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RSS FeedSmoking bans: Are they infringing on smokers' rights?
Results so far:
| Yes | 49% | 36 votes | Total: 73 votes | |
| No | 51% | 37 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesLet me begin by saying that I am a smoker. I actually tend to smoke even more when I am writing. I write in my own home and my cats tend to stay away when I have a cigarette lit. It does not bother me in the least that you are not allowed to smoke in public places (inside anyway). In Illinois the law was passed this year that you cannot smoke in bars. I am not a drinker, but from what I understand, it has affected alcohol sales very little. Most bars have implemented "beer gardens" which involve a fenced in outdoor area with a roof so you can still technically smoke while at the bar.
All that being said, yes the smoking bans do infringe on the rights of smokers. There are other "bans" in place that people don't question. You cannot walk down a public street with an alcoholic beverage in your hand (there are exceptions of course, Mardis Gras as well as other celebrations). Of course drinking a beer doesn't necessarily pose a health risk to the other people celebrating around you.
The point is that yes it does infringe on my personal right to smoke wherever I want, but it brings up the question about the rights of the people that do not smoke. I choose to (choose may be the wrong word with the highly addictive qualities of nicotine) introduce several types of contaminates into my body. There are many chemicals that are found in cigarette smoke that are known to cause harm. When I light up and inhale that smoke, it is my choice. I have no right to force my choice on the people that are sitting at the table next to me in the restaurant.
Sometimes in life, in order to do the right thing and be a responsible citizen, you have to give up individual rights for the good of the whole. This is an alien concept to most people, but it is called self sacrifice. Even if my rights are being infringed on, it is for the good of everyone around me. Eventually I would like to impose a "ban" on smoking in my house. You would think this would go against everything that a smoker would believe in, but it would be nice to have a house that doesn't smell like an ashtray. The bright side to this is that with the exception of my house and a few of my friends, there isn't anywhere you can smoke indoors. When you have to go outside to smoke in the dead of winter, you smoke a lot less.
In conclusion, of course the smoking bans infringe on the rights of smokers. It is a good infringement. It can help give some people a push towards possibly not smoking and living a healthier life. If you don't care about your health, think about your family, friends and fellow human beings. They also have rights. If you want to smoke, it won't kill you any faster to get up and go outside to do it. After all, as Americans, most of us could us some exercise, any kind of exercise. Beyond the negative effects of smoking, maybe we could be jus a little bit healthier.
Learn more about this author, T. Scott Randolph.
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No
Today my friend called me to a drink in our favourite bar. I was there first and sat down to wait for the others. First thing I noticed when I walked in there was a huge smokescreen. You can guess it was a cigarette smoke. We all know that smoking is bad for the health and it's disgusting habit. It causes respiratory, cardiovascular and many other problems. I believe that over a 1,000 studies has proved that and people still persist in this awful vice.
In my country, we had a law that banned smoking. It lasted six months and now we have smokers all over the place again. Few of my friends are smokers so I often argue with them about that. They can't even put out a cigarette for a half a hour to drink coffee.
First thing they say is that banning smoking is anti-constitutional. Well, I ask you this: Is it anti-constitutional to put someone in jail because he ran trough the red light because he was in a hurry? Is it anti-constitutional to put someone in jail just because he ran naked in broad daylight in front of 500 people? Or to lock someone up if he is trowing something heavy trough his window on a street? You could say that all those people have a right to do as they please because Constitution grants us our freedom. So why don't we just drive as we seem fit, or throw dangerous stuff out our window? Because it endangers other people.
Yes, you can say that smoking and all my situations are totally different, but I would disagree. Can you say to me with a straight face that driving trough the red light is more dangerous than making a giant cloud in a coffee house that affects a great number of people? Smokers complain that their rights are violated but what about us? I believe that nonsmokers are a majority so how can a majority be oppressed by the minority? We have our right to healthy life, a right to not be blown smoke in our faces, a right to not smell smoke while we eat.
My main point is this: Smokers damage not just their health, but the health of every person in their vicinity. As they grow old, they need treatment because cigarettes destroyed their whole body so they are an expense to society. So in what way are you different than a drug addict, alcoholic, drug dealer, gang member...? How can you demand your rights if you are by your own will destroying the society that gave you your rights? In my eyes you are a mere criminal and criminals don't have the same rights as law abiding citizens.
If you want to poison yourself, do it when you are alone and face consequences that will follow. Don't affect other people and don't act like you can do as you please.
Learn more about this author, Ivan Remaj.
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