Red Rotties Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 I agree with you, it just bothers me were it is going next, the powers that be want to get rid of smoking but are talking about legalising certain drugs, mad mad world Yesterdays news snippet was the best though, now they have stopped smoking in pubs and clubs they have a new problem of trying to mask the smells no one noticed before by adding perfumes to air conditioning units..... maybe Aggie and Kim can have a new programme.... how clean is your pub/club now If there was something I *chose* to do that could severely affect the health of those around me, even aside from the affect on my own health, would it be fair for me to expect to do it wherever and whenever I liked? I don't think so. Drinking kills more people than smoking ever will, it affects the health of the person doing it, puts other folk at risk if they decided to drive etc, and breaks up a lot of families. It throws people in to debt can cause unwanted pregnancies, causes fights in the streets...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ailsas mum Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 If smoking is banned in public places how come you can smoke outside on the street, is the street now not a public place ?. See Charles Kennedy has been caught smoking on a train. Terri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 I agree with you, it just bothers me were it is going next, the powers that be want to get rid of smoking but are talking about legalising certain drugs, mad mad world Well you won't see me supporting legalising those drugs and I think some of the most ardent campaigners are backtracking after the links to mental health problems. I understand what you mean about the nanny state etc - there are those trying to reduce the freedom of dogs offlead etc and I have seen claims by some photographers that there are wishes to curtail the rights of photographers to take pics in public places. I guess like everyone else, there are rules I support and rules that I wouldn't Yesterdays news snippet was the best though, now they have stopped smoking in pubs and clubs they have a new problem of trying to mask the smells no one noticed before by adding perfumes to air conditioning units..... maybe Aggie and Kim can have a new programme.... how clean is your pub/club now Yeah I've heard that too. not nice to think about everything else we're inhaling either really is it Drinking kills more people than smoking ever will, it affects the health of the person doing it, puts other folk at risk if they decided to drive etc, and breaks up a lot of families. It throws people in to debt can cause unwanted pregnancies, causes fights in the streets...... I don't know the stats to compare death from drinking v smoking - but I won't disagree with what you say about the downside to drinking either. I'm opposed to drink driving, the father of one of my school classmates was killed by a drink driver on Christmas Eve when we were about 11/12, when his family were all with him in the car I've also had to remove the car keys from a friend who turned up p*ssed and endure a blazing row after I phoned their parents to collect them, but I wasn't going to have any part in what they could have done if they'd been allowed to drive off, which was what they wanted to do However a lot of people do manage to drink responsibly without affecting others - I think that's the difference, a drinker can sit in a pub and have a drink or two and not bother anyone else, whereas even the nicest, most thoughtful smoker will affect those around them in a confined space, whether they wish to or not Anyhow, am off shortly to enjoy my pub lunch in a NS pub for the first time If smoking is banned in public places how come you can smoke outside on the street, is the street now not a public place ?.See Charles Kennedy has been caught smoking on a train. Terri It's banned in enclosed public places, not all public places - although I'm not quite sure how the hospital thing works as they seem to have banned smoking on the grounds entirely - maybe because of the nature of the places Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 Well how about this for farcical then? I work in a vicarage which is obviously the family home of the Vicar - now I actually would never smoke inside it as they are a family of non smokers and I can very easily pop out into the garden from my "office" if it's dry or I go out and sit in my car if it's really wet. I got to work Tuesday to find an official "no smoking" sign on the office door - bear in mind my "office" is merely a room inside the house where the computer and filing cabinets are, it is also the vicars study - he had to apologise to me in case I thought he was having a go at me (I didn't cos I thought he was actually having a bit of a joke with me about the ban) but he has been told that because a vicarage is also a place of work then he must display the notices on any space which the "public" might have access too, in this case thats the "office" and technically his flipping living room where he takes parishioners for private discussions etc. That is just insane, there are many smoking clergy and smoking family members, are they now to be banned from smoking inside their own homes? Now obviously from that you'll have deduced I'm a smoker, moreover I am a very heavy smoker, like many smokers have already said prior to the ban I have always "policed" myself, I don't smoke in other peoples homes unless they smoke and invite me to do so, even if a non smoker does give me permission I will invariably refuse or at the very least go and stand in an open doorway to the outside. I have carried my own portable ashtray in my bag for years. When out for a meal we've always chosen to sit in the non smoking area for the benefit of any non smokers amongst us even if the smokers out number the nonsmokers and I have always opted to go outside or into the smoking area if I wanted a fag between courses or after the meal etc. I have never objected to businesses choosing to be smoke free because I have had the choice to take my business elsewhere if it bothered me that much. What I very strongly object to is with this law smokers have suddenly become a quite acceptable group to demonise in a far more insidious and nasty way, and being the sort of person I am (a rebel lol) the more they do that the more I dig my heels in and the more stubborn I become and the less I am likely to have any good will or to listen to any messages at all about the dangers of smoking or its impact on others, and I am by no means alone in this kind of reaction. I hit the roof earlier this week reading a comment in one of the papers along the lines of some woman being really pleased about the ban because now she wouldn't have to be subjected to all these common people in the pub lowering the tone - now the comment was bad enough but it was the fact she felt she now could say something like that about smokers because they are now an acceptable target. I am utterly opposed to this law NOT because I feel it's my right to smoke anywhere I please, but because it is the start of what I see as a very slippery slope as can be seen by the campaigns now to ban smoking in your own car etc. This time it's smokers ... who is next? