Smoking

[Absolushun]

So what do you think of smoking? Should it be banned or should people be allowed to do it?

It is a pretty controversial topic right now in the US. So let's discuss about it.

 

[Maedar]

Okay, answer these questions:

1. Is tobacco a drug?

2. Are cigarettes addictive?

3. Do cigarettes have harmful ingredients?

4. Does smoking endanger your health?

5. Does smoking have any positive effects?

6. What is the typical reaction that smokers get from non-smokers?

And the hardest one:

7. Are cigarettes a legalized product that causes more deaths per year in the United States than murder, suicide, alcohol, and illicit drugs combined?

(Actually that one isn't hard at all. The answer is yes.)

After answering those questions, ask yourself whether or not smoking should be banned.


Edit: I may have a slight bias here... My poor grandfather died horribly from lung cancer when I was twelve years old. It was... Hard to describe.

 

[Absolushun]

4. Does smoking endanger your health?

Yeah smoking a lot causes these:
Cancers - 44%
Circulatory diseases - 30%
Respiratory diseases - 25%
Digestive diseases - 1%

And there is also Secondhand Smoke which can even harm your children if you smoke around them. And also another bad thing is when you smoke while you're pregnant, it harms your baby a lot.

 

[Maedar]

Absolushun, let me put it this way, because smoking contains carbon monoxide, a smoker could probably save money (and get the same result) by sucking on his car's exhaust pipe.

 

[LDSman]

Absolushun, let me put it this way, because smoking contains carbon monoxide, a smoker could probably save money (and get the same result) by sucking on his car's exhaust pipe.

Actually carbon monoxide is a byproduct of smoking. It is not why people smoke. It is an odorless, colorless gas produced by burning carbon. People smoke for the nicotine. Sucking on an exhaust pipe will only kill a person. Smoking tobacco might kill you. Not everyone who smokes dies from it.


The vast majority of smokers know the risks. They choose to smoke and to keep smoking. Should everything that is potentially bad for you be banned?

 

[Absolushun]

Well it could kill you. And it's a matter of life and death. Some people don't know the risks but they still do it and the large companies don't want to ban it because they're making so much money out of cigarettes. In my opinion something that you know can cause cancer should be banned.

 

[LDSman]

In my opinion something that you know can cause cancer should be banned.

That covers a large number of things.

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/


Living can cause cancer.

 

[Absolushun]

That covers a large number of things.

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/


Living can cause cancer.

But smoking is a thing that we choose to do it's not something that we've been doing from the beginning. You can't stop living but can you stop smoking?

 

[Eutus]

That covers a large number of things.

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/


Living can cause cancer.

True that. Banning tobacco use turns into a slippery slope real quick. Okay tobaccos gone. Cool people stop whining about "third hand smoke" from smokers clothing, vehicle, home, children etc. The next logical step is alcohol. Liver cancer sucks. Drunk car accidents suck a lot more than second hand smoke. But cool ban alcohol (cause that's worked in the U.S before...) after that we can hit sugar (cause diabetes sucks). Am I saying that's rational? No way, but that's how our society seems to work.

I feel dirty linking from huffington, but it supports my argument and makes the sugar thing seam far less farfetched.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/13/new-york-approves-soda-ban-big-sugary-drinks_n_1880868.html

Kinda says in the url what the article is about. This was back in 2012. Don't know if this got amended or not.

Moral of the story? Let smokers smoke. Are they hurting themselves? Sure. Are they hurting you? Maybe. But instead of worrying about banning something your not onboard with why not just try being polite? Smoker is smoking near you, what do you do? Well I can tell you sending your kid up to them to tell them they are a bad man is a poor idea. Why not try asking if they could refrain from smoking near you, or walk away. If someone starts blowing smoke in your face it's not because they are a tobacco user, it's because they are a butt hole.

 

[thunder2910]

Let people harm themselves if the wish
Oh I'm not sure if this is accurate or not, but a place once imposed a ban on smoking and people went nuts about it and they had to allow it again
That being said there a public places where smoking is prohibited so I guess that can be considered as a tiny little ban?

 

[Absolushun]

They should make it bigger though. Like restrict smoking in front of people and smoke in places like smoking zones.

 

[thunder2910]

Hmm I've seen a smoker's zone outside a shopping centre however other people still have to pass through to get to the entrance of the centre,
Though I agree, making a place for only smokers where other people don't then have to 'passive smoke'.

 

[SILVER XD]

Ever heard of prohibition or the war on drugs? Adding more things to be illegally trafficked isn't a good idea. I'm voting no.

Making smoking/cigarettes illegal as a whole is a terrible idea. However, restricting the places where smoking can happen in public spaces seems pretty reasonable.

 

[Lord Trollbias]

I don't think it should be banned because frankly that'd just be a pointless waste of resources but yeah try and limit second-hand smoke. That **** is annoying.

 

[WizardTrubbish]

Smoking should obviously be legal. People. should be free to do as they wish, so long as they aren't harming anyone else. If they want to harm themself, that's their decision and no one else's. That being said, I have no issue with smoking bans in public places. People have who don't wish to smoke have a right to be safe from second hand smoke.

 

[HiPcavallo]

I hope you guys realize making smoking illegal would not only cripple the economy but also more than likely fuel the drug trade. First you have to take into account the lost revenue from tobacco sales the government is currently earning a fortune from, not to mention all the people who would be out of work as a result (admittedly that's probably a minor concern, but still one that needs to be taken into account), and perhaps more importantly the ongoing costs that would have to go into enforcing the law. Making smoking illegal at this point in time is idiotic, it would simply do more harm than good and realistically there isn't any way around that.

 

[Reisuke]

Everything wich (can) make(s) money will never be bannedand some things even get legallized because they can make money

 

[CrusherTheFeraligatr]

I suppose the problem is its not just THEIR health. Unless they chew and/or live alone and never do it in public, other people are breathing it in.

 

[LDSman]

There are a lot of things that people do that can affect other people negatively. Are we wanting to force everyone to live in sterile, self contained bubbles?

 

[Baba Yaga]

I think the health risks associated with second hand smoke are kind of exaggerated. I mean, higher cancer risks have been found in eating mushrooms, drinking milk, using mouthwash, wearing a bra, and keeping pet birds, and exposure is completely avoidable 99% of the time. I can get smoking bans in restaurants, but state wide public smoking bans are just kind of ridiculous. I also can't get behind people that want parents to be charged with child abuse for smoking around them.

Don't take my word for it, though.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...lung-cancer-and-secondhand-smoke-9004077.html

I also hate how condescending and judgmental some people can be to smokers. I've heard so much crazy stuff, like they're "weak willed" or "don't care about their body." or that they're "disgusting." Most of us have at least one vice, so I don't get why people get all high and mighty about it. If you think it's unhealthy, cool. That'd be accurate even, but don't use it as a platform to feel superior to someone.

Plus all the cool kids are doing it, so **** you.