Smoking in public areas

[prassu]

I believe the govt should start a rule to ban smoking in certain public places..I travel a lot by london buses and while waiting at stops there are always one or two people smoking. How much ever I try to stand away from them I still get to inhale some of the second hand smoke. this is especially more during the rainy & cloudy days when there is no wind & smoke doesnt clear and hangs around the same place. I dont have a problem with people smoking as long as they dont force u to inhale the second hand smoke & it would be better if they just step away a little before lighting up a cigarette.

 

[TxGoat]

In the U.S., the biggest problem to me is the smokers that are so disgusted by their cigarette butts that they don't want them lingering in their car so they throw their butts out the window. I say tax the hell out of them (more so than they're taxed now), enough to employ several thousands of people to do nothing but pick up cigarette butts. Or better yet, charge $30 PER cigarette and pay $10 per cigarette butt returned at some Cigarette Butt reclamation center.


I sympathize with you though as I think cigarette smokers tend to smell and their second hand smoke poses a significant health risk to those around them. I say we should tax it out of existence (in the U.S. anyways since I've seen how high-strung some of my European friends are, no telling how crazy they'd go if you taxed their smokes )

 

[hrbib21]

Taxation isn't the answer. The private sector can handle it just fine. For example, for 2012 my company will charge $40 per month more if you are a smoker. If you hey to lie and say you don't smoke but you do, if you're caught you'll be fired, integrity being one of our company values. Next I hope they charge the obese more as well.

 

[TxGoat]

Taxation isn't the answer. The private sector can handle it just fine. For example, for 2012 my company will charge $40 per month more if you are a smoker. If you hey to lie and say you don't smoke but you do, if you're caught you'll be fired, integrity being one of our company values. Next I hope they charge the obese more as well.

lol, ugh, I can see your company facing litigation because of "fat discrimination". Granted I would be all for something like that since typically if you're obese, you're probably not very efficient. I used to work for Wells Fargo and we had this one very large guy that had Sleep Apnea because of his weight. You'd see him sitting on his custom ordered heavy duty office chair fast asleep. Guy was a heart attack waiting to happen. Oh and if your company does start penalizing people for being overweight, if you have any input, please suggest that they use something other than BMI to gauge a person's health. That has to be one of the more worthless tools in determining a person's health. To give you an idea, based on BMI guidelines, Evander Holyfield in his fighting days would be considered "Overweight". I'd like to see someone other than his trainer call him overweight to his face.

 

[dan330]

i agree to this too some extent...

I am a very light smoker... maybe 1 pack (20 cigs) a YEAR! and that is estimating on the high side. when i am at a bar or playing cards.
should I be charged $40/month for such a small vise?

although i am not fat... i do know some people that are fat.. and can not help it being fat.. it is harder for some than others. how do you split the line on those that are pigs that love to eat and those that have a disability?

 

[gallandof]

i agree to this too some extent...

I am a very light smoker... maybe 1 pack (20 cigs) a YEAR! and that is estimating on the high side. when i am at a bar or playing cards.
should I be charged $40/month for such a small vise?

although i am not fat... i do know some people that are fat.. and can not help it being fat.. it is harder for some than others. how do you split the line on those that are pigs that love to eat and those that have a disability?

If they have a disability it would be medically documented, the only issue with that is Doctors would need to stop diagnosing everything as a medical disorder and simply tell some people, "your fat stop eating so much and go exercise".

*leaves before i get angry(obesity and lazyness are two of my largest pet peeves)*

 

[Hrethgir]

although i am not fat... i do know some people that are fat.. and can not help it being fat.. it is harder for some than others. how do you split the line on those that are pigs that love to eat and those that have a disability?

I don't think there is a line between the two, really. It's a matter of self-control either way. Sure, someone with a disability, like a bad knee, will be more prone to gaining weight because they tend to be more sedentary, but that doesn't mean they have to sit down at their desk munching of chips and cookies all day. There are very few people out there who can legitimately say they can't help being fat due to glandular problems, most of them just use that as an excuse. And a lot of those glandular problems are caused by being fat in the first place. Friend of mine at work used to complain when we went out to Wendy's on our first break at work, and we'd get similar things, that he didn't understand why I only weight 180, and he's well over 200. So I told him it's because next break, you're going to be back here getting the same thing, while I'm going to have a couple granola bars. And when you get home, you're going to watch TV, while I'm going to work out.

 

[Xyro]

I find it ridiculous that anybody with even the slightest knowledge of what tobacco does to their body is willing to subject themselves to it. I hate the fact that it's socially acceptable for them to force me to breathe it in too.

If it were up to me, I would outright ban it, never mind increase taxation.

