Happy New Year & Good By to Second Hand Smoke!
My blogger friend Prash in Hong Kong wrote a good post on the subject of new years resolutions.
He says:
"Over the years, I noticed that people’s New Year’s resolutions are most often things that they detested to do but got to do that is why these New Year’s resolutions usually die out faster than a virus being exposed to the heat of the sun."
This year the state of Oregon instituted a law to coincide with our piquant(?) for making new years resolutions.
On new years day, 2009, Oregon became the 21st state in the US to extend an indoor-smoking ban to ALL public buildings including bars, taverns, nightclubs, and restaurants. Also, smoking areas OUTSIDE of public buildings must be at least 10 feet away from entrances.
This law went into affect New Years Day.
Consequently, many of my smoking friends have made new year resolutions to stop smoking.
I hope they can keep those resolutions as I think smoking is a vile & deadly habit*.
It will be nice to be able to go out & have a drink & not come home smelling like an ashtray & have to take a shower just because I spent one hour in a nightclub!
The New Yorker magazine has a humorous take on personal ads aimed at smokers: here.
Example: Lonely ex-barfly in severe withdrawal needs to mooch smokes, preferably off ex-bartender. You bring the bar nuts, cocktail napkins, and swizzle sticks, I’ll tell the dirty jokes until the coffin nails run out or I fall off the stool...
*Gross! Puke & Throw-up!!
posted by Rita @ 8:02 AM
28 Comments
28 Comments:
I've never smoked in my life and for years I've stayed strictly away from any venue that allowed smoking. But back when I did sometimes go to such places, I was always puzzled afterwards by the fact that it's always the underclothes than end up smelling more strongly of smoke than the outer clothes. Surely the smoke should be settling onto the outer clothes first?
Then I read an actual medical description of what happens when a non-smoker is in a smoking environment. It's not that the smoke settles on your clothes so much, it's that you breathe it in and it passes through your metabolism and comes out in your sweat. Gag!!
Lighting up a cigarette near another person should be considered a form of violent assault. I think we should declare the planet Earth a no-smoking area; if people want to smoke, they can step outside and do it on the Moon.
In France, the ban came into effect since last year (2nd Jan 2008 and not 1st Jan 2008 a small consideration for New Year Parties)...all bars, restaurants, dancing clubs, offices, public places, shopping malls are no-smoking area. This was a big debate in France last year and now, the statistics show that there has been a considerable effect of this measure to stop smoking, many admit that they have given up smoking.
In Hong Kong, the smoking ban in offices and public paces are already put in place. But not in bars and clubs. And this would come into effect from 9th Jan 2009.
Out of all these countries and states and all, I witnessed in Japan, smoking is so common. Any restaurant or bar or club we entered smoking was so common and all you could see is the smoke above your head (not exaggerating) . I had a feeling that I was in 1970, the years of Hippies...
infidel Thanks for the info. Last time I came home from being in a smoky environment & started peeling off my smelly clothes I realized that very thing. That my underwear smelled like cigarette smoke too. At the time I thought that was odd, now I know why. Jeez...
I think we should declare the planet Earth a no-smoking area Hopefully, the cost of cigarettes, the bans on smoking in public, & public awareness of how bad smoking is will eventually make it die out all over the globe.
prash It's nice to know that banning smoking in public places has support all over the world.
In California, beginning this month, a motorist can be fined $100 for lighting up a cigarette in his or her car, even if parked in the driveway, if one passenger is a child. source here
they've had that ban here for years. People threw a freaking hissy fit when it happened; "wahwah, my rights, wah." Yeah, well, what about my right to be healthy? How about my asthmatic friends? Should they risk death so that you can get a convenient fix? Bah.
I am deeply anti-smoking, and just this morning had my 2 year old niece telling me smoking was good for you because "grammy said **uncle's pregnant girlfriend** could," that she would smoke when she was "bigger" (previous list for bigger-walk in the parking lot without handholding, get a tattoo, do things by herself, drive.) and that for now she would just pretend to smoke. It was pretty upsetting.
Also? Good luck with the whole ten feet from the door bit. It's pretty poorly enforced, in my experience
starry lady Smokers will get used to smoking bans because they will realize it's ultimately better for them.
Perhaps if you give your niece a cigarette...at her tender age it just might leave such an awful impression that she would never consider smoking for the rest of her life.
Haha! Just kidding of course.
The ole smokers lung always left an impression on me.
my parents stopped smoking when I was 5, when I came home from school crying because I had learned about smoking and cancer. I tried to make them give up coffee too because of caffeine (I drink up to 4 mountain dews a day now 0_o ).
