding steady. You'd THINK it wouldn't work, but it does.
I have to say that I'm THRILLED for the smoking bans. I love that I can go into any restaurant and not be choked by someone else's after-dinner smoke. I grew up in a family where, LITERALLY, EVERY adult smoked. I don't hang around with ANYONE who smokes anymore, and I'm very happy to have my life unpolluted by someone else's bad habit. I make no apologies for it, either; I've breathed enough second-hand smoke for a lifetime, thank you very much. 
Posted by Mrs Chili on 07/02 at 07:31 AM
I have to say that I'm THRILLED for the smoking bans. I love that I can go into any restaurant and not be choked by someone else's after-dinner smoke. I grew up in a family where, LITERALLY, EVERY adult smoked. I don't hang around with ANYONE who smokes anymore, and I'm very happy to have my life unpolluted by someone else's bad habit. I make no apologies for it, either; I've breathed enough second-hand smoke for a lifetime, thank you very much.
Posted by Mrs Chili on 07/02 at 07:31 AM
We've had that same deal in NYC for almost 20 years. It's simply not a problem, it's not going to stop people from smoking and it's not going to stop them from going out and there will be little or no backlash.
The way I look at it (and I didn't always) is that it's something that impacts the people around you so the people around you, in the form of government, have a say in where you do it. If you want to do something like that then you pay for the privilege. People pay for the privilege of filling the tanks of their SUVs and they'll pay extra to smoke. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.
Posted by Kizz on 07/02 at 08:54 AM
The way I look at it (and I didn't always) is that it's something that impacts the people around you so the people around you, in the form of government, have a say in where you do it. If you want to do something like that then you pay for the privilege. People pay for the privilege of filling the tanks of their SUVs and they'll pay extra to smoke. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.
Posted by Kizz on 07/02 at 08:54 AM
Wow. What a great topic!
Last year our town passed a non-smoking by-law, in any place that allowed minors. (ie. restaurants), BUT the businesses had the option of NOT allowing minors. Which was great. One restaurant in town that was very busy, with the business crowd, store owners, bank tellers etc, banned minors during the week so these working people could go sit down for coffee and have a smoke on their break from work.
At the beginning of this year the province took it a step further and took away all the business owner's rights and made every public place non smoking.
Posted by Vicious Vikki on 07/03 at 10:21 AM
Last year our town passed a non-smoking by-law, in any place that allowed minors. (ie. restaurants), BUT the businesses had the option of NOT allowing minors. Which was great. One restaurant in town that was very busy, with the business crowd, store owners, bank tellers etc, banned minors during the week so these working people could go sit down for coffee and have a smoke on their break from work.
At the beginning of this year the province took it a step further and took away all the business owner's rights and made every public place non smoking.
Posted by Vicious Vikki on 07/03 at 10:21 AM
(what's with the 1000 character limit??)
Which makes no sense. Now, instead of going to the two restaurants that allowed smoking people are standing outside the fucking door, of every store, bank, restaurant, puffing away so you have to walk through them to get it. That's healthy, huh??
There is a 3 meter rule, but it is not enforced at all.
I am a smoker. Have been for (quite) a few years, and while it was nice to go for "coffee" with my BFF for hours and hours, we now go in for a quick breakfast and are out the door again, if we go at all. It used to be an escape, but now we tend to stick closer to home... and I have no problem going for dinner with the famdam and not having a smoke. I wait until I get home.
Oh and I do NOT smoke in my house. Ever.
Still miss me? :D
Posted by Vicious Vikki on 07/03 at 10:22 AM
Which makes no sense. Now, instead of going to the two restaurants that allowed smoking people are standing outside the fucking door, of every store, bank, restaurant, puffing away so you have to walk through them to get it. That's healthy, huh??
There is a 3 meter rule, but it is not enforced at all.
I am a smoker. Have been for (quite) a few years, and while it was nice to go for "coffee" with my BFF for hours and hours, we now go in for a quick breakfast and are out the door again, if we go at all. It used to be an escape, but now we tend to stick closer to home... and I have no problem going for dinner with the famdam and not having a smoke. I wait until I get home.
Oh and I do NOT smoke in my house. Ever.
Still miss me? :D
Posted by Vicious Vikki on 07/03 at 10:22 AM
We've had a smoking ban for, hmmm...almost 20 years, I think? Most any indoor public place or work-place. Except for bars, but I have not been in many bars for 12 years, so I really can't remember, I think most have a non-smoking AND a smoking section or patio?
I smoke, but I agree with the ban. I have not smoked indoors in about that same amount of time, since they started saying how damaging it was especially to children. So I don't smoke in my house and I cannot STAND to be inside any room that's filled with smoke. If I want to smoke, I want to smoke my OWN damn cigarette, not other people's.
Posted by annie on 07/13 at 06:06 PM
I smoke, but I agree with the ban. I have not smoked indoors in about that same amount of time, since they started saying how damaging it was especially to children. So I don't smoke in my house and I cannot STAND to be inside any room that's filled with smoke. If I want to smoke, I want to smoke my OWN damn cigarette, not other people's.
Posted by annie on 07/13 at 06:06 PM