 

[TxGoat]

I don't think there is a line between the two, really. It's a matter of self-control either way. Sure, someone with a disability, like a bad knee, will be more prone to gaining weight because they tend to be more sedentary, but that doesn't mean they have to sit down at their desk munching of chips and cookies all day. There are very few people out there who can legitimately say they can't help being fat due to glandular problems, most of them just use that as an excuse. And a lot of those glandular problems are caused by being fat in the first place. Friend of mine at work used to complain when we went out to Wendy's on our first break at work, and we'd get similar things, that he didn't understand why I only weight 180, and he's well over 200. So I told him it's because next break, you're going to be back here getting the same thing, while I'm going to have a couple granola bars. And when you get home, you're going to watch TV, while I'm going to work out.

lol, your friend didn't get pissed when you told him that? Although I tend to agree, you don't get fat overnight, it's a long process just as losing the weight is a long process as well. I saw a study done by a school teacher that went on an all Twinkie diet. He ate nothing but Twinkies, but ate only a certain amount of calories and wound up losing weight. I wonder what would happen if he went on an all vegetable diet but ate more calories than he did while on the Twinkie diet...

I find it ridiculous that anybody with even the slightest knowledge of what tobacco does to their body is willing to subject themselves to it. I hate the fact that it's socially acceptable for them to force me to breathe it in too.

If it were up to me, I would outright ban it, never mind increase taxation.

It would be nice if the public was also exposed to what eating fast food all the time does to one's bodies. It's a shame what fast food lobbyists get our politicians to agree on. I saw somewhere that school cafeterias can now claim that the pizza sauce on their greasy nasty pizza now qualifies as a serving of vegetables. What's next, a spoonful of sugar is now classified as a serving of fruits because it's made out of cane sugar?

 

[dan330]

what is "fat"?? whatever that is.... that line in the sand...

i wonder how many of us on AF is over that line? more than 50%
(i am 6.1ft and 203lbs and go to gym 2-3 times a week for at least 1.5hr each)

 

[TxGoat]

what is "fat"?? whatever that is.... that line in the sand...

i wonder how many of us on AF is over that line? more than 50%
(i am 6.1ft and 203lbs and go to gym 2-3 times a week for at least 1.5hr each)

The only way to really judge it correctly is to have a set percentage of body fat that an employer has deemed as "acceptable" and once that percentage is determined, hopefully they measure it correctly because a lot of those fat measuring scales aren't very accurate.

 

[Vihzel]

I hope people realize that there are actual eating disorders where people will develop an addiction to certain foods. I know one of my friends was actually addicted to peanuts and ice cream. I don't exactly know what was causing it but it was an actual addiction where he would have severe withdrawal symptoms from trying to quit (like smoking). It would get to the point where he starts crying and physically hurting himself until he gets those two things.

It was really unusual because he couldn't eat them separately and couldn't be satisfied with just one of them or even substitutes like almonds or frozen yogurt. He eventually ended up getting medical help that helped him reduce the need significantly.

I hate it when people generalize overweight people by saying that they're just lazy and need to exercise.

 

[Doit2it]

I work for a delivery service and drivers are often "forced" to use the back entrance of an office building to gain access for deliveries. These loading docks and back doors are often the designated smoking area of the premises. I've often wondered if I have standing enought to file a lawsuit against the building owners for forcing me to endure their tenets second hand smoke.

 

[dan330]

second hand smoke.. for a minute .. a few times a day..

how does that compare to...

driving stuck in traffic for 40 mins to work and 40 mins coming home from work.. and lunch and etc... fumes from cars / trucks...



i am just sayin.. unless you are forced in a closed area for a long time with 2nd hand smoke.. it is really that big a deal? verse all the bad thing in your normal environment?

 

[9to5cynic]

Yeah I kinda agree. I really don't like how smokers smoke right next to doors, so I gotta breath it in to get inside. And I don't really get *why* people smoke (especially when they know what it does to them, and it's very expensive).

Also, seems like I read that marijuana is much less *bad* for you when compared to tobacco, but that's illegal (save for a few states with medial marijuana). I don't know, seems a bit silly to me. That being said, I don't really think that marijuana could be *good* for you. I'm sure it's still *bad* for you, and I'm not sure I buy that whole gate-way drug thing. -and all that smoke in the air regardless of how it gets there isn't good for anyone-

Anyways, I do hate seeing people throw their smokes out the window while driving, I'm always afraid that it'll hit my car and either 1) explode into embers and go inside my air vent burning my face or 2) somehow catch my car on fire (silly, but 'movie' plausible).

But I'm glad that smoking in public restaurants is illegal in my state.

 

[mikedt]

All of you complaining, you should come to China, it's a smoker's paradise, and the cigarettes are cheap.

I gave up two years ago now.

 

[Sprawsum]

Cigarettes are cheap in the Philippines... you can buy a pack of Marlboro's for 50 cents

There are already campaigns for banning smoking in public areas like especially in front of schools and public transportation and their terminals. But some people just don't give a damn, some drivers even smoke while there is a NO SMOKING sign right above his head.

 

[mikedt]

Cigarettes are cheap in the Philippines... you can buy a pack of Marlboro's for 50 cents

I'd be very wary of those 50 cent Marlboros, they're most likely counterfeit.

I had a friend here who was smoking them for a couple of weeks, he kept on complaining of headaches. Turned out it was the 13 yuan Marlboros causing it. Tourists usually buy them, thinking they're getting a bargain. People here tend to nearly always smoke Chinese brands. Genuine Marlboros here are actually quite expensive, because they're an import.

