If anything should be banned, it's alcohol.
At least smoking doesn't make people beat up their wives or crash their cars.

Alcohol doesn't make anyone do anything, especially if it's in moderation.

But even if someone did those things while drunk, they get in trouble for doing those things, not for being drunk.

Okay, okay. It can fuel the already vulnerable people in society prone to violence.

That's better ;)

The problem isn't the drug, it's the user.

With a partial smoking ban, we can at least attempt to predict the behavior of the smoker. Under this legislation, we'd know that we'd be safe from cigarette smoke inside.

However, I'd rather have the smoke inside a building than outside. That way I could just avoid businesses that allow smoking.

I also think that a ban on cigarettes altogether does more harm than good. Tobacco is too big of a cash crop in the U.S. to drop so quickly. It's certainly the last thing we need right now--to lose jobs and tax revenue. I also think that a full ban wouldn't stop everyone, and we'd be looking at a situation similar to alcohol prohibition.

Most of the cost of a pack of cigarettes is tax anyway. If we took away cigarettes, the government would lose a lot of money, not just in lost tax revenue, but in the money required to enforce the ban and (presumably) jail people who broke the law. It's a double-whammy that this country does not need.

there's nothing wrong about banning smoking in public places. im a smoker but i try my best to respect the others' right and try my best to obey the law.

however, banning smoking out-right is something that has major implications, both legal and economical.

First, to ban a legally controlled substance would entail a lot of red tape, counter-lobbying and all that legal jazz that are not only a waste of time but also will be met by the public with both strong affirmation and resistance.

Second, to ban it would mean a lot of tobacco manufacturers will be force to shut down or downsize their companies or production as to meet with the new laws. this means loss of jobs, income and the nicotine we addicts need.

Lastly, to ban it would mean no more sin taxes for the government. this would mean lesser money for government projects, welfare and funding to provide services for all.

i know i kinda sound like a tobacco company spokesman by now, but rest assure, im a college student. Banning it outright could be the worst thing they can do.

why not choose a lesser evil? a compromise where smokers can enjoy a good drag, non-smokers can still breathe fresh clean air, companies can still make a buck, and the government can have money to fuel corruption? is that really too much to ask?

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they already did back then, but it didn't help the situation at all, but proved to escalate the negativity of it to newer heights.

Banning something psychologically tends to pushe someone to attain the said "illegal" thing. i guess that how we humans react to it, or was conditioned by society as such.

I've drank quite a bit in my time. Some times I could barely stand. I still knew better then to even attempt to drive, and I sure as heck didn't get into any fights. You'd have to ban stupidity and aggressiveness to get those problems taken care of. Alcohol is just an easy excuse. :angel:

though i smoke sometimes on occasion specially when i'm depress i would agree that smoking should be ban mostly of my cousins are addicted to it and i'm concerned about there health no matter how they try to quit they just can't stop...
:(

Lol not a lot of smokers here, eh? =p

I smoke. I am a smoker in a state that, like N. Carolina, put a ban on smoking in public places.
It didn't really effect me in any way, other than now I have to go out in the cold to smoke during winter. =p But hey, that's what jackets are for.
I dunno what all the fuss is about, really...

That's my 2 cents on this matter. =p
And if anyone was wondering I grew up in a household that forbid smoking and only until recently did I start smoking. It calms me down and I enjoy the taste of tabacco. Those are my only reasons, lol...
(Recently I've started using a kiseru to pretend to be healthier about it. Lawl)

The freedom to smoke takes away the freedom to breathe fresh air from others.

There is no smoking indoors (with the exception of private residences) in California, and I dig it.

Others can smoke if they want, but if it starts affecting me, they can suck it

Touche.

ahahah! i guess we had the same crazy thought.

i changed my smoking way, opting pipes over cigarettes now. and its not really much of an upgrade, per se. but pipe smoking poses a lesser risk to one's health compared to cigarette smoking.

but still, banning smoking out-right isn't the solution, nor banning alcohol for that matter. strict regulation and control is something we can all live with, but the total denial of one's personal right is something else.

I say it is wrong. People have the right to smoke and non smokers who dont want to go somewhere that they allow smoking has the right not to go there. I hate pumping my own gasoline and it is known to produce cancer in rodents then why am I pumping my own gas. Gas should be banned as well for the same reasons they want to ban smoking.

I live in a state that implemented such laws years ago. I was born in and lived in the past in a state that disallows smoking within so many feet of a public building. I personally agree with it. Smoking is a personal choice, but that does not make it healthy. To force others who do not smoke to be forcibly subjected to your second hand smoke is wrong and inconsiderate.

I have an elderly grandmother who has such horrible asthma smoke from cigarettes or even incense causes her to have a severe asthma attack. Is it fair she cannot eat out at a nice restaurant because people are smoking? No!

If your choice is to smoke do it in a place that is private and personal.

I personally am allergic to many perfumes and have to move or leave restaurants due to men and woman who use far too much of that. So I guess we need to ban that too. I dont smoke. I quit but I have no problem with people that chose to smoke. If I cant be around it I wont go to places that have it but it is my choice. I certainly have to leave if some one is wearing strong perfume. Is that fair to me?

My school is now a non-smoking campus. You have to smoke in the parking lot. :/ I don't smoke but it sucks for the people that do.

