Smoking Ban!

[The_Russ]

As of 6am GMT the Smoking ban becomes active in the UK meaning people can't smoking in public place including all work places, Pubs and Restaurants. Being a smoker it kinda annoys me. I agree with work places and places where food is served but is it nesersery to ban it in pubs and bars? It seems like pubs and bars are the kinda places people wanna go to drink there beers and have a smoke with there friends. Does Canada and America have this law or is it just Euope that has this in place? I feel we should do what the French did and basically said "Up yours" to the government!

[Kathleen]

Pubs and restaurants are workplaces too.

[The_Russ]

I suppose yer

[zombine]

They instituted this in NY, and as a non smoker its great. i understand it sucks for you, but its a hell of a lot better than having carcinogenic death clouds going into my sandwich at the local restaurant. the one exception is in "cigar bars" where no food is server.

[The_Russ]

I could imagine it's brilliant for none smokers. And it's worked in ireland and Scotland. Hopefully it'll work in England. I'd love to kick the habbit

[Alja-Markir]

To my understanding most of the Yoo-Ess of Eh enjoys a public smoking ban in restaurants, workplaces, and bars and pubs. There are exceptions based on certain conditions and whatnot, but in general people don't mind it.

As for France, have you been to Paris or other major cities? They're utterly filthy! When buildings are blackened by cigarette smoke alone, something is seriously wrong. I mean, don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with the French as a people, but they have some really dirty habits.

~Alja-Markir~

[Wraith]

If I thought there was a any way whatsoever to do so without causing massive social and economic upheaval, I'd be all for the complete banning of tobacco and cigarettes entirely.

[zombine]

gradual increase in prices until only the rich can afford it. that way the poor cant get into tobacco as easily. combine that with reform programs meant to remove current smokers. Problem solved, albeit it would happen over 20 years.

Quick way? find/make a pathogen that attacks tobacco, and become a terrorist. widespread panic, preventative measures, rationing, and skyrocketing prices. nicotine would have to be synthesized to create cigarettes (or as close as we could get it, and it would be much less effective of a product)

[The Happy Friar]

gradual increase in prices until only the rich can afford it. that way the poor cant get into tobacco as easily.

isn't that how gangs selling illegal drugs get started?

I don't know why you can't smoke in bars. Seems kind of silly to me. I don't smoke but I don't go to bars either. If workers complain about the smoke & this is the answer do people working at NASCAR events get to have the cars removed to eliminate the noise? They KNEW the working conditions before working.

Prepare for people smoking outside of all public buildings now & having buts all over the sidewalk/street (hundreds of them). It's the compromise!

[Wraith]

That's one of the big things that piss me off so much about smokers: the buts. It's like the perfect symbol of what's wrong with the situation and why this kind of thing is necessary: there seems to be this major lack of consideration for those around them. I guess if you don't give a crap about your own body, it's not surprising that you don't give a crap about anyone else's.

The but thing, though, that particularly gets to me because there's just no reasonable excuse whatsoever. I see people toss and stomp buts ten feet away from ash-cans. I swear to God, every time I see it, I want to grab them by the throat, drag them some place where there's a thousand of them lying around around, and force them to pick every single on of them up by hand, under threat of ass-kicking. I mean, it's ten feet! If you want to take a rolled up stick of assorted POISONS, light it on fire and then suck on it, that's your business, but that doesn't mean you get to crap up the environment the REST of us have to live in!

[tak197]

gradual increase in prices until only the rich can afford it. that way the poor cant get into tobacco as easily.

And at the same time, it slowly kills off the rich people, and spreads the wealth around, curing childhood hunger and poverty problems.

As for the actual bans. You can't smoke in most restaurants in PA anymore, but bars are ok still. Most restaurants have outdoor and screened in places for smokers, but for the most part you don't see it.

As a non-smoker I never really got it as to why people smoke over dinner out. In my head, logic would say that you can attempt to hold off from smoking for a little while and enjoy dinner and all. This is proabaly why I would agree that smoking parlors and cigar bars are a good idea.

[Wraith]

As a non-smoker I never really got it as to why people smoke over dinner out.

As a non-smoker I never really got it as to why people smoke.

[Discomonkey]

As a non-smoker I never really got it as to why people smoke.

Oh sure, it sucks to be you guys, but for us it's like honeyed water.

Mm mm, Sunday roast.

