Come July 1st

[anotheoldgit]

Hysteria has already started to take hold of some of the less informed members of the anti smoking brigade. I refer of course to the smoking ban in enclosed premises that comes into force on July 1st .

I was recently talking to my local newsagent who was outside his shop having a smoking break. A resident passed by and remarked that he would not be able to do that after July 1st. Hearing this I remarked to the newsagent, how totally wrong this rather rude person was. The newsagent said this was not an isolated case, it was becoming more and more common for people to make similar remarks as this. He told me one person once passed him and remarked that cigarettes would do him no good, he said to me what if he was to go into a MacDonalds and on seeing a person munching on a Big Mac, to remark ' that will do you no good ' what do you think that person would say?

The Holier Than Thou non-smokers, think they can just treat smokers as some form of low life, to be treated with contempt, and believe me this situatation will become much worse come July 1st. Incidently I am one of the more tolerant non-smokers.

[johnlambert]

No-one likes walking through 2nd hand cigarette smoke whether indoors or out anotheoldgit, and your MacDonalds analogy makes no sense, hundreds of people have died due to passive smoking (just ask Roy Castle's widow) but to the best of my knowledge no-one has ever died from passive Big Mac with fries

[B00]

I honestly believe that smokers have now become the 'hated minority'. Whilst it's not ok to be a racist (thankfully!) it's seen as perfectly acceptable to give grief to anyone who is a smoker.

[B00]

john - unless you directly blow it in someones face I hardly think anyone is going to get cancer from being around anyone who smokes outside, get real for goodness sake!

[Loosehead]

As I have said lots of times people eating junk food or taking drugs or drinking too much are not forcing others to endure there habit. Smoking is different in that it does innevitably effect others and before 10cs chimes in I'm not arguing whether passive smoking is bad or not, I'm saying non smokers should not have to inhale the foul stench of smoking and smokers' residue generally, we should not have hold our breath when passing a smoker and they stink even when they are not actually smoking. Non smokers I suppose do tend to treat smokers as some form of lowlife but I think that is mainly because after generations of having the disgusting selfish habit forced on us, the worm has turned and smokers now find themselves as the underdog. All they have to do is give up the foul habit and they can rejoin humantity!

[johnlambert]

My point is BOO that it contributes and isn't nice, get real yourself ffs

[B00]

So that gives people the right to verbally abuse us, yes i smoke, Loosehead?

And you need to hold your breath when walking past a smoker? How bloody slow do you walk?

[B00]

Contributes to what john? So you're saying walking past a person smoking outside can cause you to get cancer? What facts are you basing these on?

[Gromit]

Almost as rude as those people who light up between courses in a restaurant.

[johnlambert]

Walking speed has no bearing on this discusion BOO, I was walking in the park with my 2 small boys on Saturday, there is a stream with a narrow bridge crossing it, right in the middle was some old guy merrily puffing away on his cancer stick polluting the air that we had to walk through, is that fair?

[Loosehead]

No Boo I don't think it's ok to verbally abuse smokers but I can understand how animosity can occur. For what it's worth I think smoking outside the shop front is allowed so in the example given the person was wrong.

Even walking briskly you get a lungful of smoke because it hangs around so I find holding my breath is necessary.

[anotheoldgit]

Smoking in between courses in a restaurant Gromit? What low-class restaurants do you frequent? Are we talking Greasy Spoon joints? They do not even allow smoking in MacDonald's.

[Le-Chat]

I don't think that smokers should be treated any differently than anyone else. Do I hate walking past a smoker and anointing myself with that smoky smell? Yes, Do I hate inhaling other peoples smoke second hand, of course I do!. Would I make a remark to the guy outside the shop having a cig? No. It's just an unpleasant part of life, having to suffer from other peoples smoking. I should know. I was a beauty therapist for years and often had to treat smokers at close quarters for one thing or an other, My god, the stench was foul...and always the same stench. It, ironically, was made worse by the smoker who had a mint or some gum prior to seeing me, in order to 'hide the smell!' I then had to deal with smoke, bad breath and an 'off mint mixed with heat' kind of smell.
Anyway, I think that if you are the person who could walk by a smoker 10 yrs ago and not make a comment, then why is it suddenly ok to do so now? I must admit though, I am off on holiday with my two smoker best friends and I am dreading smelling my clothes at the end of the evening and having to sit in a whaft of smoke all night.

[B00]

I can see your point to an extend john and Loosehead.

I have a 2yr old myself, I don't smoke around her (I'm usually shivering on my kitchen doorstep when i have my cigs!)

I guess what my main gripe is that it seems perfectly acceptable to verbally abuse smokers. We have feelings too you know :-(

[johnlambert]

I was a smoker BOO but I would never verbally abuse a smoker minding his/her own business, it makes as much sense as abusing a driver for running his car engine at a set of traffic lights

[B00]

Exactly John, yay we agree on summet, lol.

It just winds me up that folks think they can call a smoker every name under the sun and that's seen as socially acceptable.

[johnlambert]

I was in a Chinese restaurant in London a couple of weeks ago oldgit when someone lit up an cigarette, so you do not need to frequent a low-class restaurant or greasy spoon to experience ill mannered people spoiling it for the majority of the population

[coco pops]

I agree that it is totally wrong to abuse smokers.Boo i would like to pick up on the point you make about not smoking near your two year old. I have to use a wheelchair when shopping, i have lost count of the number of times i have been outdoors in busy areas where i have been inhaling smoke from someone walking infront . I'm an adult i can move out of the way what about children in push chairs they get the full blast in their faces. People tend to walk with the cig down by their side just right height for a pushchair.

[vehelpfulguy]

Well first I have to say that with all the medical knowledge we have about the negative effects of smoking, AND the astronomical cost of smoking, anyone who still smokes is pretty stupid.

I also have to say that seeing all the sad people standing around the doorways of their office or shop smoking and dropping butts all over the place looks awful.

Whether smokers like it or not smoking is going the same way as other things that at one time were seen as OK, but are now looked down on.

We used to have bear bating in the streets, or monkeys tied to barrel organs with a tun cup, but try that today and you would get a load of abuse.

Smoking is going the same way (thankfully) and the sooner it is totally banned the beter.

Meanwhile if smokers are humiliated into giving up then that is a start.

[johnlambert]

In Melton Mowbray there is a Cancer Research charity shop and the staff can regularly be seen outside enjoying(?) a cigarette, how ironic is that?

[Gromit]

anotheoldgit ,,
There's a lot of scroats where I live, and smoking between courses does happen frequently. The scroats tend to be big and full of tattoos and probably not as approachable as your newsagent. Big companies like McD or Wetherspoons have strict no smoking, but smaller places do not.

It will be interesting in a couple of months when the afore mentioned scroats are told to go outside, whether they comply meekly or kick up a stink.