Why Hasn't Cigarette Smoking Been Banned Everywhere Yet?

[Anonymous]

My city recently passed it's third ordinance banning smoking within a certain distance of building entry ways so as to allow those who have no desire to be inundated by smoke fumes without their permission, to enter and exit within a relatively smoke free environment. This came after the smoking ban in all public parks, and the smoking ban in bars and restaurants. Even though these infractions do have the penalties of fines attached to them, honestly, no one is really and truly enforcing the fines related to the entry way or public parks ones except to kindly ask patrons to stop smoking which they have to, but regardless, for the most part, it is rare that you see anyone lighting up anymore in these areas.

I remember every single day I was in college, I would literally have to hold my breath every time I wanted to go to class because right around every door and hallway entrance, there were loads of student and teacher smokers, all furiously puffing up in between classes. Literally, there were clouds of smoke and they would puff it in your face as you tried to briskly walk by. It was awful. For four years, I had to hold my breath!

I do not understand given all of the medical and scientific research we have on the negative effects of cigarettes, lung cancer/heart disease rates, effects on pregnancy, pets getting smoke related cancers, children of smokers being adversely affected, death rates related to smoking, etc., why people are still allowed to do it legally. Well, I do know, and that's really two fold. You have a string of addicts hooked on a product who despite the raising of the price of cigarettes practically every year, still shell out more and more for them to get their fix. Then you have corporations who fill the pockets of those that continue to scratch their backs in Washington to keep the money train going who also use those very dollars to also encourage the addicts to keep going so they can line their pockets as smokers line their own coffins from often decades of abuse.

If smokers would simply sit there and think about how they are being used by the system they buy into...every time you puff up, some fat cat is taking your money and buying themselves a yacht while your teeth rot, your skin becomes a shriveled mess, and you develop lung cancer which they certainly won't be responsible for because of course, you are the ones who chose to smoke of your own free will. They're "just" the supplier. Sounds a lot like every single drug dealer's rationale in this country. Don't care if you die from the product, as long as you pay me. And you tend to care very little about the health and safety of children and pets and other family and friends, as long as you get your own fix. It's just one big vile and disgusting cycle that is only helping the suppliers because there is no benefit for smokers.

There is however quite a bit of good news. Thanks to many of these bans, the creative non-smoking ads, lawsuits, the calls for cigarette companies to list the risks of using their products, and many other early intervention based methods and programming, smoking rates have gone down with adults from 42% in 1965 to about 16% in 2014. Among teens, the rate has fallen from about 21% in 1991 (the first year data was collected on teens by the CDC) to roughly 16% as of 2014.

It's one thing for smokers to so called, "kill themselves on their own time," but we know that cigarette smoke does not just affect the smoker as evidenced by family and obviously pets who don't smoke but live with a smoker, and from workers who don't smoke but have worked in smoke filled bars and restaurants, or other smoked filled places. The health problems associated with continual smoking also affects those families who have to then care for or bury early, a loved one. Much like obesity, the illness associated with smoking are something we can combat and prevent so that people can lead longer and healthier lives.

[Anonymous]

Everything in this world is run by money and smokers will empty their wallets desperately for cigarettes, or at least many of them will. It's just like with the insurance industry; I KNOW very well there are many cures out there that can make life so much easier for thousands of people, but we got people behind the scenes killing off doctors and would rather people be slaves to pharmaceutical drugs. Big ching ching.

If people want to kill themselves, that's their business, but doing it in front of me, there's a problem. When I was in college, I suffered many years putting up with these damn smokers who smoked right at the entrances of buildings, or at the bus stop, or just anywhere you would expect a person to be. They can't read and follow simple rules as to being 25 feet AWAY from the door. They liter like crazy, they've caused me to walk into the grass to avoid their little cloud of death, including having me hold my breath as I walk by. It's not only me, but finally, some smart students began to complain about it, and finally during the last two or years I attended, it became a smoke-free campus.

I cannot stand smoking. I hate it with a passion.

[Phoenix98]

Why is red meat, alcohol and jogging legal then? why are cars legal, why is the sun legal?

To much time in the sun gives you skin cancer.

to much red meat will give you health problems.

Jogging and running is detrimental to your joints and will lead to arthritis among other things.

alcohol attributes to a large portion of deaths on the road and even off road as well as injuries in general. Plus it kills brain cells which can never be replaced, once they're gone, they're gone and every sip kills hundreds of thousands of them.

Cars are very dangerous they kill more people per year then handguns and about half of those are completely preventable.

