Ban Smoking - Yes or No ?

[Uncle Spielberg]

I can't believe 11 people have voted yes to make smoking illegal !.

Lets ban evryone ever caught driving over 70, ban alcohol, ban eating fatty foods, no more take aways, ban sports such as rugby, football, boxing.

The government would like us all to be teetotal, non smokers who eat salads and drive very slowly and do not take part in anything adverse at all.

If that is the case we might as well be dead , imho.

If the zealots got their way with smoking that would just be the start of the erosion of your civil liberty's and choices.

 

[Yorkie]

I can't believe 11 people have voted yes to make smoking illegal !.

Lets ban evryone ever caught driving over 70, ban alcohol, ban eating fatty foods, no more take aways, ban sports such as rugby, football, boxing.

The government would like us all to be teetotal, non smokers who eat salads and drive very slowly and do not take part in anything adverse at all.

If that is the case we might as well be dead , imho.

I agree.

My Dad died at 78 with lung cancer. He started smoking at the age of 10.

When the doctor told me he had lung cancer I said he had been a smoker for most of his life.
Her answer? Well you've got to die of something.

 

[beorhthelm]

i smoke, and wouldnt mind too much if the government did ban smoking.

But its time they shat or got of the pot. Banning advertising and enforcing no-smoking in apublic places while not banning the actual tobacco is highly hypocritical.

For those who might like to know (and this is from memory of an article in The Time some years ago) tax on tobaco brings in about £6billion. Then the tobacco companies Imperial, BAT and Gallaher pay the treasury CGT on their profits which today would be another £1bn or so. All together, equivalent to over 2p on income tax, and thats before taking into account the retail/service/etc industy around the product.

smoking is good for the economy

 

[Hannibal smith]

I'm not in favour of a smoking ban but consider this - If a product was invented which had proven links to the cause of lung cancer and heart disease it would most definitely not be allowed to be sold on the open market as the government would ban this due to the risks to the general public. Throw in the fact that it may also cause cancerous diseases to people who use this product passively and there would be Public uproar. The reason why smoking is not affected by a ban of this nature is because It raises billions of pounds to the treasury and millions of people are addicted to the product meaning that a ban if neigh on impossible.

As a completely unrelated point the irony is not lost that Greenpeace protestors are often viewed with a fag hanging out of their mouth - Pollution if ever I saw it.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

But surely its about choice of how you want to live your life and how long you want to live for. It is generally regarded that a smoker of 20 a day from 18 all their life will die 6 years prematurely. If that person enjoys the pastime and is aware of the facts but still want to smokes because they enjoy it, that is their right imho.

If you ban smoking you must ban alcohol and it would be hypercritical and wrong not to. Anyone who drinks too much is likely to take years off their life expectancy.

Therefore you must ban fatty foods, take aways etc as obesity if a far bigger problem than smoking in this country. All take away shop must be banned and fatty foods will be outlawed as this could reduce your life expectancy.

Therefore you must ban fast cars as driving over 70 will increase your risk of an acciddent to yourself or someone else and could reduce your life expectancy.

Therefore you must ban all contact sports as their is a risk of injury and harn which could reduce your life expectancy.

and on and on and on.

Its all about quantity of life and not quality.

People should have the choice to live as they want if they are informed of the facts.

The health watchdogs used to informed people now they want to regiment and control people.

 

[bhaexpress]

Almost amusingly, the Government are now starting to scream blue murder about the amount of money they are losing from the loss of revenue caused by people buying cheap fags in France.

Serves them right for staying in the common market [sic].

Still, my take is simple as long as smokers respect non smokers right and thus obsecre non smoking rules where applicable the non smokers should do likewise. If you don't like smoke in a pub for example well drink somwhere else. After all if it's smoky when you walk in the smokers were there first anyway.

This post is in case Mrs BHA (a smoker) reads this thread. It's more than my life's worth to mention the subject, especially as she has the Glock.

 

[Hannibal smith]

I dont disagree in principal Gareth - We all need a vice thats why I appear in the Naps challenge every day! (Although I Would argue that eating Fatty foods and drinking Red Wine in moderation would not reduce your life expectancy or Health adversely whereas Smoking in moderation does not fit into that bracket as it degenrates your lung capacity)

Im just saying that if any Product -dosent matter what it is - was invented where the user was at greater risk to Cancer than prior to its invention along with those who used this product passively, Would you be in Favour of this going into mass circulation?

