How can I defend myself against cigarette smoke?

Question

First, let me say that I smoked for ten years and quit five years ago.

Sure, I can usually walk wide to stay out of the path of sidewalk smokers, but there are those who light-up as I walk by (even while I'm carrying my 11-month-old daughter).

With the correlation between cigarette smoke and various health ailments, I wonder if I could take justifiable action that would be considered self-defense.

Not really wanting to slap the nicotine addict, I was thinking of something without violence - like flicking the cigarette out of his/her mouth, or spraying water on the lit cigarette.

You can claim that smoking is a choice which we each have the freedom to make, but this freedom is infringing on the health of ourselves and the health of our children. I am looking for some measure of self-defense against the continued pollution to my body.

So, what can I/we legally do to thwart the invasion of the air we breathe with these known carcinogens?

Answer 1

Until we pass a law in this country that infringes upon a smokers freedom to smoke, you have no right to do anything....violent or otherwise, to a smoker on the street. In public, people are allowed to do certain things. You are no better and no worse. I am sure you have some habits I would like to do something about...walking too slow, spitting, dragging your feet, not looking where you are going. But I don't have the right to trip you because of it, do I? This is still America and a democracy. Talk to your elected officials in your town and state about your concersn. That is the only legit way to attempt to protect yourself from smoke. Meantime, maybe you should also be worrying about the environmental pollution that is affecting your lungs as well. Keep your hands to yourself in the meantime. Unless you want to be harrassed right back.

Answer 2

You might want to consider a self-defense class if you carry out the spraying the water on or thumping the smoke out of someone's mouth. Open air is open air. There are more poisons in that than what you would catch off a cigarette, there is also more in the water you drink. Before you go off on your crusade think about this: Would you want someone doing this to you? I am a polite smoker who respects a man's home, resturaunts, and even now any indoor area. It is bad enough that I must go outside to smoke a cigarette without someone jumping on my butt about doing it there. How about going after car and industrial emmissions instead of picking on smokers? Have a good day!

Answer 3

Beautiful cologne puts me in a serious asthma attack. I can barely stand to stay more than a few moments by magazines that have perfume adds in them. The exhaust from disel trucks does a number too. As well as concrete dust etc. Burning leaves is a pain too and I get really sick when too many of my neighbors mow their lawn at the same time. It ruins any evenings out. This is such a traffic congested area it's a nightmare to even go for a walk or ride my bike.

Stop breathing.....there's alot of carcinogens out there in just about everything from paint to food to dye and all the obvious ones. No one gets out of here alive. You can't outlaw every single thing and think it's going to fix something. People are showing respect by limiting their places and some of you guys are going to the extreem just finding excuses. It's an imperfect world.

Answer 4

Really, I don't know where you hail from, but here in Mass, you can't smoke ANYWHERE. People like you are so instrumental in handing more and more power to the gov't, and intrude on everyone's rights. And you want more. You should be ashamed of yourself. Boo!
I had a woman give me lip about smoking while a bus belching out thick black smoke drove by. Not a peep from her about that. My smoking outside was tatamount to throwing a brick in her face. You guys really ought to prioritize. Go yell at the bus, see what kind of answer you get. I would love it if someone squirted me while i smoked. I would flick that nasty wet brown ash-turned-sludge little bugger right into his double Starbuck's latte. Or his nice white shirt. You're not concerned about people's health. You're a weird control freak.

Answer 5

Walking through a cloud of smoke for a brief moment will do as much harm as walking through an area where someone just farted.

I'm a non-smoker myself, and I am offended at the way the smokers are being ostercized in society.

Answer 6

You can start a petition or write a letter to your state senator to get a ban on smoking in public areas. It is happening all over the place. Other than that, wear one of those masks that doctors wear to cover their mouth and nose.

Answer 7

Until you no longer use electricity, water, cars, gasoline, plastics, etc ALL of which harm the air we breathe, our environment, and many of which are known carcinogens, I would suggest shutting up and staying away from people who are smoking.

I would also suggest looking at your own hypocracy.

PS: I am NOT a smoker and find smoking disgusting.

Answer 8

I am also an ex-smoker, i quit after an 18 yr habit. That being said I believe you need to calm down and think before you speak. I believe we are all a little stupider today for having read your uneducated idiotic rant. Tank jou com again.

Answer 9

We all die of something, sooner or later. Just don't hang out in smokey places and you will be okay. You might also wear one of those masks like the scaredy cats did when the SARS epidemic was destined to kill millions. What a laugh!!

Answer 10

How about this: You have an 11 month old daughter, which means you have sex. Sex can spread viruses to others, some that can kill you. So, how about I just slap your baby out of your arms?

Makes about as much sense as your gibberish.