Thing in China, the brand of cigarette one smokes can be a status symbol. Most people smoke the cheap brands, and the more affluent tend to smoke expensive brands like Chunghwa, those are the ones Mao Zedong smoked. Then there are special unmarked red packet cigarettes that only government people have. Oh yeh, and the entire cigarette industry in China is state owned, very few imports.

Go to Hong Kong though, and things are completely different there. No smoking rules are strictly enforced and usually obeyed, no smoking in work places, parks etc. Mostly western brands as well, very few from the mainland. They're heavily taxed as well, so they're quite expensive, so things are much more like the UK or US there.

 

[Gmash]

I think it's ridiculous to say that all overweight people are just fat because they are lazy. A lot of that depends on genetics. For example, I can eat whatever I want and never gain weight, but other people I know are always dieting and try to exercise, and they still struggle with their weight. To just assume they are lazy is a really ugly stereotype. That being said, I have little sympathy for the people who are sloths who never move and just shove cheeseburgers down their throat all day, but I don't really see how a company could reliably tell the difference.

 

[Sprawsum]

I'd be very wary of those 50 cent Marlboros, they're most likely counterfeit.

I had a friend here who was smoking them for a couple of weeks, he kept on complaining of headaches. Turned out it was the 13 yuan Marlboros causing it. Tourists usually buy them, thinking they're getting a bargain. People here tend to nearly always smoke Chinese brands. Genuine Marlboros here are actually quite expensive, because they're an import.

Thing in China, the brand of cigarette one smokes can be a status symbol. Most people smoke the cheap brands, and the more affluent tend to smoke expensive brands like Chunghwa, those are the ones Mao Zedong smoked. Then there are special unmarked red packet cigarettes that only government people have. Oh yeh, and the entire cigarette industry in China is state owned, very few imports.

Go to Hong Kong though, and things are completely different there. No smoking rules are strictly enforced and usually obeyed, no smoking in work places, parks etc. Mostly western brands as well, very few from the mainland. They're heavily taxed as well, so they're quite expensive, so things are much more like the UK or US there.

Why do you guys always think it's counterfeit? We get our cigarettes from the company imports and companies located in the Philippines. Unless you can fake a big ass corporation, all it's supporting companies and apparently all the cigarettes that are distributed, then I'll believe you.

 

[mikedt]

Why do you guys always think it's counterfeit? We get our cigarettes from the company imports and companies located in the Philippines. Unless you can fake a big ass corporation, all it's supporting companies and apparently all the cigarettes that are distributed, then I'll believe you.

Chinese counterfeit Marlboros have been quite well documented.

China’s Marlboro Country
China?s Marlboro Country
"A Massive Underground Industry Makes China the World Leader in Counterfeit Cigarettes"

...and my friend was getting headaches from smoking them. They're probably made from rat droppings or something.

Probably not all cheap Marlboros are counterfeit, no doubt some will come through proper channels, e.g. duty free. ...and not from some street stall in Beijing.

 

[Dark Jedi]

Why do you guys always think it's counterfeit? We get our cigarettes from the company imports and companies located in the Philippines. Unless you can fake a big ass corporation, all it's supporting companies and apparently all the cigarettes that are distributed, then I'll believe you.

You really think Phillip Morris is going to export their product overseas at a great loss. When they can make 10 times more here in the states? In Asia its nothing but a counterfeiters paradise. Heck someone even posted pictures of a counterfeit Apple store selling counterfeit iphones and stuff.

THey are 50 cents a pack for a reason.

 

[mikedt]

You really think Phillip Morris is going to export their product overseas at a great loss. When they can make 10 times more here in the states? In Asia its nothing but a counterfeiters paradise. Heck someone even posted pictures of a counterfeit Apple store selling counterfeit iphones and stuff.

THey are 50 cents a pack for a reason.

Yeh it was me, I started a thread about them.
http://androidforums.com/lounge/380205-you-listening-steve-jobs-fake-apple-stores-kunming-china.html

 

[Sprawsum]

Imported ones are much higher than locally made one. Cigarette companies are big sponsors here, and there are official retailer stores. Almost all the brands here are the same price range, so unless all of them are fake, I still don't believe it.

Though a lot of Chinese counterfeit are being shipped here. I am sure they are fakes out there.

Anyways this is out of topic.

What do you guys think is the best punishment for not following the ban? Taxing doesn't really do much, is jail time a bad idea?

 

[mikedt]

What do you guys think is the best punishment for not following the ban? Taxing doesn't really do much, is jail time a bad idea?

I think a person is likely to smoke even more if you jail them. In Hong Kong it's a stiff fine. Notices in all non-smoking places, "NO SMOKING, HK$5,000 fine", seems to work, very rarely see someone lighting up in those places. Mainland is moving towards enforcing no smoking in some public places, they finally banned smoking in airports this year, and they enforce it. You can still smoke on trains though, except the high-speed bullet trains. Restaurants and bars are supposed to be non-smoking, but I've yet to see any enforcement of that.

Cigarettes and fish anyone?

BTW when one reads reviews of Chinese hotels, sites like TripAdviser. A frequent comment from non-smokers who request no smoking rooms. Is that the hotel just removes the ashtray, but the stink remains.