I don't smoke, and I know that there are a couple of persons here who are also not comfortable around those who smoke. When it comes to smoking, do you think that those who smoke in public places should be punished?

I quit smoking on July 29, 1979 and after all these years I still hate to smell that smell. I can be riding my motorcycle down the highway and can tell if the guy in the car in front of me is smoking.
With that being said, unless there is a law or ordinance against it then no, they should not be punished. They have a right to do as they please, no matter how rude it is to others, providing they have broken no laws. If I don’t like it then I have the right to vacate the area.


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Mort substances that are known to kill someone are either banned or highly regulated ... think DDT, arsenic, and such and are not considered for use in the open where the general public will be exposed. Since smoking fits the same aspects as DDT and arsenic, it should be treated the same.

When someone even thinks there might be E.coli in something like lettuce, they stop all sales and recall all of the product "just in case" - yet, it is known smoking causes cancer and kills, but no recalls or bans on this lethal product.

 

I smoked for 7 years, from 1993 to 2000. For a while I still enjoyed the smell but now I despise it. If cigarettes were to become illegal, it wouldn't break my heart any. But...

19 hours ago, Henrywrites said:

When it comes to smoking, do you think that those who smoke in public places should be punished?

Whatever the law of the land is or whatever the policies of a private property are should be honored and respected.

If it's legal, then the answer is no.

If it's not legal, or violates the policy of the private property, then sure.

Here in Ohio there used to be "smoking sections" inside restaurants and fast food locations, but in the mid-late 90's that became illegal and now there is NO indoor smoking permitted anywhere. I do think this was a good move

As long as it's in an outdoor setting, then it doesn't bother me.  If it's indoors though and there are many smokers, then it can get to be a bit much.  So my opinion, I like the idea of it not being allowed at indoor public places.

I do not think it needs to be punished, unless of course it's an indoor public area where it's strictly prohibited, for obvious reasons. I don't think smoking should be banned either, because, what's next? And we should have the personal choice to consume a product. 

It comes down to decency, and manners. Here in Ohio there are laws, can't smoke in front of a store -I hate having to go into Walmart, and in front they're puffing away. Can't handle the smell, it sticks with me for hours. 

I have smoked for 22 years myself, I stopped about some 12 years ago. I detest the smell now. As a smoker I always considered people around me. If you have the slightest of self-awareness and manners, this would not be an issue. But I am fiercely against banning it. Personal choice, so long as you don't affect another person. 

On 12/6/2023 at 3:50 PM, Sherry said:

As long as it's in an outdoor setting, then it doesn't bother me.  If it's indoors though and there are many smokers, then it can get to be a bit much.  So my opinion, I like the idea of it not being allowed at indoor public places.

Letting it occur indoor where a couple of people are not smokers can be challenging.  I won't like to be part of such experience as well. I don't think smoking indoor when you are not alone is unfair to the other person especially when they are not people that like to smoke.

I'll go along with punishment as long as every other thing that bothers people is punishable... get it?

In my opinion there should be designated smoking spots. I understand that people should be free to do what they want where they want (to some extent) however smoking has bad side effects and there is such thing as secondhand smoke which is why I believe you should only be able to smoke in designated areas. I don't think kids should be around smoke, I grew up with two parents who chain smoked and I HATED it, I have heart issues because of the smoke inhalation and have asthma that was also cause by the smoke inhalation. I don't think that it's fair that now I'm stuck with health issues because my parents decided to smoke and I had no say whatsoever.  

As far as marijuana is concerned (it is legal here in Canada) I think the same thing, we should have designated spots to smoke it in public. I don't think it's okay to smoke a joint while there are kids walking around or people who a recovering drug addicts trying to get sober and walk into a cloud of smoke because someone else decided to smoke a jay. 

I don't think it should be illegal to smoke in public however, I do believe there should be designated spots to smoke and heavily reinforced with big fines.