Smokefree Workplaces

[Scummbuddy]

It seems that by a large margin, England will be protecting the worker's rights from second hand smoke. This is something that popping up all over the world, one state after another, or even one country after another.

Just yesterday I testified in my state at the state legislature to protect the rights of workers. It's not fair that every other workplace is smokefree, while I had to get smoke blown in my face every night as I worked behind the bar and careless smokers would exhale directly in my face.

Recently I went to New York, where I stopped by a bar and it was strange to me that there was no one smoking there, then it hit me, that NY had gone smokefree, and it was lovely.
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Don't take this as a personal attack against smokers, but as a personal freedom. You may have the "right" to smoke and harm yourself, but your "right" ends when it hurts others. This is not a law to outlaw smoking, it is a law to protect workers rights. It is a law to protect people's health, especially at restaurants. You see health issues being brought up to keep rats, cockroaches and other dirty things away from food and the atmosphere, and keeping 60 known carcinogens out of the air, is to protect the people. I know that there are AGS'ers here that smoke, and I am not attacking them at all, and I hope that you understand that.

I do hope my state passes this law. I testified last year, which obviously the law did not pass then. The proponents and opponents went on for over 3 hours with over 100 people, where as the other bills up for vote that day only had between 6-15. Clearly a hot-topic.

[ManicMatt]

I'll just bring up racism and sex now shall I? So it's out of the way of this thread. I have no idea how the topics could be linked but they always manage to find a way...

I'm totally fine with the smoking ban. That's all I have to say on the matter!

[Nikolas]

I'm a non smoker. I have never smoked (apart from a two try outs in my teens, and a little nargile from time to time )

I"m happy this thing is happening. My wife used to smoke but she quit after she got pregnant with our first son. That's three years ago! (<-This is where sex comes into play, mat)

But I can't help but feel a little pity for the smokers. There is an adiction going on. Noone can deny that! And there is a severe need for smoke, after not having smoke for say 2-3 hours. Sometimes I think of them as people in need of help. And of course I won't deny that NHS provides all the help that any smoker would like, but then again any smokers that are left, where are they supposed to smoke?

Not in the work areas! NO
Not in the pubs, or bars (in NY)! NO
Not in schools, buses, stations! NO
Of course not in the toilets, everybody knows that! NO

So, what's left? The street (if so) and their homes. In other words we're turning them into parias, int ooutcasts. Should this be?

Of course because I do have a family which I adore, I wouldn't even dream of second hand smoke for my children. But I do have to confess that every once a month that I have visitos in my place, I don't kick them out if they try to smoke...

[LimpingFish]

The Smoking Ban has been in effect in Ireland for some time, now.

The smokers have adapted...like cockroaches in a post-apocolyptic world.

[BOYD1981]

But I do have to confess that every once a month that I have visitos in my place, I don't kick them out if they try to smoke...

well that's only a few people once a month, in a pub or club it's hundreds of people all day.
if people are willing to pay to kill themselves by smoking they shouldn't complain that they might get cold or wet if they have to go outside to smoke, it's a filthy disgusting habit that should be banned completely.

[SSH]

They should ban well-meaning authoritarianism!

Spoiler

Actually, I hate second-hand smoke

[close]

[Disco]

I would love for Michigan to pass this law. The environment can get quite smokey at the brewpub I work at, and I don't see that as fair that a patron gets to decided that I live a few minutes less each time they smoke. I agree that the right to smoke stops when it hurts others, that is a good point Scummbuddy.

A good portion of my friends smoke, and that causes problems when we go out, becasue they demand smoking sections and tell me I should not care. I've even been yelled at for looking like I was uncomfortable or waving smoke away; "GEEZ GOD!! I"M %^&*ING SORRY!! It's not like I'm trying to let my smoke drift near you!! Okay, SHUT UP!"

Wow, now that I've typed that I realise some people I hang out with are really irrational and defensive Ã, .

[voh]

I smoke, and I hate second-hand smoke as well. I would be disappointed if smoking would be barred from clubs and bars, because to me, smoking is a part of going out and having a good time, but of course I would adapt.

I don't really have a choice - and if it does protect others from my bad habit, then I've got little problems with it.

If they try to ban smoking alltogether - as in, I can't smoke in my house or on the streets, then I'm going to be very, very angry. Because that'd just be picking on the smokers.

[Squinky]

I grew up around smokers my whole life, my mother smoked when she was pregnant with me (thats why I have innate smoke powers! Or mild retardation, can't rememeber which).

I never cared until I moved out and then I noticed that everything around a smoker stinks of staleness and bothers my breathing. My mom has stopped smoking in front of people now because of my kids, and now only smokes in one room in her house.

It would be easy to say that a bar should allow smoking, I mean, it's a goddamned bar. But that would be fine for customers that can choose another place to go, but employee's are kinda screwed.....

Oddly enough, I watched a dvd with Penn and Teller awhile back where they disproved common myths and one of the things they argued against was that second hand smoke was bad for you. According to them, they is actually no proof available proving that second hand smoke is bad. Regardless of that, we all know it makes you smell bad and can aggravate people with allergys/asthma....

[Becky]

I'm glad that the Commons here has voted to ban smoking in public places.

I firmly believe that the reason my asthma has persisted throughout my childhood and not shifted as I grew up is because I am exposed to my parents second hand smoke.  Irrespective of personal health problems, smoking is an anti-social activity that infringes upon other people's enjoyment. 