O and why aren't cell phones illegal to use in cars? since idiots use them all the time and either almost cause accidents and pile ups or do cause them.

[myTake Owner]

I can't really take you particularly seriously after you ask: "why is the sun legal?" but most of what you mention can be done, eaten, used moderately without incurring health risks to yourself or others. The same cannot be said of cigarettes. There are no health benefits to smoking tobacco otherwise we'd be perfectly fine selling them to kids and pregnant women. Also you jogging or eating red meat or sitting out in the sun affects you. There are no affects on other people around you or who work with you. Also I'd like to add that in some places driving while on the phone is illegal, and drunk driving is already illegal.

[Phoenix98]

Not really I was making a point, everything in life will hurt you someone, there is no use stressing about every little thing and what it might or could do to you, because that's no life to live the stress with eat you alive and kill you before any of those other things do.

Also cigarettes aren't banned because they're good for business and the economy.

[YourName123]

cigarettes dont kill you for a long long time, maybe never. Many of the other things he mentioned kill you instantly and are much better candidates for banning. Now that I am forced to share in your health care cost, all these things should be banned if cigarettes are

[Phoenix98]

@YourName123 Mhmm.

[Paul09]

But cigarette smokers affect themselves and any one around you. Those others you mentioned are personal choices that won't affect people around you if you chose wrongly. You want to fuck up your health, waste money, and smell bad, thats your choice, but do it far away from the public.

[Phoenix98]

@Paul09 I do smoke but I don't smoke cigarettes or drugs nor do I like them, but I support a persons right to smoke them if they want, otherwise I'd be a hypocrite.

[amarahorrorstory]

I agree, it's bad for you. I've smoked before. My dad smokes nearly a pack and a half a day, and has for 30 years. That being said, I just really don't care. It's their life. Plus people will do it anyway, why create more crime? Now that's expensive. It's been around forever. I live in Virginia, we are known for tobacco, that'd go over great here. Plus, that would mean no form of tobacco what so ever basically. It's just not necessary. If I knew them personally I'd probably try to talk them out of it. Yes, it effects people around you and I get that. Like your kids and pets, I think you're a little fucked if you bring them around that, go outside. If you smoke, you do it outdoors. But walking past someone on the sidewalk with a cigarette and getting upset is literally the most boohoo thing. Wherever you live you will come across some rank smells, this isn't different. If you have asthma or something I get it but just avoid it. There are things all people just have to avoid regardless of things you might have. You're at risk all the time. When you get in the car, when you walk down the street, even just sitting at home something could happen. I see your point but if someone wants to trash their lungs it's their business.

[Anonymous]

Nanny state much. Just because you have weighed up the evidence and decided smoking is bad for you doesn't mean you get to make the decision for other people. I personally dont smoke because I need to be at my peak fitness. But I dont care what other people do.

In the cities, people smoke on the streets because theyre not allowed to smoke in pubs and bars. Streets are truly public whereas pubs and bars are private institutions. They should be able to enact whatever smoking policy they want. If you disagree with their policy go elsewhere as no one is forcing you to enter these places. Go to starbucks or something.

The cost benefit analysis of smoking doesn't hold up either. In my nation, the uk, the cost to the nhs is a frequently used example for anti smoking policy. What about the taxes paid? The reduced life expectancy hence lower pension liability? Reduced chance of diabetes? I wouldn't be surprised if the cost benefit analysis showed that smoking had a positive impact on public finances. By the same logic used to justify taxes we could just as easily justify a subsidy in that case.

[myTake Owner]

If you read my take, I mentioned my college experience and dealing with smokers. Your solution to what was it, go somewhere else, would have been impossible. School was not some optional romp for me, and every other school had no anti-smoking policies at the time, so your whole well, everyone is their own island thing doesn't pan out because I did have to deal with people puffing in my face for four years every where on campus I went. It's crazy to me how people argue for "the benefits" of smoking. How much medical evidence do you need, seriously, that it's bad for you, for them, for babies, for pets, etc. Let's just call it what it is... it's a cash cow---those in the smoking industry line their pockets with smokers money, don't give too craps if they're dying early, and the government regulations and such play both sides of the coin... they take their money in taxes, but then proport that smoking is bad in the same breath. Smoking is all about greed.

[Opinion Owner]

Its crazy to you that someone could argue something you disagree with?

