Yes

by Alyce Rocco

Created on: April 27, 2011

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Liberty means freedom of choice, being free from restrictions and control. Even when the founding fathers signed this Declaration of Independence, certain people were not considered to have unalienable rights. In today's world, people who choose to smoke cigarettes, cigars or pipes are also not eligible for liberty.

It is not only smokers who are being denied fundamental rights, but also owners of businesses. A person who has invested time and money to start a business, is no longer free to choose if his employees or patrons are allowed to smoke within his or her establishment. That applies to the owner as well. If a business person sees they are losing money by allowing customers or employees to smoke, they will soon ban smoking of their own accord. 

Smoking is a vile habit. Stale smoke stinks. It yellows walls. A childhood friend so hated that her father smoked, she pulled all kinds of stunts to get him to quit, including poking pin holes in his cigarette pack. A sister, likewise hated smoking so much, she banned smoking in her car and in her home, long before the government got involved creating laws to turn solid citizens into common criminals. My childhood friend made a choice to try to control her father. Her father had the freedom to punish her for costing him money to replace damaged cigarettes. My sister was exercising her freedom of choice and her choice was voluntarily respected by smoking family members and friends.

There was a time that it was standard for vehicles to be manufactured with ashtrays in them. Rental car companies were among the first to start using cars without ashtrays and forbidding smoking in their vehicles. That is fair; smoke permeates the seat fabric, and as mentioned stale smoke stinks. Fairer would be to offer smoking or non-smoking cars for renters. Traveling or driving on unfamiliar roads can be stressful. Reducing stress is a reason some people smoke. The act of inhaling slows down heavy breathing associated with anxiety. Sure a smoker can practice yoga breathing while driving, if they know how, if they can stay in the conscious world, not putting themselves into a trance-like state, but they have learned to reach for a cigarette when stressed. Habits developed over the course of time are hard to break. 

Once anti-smoking laws began to take affect it was not long before people were denied the right to smoke inside their own vehicles if there is a child in the vehicle. People use the myth of second-hand smoke as an excuse to enact bans and laws that strip smokers of their liberty. Even though it is his or her vehicle and child, the nanny state is going to make the owner's choice for them. Having successfully passed laws prohibiting smoking indoors, laws soon followed banning smoking outdoors. Due to hatred of anyone who smokes, fueled by erroneous government and media propaganda, people began to discriminate against smokers who apply for a job or apartment rental. 

If the same laws and bans prohibiting smoking were applied to alcohol there would be a big stink and protests. Yet alcoholism causes more deaths, costs society more money, breaks up more families than tobacco use does. Proportionately tobacco is taxed at a much higher level than alcohol. The freedom to choose to get drunk is intact. because even the people who hate smokers, like to drink alcohol. None seemed to consider how these biased and one-sided laws would affect job loss, not only in tobacco companies, but also in smoking related industries. Even as more restrictions are placed upon smokers, and taxes rise to a point that citizens are forced to give up their habit, I see no suggestions as to how the lost tobacco tax revenue will be replaced, once anyone caught with an illegal cigarette is tossed in jail.

The Boston Tea Party had to do with "taxation without representation". Today it people who choose to smoke that are being excessively  taxed without representation or protection of their liberty. Anti-smokers applaud the new laws because they do not apply to them. The laws set precedent for the government to start taking away other freedoms, from eating peanuts on airplanes, to outlawing fast food restaurants. How long will it be before a right those citizens who applaud enjoy, is taken from them? While protecting non-smokers from breathing a whiff of smoke, government has cost smokers their most fundamental right to liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Learn more about this author, Alyce Rocco.
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