Too bad I have a kidney birth defect because of my mom's smoking and it has caused all sorts spun off side effects on my life (surgery as a toddler, years of antibiotics lowering my immune system and softening my teeth, which is why my parents pay for my dental care still (guilt), chronic infections (some strange ones too), and I may have a type of mrsa
picked up at the hospital as a child just kind of chillin' out in my body somewhere.)
It's easy for me to be antismoking, but now I have to figure out how to pass that on.
You take/find some great photos - I guess I am noticing this because my Olympus C-4000 disappeared a few weeks ago so I have been shopping for a new camera - the winner was a Canon SX10 IS - a high end point n shoot that gives me a camcorder/telescope/camera/audio recorder for under $300.
starry lady I started smoking when I was barely 13. It took me all summer to learn to smoke. Since my parents didn't smoke, I practiced on dried leaves rolled in bible pages. I did all of this just because I saw my best friend sharing a cigarette with someone & when they asked me if I wanted a drag I was embarrassed because I didn't know how to smoke.
I finally quit when I was 30 & yes I smoked when I was pregnant. I still consider quitting smoking as one of the most difficult things I've done. Although, I think smoking is disgusting & vile, I do have sympathy for people that are hooked on tobacco. Addictions are terrible to live with. & to think that ones smoking habit effected their child's health! No wonder you hate smoking. I say the sooner the tobacco industry is put out of business the better.
I'm sorry, being a responsible smoker I have to share another point of view.
Who helps pay for roadways/infrastructure/all sorts of things? Smokers. Cigarettes are almost ten dollars a pack now. The taxes were supposed to ecourage people to quit and fund healthcare.
Excuse Me? Where is the health care fund?? How are you going to fund anything with the cig taxes when you've pretty much made smokers outlaws?
You don't smoke? Fine with me. I won't smoke in your house, car or near you. Don't be a fucking cunt, sit down next to me in the smoking section while you wait for your friend then bitch that it was smoky. FUCK OFF CUNT.
I'm a nice smoker. I am. If there isn't an ashtray I'll put it out using my shoe and find a trash bin to toss it in. I pick up garbage on the beach for fuck's sake. I'm so damed tired of being picked on.
end rant
I thought I might hear from you.
You smokers sure are a testy bunch. You are also an easy mark.
Hopefully, you'll get mad enough to quit.
Cigarette taxes have become a popular source of state revenue, according to research by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a Washington-based nonprofit. Since 2002, 43 states, the District of Columbia and several territories increased cigarette tax rates more than 75 times.
I have a reason to be testy my dear. I am one of the nicest smokers you will meet. When my best friend tosses a cigarette on the ground I'll pick it up or tell her to pick the darned thing up.
I'm tired of being treated like shit because I smoke. I go out of my way to accomodate everyone who doesn't. (I'm probably in the minority) THAT BITCH didn't need to come sit next to me in the smoking section for 15 minutes and then complain! I should have shoved one in her mouth.
Taxes? Hahahahaha. There are ways around that... so how is the tax raising revenue? It isn't. Tax, tax, tax. Then tax some more. It's bullshit.
What do we get in return? Nothing. It all ends up in somebody's pocket.
I think I really need to shut up now. The blue penguins are still after me.
bryanActually, I don't have anything to complain about now that all public places are smoke free.
I do realize that most smokers are polite & accommodating & do pick up their cigarette butts.
One way to stop the process of pollution on the streets: Cigarette Butt Vacuum Flusher
I smoke a pipe so as a smoker I am not in the same boat as cigarette smokers. I don't smoke in the winter time because here is no where to smoke unless I do so in my home and I don't really want the house to gather the smoke. I smoke on the porch and out in the garage wen I do. I enjoy it, don't miss it that much in the winter to stand outside in the cold to do so and I don't do it in public so there is no conflict. I miss smoking sections because that was one place you could go where you could have a hope of avoiding famblies and their spawn screeching in your ear and drooling down your back while you eat. I prefer the smoke.
As an ex-smoker I can honestly say I miss it every single day. If it wasn't deadly I'd probably still do it.
qf a great idea that could be used for more then disposing of cigarette butts. It could include a retractable suction hose that could be used for emergency vacuum jobs, like sucking the crumbs off the passenger seat when you have a guest in your car.
rev Toxic smoke or unruly brats, what a choice. :)
One other good thing about pipe tobacco is that it smells much better then cigarette smoke.