[MrShinyPants]

Its slowly getting there, my state recently enacted a bill that will ban smoking cigs and electronic cigs in Maricopa county which is roughly Glendale, phoenix, parts of Tempe etc.. And is already banned in mesa and I think Scottsdale. The actual reason its taking so long is because tobacco is a multi billion industry, banning smoking takes away their money and the politicians side pays so they're apprehensive about putting it everywhere, plus quitting smoking is hard, unless someone has smoked, they will never know actually how hard it is to quite. I myself am working on quitting, everyone needs to because its bad on multiple levels

[Xfitchick]

The famous conflict between health care and taxes on cigarettes. The tax income for the state is horribly big. So, on one end they play the caring government forbidding it in public places, on the other side they don't want to loose that income.

[myTake Owner]

It's a big old Catch-22. The sad thing is by virtue of the luxury tax, all citizens whether smoking or not, do feel some of the economic benefits of people lighting up, but at what cost really because on the end of things we all get screwed when insurance rates skyrocket having to pay for health issues for smokers that could have been prevented long ago.

[Xfitchick]

yes, that is the cynical thing. Treating lung cancer is also costly for the society.

[Winter_Storm_Guy]

I totally agree with you and support you on this one. I loss many of family members due to cigarette smoking cancer related deaths. If people only
knew or would try to learn. States in America waste tax payers money
with Medicaid HMO coverage for medications to stop cigarette smoking
and it does not help them all people do is still smoke.

[myTake Owner]

I'm really amazed that someone would thumbs down this response. It's that kind of ignorance that keeps people puffing away on cigarettes and lines pockets of the industry on the deaths of others... not only that, as you mention, as with obesity as well, we're all having to pay for the negative affects of cigarette smoking whether through loss of family, and/or through insurance rates.

[Winter_Storm_Guy]

Yeah glad my input helped you :)

[YourName123]

im amazed anyone would NOT thumbs down this post. While I feel sorry for his, loss, people know smoking, alcohol, fast food and not exercizing among 100's of other things are bad for them but luckily are free to do as they please. There are many countries in the middle east you can move to if you only want to make healthy choices and need the governments help

[Prof_Don]

Smokers are definitely feeling their burden of choice for sure health-wise.

I used to be a social smoker (would smoke cigars, hookah and cigarillos when drinking for the cross-fade). I gave that habit up several years ago, and was a good decision in my opinion.

[TheWaterBear]

Think about how much sales tax the government gets from sales of cigarettes (and alcohol, for that matter). THAT is why they will never ban them... that and we saw how effective banning alcohol was during the Prohibition. It led to a huge increase in criminal activity (guys like Al Capone).

[Errhh]

Well people are idiots.. Everyone knows it kills you so it's their decision if they want to aid to the cause...

Why should you be punished for wanting to make yourself sick? We don't remain as 5 year olds forever... Why should things be illegal or banned... People know what they're doing... Let them kill themselves... The world is far too populated anyway... And they're killing it too... So better let them die by choice. Ugh!

If anything they should be fined for smoking in public... They should smoke in their homes and if they live with other people who don't smoke, they should have a special designated room where they are allowed to smoke the cancer stick.. Or else be fined as well for putting others at risk...

[howzit2015]

Why isn't alcohol, fast food, tylenol, advil, or processed food illegal? All these products cause large health problems or exacerbated our fragile healthcare system when they're consumed irresponsibly or consumed in an inappropriate fashion. Many of these either kill the consumer or force them to come to the hospital for medical aid at the least. The better question is why does it matter? These people take pleasure of it. Should sex be made illegal based on the amount of STIs that are spread every year through unprotected sex, or look at the amount of children that are thrown into foster homes. Also look at the amount of people producing kids who SHOULDN'T HAVE kids. These all harm our socialist programs which are used to aid people. We live in a semi free market, and what one chooses to do to their body is their own problem, not ANYONE else's. Just educated them, and hope people make the right choice.

[myTake Owner]

That smoke is not just filling the air of a smokers lungs. It doesn't just decide it's going to swirl around them and leave. All the other things you listed as why are they not illegal is because other than unprotected sex, a person can do those things without affecting others in any way, and besides (did i need to explain), you cannot have children naturally without having unprotected sex... so there's that "tiny" thing.

[Brokenheartedx]

Get more harm from people not washing their hands after using the toilet than cigarette smoke.. people not covering their mouths when they sneeze or cough...
Then theirs exhaust fumes from cars as well.. we breathing in all those toxins..
I'm not a smoker but I wouldn't begrudge a smoker from smoking... the damsge what they do on my body will be minute, the dage they do to their is their business...

