smoking on the street
I was expressing an opinion some time ago, regarding “a normal country”. My opinion was: in a normal country, people don’t smoke on the street.
Little did i know that for some reason not everyone agrees with this…
I have been criticized by someone (who i assume smokes..) that I am not being reasonable. Where should he smoke? Only in bars? Only in his house? Should he quit?
My answer will be: yes, yes and (if he wants too..) yes.
For a non-smoker being on the street behind a person who smokes is really not the best place on earth to be. This is a reason some people don’t smoke: they would like to avoid it! I don’t mind is someone smokes, i even let them do this in my house and in my car, but if i am taking a nice refreshing walk i would like it to be smoke-free.
There are parents walking their children or taking them to school or whatever - the kids don’t need to feel the smoke of the person in front of them..
There are pregnant women on the street - they need clean air to breath, not smoke.
There are maybe people who are trying to quit - the last thing they need is to feel some cigarette smoke.
These are my thoughts for a perfect country. I know life is not “pink and fluffy”, but if i had my own little world, i would only let people smoke if there was no one else on the street, because it bothers…
My mother has been smoking since she was in high school and she still doesn’t want to quit.She can,but she fears she gets fat.
It’s very irritating for me to eat in the kitchen when she stays there.She even smoked when she was pregnant with me (but only one smoke a day) but she doesn’t smoke on the street.
Yes,I think too that smoking in public places,where there are non-smokers isn’t because this affects the non-smokers too but what can we do?A country can’t be perfect as you wish :-”
You could put it that way, yes. Everyone is outdoors from time to time.
On the other hand, outdoors really is the best place to smoke, and the place where it’s the least annoying, or damaging. The smoke will quickly move upwards, away from other people.
On camp with the youth movement, when sitting around the fire, I didn’t mind others smoking. When it’s indoors, however, it’s particularly annoying because the smoke can’t escape.
I do think that when smoking outdoors, you shouldn’t annoy others with it. Normally, you wouldn’t smoke near pregnant women, or children. The outdoors is big enough to find a spot to smoke, without annoying others. 10 meters should be enough for the smoke to dissolve into the air.
Do you understand that it’s essential for the smoke to blow away rather than hang around in a room or car? It’s better for the smoker, or anyone near the smoker.
Also, I’m a supporter of banning smoking in pubs. Right now, there’s this half-assed law in Belgium. “If X percent of the income of a bar is not drinks, smoking is not permitted”. This is unfair. It saps customers from one place and gets them to other places.
This might get people to stop smoking at all, because, doesn’t every smoker actually want to stop?
I agree, Roel, I too hate it when i am in a bar or a similar place and i cannot breathe.
But it bothers me a lot when some dude in front of me lights up a cigarette right in the middle of the crowded town center, for example.
Of course, no country is perfect so we have to adjust to the fact that we all think very differently.
I also disagree with you, and yes I am a smoker. But even if I wasn`t. The smell of smoke might anoy you but surely you are not trying to say that pasive smoking on the street will harm you ? The polution you dont smell is the one that kills you.