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sproggie14 Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 I read that work places which were also residences eg care homes were exempt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingrid Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 I read that work places which were also residences eg care homes were exempt. No you are banned from smoking in your own home if you work from home and have an office there to which public (customers) have access, also if you store products. Same as with taxi's, smoking is banned even if you are an owner driver and using it for your own pleasure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyM Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 (edited) But surely a mental patient who doesn't have the "capacity" to realise it's dangerous to go near the rail line would be in danger whether or not they were needing a fag - and if they were in danger of getting onto the line without realising the consequence, surely they wouldn't be allowed to wander around outside Or am I being very naive? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1607595.stm I don't think you're being naive, it's what we'd all expect, supervision for those that are vulnerable. But it's not happening. Those two deaths are not the only incidents with mental patients getting onto the tracks, and while yes they'd be at risk whether they were doing it for a fag or not, I worry about nipping over the barrier for a fag being an extra factor. Edit - scroll down on this link for more.. http://www.markwalton.net/1/archives/2006_04.asp Edited July 7, 2007 by KathyM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 There are many awful smells. Body odour Garlic Unclean teeth Botty burps Curry breath etc etc etc Smoking is an unclean habit, but at least you can 'see' that smell and avoid it. other smells can grab you by the throat ( literally ) and ruin your day / eve. I stopped smoking in August 2005 because I won't be told what to do, however, the freedom to smoke is also licence for a freedom to give someone lung cancer via passive smoking. So sorry guys, smokers have had their day. it's the non smokers turn now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Rotties Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 I dont see why the people that want to breathe clean air dont just sit outside and leave the rest of us in the smelly pubs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimthecat Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 I can remember when people were allowed to smoke in places like McDonalds! I don't smoke now but used to. I dont think people should be allowed to smoke in work places but I don't see what's wrong with having a seperate indoor area where people can smoke in pubs . Alison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 (edited) If there was something I *chose* to do that could severely affect the health of those around me, even aside from the affect on my own health, would it be fair for me to expect to do it wherever and whenever I liked? I don't think so. I'm not & never have been a smoker but still think this ban is wrong - what was wrong with the old system of a smoking & none smoking area escapes me. In answer to the above, my father who is now 78 & has smoked since he was about 15 would simply ask how much toxic smoke people who drive are emitting in comparison to his cigarettes. I don't know the exact statistics behind the argument but would reasonably think he's right - my car does emit far more smoke than he does - how else could people fairly quickly kill themselves with a line from the exhaust where no one has ever died a fairly quick death from smoking? Edited July 7, 2007 by Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maria Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 (edited) I agree with the point about cars. OH works in the City of London, and only has a short walk from the tube to his office, and then back again. He then only pops out again to get some lunch. His shirt collars get stained with black gunk, and if he blows his nose He is breathing in all that car / lorry pollution, but that's OK? I used to have to go into town occasionally, and always came back with stained clothes etc. So those of us who chose to drive are potentially severely affecting the health of others, and we do do it wherever and whenever we like. So taking your point Ange - should driving cars now be banned too? I don't like smoking, and will be pleased that my low ceilinged local will no longer be full of smog, but don't like where this sort of thing may be headed.......why is it still legal to smoke if the effects are so bad? Edited July 7, 2007 by Maria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 No I don't think car driving should be banned. I'm sure people could probably be a bit more selective with their car use though. I see the point several of you have made and I can appreciate smokers are not happy about the ban. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maria Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 Just wondering why driving highly polluting cars shouldn't be banned / restricted too then, when it affects people's (esp young children's) health as well? I'd love to see all cars banned in city centres due to the health implications, can't see why that should be any different to smoking bans...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 (edited) Perhaps we should just stick with smoking? I don't think any politician suggesting banning cars would want the risk of meeting with an unfortunate accident Edited July 7, 2007 by Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts