The UK smoking ban.. Are none smokers making a big deal out of nothing?

Question

I am a smoker. Have been for several years. As I grew up my father smoked and always left the room/area to smoke to ensure he didn't bother other people with it. As an adult I do the same. I will not smoke in resturants, i will only smoke in bars if the environment is already smoky.
However where i work i basically have to stand on the side of the pavement outside the shop to smoke.. I hold the cigarette behind me, and dont breath out smoke as people pass me yet I still get people coughing near me.. sometimes Im not so sure but more often than not It is clearly fake coughing.
Just because you can smell cigarette smoke doesn't mean it's harming you.
Don't people realise that they are damaging themselves more by using aerosols, hairsprays etc and sitting in traffic sucking up car fumes?
I believe the smoking ban is nothing more than government pandering to these hypercondriacs. All of whom probably drive to work each day filling my lungs with petrol fumes as I walk .

So what does everybody think.. Keep it serious people.

Well thank you people.. some very interesting comments here.. Some dumb ones as well but that's to be expected.

I just thought id add cause i few people mentioned it... SMOKE RISES PEOPLE... if were outdoors chanches are you will get a tiny wiff of smoke.. that tiny wiff will do so little damage to you it's not even worth thinking about, nevermind worrying about.

And to the people who say About Roy Castle.. Like some fellow said. There is no proof that passive smoking is what gave him lung cancer.. Many things.. even natural causes can cause lung cancer undistinguishable from smoke caused lung cancer..

Do not tell me to research my facts. I already have.. Im the one smoking afterall.

Like Bill Hicks said "I dunno what you're coughing on but the stuff we're sucking up is great!" (something like that anyways)

And i'm not in denial.. I know i'm addicted to a drug. I just don't agree that it is that dangerous.. If i can smoke 20 a day and not cough, have a bad chest etc. Then you can pass me in the street, take a whole bloody lung full and certainly live on the rest of your life with no ill effects.

Answer 1

smokers know that smoking can potentially kill, but you anti smokers need to question the erosion of peoples civil and human rights.............this is only the thin end of the wedge!!

Answer 2

I am a non-smoker. One of the reasons for this is that when I was a young child, I was babysat by a pair of high school girls who chain-smoked their way through an entire evening. I had a severe cough that lasted for weeks after that, and have been sensitive to cigarette smoke ever since.

As a result, even though it's outdoors, I detest people who smoke at the bus stop. Why? Because it's still a close space,and I have the choice of inhaling cigarette smoke, and aggravating my lungs, or standing further away, out of any shelter from wind or rain. Not everyone passing by you may be 'faking' it - some of us do have problems even with small amounts of secondhand smoke, especially those with asthma or allergies.

A blanket smokefree ban was put into place for restaurants here a few years ago, and most places responded by putting in outdoor beer gardens or dining areas. Despite being outdoors, many of these are sheltered and heated in winter, and generally quite popular. In the meantime, those of us who chose not to smoke appreciate it a lot. Incidentally, I'm from New Zealand - the ban is nationwide.

Workplaces have been smokefree a lot longer. I have a workmate who used to go outside on his break to smoke, and it wasn't anything so life-threatening as cancer that changed his mind about smoking. In the course of a casual conversation one day, a couple of us girls mentioned the fact that to us, smokers stink. Not so much the casual ones, but the compulsive smokers carry the reek of nicotine with them. And it's not pleasant.

The guy in question is 22, and like most guys his age likes girls a lot. He asked if he smelled that way, and we told him the truth: while it wasn't the worst we'd ever come across, yes, he did. He hasn't touched a cigarette in months now.

I guess everybody sees things differently.

Answer 3

I too am a smoker and I agree with the ban! I myself don't like the smokey atmosphere in clubs or pubs!
I also think that non-smokers are becoming totally paranoid!!!
I've been smoking 40 years and been in smoke filled theatres cinemas pubs dance-halls and houses and never heard more than the occasional cough (often from a smoker) I don't see why suddenly one whiff of smoke could make someone genuinely cough. Yes being exposed constantly in a confined space can cause others problems but let's be realistic about the dangers too.
Mind you it's going to be fun hearing the screams when tax is put onto something else to make up for the lost revenue. People will smoke less or be persuaded by the paranoia to give up and 75% of the cost of a packet is TAX!!
It has also been scientifically proven that being near traffic (and when aren't we) is far more dangerous than passive smoking is or every has been, but they ignore that science! If they do then it makes their behaviour very hypocritical!! Bet they still tell you you're the one in denial though!