Steak and potatoes, delicious.

[Misty]

If you want to take a rolled up stick of assorted POISONS, light it on fire and then suck on it, that's your business, but that doesn't mean you get to crap up the environment the REST of us have to live in!

You take the words right out of my mouth time and time again... I think you're officially my favorite forumgoer

But seriously, I never saw the appeal of cigarettes and really cannot get how people keep spending their money to, essentially, commit suicide. The things are death in concentrated stick form!

[tak197]

but i will freely admit, to me there is a very pleasant smell around pipe smoke. Not just the anacronistic nature of tobacco pipe smoking, but it has an interesting sweet smell to it. Just don't blow it in my face on purpose and I am good.

[Fumbles]

I'm a non smoker but I think that people should be allowed to smoke in bars. I mean everyone goes to a bar knowing that people are going to smoke and It's not a place to take the family out to dinner. Also to Kathleen's point, when a person signs up to work in a bar they know it's not the most healthy place to work. I mean it's like signing up to become a doctor and then saying that you hate blood.

[Lord Chrusher]

But I want to go to pubs to sit and drink with out have the air filled with smoke. There has been a smoking ban in Victoria for eight years so I do not think of bars as smoke filled places.

[browncoat]

I mean everyone goes to a bar knowing that people are going to smoke [...].

Yeah, well, I don't go to bars for that reason.
But I'd like to.
So, I'm VERRY HAPPY that, beginning August 1st, there will be a general indoor smoking ban in my state, too.

[Discomonkey]

I'd like to point out that, even though I'm a smoker, this seems like a pretty good idea. I'm perfectly willing to go out and have a few drinks with mates, and go outside if I want a smoke,

[Wraith]

From a Live Journal Post I put up in 2003:

An open letter to anyone who smokes and talks about “the man”.
Look, if you’re gonna have a cancer stick hanging out of your slack-jawed mouth, you seriously need to quit talking about the evils of big, faceless corporations, and being “indy”. Oh, and if you tack on what an “open mind” you have, then shut your hole and finish reading.

Tobacco companies are about the biggest, most faceless corporations in the Country. They make BILLIONS every year off a product that kills a third of their customers. And they know it. They know it, and they add chemicals to make you addicted so can’t STOP. And do you think they care? Hell no. Because money is more important to them than the lives their product destroys. We’re talking about people that make something that KILLS people, and you continue to support them, and then you bitch about how you don’t want to support some record company because they care more about money than a song. You make these stupid old dudes in suits who sit in corporate offices literally planning on the best ways to deceive their customers into buying their crap into filthy rich men, but wine about the record execs that push songs you don’t like on the radio.

You either have your priorities ROYALLY screwed-up, or you’re a hypocritical dumb-ass.

Don’t expect me to take you seriously,
-Wraith

[TheRocket]

It's not nessecarilly tobacco that is bad, it's the thousands of chemicals and tar and crap in cigarettes. Let it be known that I am not a smoker or anything, never have and never will be. And the city I live in has completely banned smoking from restraunts, bars, pubs, and even outside buildings in the open unless you are in a designated spot. I don't mind this since it doesn't affect me. They did this so it would be healthier for non smokers, and also make it more inconvienent for the smokers to push them to quit. However, we have Sheesha bars here, and they tried shutting them down becuase they broke the law. So now what bars and pubs are doign are signing their companies under "Social Smoking Clubs" Or something along the likes. It's neat to see how people can go around and bend laws no matter what they are.

So Russ, if it happens it will happen effectivly, but you'll still be able to find a few good dive pubs who skanked out of the rule.

[Dr Frankenjam]

It's about freaking time this ban came into place.
I might actually go to a pub with friends now. Now that i don't have to endure the smell of ash constantly or put up with my throat and eyes drying up.

It's a disgusting virus and the sooner it is cleansed from this earth and becomes illegal, punishable by execution, the better.

[Corax]

yeah this goes into effect for Minnesota in afew months i think, as a non-smoker it will be nice.

[Stephen_S]

Here in California, there are some cities that have banned smoking within a certain number of feet (I don't know the exact number) of a doorway (even outside).

Also, some beaches have banned smoking and some cities are also looking to ban smoking in public parks as well.

[Patch]

Great little update on this news story...

Kenneth Charles, leader of the Lib Dems, one of the "champions" of the smoking ban in the UK, was caught lighting up on a train a few days ago xD