If we drink fizzy juice.. stuff ourselves with sweets and rubbish food we can't really condemn a smoker

[NotTheFBI]

Why? MONEY... LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY.
It's the same thing with illnesses as well. (But I'll get into that another time)
The only reason why something becomes 'illegal' is because the Government can't make money off of it... yet. Cigarettes kills thousands everyday yet it's not banned, those drugs people take with crazy and life threatening side effects that can and have killed people aren't banned and these two 'items' make the Government millions if not billions by taxing the companies.

An if you think that's bad just wait till you get the full info on Pharmaceutical companies. So with that I'll say Welcome to the real world. Sucks right?

[OlderAndWiser]

Why is alcohol legal? It has significant effects on the lives of those whose loved ones drink excessively.

[anonman32]

Then dont drink exxeccively.

[OlderAndWiser]

@anonman32 Alcohol is legal because prohibition didn't work; it only encouraged an illegal trade in alcohol. The same would happen with tobacco if it was made illegal. You would also have many farmers out of work. I am a non-smoker and I hate tobacco but, when you talk about banning a substance, you must have a realistic appraisal of ALL he consequences of banning the substance.

[anonman32]

you can tell these farmers not to put tar in their tobacco this will help a lot.

[OlderAndWiser]

@anonman32 Are you serious?

[anonman32]

what do you mean? they put tar in their tobacco amongst other chemicals like gasoline fumes to increase its addictive properties.

[anonman32]

removing these well help with fighting addiction and prevent some of the negative health effects.

[OlderAndWiser]

@anonman32 Do you have a cite for a source that says farmers add tar to their tobacco? That sounds ridiculous.

[anonman32]

dude, they put that on the package, well at least in my country.
here is a wikipedia page about it.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_%28tobacco_residue%29

[OlderAndWiser]

@anonman32 There is nothing in that article about farmers adding tar to tobacco. Get real!

[anonman32]

so the tar in tobacco is there by default?

[myTake Owner]

Tar is the common name for the resinous, partially combusted particulate matter produced by the burning of tobacco and other plant material in the act of smoking. Tar is toxic and damages the smoker's lungs over time through various biochemical and mechanical processes. Tar also damages the mouth by rotting and blackening teeth, damaging gums, and desensitizing taste buds. Tar includes the majority of mutagenic and carcinogenic agents in tobacco smoke. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), for example, are genotoxic via epoxidation.

[OlderAndWiser]

I know what tobacco tar is. What proof do you have that farmers add tar to their tobacco?

[anonman32]

They add all sorts of shit to tobacco to increase its flavor and addictiveness, i thought this was common knowledge? They teach it im schools here to prevent smokers.

[musicbrain5]

@anonman32 Tobacco farmers don't actually add anything to the tobacco that they harvest and sell to cigarette companies. That all comes during processing.

[OlderAndWiser]

@musicbrain5 Absolutely right! Don't blame the farmers!

[anonman32]

@musicbrain5 its still cancer.

[OlderAndWiser]

@anonman32 That point was not in dispute. Asker said, "you can tell these farmers not to put tar in their tobacco this will help a lot." We were only correcting that statement. Put the blame where it belongs.

[anonman32]

Tell factories not to put cancer in tobacco that will help a lot.

[renogaza]

the prohibition act in the 1920s proved exactly what would happen if they did ban alcohol, and the US even spiked their liquor with poison to make people fear alcohol to be as lethal as advertised, except that they were found out and several riots started because of it

[renogaza]

@anonman32 there actually is no proof that smoking causes cancer, it does cause a number of other sicknesses but cancer has yet to be proven as one of them.

[anonman32]

@renogaza smoking causes cells in the body to mutate and mutated cells that the body fails to kill become cancer. So smoking is the cause of mutated cells which is the cause of cancer.

[renogaza]

@anonman32 just being alive can cause cells in your body to mutate, just being in the sun all day can cause your cells to mutate, just having an x-ray can cause your cells to mutate, just eating food can cause your cells to mutate, carbon is a radioactive isotope that is very efficient at absorbing radiation, which is the primary trigger for any form of genetic degeneration, so in reality everything you do from breathing to taking a piss can cause cancer, there is no escaping it.

[anonman32]

@renogaza i know, but i dont need to accelarate the procces of getting cancer with smoking. Also anti oxidants help a lot with preventing cancer.

[renogaza]

did you know that there was a man who was a truck driver in the states who always drove with half his face exposed to the sun everyday and after 20 years of the same routine half his face looks like he was in his 30s while the other half looked like he was in his 60s? all because of sun exposure, if anything can cause cancer its the body's ability to absorb ambient radiation.

[anonman32]

@renogaza thats why i wear sun screen.

[renogaza]

@anonman32 you dont get it do you, EVERYTHING you do CAUSES CANCER. the only way to avoid it is to die.