 

[beorhthelm]

The problem with the health debate is the amount of dis-information form the anti side. Put it this way: How many people who smoke 20 a day actually die of lung cancer? A large proportion no doubt, but not all, no where near. So what about 10 a day smokers? Probably so few that it doesnt get in the stats as they die of other things first (ie i has a marginall helath effect and they die of old age). Yet we're told that passive smoking is just as deadly? What, so inhaling some smoke from a couple of yards is even remotely the same as actually inhaling the smoking at several hundred degrees directly into your lungs?

What about all the other product out there that do indeed induce carcinogens passively such as diesel fumes and burnt food (yep, your lovely BBQ burnt chicken drumstick is carcinogenous)? When are they going to be banned?

 

[Bwian]

Still, my take is simple as long as smokers respect non smokers right and thus obsecre non smoking rules where applicable the non smokers should do likewise. If you don't like smoke in a pub for example well drink somwhere else. After all if it's smoky when you walk in the smokers were there first anyway.

That's a good view of the situation...Those who smoke can smoke in a pub or restaurant, if I don't like it then I have to drink or eat elsewhere? Hmmm, what's wrong with this picture?

Explain what rules non-smokers have to obsecre(?)

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

The risks of smoking and sure there are many have been grossly overstated so much that anyone would think that smoking 20 a day is worse than daily using crack cocaine and injecting herione in your veins.

Yes you have more risk of lung cancer but anyone would think that , smoking = you will definately get lung cancer and die which is rubbish.

 

[bhaexpress]

That's a good view of the situation...Those who smoke can smoke in a pub or restaurant, if I don't like it then I have to drink or eat elsewhere? Hmmm, what's wrong with this picture?

Explain what rules non-smokers have to obsecre(?)

Simple matter of first come first serve. Added to which the vast majority of decent resturants have separate smoking and non smoking areas.

I'm a non smoker remember.

 

[Gwylan]

I see that the first non-smoking pub has opened in London. I think that's one I'll be going to in future.

 

[southstandandy]

My best mate from university died in 91' from lung cancer - he was only 31. He only smoked a a pack a day !

But it's a free country and I don't think we should ban it outright - just ban it in public places.

You pay your money - you take your choice.

 

[Giant Seagull]

I dont smoke and never have, banning is OTT in my opinion,

what next Alcohol?, after all getting pissed too often, cant be good for you and the instances of syrosis of the liver is increasing in the young!
oh and ban the Mcdonalds supers size menu and double cheese burgers at Burger King or wewill turn into a right bunch of obesers!!-
(made that word up)

 

[Soton Seagull]

I think it should be banned in pubs and restaurants. Just beacuse you want a nice evening out, you shouldn't be forced to breathe in other people's smoke. Follow the example of New York, take the galmour out of smoking, actually make smoking an effort.

The stink in your clothes is the bit that really gets me.

 

[bhaexpress]

I dont smoke and never have, banning is OTT in my opinion,

what next Alcohol?, after all getting pissed too often, cant be good for you and the instances of syrosis of the liver is increasing in the young!
oh and ban the Mcdonalds supers size menu and double cheese burgers at Burger King or wewill turn into a right bunch of obesers!!-
(made that word up)

This reflects my opinion and that of many others. Oh, while we're at it if you ban smoking watch income tax shoot up.

 

[John Dorian]

only in public places. Pubs - Yes definately - I hate going out and then smelling of smoke when I finally scrape myself off the floor and go home.

If people want to be unhealthy, let them but not in public places - do it at home.

 

[John Dorian]

has anyone seen that latest billboard ?

it says something like

" If you smoke , I smoke " < In a childs writing in crayon on the wall. This is extremely good and it hits you hard. People should just stop being lazy and saying they will give up and bloody do IT.

 

[bhaexpress]

Easy for you to say but smokers find it hard to drink a pint and not have a cigarette. It's an association issue.

I can't get too sanctimonious about giving up smoking as I just decided to give it up one day and just did, never had one since. Very strange and I've never missed it. There is one small drawback, Mrs BHA and friends do a bit of dope now and again. I've known for sometime that any smoke like that makes me throw up thus I don't indulge. Needless to say this makes me seem even more odd to them.

 

[Icy Gull]

I know three people that died of lung cancer who had never smoked. I also know someone who lived to 89 who smoked and had been an alcoholic (gin) for 40 years.

You are increasing the odds of dying young, it's not a guarantee as some none smokers would have you believe. As I said earlier living in a big city is as bad, if not worse than smoking 20 a day. Maybe the government would like to stick health warning signs on all entrances to London.