Quote:
Originally posted by modernhamlet
I'd like to ask whether or not people think that there should be public places that smokers can go and smoke without either breaking the law or standing outside (that's illegal in CA now too, isn't it?)?
As a follow up, those who said "no" to the above questions: Should people be allowed to smoke at all? (In their own homes...) Obviously if the majority (non-smokers) completely had their way, smoking would be illegal. But should it?
|
NO ONE should be denied the right to smoke in their home or on their property. Although, I see a dangerous possible scenario here...
Let's say you smoke in your home. And you have kids. Could Social Services pull those kids out of your home, citing that you are putting them in danger?
Anyway...back to point.
Yes, people should be allowed to smoke outside, along the lines of what dham said. At the VA Hospital in St. Louis, they had a little alcove set aside where people could smoke. When I was on jury duty in St. Louis, they had a separate inside ventilated room where you could light up as you wished.
As far as places INSIDE...UNLESS a majority of that company's employees smoke, I don't think they should have to go out of their way to accomodate smokers.
Restaurants and bars: There is a Bennigan's in Columbia, MD that has a sealed-off bar--you have to enter the bar using a separate entrance. (i.e. You go in the restaurant, but if you want to go to the bar, you go through another door that is inside the restaurant.) I thought that was very cool. I say leave the bars for smokers. My personal opinion of course...but in the end, it should be up to the owner of said bar. He should try to determine whether it is worth it to stop the smoking or not...not the state or county or city or whatever.
However, what if public smoking "bars" were set up? Like a tavern of sorts...where people could chew the fat and smoke 'til their heart's content.
I don't know what the numbers are at this point. What is it? Like 20% of Americans smoke? That's over 50 million people, not to mention those that were too ashamed to answer. That's too much of a section of people to ignore. In my 26 years on this earth, the coolest people I've met have mainly been smokers. *shrugs*