[anonman32]

@renogaza how does this make it socially acceptable to smoke? It does not. I dont want to smoke its degeneracy and it hardens your arteries. No thanks.

[renogaza]

@anonman32 fine, just don't force other people to do the same.

[anonman32]

@renogaza where did i say other people can't smoke?

[OlderAndWiser]

@renogaza I have a hard time understanding how a truck driver could spend all of his time driving westward so that the same half of his face was always exposed to the sun. Can you please give me a link to a source that discusses that story?

[renogaza]

@OlderAndWiser here you go :)

www.nydailynews.com/.../...iosis-article-1.1089706

[renogaza]

and that is exactly why most Australians look so much older than they actually are :\

[BlueLights]

Alcohol is bad too. It also leads to crime and just results in traumatized kids in families where the father or mother are alcohol addicts.

[RandomBritishGuy94]

Prohibition worked so well...

Banning it wouldn't work so they tax it to hell and hope to discourage more people taking it up. Banning it from public places made it much less social and had a good effect.

[renogaza]

you failed to mention how prohibition led to the deaths of several thousand people in the US who died from "food poisoning" when it was actually the government spiking the liquor with poison and forced the hospitals to declare it otherwise, when the people found out that the liquor was spiked they had riots everywhere.

[renogaza]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwEQL9i7mjI

[Anonymous]

Smoking will never be 100% banned and neither will drinking alcohol. The reason aside from it makes money is this; we are all going to die at some point. It drives me nuts hearing how smoking kills, using a cell phone will cause cancer, drinking will cause liver damage, it is an endless list. You see we are not made to live forever. We all do something that is deemed "bad" for us. Eating junk, smoking, drinking, driving Too fast, starting a fire for one reason or another.. the point is life is dangerous and no matter how safe and healthy you are we are all going to die at some point. Until doctors find a miracle cure to stop us all from dying I dont care who smokes, drinks or whatever.

[Mustachekitteh]

Screw health, they want money.

Plus each time we try to ban anything it always back fires and people start destroying stuff.

Though sadly having lungs that are scar happens even if you don't smoke. Getting get pneumonia often enough does that due to have asthma. :'(

[myTake Owner]

Oh it's most definitely about the dollar. As long as there is profit to be made and someone to make it, doesn't matter if it's selling guns to our enemies, or pumping the inner cities with drugs, or selling cigarettes known to be bad for our health, someone will do it as long as they get rich in the process regardless of the suffering it leaves behind.

[YourName123]

Why are you so worried about this? I dont think "banning" things in a free country i s a good idea at all. Very dangerous in fact.

Other things that one could also make a convincing argument to ban:

Fast food, beer, wine, liquor, meat, excessive shopping, anti - depressants, motorcycles, parachuting, sports cars, oversized houses, SUV's, donuts shops, rodeo's, the list goes on.

Smoking is a slow death, Most people can enjoy smoking their whole life and only die a few years early.

I think your thought process is dangerous and stupid

[Paul09]

You must be a smoker , you can tell. Or maybe use to be. So you enjoy blowing smoke in non smokers faces, in public places? Smoking affects smokers, and non smokers around them.. Then there's the smokers thst throw their buds all over the floor, so that again affects nature, and people.. You want to smoke, fuck up your healthy , that is perfectly fine, just go do it far away from public places..

[YourName123]

@Paul09 im not a smoker, but I like my vices and both want big brother coming after them. i agree completely with non smoking sections in restuarants and the like. i just believe that if you want to drink gasoline you should be allowed. As far as the littering, it is illegal and should not be allowed but water bottles are a much larger littering issue, see?

[steveguitar]

I don't know. I wish it was. In Canada, they have tried to make it a little more difficult too purchase them. Though what they should have done is raise the age limit to legally buy them.

[Ladyslipper]

I wish it was illegal yuck. I've noticed that people who smoke stink, especially in the winter when smokers come in from smoking outside they completely reek and the stench is so bad when it's a group of people I literally get nauseous

[laughingdeer]

Politics. Ban weed, but keep cigs around. Make electric cars a niche, expensive and make fossil fuel cars cheap and production on a mass scale. There is politics I feel. In so many things. If Hitler took over, maybe things would be different. No Bieber for starters :V

[ginny_weasley]

Soda is legal and its basically liquid heroin. Alcohol is also legal and it does all sorts of damage to you. Everyone knows smoking will kill you but its the smokers choice if they want to die at 40 or not. You can ask big pharma why marijuana when it does no harm to you so long as THC percentage is under 7%.