Smoking Ban

[LucySiamese]

Originally Posted by Soupie

Now lets not go overboard here - smokers are not being forced to give up or stay at home - no one has said if you smoke you cannot go out of the house, just that you cannot smoke while you are in this place. They are being prevented from smoking in confined places where their habit affects people who don't smoke. Smoking is a health risk and the ban prevents those who don't mind risking their health from risking the health of those who don't indulge.

Smokers have not lost the choice to smoke at all and I find it rather irritating that those who oppose the ban use this as an argument when it is not correct. Smokers can still smoke - just not in certain areas where other people have to put up with it.

The government are hardly likely to stop people smoking in their own homes - that's a bit of a daft thing to say. If the government wanted to do that they would ban smoking altogether which they won't do as they get revenue from the tax paid on ciggies and the tobacco companies and people who smoke would be up in arms.

I find it a relief (as do many other nonsmokers I am sure) to go out for a meal or a drink and to be able to come home without a sore hoarse throat from the thick fog of smoke and with my clothes smelling like clothes rather than cigarettes. I have absolutely no objection to people smoking in their own homes and gardens and in the open air as it doesn't affect me but why should I have to have my health put at risk by someone elses choice which is what was happening where smoking was allowed in the places it is now banned.

Soupie prepares to get flamed

I agree that the smoking ban where food is served is a good thing, as i personally dont like to come home smelling of fags,or to sit and eat in a foggy place, but like i said to ban all pubs is unfair there should smoking and non smoking pubs, it makes it fair for everyone then.

My oh works with my dad and another bloke who smokes and he is not allowed to smoke in the works van, if he gets caught smoking in there the company gets fined, my oh and my dad have no problems with him smoking as they used to smoke so how is that fair?

In the winter people are going to have to either leave theire fags at home, smoke in the freezing cold or give up!

And i was just saying the way this country is going, soon they will tell people they cant even smoke in theire own homes its stupid, they are trying to ban everything, like dogs playing off the lead, tail docking, 4x4's, fox hunting ect, it just gets peoples back up at the end of the day!

[Soupie]

[quote=LucySiamese;408004]I agree that the smoking ban where food is served is a good thing, as i personally dont like to come home smelling of fags,or to sit and eat in a foggy place, but like i said to ban all pubs is unfair there should smoking and non smoking pubs, it makes it fair for everyone then.

My oh works with my dad and another bloke who smokes and he is not allowed to smoke in the works van, if he gets caught smoking in there the company gets fined, my oh and my dad have no problems with him smoking as they used to smoke so how is that fair?
QUOTE]

It's not about being fair or unfair - ithe ban is about the health risks caused by passive smoking. As I explained on a previous entry to have smoking and non smoking pubs is something which could have been considered more but re the staffing people are more likely to want to work in a non smoking pub - research was done into this by several breweries. So who staffs these smoking pubs? and how does one then deal with the issue of providing a safe working environment when the pub would be full of carcinogenic toxins constantly?

A workplace where any employee is at risk from passive smoking cannot be classed particularly "safe" - what happens in the future to those employees who worked there get lung cancer. Who is responsible for that? if one excludes the employers in smoking pubs from that liability then it will be even harder to staff those establishments!

That is where the bit about the van above comes in. A works van is a workplace and must be treated as such.

People keep talking about what is fair and what is unfair and bringing emotion into the discussion. The simple fact is smoking is a health risk to those who smoke and those around them! People talk about discrimination - this is not discrimination but an act brought in to control the health risk inflicted by a certain percentage of society's addiction.

For those who say it's not fair that they can't sit and have a cigarette inside while they drink my pint then please tell me what you would say to the person with lung cancer from passive smoking that they got from sitting in pubs in the evening with their mates unaware that they were breathing in carcinogens which would put their life at risk in the future? Not fair? you betcha it isn't fair they are ill because someone else smoked.

Now I may seem a little overdramatic there (and yes emotional) but it does frustrate me when people who oppose the smoking ban talk of civil liberty etc just because they can't smoke in a public place. They can still smoke and indulge themselves in their addiction. What the ban has actually done is attempt to protect those people who don't smoke.

