New York`s smoking ban.

[Questions]

Listening to radio 5 live this morning, they have just said that New York are to become the first place where smoking is to be banned in all public places. It is now only permitted on your own property. I wonder if we`ll follow suit any time soon.

 

[Curious Orange]

I'd be rather irritated if parliament started wasting time on more legislation about smoking when there are rather more important issues to be looked at.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Malawi (in Southern Africa) wants to pass legislation that makes it illegal to fart in public.

 

[Ex-Staffs Gull]

Why not just do what they are aching to do and ban it totally, the sale of tobaco products, the possesion of tobacco products. That way the yoghurt knitting bleeding hearts can sit back and crow about how they are soooooooo good.

I am fully supportive of the banning of smoking inside public buildings etc, but this would be too far. If they are that concerned about the air quality, ban cars, factories, power stations etc.. Smokers always seem to be getting kicked, get addicted to a highly addictive product the government allow to be sold, then taxed to hell on it, and then told they have to hide away to do it as society finds it unpleasant to see what they do.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Listening to radio 5 live this morning, they have just said that New York are to become the first place where smoking is to be banned in all public places. It is now only permitted on your own property. I wonder if we`ll follow suit any time soon.

Oh, I do hope so - ASAP please.

 

[BensGrandad]

Hopefully it wont be long before the UK follows and we wont have to stand at a bus stop or walk through a smoke screen to enter a shop.

I always thought that it was already the law in California.

 

[beorhthelm]

Why not just do what they are aching to do and ban it totally, the sale of tobaco products, the possesion of tobacco products.

because they have a massive tax rake from the tobacco tax. Also it would be rather difficult to justify a full ban while the tobacco industry is run from offices in your country. so a ban would lead to 10s if not 100s of thousands of job losses. what senator/congressman or MP is going to vote for that?

 

[daveinprague]

Can ban tobacco if they like...not that they are likely to here any time soon.....As I can carry 15grams ill smoke grass instead.

Interesting how they will police that... they seem to think that it will be self policed with members of public etc...
Yeah right.. would you go up to a group of gang bangers in central park and tell them to put cigarette/joint out?.....
and to all those who answer...no you would get the police to do it...yeah....take police away from their duties to
back up a smoking ban... good idea.


Policing 14 miles of coastline maybe a little bit ambitious as well.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

what people are forgetting...........is that smoking is COOL

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

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[BensGrandad]

take police away from their duties to
back up a smoking ban... good idea.
QUOTE]

Crawley already have town patrols, not police to target litter droppers so they could just increase their scope to cover smokers.

Most towns could employ people as a smokers patrol or even add the duties to car park attendants and the fines imposed would probably cover their wages.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Malawi (in Southern Africa) wants to pass legislation that makes it illegal to fart in public.

I can't remember farting being a massive problem in Malawi. A fall in tobacco sales would be.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

because they have a massive tax rake from the tobacco tax. Also it would be rather difficult to justify a full ban while the tobacco industry is run from offices in your country. so a ban would lead to 10s if not 100s of thousands of job losses. what senator/congressman or MP is going to vote for that?

Clearly the tax wad the governent is getting is shrinking, but I would assume it is still considerable. The health service (as reported in last weeks papers) are starting to see a reduction in smoking related cases. This was to be expected over the medium term but I think they are surprised to see an impact quite early on - clearly at some point there would be savings in the NHS to offset the reduction in tax income (I'm guessing not yet).

One large problem about banning it completely would result in the fake ciggies market that would ensue, and the loss of any sort of control.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

i'd be rather irritated if parliament started wasting time on more legislation about smoking when there are rather more important issues to be looked at.

this

 

[Biscuit]

If there was an outright ban I think people would look back in 30 years or so and see it as a visionary move. They'd probably speculate that it should have come sooner!

 

[daveinprague]

It will put tobacco into the hands of criminals. I know that worked well with drugs and booze didnt it.

 

[bhaexpress]

It will put tobacco into the hands of criminals. I know that worked well with drugs and booze didnt it.

Spot on. Ban tobacco and income tax will go up 5 pence in the pound. Frankly if people want to smoke let them as long as they do it in permitted areas. I was interested that The Matchroom Stadium is a non smoking arena.

 

[Meade's Ball]

Whether it works forever or not, it's making an important statement that human health is more important than how much money can be made from the sale of something dangerous. Next stop: out-of-date weaponry to be used to quell Egyptian revolts and cheese stuffed-crust pizzas.

 

[bhaexpress]

Whether it works forever or not, it's making an important statement that human health is more important than how much money can be made from the sale of something dangerous. Next stop: out-of-date weaponry to be used to quell Egyptian revolts and cheese stuffed-crust pizzas.

Right, well if it's public safety you're worried about ban just about all sport, sharp objects, crossing the road, eating, drinking, sex, pets, should I go on ? People will smoke if they want to and there's not a lot you can do to stop them. After all, lots of people do highly illegal drugs and nothing much seems to stop that. Banning smoking completely would just benefit organised crine in the same way that prohibition did to the Mafia in the US. Banning drugs has made a lot of criminals very rich, banning cigarettes will do exactly the same.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Most New Yorkers will just ignore it as Bloomberg has already admitted it will be self-policing and difficult to enforce. He tried the same thing when he made all the local delis and bakeries display the calories in take away items – all the porkers carried on eating their six donuts as usual.