It comes down to "a persons right to smoke" vs "a persons right not to be exposed to smoke".  Do governments not already intervene in our behaviour when it affects others?  If smoking was a purely self-regarding action, then the smoking ban would be unjust, but as it clearly affects other people and particularly employees, then I believe there is a place for a ban of smoking in public places.

[Scummbuddy]

It's not fully law there yet...
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Click here to read about James Repaces' study of the air we breathe. It will open your eyes, but it just may close your mouth and nose as you walk by that cloud of smoke next time.

[Kinoko]

Japan is way behind the times with smoking. I've never inhaled so much second-hand smoke my whole life as I have after 6 months of living here. Japan is behind the times in many, many health-related ways but I won't go into it.

[BOYD1981]

well apparently there are more toxins in the smoke produced from barbecuing a frankfurter than that from a cigar, but the problem with apparent facts like that is they fail to take into account that people confine that sort of activity to the outdoors and don't generally walk around carring a lit barbecue or keep a pack of 20 frankfurters which they smoke in public.
and some may argue that traffic creates harmful carbon dioxide/monoxide/fraggleroxide and other stuff but cars and buses actually benefit the public and mankind in general, and again it is kept outside and technology is changing so that emissions from exhausts are down and will continue to do so until alternatives to the combustion engine become more common whereas tobacco hasn't changed at all, the only difference i can see is that more people seem to smoke cigarettes with filters now which are only designed to protect them, and funnily enough the smoke from a cigarette with a filter makes me fill more ill and gives me a worse headache than a traditional roll-up.
and some people might argue "why not ban alcohol too?", well they already tried that a long time ago which led to bootleg gangs and more organised crime, plus there is no such thing as passive drinking and the arguments they always come up with is that it damages the kidneys and liver or people may go out, get drunk, drive home and end up killing somebody. well that's the reason that drink driving is illegal and therefore is not a regular occurence, and as for the health implications, well, some people smoke up to and over 80 cigarettes a day whereas most people only drink on special occasions and weekends, i'm not sure even the most hardened of alcoholics could drink 80 pints or even 330ml bottles of beer a day, letalone stronger alcohols.
the government aren't banning smoking outright and they aren't doing it to be spiteful, they're doing it for the benefit of the public, much like they did when the law was changed so that every car must have seatbelts in the back.

[Timosity]

Smoking is only allowed in one area of a pub at the moment in Australia (maybe just NSW, not sure completely) and later this year it will be banned completely, following Ireland.

The one area is usually the pokie rooms (slots, gambling) so I'm wondering what's going to happen once the ban is in force. The pokies and smoking go hand in hand (no pun) and I'm sure they're worried as if a gambler has to go out for a smoke they might not be taking 5 mins worth of their money which over time might earn them less money.

I'm just waiting to see if they start having outdoor pokie areas, and I wouldn't be suprised if it happened.

I smoke and I'm quite happy to smoke outside, I've never smoked in any house I've lived, and I usually smoke outside at the pub anyway.


One scarey thing is if you live in a large city, your lungs are black already, even if you've never smoked, all that lovely pollution from vehicles and factories.

I'm suprised smoking hasn't been banned in pubs and clubs over the world many years ago, it's really sad.

I find it odd that in a lot of movies & TV (especially American, and especially cop shows), they smoke, or even offer smokes in offices, occasionally making a comment about quitting. Cigarette companies obviously still have a lot of power in the market, even with no advertising

Damn it, after all this crap about cigi's, I'm going for a smoke

[Pumaman]

Surely when this ban comes in, all that'll happen is that you'll get a huge crowd of smokers standing outside the front door of the pub having a fag, so that whenever you walk in or out of the building you get suffocated in the process

[Privateer Puddin']

Yeah that happens at college, it's pretty horrible

[passer-by]

Do you think the law will be respected?
I have problems with second hand smoke, not only it stings but makes me cough. As for my allergy...oh well!
I go to pubs and cafes etc, but that's for a short period in the day and I try and sit near windows or doors. But at work, although it is a hospital and smoking as banned anyway, everybody does it all over the place. They just shut the door or switch of the lights! There's smell of smoke everywhere  but no one gets punished...

[Squinky]

Well, here in the U.S. I think it would be. It's already pretty much that way where I live, and I'm pretty sure there are some hefty fines and other penaltys that make enforcing it worthwhile for the buisness owner.

[Helm]

I really like how there's a constant crusade against second-hand smoke, and people are all talking about RIGHTS LOL OMG, especially in the US, while at the same time innumerable human casualities occur in wars, or from starvation and disease every day, in countries where 'RIGHTS LOL OMG' means nothing. I like how exploitation doesn't exist when you're not looking at it. I like how the city-dwelling middle-class westerner balances his priorities, I like how a piece of paper with tobacco in it can become, if constantly pushed and presented properly, a bigger deal than a dead child. We're doing a great job all around.

I don't smoke, but I don't care about second-hand smoke. I really, really don't care. I can get cancer from the constant horrible hypocrisy around my just fine anyway. Heart cancer, and brain cancer and emotion cancer. We're doing great.

[Squinky]

While I respect your opinion, and am certainly not qualified to argue against your statement, I think it is unfair.

Life is about the little things, people can't always focus on the rest of the world, because it is human nature to live in your own little local world. The world will never be perfect, never be safe for all, someone will always oppress someone else, and the common man will go nuts if he worrys about all that, even though he probably has sympathy.