Signing out now as repeating myself and as Fran I think it was says - the fence splits those people who will have to agree to disagree.

[chelsea]

I used to smoke and gave up about 4 years ago now i think its right to stop smokeing where food is being served but for stoping smokeing in pubs i think is unfair cos when your haveing a drink thats when you enjoy haveing a fag they should have half smokeing and the other half non smokeing in all pubs and for people who think there health is at risk from being near someone thats smokes keep away from the smokers they could always go and stand out in the cold with there drinks works both ways in my book LOL

[LucySiamese]

drinking is also a health risk it can damage your liver, why people harp on about smoking causing lung cancer it really grates on me!

Smoking, Drinking, and Eating all have health risks...

[Samz5]

My mum is a landlady in a country pub, the pub has been run by my family for nearly 20 years, they serve food (curry) and every single member of staff is a smoker.
Most of the locals/regulars smoke too, so the smoking ban was going to have some kind of effect, we kind of expected a drop in regular customers and hoped the food would pick up to make up for it.
The first day of the ban, of course it rained, the pub was empty no food people or drinkers! Second day of the ban, up goes the smoking shelter and one of the locals comes in with a patio heater - purchased out of his own pocket because hes been coming in every day for years and he wants to help keep customers in the pub.
By the weekend the bar has 2 grumpy looking people sitting in it complaining that everyone is outside, and outside in the rain and wind are all the regulars smoking under there shelter having a great time, its really brought the village together and they are all putting their money together to get a big part of the garden some decking, they keep turning up with garden candles and all sorts of things to make it better.
Not what we were expecting at all, just seems very silly when a lot of the time there is no one in the pub at all and everyones outside - this is no exaggeration by 10 at night this is the usual situation.
As far as food trade being effected, so far its hard to tell, it seems just the same, except when its not raining more people chose to eat outside more than usual.

As far as my personal feelings on the matter, the ban doesn't effect me directly as I work from home I can smoke when I like, I don't often go to pubs / clubs because I don't drink alcohol and would rather not be around drunk people.

[dandysmom]

Originally Posted by dinahsmum

Ooops
Did I start this? Only mentioned how busy the local was, etc.
Catsey doesn't normally get into this sort of debate but it seems we've managed to keep our claws sheathed.
Seems to me that smokers like smoking, non-smokers generally hate the smoke and never the twain shall meet.

That's what I like about this Forum! We agree to disagree without being nasty about it!

[Mags]

I agree with Soupie's point of view. The smokers think they are hard done by now.... but what about all the non smokers who, for years, have had to put up with with streaming eyes and inhaling other people's smoke?

People who smoke are still welcome in the pubs, it's just that they have to leave their habit outside the doors. Is it not possible to go into a pub and forgo smoking for an hour or two?

[dandysmom]

Originally Posted by LucySiamese

I agree that the smoking ban where food is served is a good thing, as i personally dont like to come home smelling of fags,or to sit and eat in a foggy place, but like i said to ban all pubs is unfair there should smoking and non smoking pubs, it makes it fair for everyone then.

My oh works with my dad and another bloke who smokes and he is not allowed to smoke in the works van, if he gets caught smoking in there the company gets fined, my oh and my dad have no problems with him smoking as they used to smoke so how is that fair?

In the winter people are going to have to either leave theire fags at home, smoke in the freezing cold or give up!

And i was just saying the way this country is going, soon they will tell people they cant even smoke in theire own homes its stupid, they are trying to ban everything, like dogs playing off the lead, tail docking, 4x4's, fox hunting ect, it just gets peoples back up at the end of the day!

It's called the Nanny State! We here in the States have a ban on trans fats now in many places. Doesn't bother me at all as I don't eat the sort of food that it's used in, but what about people who love their french fries and doughnuts...they know it's not good for them, but do we really need the government making those decisions for everyone??

[dandysmom]

Originally Posted by LucySiamese

drinking is also a health risk it can damage your liver, why people harp on about smoking causing lung cancer it really grates on me!

Smoking, Drinking, and Eating all have health risks...

Life comes with a health risk!!

[dinahsmum]

Originally Posted by dandysmom

[/b]Life comes with a health risk!!

I believe it's a terminal condition