Do you think states should have the right to stop people from smoking in their own homes and vehicles ??

Question

I can understand in a public place and all but this is a question for smokers and non-smokers because if your telling someone that you cannot smoke in your own home then why not tell someone that drinks they cant drink in their own home because if your child sees you there gonna drink too..
Its really just a matter of subject.. I cant see how they can do this and i really dont think its fair..
A vehicle and a home is a persons personal property, They should be able to do what they want in my personal oppinion..

What do you all think??

Answer 1

Hell no! I don't smoke, but if people can't smoke n their own homes, that's just retarded. And making it illegal to smoke in bars is just as retarded.

Answer 2

I essentially agree with you. It's a personal choice and, unhealthy though it may be, it's up the the individual.
There are, however, a few gray areas. For example, what about people who work at home? For example, some private practices in the psych. wellness industry operate out of an individual's home. Even if the resident/business owner is not smoking in the presence of the client, there is the likely chance of the pervasive smell of it.

Additionally, what about houses with children under a certain age? Subjecting an infant or toddler to second hand smoke could pose some potential medical problems later.

While I am a strong advocate of an individual's right to smoke, I don't feel that those rights supercede the rights of another to breathe clean air.
All in all, I think the state should stay 'hands-off'.

Answer 3

I think they need to interven when there are children involved. Anyone who smokes in a car or a house with a child that can't decide for themselves is sick! I personally think it is gross walking into a house when someone smokes all the time. It makes me nauseas. I am a smoker with a child! I smoke outside come inside and wash my hands and change. I respect the fact that my son does not have a say. I think it should be against the law to smoke inside a car or house with children under the age of 18! Second hand smoke is deadly. If you have no children in the house or car then I think the government should mind their own business.

Answer 4

NO!!!! It would be the same principle if they told you that you could not eat carrots any more or green beans. You are letting them into your private space and that is wrong. If this happens it is only the fist step of many to becoming a communist country. Soon they will tell you that you can only shop at one store and only buy toilet paper on Monday. It may sound crazy but hey anything is possible when people give up their rights and quit taking personal responsibility. I'm not defending smoking at all, I am just defending my right to do what I want to do in my home. People say that they wouldn't tell me where I can shop or when I can buy something but I guarantee you that just a few generations ago they never thought that the government would tell them that they couldn't smoke at a restaurant. They are slowly but surely taking our rights and freedoms away from us. They will soon be telling us what kind of house we can get according to how many people are in our family not by what we can afford. This is crazy!! They need to stop telling us how to live. I know how to take care of myself and my 3 kids. If someone doesn't know how and doesn't put forth the effort to learn then that is their fault. Take some PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!!!

Answer 5

No, that's going way to far. How can you allow a product to be sold and then outlaw it being used anywhere, public and private?
How does it apply to chewing tobacco and snuff? Is it OK to spit in your own home?
What about smokers that don't have children? Are they not allowed to smoke in their home? Or does this just discriminate against smokers with children?
Who will be enforcing it and how will it be enforced? A special police unit randomly searching the homes of smokers with children perhaps.

I quit smoking years ago and will not allow it in my home but to create a legal public enforcement of such a policy is both funny and scary at the same time.

Answer 6

as a smoker with a child,I personally would like to see people stop smoking in their cars if they have their children in it.The option to smoke was ours,the children are usually too young to have an option and it's not fair to them. If it's in their own homes ....no I don't think that's fair because its a different set up, the parent could have a room in the opposite direction from the child(ren) whereas the child(ren) would not even be subjected to it,but again in confined spaces such as a car I think it would benefit the kid(s) if nobody smoked around them.(and no I don't smoke around my daughter. It's my choice not hers.)

Answer 7

My problem with smoking is that it always affects other people. Secondhand smoke is dangerous. I'm so glad that smoking is not allowed in public places because I have more freedom as a result. I don't have to think about what I'm going to wear and have to put up with the smell later when I get home. It was really unfair. Drinking does not have the same affect. More people are responsible about it than not.
I support banning people from smoking in apartments or condos because the smoke does affect other people negatively as much as loud music or loud tvs. I think what is happening is that we are becoming much more aware of the affects on other people. It's too bad that we all just couldn't do this on our own without legal aid. It's just common sense. Smoke outside and away from other people or quit. It's an expensive and dirty habit. Our healthcare costs continue to escalate because of smokers and obese people. That's the bulk of it. Why should I pay more because someone makes the conscience decision to be unhealthy? I don't smoke and I'm not fat. I've never been overweight. It takes work and some effort. It is fair because smokers should not put other people's health in jeopardy or damage other people's property. If you want to smoke in your house that is not attached to other people's or in your own car by yourself then there isn't a problem with that. It has to do with a smoker violating someone else's needs/wants. Smoke damages property. It makes it worth less. The ceiling, the paint, the carpet, the furniture, the appliances, etc. all get damaged. A house will need to be regutted to get rid of the smell and the visible damage. (discoloration)

Answer 8

No, states should not be allowed to regulate smoking in our homes. Vehicles, maybe.
As an ex-smoker I'm tired of smelling smoke everywhere I go in public. Especially in front of stores, waiting behind smokers in cars in traffic jams, casinos (another vice I must quit someday).
However, quitting smoking is the best thing a person can do for themselves. What is it now, $5-7 bucks a pack? Not to mention the health issues and it plain old stinks. 7+ years with not a single cigarette or cigar, thank you, thank you very much.

Answer 9

Smoking is a public health issue, and it stands to reason that if taxpayers bear the expense of treating smoking-related illnesses, state and federal governments would be negligent by not banning it. I understand that one's home and automobile are private -- but they are not sacrosanct. When others are endangered, for whatever reason, the state may be justified in stepping in to protect citizens. Drinking alcohol is legal. But if you over-indulge and risk someone else's safety (even in your own home or automobile), the government protects them. With smoking, as opposed to drinking alcohol, people (both children and adults) who are nearby are as endangered as the smoker, due to invasive second-hand smoke.
I would like to see smoking while driving banned, simply because it becomes hazardous to others on the road. I don't know if the law still stands, but Oregon required drivers to have both hands on the steering wheel at all times -- which would prevent smoking, drinking (even sodas), and talking on cell phones. Last year, I saw a woman in rush-hour traffic with a cigarette and a cell phone, which she held to her ear, in one hand; in her other hand, she had a cup of coffee while she steered. God forbid she should drop her lit cigarette! Want to guess how focused she was on driving, or how well she controlled her SUV? I wished for a traffic officer!
If it seems unfair to ban smoking in private homes or automobiles, it is equally, if not more, unfair to increase all taxpayers' burden for medical expense incurred in illnesses that are secondary to both first-hand and second-hand smoke; it is also unfair to those who are subject to involuntary inhalation of toxins; it is also unfair to non-smoking insured drivers who must pay higher premiums because of smokers' involvement in auto accidents that are caused by smoking. Just a thought. . . .

Answer 10

In cars with children, yes. In your own home, I don't think they can enforce the law. Children should not be around smoke! It is really bad for their developing lungs. I am amazed at the people who still have a child in one arm & a cig in the other hand. How can they even think to do that? This isn't the 50's when doctors were endorsing ciggarettes, this is a new century where we know better!

Answer 11

I don't know, I guess I'm one of those hateful non-smoker types, but I feel so sorry for children when their parents smoke around them....it just seems like child abuse to me...

but if a child isn't present, of course a person should be able to smoke on their own property

p.s. Aren't you talking about the case where someone couldn't smoke in an apartment? that's not their property, if they're renting, and if the owner doesn't want the property to be ruined with the smell, I think they should have the right to tell their renters they can't smoke