Answer 4

You seem to be a considerate smoker, but it's still damaging to other people- the smoke has to go somewhere. I used to smoke about 20-30 a day for a couple of years, but kicked the habit last May, no patches or anything, just stopped. As a result, I now cannot stand the smell of smoke at all, and especially when in a non-smoking part of a restautant etc you can still smell stale fags, and if you're trying to eat, it's really really vile. I think when the ban comes into force that many people will stop, although it's pathetic that the Government are banning it yet raising the price of cigarettes for their own benefit.

Answer 5

i'm a smoker and in Scotland it has been the best thing ever done. The pubs are much nicer to frequent now. The wife can't tell the second you walk through the door that you have been for a quick couple of beers, cause the reek that used to follow you has gone. Its brilliant and since teh ban i have stopped completely and with out patches or any other assist. I'm not the only one up here thinking like this. Ithink this could be the majority view. Yes you smoking in the street right outside your shop is disgsusting for those that have to be near you or pass you.
However i do actually still quite like the smell for some bizzar reason...

Answer 6

I am also a conscious smoker. I live in the U.S. where smoking is also becoming an issue in public places and several states have already banned it. Which I totally agree with. But, I also think you are right... You are not harming anyone. You are outside. Big deal if they get a whif of it while passing by. I smelt worse things like women passing by me with overpowering smelly perfume. And, that's more to gag over than a ciggarette smell.

BTW - I worked in Milton Keynes, ENG for 3 months back in 1999 and did a lot of traveling around the UK and Europe. I visited London again when I was on my honeymoon in 2004. I just love the UK and it will always have a special place in my heart with the wonderful memories of working there and the friendly people. It's a shame there has to be a few weeds here and there like you describe. LOL. Best wishes.

Answer 7

Well it won't give you cancer just by passing you briefly, fake coughing is a bit far fetched. But passive smoking IS very dangerous, it's not made up by the government. Roy Castle died of lung cancer although he never smoked, he used to play at clubs and bars and inhaling all that smoke killed him. I don't think smokers have the right to pollute everybody else's air, we don't want to smell that or breath it in. I agree with what your saying about petrol fumes, but I think the government is also trying to do something about that.

True he may of got it anyway, but don't you think it's a big coincidence. You're obviously gonna do some damage to your lungs if you are around heavy smokers alot.

Answer 8

I agree with you I'm a non smoker having given it up
but i would never stop someone smoking
I wouldn`t want someone smoking while I'm eating but i never smoked when other people were eating
Smoker`s shouldn`t be forced to smoke in shop doorways
there should be places especially for smokers
I also think exhaust fumes are really bad
I always cough when i use Hairspray there`s loads of things that have nasty fumes not just cigarettes
some people do tend to exaggerate a cough when there is someone smoking near by

Answer 9

i can see both sides to this argument as i am an ex-smoker. i gave up 8 yrs ago and haven't touched one since.

i think some places have gone too excessive in their pursuit of clean air, but for instance where food is eaten or in shopping malls i don't want to be breathing in cigarette smoke (or pipe and cigar smoke).

you smoke outside, where you deem suitable to do so and don't exhale smoke if someone is nearby, therefore you can see some sense in the ban yourself. however the chemicals in cigarettes, some are exhaled in the smoke and when the are smelt someone basically has inhaled your smoke and therefore taken in a very small amount of these toxins.
i agree some people make inappropriate coughing noises to make you feel guilty i have seen it done. it is pathetic. but i bet these are the same people who will spend hours on end in a smoky pub or nightclub. first you are made to smoke outside then when you go out people still moan.

it's human nature to moan no matter what. as the saying goes you can't please all the people all the time.

as for the government pandering to hypochondriacs. no everything is changing to be healthier, environmentally friendly or greener, you have to accept change even if you don't agree with it.

Answer 10

I am the same as you and don't smoke around others that don't smoke. I am so bored of all of this anti smoking nonsense. I wonder how the government will earn back the lost revenue from all the people that are now giving up? We should all give up in protest, the country will become poor and Gordon will be begging us to smoke anywhere and everywhere again. You only have to look at the fox hunting fiasco to see the smoking ban is going the same way

Answer 11

My opinion is that if a city wants to ban the smokers from smoking anywhere in their city then they ought to just ban the sale of the cigarettes in that city. Then people would go to the next city that doesn't ban it and buy their cigarettes and beer and gasoline and soft drinks while they are there. But they won't do that because they would lose all that tax revenue. You are going to get alot of negative feed back on this one trust me.
I'm a smoker too and alot of restaurants with bars in my city are not doing too good b/c of people having to stand outside to smoke. I just go 10 minutes down the road to the next city and smoke my little heart away. I will not go to a restaurant that serves alcohol and will not let me smoke. That's my right and it should be the right of the restaurant owner if they allow smoking or not too. Why can't they have smokers only restaurants! Uggh! Don't get me started!!! And it also pisses me off that everyone is so pro-alcohol. More people die per year of alcohol related deaths than second hand smoke! And that's a fact!