G3T I've never felt that way after I quit. Cigarette smoke makes me so nauseous that I can't imagine taking up the habit again.
They banned public smoking here in Quebec a few years ago; it has been so nice to no longer have to specify seating in the non-smoking section of a restaurant.
Still, though, on the days it is -20C it is difficult to get the smokers to stay 10 feet away from the exterior doors, it is usually less windy near the shelter that is built around door entrances.
Rita: Crap, I should probably market that one or something.
Bryan - thank you for being considerate. I don't care if someone chooses to smoke, as an adult that's their decision. It's just that I'm sick of having it literally blown in my face while I'm just trying to get to my job, go grocery shopping, or eat. Some people don't care about the ill effects it can have on the health of others.
Starry Lady: I honetly do try to be as considerate as I can. My friend and I sometimes spend weekends at a local "resort town", Atlantic City, NJ. It's a complete dump though...
Trash all over the place, thousands of cigarette buts everywhere. All over the beach, just everywhere. It makes me want to cry. I try to pick up what I can. It's disgusting...
I stay in "smoker friendly" establishments. If I need a cigarette and can't have one, I will leave, go to the furthest place possible from anyone and smoke there.
Here's a link. Presonally I think it'a crap. Third hand smoke. I'm not saying smoking is good for anyone either, that's been proven.
WAVES AT RITA!!! Hi sweetie! Did you sit on your phone? Was the baby trying to eat it again? I got a rather odd message from your area code. lol
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Phil P: I feel your pain. I work in a high rise office building. The wind is like a tornado for everyone. (You would think they'd put some kind of wind-break around the entrances...
Sometimes you can barely make it out of the parking lot and up the ramp to get in!
I try to stay as far away from non smokers as possible, sometimes you just cant!
That picture makes me want to puke. It's so disgusting.
In my neck of the woods smoking is banned in all restaurants and bars. There are no smoking areas. I love it, it's the best thing they ever did.
Good, you go ahead and vomit all over everything. Enjoy yourself while I make the mile round trip to have my cigarette.
It;s very hard to quit. I did.
i was poster girl for anti smoking in the 90's and I was on billboards and the sides of buses.
btw I am in love with your beach, oh my GOD its so beautiful......
Hi phil
I doubt if the ten foot rule will be enforced unless someone complains a lot. I don't think it matters really.
Unfortunately, suddenly I am seeing cigarette butts all over the sidewalks downtown. :(
starry I agree. Oh & thanks for the comment on my other blog. :)
Bryan Hello! thank you too for the comment on my other site.
Third hand smoke...well that's pushing it.
another girl That must be a case of fourth hand smoke. getting sick while looking at a picture of cigarette butts. It make me feel ill too to look at it.
fifi It is a beautiful place, but often cold & lonely. This is one of my favorite spots...Face Rock
The smoking issue...heh,heh,heh, If you havent smoked...well good for you...it's bad for your health.
(duuuhhh)I have smoked and still do
and cigarettes wasnt the only thing I smoked. And when I smoked pot as well...your damn right I inhaled..even held it it.Mr.Infidel say's that smoker's should be charged with "violent assault"? :) I think the same should apply to those who fart in public,barbeque,shoot firework's, use welding torches,pick their noses,spit,etc,etc...HELL! Put em all in jail...the only problem is...if you lock em up...you cant get no money out of them..heh? In Dallas...you already cant smoke in any public establishment,restaraunt
bar/club...even in park's...25'ft or so from building entrances,etc. As to what smoker Bryan stated about where all the money goes..he is absolutely right...I am NOT defending smoking here...what most folk's fail to see...is this is nothing but a racket...to of coarse...pocket money...not a damn thing goes to benefit any of the American taxpayer's from this,if any thing, it goes to pork project's,offshore investment's,etc
and if folk's didnt smoke...they would find and create some other "evil" to tax the crap out of
like in NY taxing a cup of gourmet coffee,or a soda drink..or what have you...and most of us peasant's will fall in line and suck it all up that it's for the "kid's" or some other crap. No one gives a flying crap about you or your kid's besides what they can milk them for.That's the reality. Thank You
ranch chimp"Sin Taxes" are popular with politicians because sin taxes are easy legislation to enact. The populous generally will readily pass a sin tax...it makes everyone feel as if they are doing something worthwhile. Like you said:
most of us peasant's will fall in line and suck it all up that it's for the "kid's" or some other crap. No one gives a flying crap about you or your kid's besides what they can milk them for.That's the reality.
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