[thechat] new law on smoking over there?

Fri Dec 1 09:13:37 CST 2006

Taking into consideration that John was a smoker (and I'm not :)), thus
affected by the ban ...

|:.They drone on about it being a health issue, but
|:.that's a handy side effect, not the prime motivation.

handy side effect? I don't know. I thought the prime motivation was a health
issue, not for the smoker, because he has the perogative to kill himself by
smoking, but for second hand smoking - considering the (usually)
inconsiderate smokers who never even ask you if you mind being covered in
unhealthy air - just because they have a crave to fix.
Oh and then there is the haphazards of the work environment. To expose every
worker that wants (or needs) to work at a bar/café to continuous second hand
smoking althrough the shift - during *every* shift.
To me that has the argument of freedom to chose where you work.

|:.The real issue is not that they dislike smoking.

Of course it's not about likes and dislikes - it's about the rights of those
who don't smoke (who happen to be the majority in most countries)

|:.The real reason is that they absolutely loathe the
|:.people who smoke.  

Nah, now you're just being ridiculous :)

|:.They'll ban it in your house,
|:.too, at the first opportunity they get.

Well, as I'm living in an appartment building right now, I find it extremely
unpleasant that during certain months of the year I can't sleep with an open
window because of the smoking that takes place on the balconies at the floor
below.

I am strongly opinionated towards the fact that it should be disallowed to
poison someone else's environment - no matter whether you use cigarettes or
other hazardous material.
And someone's right to smoke can and should never be allowed to superseed
someone's right to fresh air - ever. 

So given that you can secure that you're not affecting anyone else with your
smoking - I really don't care if you smoke or not - and that has nothing to
do with whether I like you or not, because I like you regardless of your
smoking :)

|:.
|:.[Why else would they still be pushing smoking bans
|:.in the face of mounting evidence that not only does
|:.it Not Work in its stated objective of reducing
|:.tobacco consumption, but can be (and in Ireland, is)
|:.directly responsible for a massive *increase*
|:.in smoking, *especially* among the under-30s?]

As if the ban would be the reason for increased smoking. 
If an increase is the case it has nothing to do with the ban and everything
to do with the culture and advertising (direct and indirect). Product
placement for one, payments to celebrities for mounting a cigarette during
filming, payments to magazines for placing a cigarette in the model's hand
or mouth etc.

|:.[Also in Ireland, one in every seven pubs has closed
|:.permanently.  And in order to prevent customers from
|:.freezing to death in the street, all the ones which
|:.are left have installed electric or butane burners
|:.out front - which in aggregate are chewing up so much
|:.new extra electricity that we now need an ENTIRE
|:.NEW POWER STATION just to fuel them.]

heh. that might very well be the case - but I think that, just as we
condoled smoking in offices at one point, we will adjust to this and
increase our pubvisits again, so any bump in pub activity is only short
term, for sure.

that would be me, I guess :)

/elfur
* who is really annoyed with the fact that each time she waits at the bus
station someone comes and stands/sits next to her and smokes - polluting her
air as well as anyone elses

* who's seriously considering to start carrying a bad smelling perfume to
spray those people with, to see if they do mind such corruption

* who should be reading for her exams :)