My city just recently passed a smoking ban. I really think it's a good idea. It is much healthier for people. I don't feel crappy and get a headache from going out to smokey bars. I do, however, think that there should still be places where smoking is alright. It isn't exactly fair to make smokers go outside just because of their lifestyle choice/addiction. I appreciate the government looking out for our health, but I think the set-up favors the non-smokers, and that just isn't fair. If they want to save us from cigarettes then they should probably outlaw them, though then people would probably get them through other means.

I absolutely despise smoking, I can't stand being near people who smoke and I can't stand being in a building where people have smoked. That said, it's a personal decision and I don't believe in the government telling us what we can and can not do. They have been wonderful with educating people and I don't think there is a single smoker out there who doesn't know it's bad for you. At this point there's no use in making people feel guilty about it, or berating them for smoking.

The next step in getting people to quit is understanding. If you guys have friends that smoke I encourage you not to attack them about it; let them have their individuality. If you really want them to quit then have an open and frank discussion, find out why they even started and offer a way to help them quit. There are a number of products out there to help these people stop but in the end it's their choice; if they don't want to quit then they won't.

Concerning the government, I think the best way for them to help out is to keep the prices of cigarettes up and the prices of anti-smoking aids down. I would like it very much if instead of designating a non-smoking area, they could designate a smoking area. I dislike the idea of everywhere being open to smoking unless otherwise specified.

finally! a sensible yet unbaised point!

Plastic baby bottles, some types of carpeting, paints, plywood, and Gasoline all are detrimental to human health. Have fumes that cause cancer but are not illegal and not treated like smoking is. Why do we still have to pump gas and it is a known carcinogen. Why isnt it being banned. If you allow one devil, is it fair to condem the other.
Here is a link to a page of products you use everyday and would surprise you to learn they all contain something that is known to cause cancer.

The list of carcinogens - wikiCancer

At this point I can't help but feel pretty much everything causes cancer. Because of this I have developed a philosophy to just live my darn life! Mind you I am not going to be an idiot and go expose myself to radiation, however I am going sit in the sun and have fun-it's better when it rhymes! If you spend your life worrying about every little thing then before you know it life has passed you by.

My advice to people is to be smart, educate yourself on things that can be dangerous and then assess the risks. Many products have been linked to causing cancer, yes, however many of those involved prolonged exposure in poorly ventilated areas. Just read the labels, that's what they're there for.

We have banned smoking in bars that don't make enough in food. I think it's good thing. A lot of people are sensitive to it. I'm allergic to it and I find it rude when people are smoking and breathing it in other people's face. New studies are finding that smoking is more harmful to the people around you as well. To me it's just selfish drug. Having smoke on your clothing can harm a child you are using because the chemical is on the clothing. Is it really worth you going to the doctors and finding out your child's lungs at age ten look like a smoker's? No, it's really not worth that.

I agree with everyone here. I live in a state that bans smoking indoors in public places. It makes for a healthier environment for people, so I love it. My mom is sensitive to cigarette smoke actually, so we were so happy when our state did that. By doing this, it's helping to keep non smokers healthy.

I like your comments here and for the most part I agree, however it's a bit of a one sided view. Let me see if I can put this into another perspective.

My entire family has at one time been a smoker, I am the first to break that chain and my mother is the only one to have quit. My parents smoked together as teenagers and decided that they would quit together, however my mother was the only one capable of it while my father still smokes to this day. My father is most definitely addicted and he won't stop until the day he dies. I don't fully understand why but he is in his forties and I can imagine that if it was too difficult as a teenager even, then now he might just be a lost cause.
I don't like it but I know there is nothing I can do or say to make him change. He knows it's horrible for him, he just doesn't want to give it up. My grandfather is the exact same way (mother's side).

My oldest brother had been sent to the hospital several times as a baby because my father used to smoke in the house. As soon as this was a problem my mother made the rule to ban it to the outside. However now my oldest brother smokes and I don't know if it's because of this early childhood exposure or not. However just like my father and grandfather, he will not quit, he knows what it's doing to him and there's nothing I can say or do about it.

My other brother and I get along well enough to have an open discussion about this issue. Now this brother I classify as the smart one. He actually finished high school, does his homework and passes his classes. He's extremely environmentally aware, has never gotten into an accident that was his fault and actually is going to college to become a survival guide in the wilderness. He skateboards and is incredibly fit, however he smokes. He knows what it's doing to him and he just doesn't care. He likes it and if he likes something then why should he quit? He calls his cigarettes his "sweet death sticks" and he's more than willing to live with the consequences of this choice.

Now the government can do many things. They can encourage people to quit smoking by decreasing the cost of aid, increasing the cost of cigarettes, creating fewer places where smoking is allowed and so on. One line that they can never cross however is the one where they start taking away our God given free will. Yes smoking is bad for you and you could group nicotine alongside all those other nasty drugs that are banned. However unlike with other drugs no one is going to go out and kill someone over nicotine and nicotine withdraw won't kill you. The use of nicotine may lower you life, yes, but that's something everybody knows at this point.

Everyone knows the effects of cigarettes, everyone knows that it causes cancer and shortens your life but so do many things in our world today. I also find that all the people I know who smoke are not rude about it. If I ask them "please don't smoke around me" then they won't. They will leave, stand down wind, they will accommodate me as the non-smoker and respect that. So in turn I respect their decision to poison their bodies. I can't stress enough the fact that they know what they are doing.