smokers' rights

[Jeff Geist]

First thing is you have to want to quit. I used to chew tobacco and in college had a period of smoking. That nicotine was great after a meal. I used to join my co-workers on smoke breaks when they still worked where I worked because they spent about an hour a day on smoke breaks. I figured...why should smokers get to take all these breaks and I can't. Some people actually thought I smoked. I would stand upwind of them to avoid the second hand smoke. My place of work instituted a no smoking perimeter of 50 feet. It pisses me off when someone can't wait a whole 5 seconds to walk away from the building to light up. They leave a cloud of smoke right where you walk in and out of work. Now...I used to chew close to a tin a day. But wouldn't do it during work. I would on the way to work...on the way home and normally once or twice at night. You know how I quit. I wanted to. It causes cancer. It rots your teeth. Plus...it's just nasty. It's about having the desire and willpower. I've done it a few times since I quit and contemplate doing it around the smokers who smoke right in front of our building and spitting on them. I mean they can create their smoke clouds that get into my clothing so maybe a few tobaccy stains would teach them a lesson. BTW - we had a fire at our building because some insensitive ******* threw their cigarette on the ground and started a fire in the crack of the sidewalk.



As for your place of work mandating the non-smoking rules...that's sucks for smokers but could care less. It's their property...their rules. You can choose to work there or find another way to get your fix.



Every summer I am a counselor for kids with cancer. It all cases...these kids get cancer from something that they didn't do to themselves. I feel bad for people who give themselves cancer but they don't get any sympathy. I knew and know I could get cancer from many things and make the choice to not do them anymore.

 

[Chops]

Actually I think you should be able to smoke your brains out, on your own time.

Most of the sheeple that smoke in my building, waste a good hour a day up and down the elevators to bow down to their monkey.



I don't smoke, but both grandfathers grew tobacco, their fathers grew....

I'm sure parts of my livelihood/education can be traced back to tobacco.

Thanks for supporting my home state!



And oh yeah fyi, us motorcycle enthusiasts hate having to dodge flying projectiles on fire.

Don't do it.



I would never, never retaliate (I'm Type B), but be forewarned there are pants pockets out there full of ball bearings, bolts, nuts, etc ready to fly from short-fused riders.

 

[ChrisW Vincent]

stonemiser... OP's are so cheep

 

[Deleted deleted]

I don't see anything wrong with a company banning smoking on their property. My company does have one smoking area which is outside our building in a covered outdoor patio.



What irks me is the smokers spend around an hour a day outside smoking while us non-smokers are being productive and actually doing work at our desks.



I wish my company would adopt a similar policy to your plant. If the smokers don't like it.... quit!

 

[Tom Schindler]

Another stab at our freedons. For the record, I don't smoke.





Tom

 

[Kerry Matthews]

Yeah, try working in a sports arena, where the 2 smoking sections are located on what is usually the 'upwind' side of the building... During certain events, such as concerts, there can be hundreds of people standing outside in each of the smoking sections, lighting up. As soon as the door opens for someone to enter or exit the building, all the smoke blows inside. SUCKS! I'm hoping that they eventually move the smoking sections back to the far end of the parking lots, although this is probably my last year working at the arena.

I bartended for the better part of 25 years. I quit because I couldn't stand being inside a smoke filled building. Once they passed the law banning smoking in bars, I went back to being a bartender. I like the hours. I like the money. I can't stand the cigarette smoke... Unneeded health hazard.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Oklahoma banned smoking in public places on Mar 1st this year, unless a separate area completely isolated from the general public is created for smokers. Most restaurants and bars couldn't afford the modifications required, so most places are completely smoke-free. It is pleasant to come home from dinner not reeking of cigarette smoke.



I have no problem with people smoking, just as long as it doesn't infringe on my comfort and health. Personally, I have more problems with people who wear heavy perfume and cologne. I have severe allergies to some of those scents, and sometimes have to move or leave because of it.

 

[Gene Marshall]

Where does it end? A company in North Carolina band certain license plates, decals and window art in their parking area as well as certain clothing i.e. shirts with saying on them in their plant. What’s next? Maybe your company president is a Chevy, Ford or Dodge fan so you can’t park anything else it their lot. Oh, O.K lets take prayer out of school so it won’t offend anyone. Come on people, where does it end? I am not a big fan of basketball so lets ban it from television. This March madness thing has got to go. Now basketball fans, it that fair?

 

[Gavin Allan]

I don't think basketball is a known carcinogen that harms innocent people who don't watch or play.



People should have the right to breathe air that isn't full of poisonous smoke. I don't care if folks smoke, just don't do it around other non-smokers, including children.



For the record, I am against abortion, but I am pro-choice.

 

[Deleted deleted]

Gene: your examples don't infringe upon the public health and I agree in those examples it is taking things a bit too far.



Smoking is a completely different subject than the examples you listed.

 

[Johnny O]

I don't smoke but I go clubbing a lot so I don't let it bother me. I hate coming home and smelling like smoke though. A lot of times even if I get home late I take a shower before I go to bed. A lot of clubs in Pittsburgh are smoke-free by law so sometimes we'll journey up there. The comedy club we like go to has non-smoking shows at 8:00 and the smoking show at 10:00.

 

[LoriMaury Kimbrough]

The County that I work for just built a new administration building. We have a no smoking campus. I think it's wonderful. I love not seeing all of the cig butts all over the ground. That was part of the reason for the ban. They didn't want our beautiful new building and ground littered with cig butts. I love being able to walk outside and not be asaulted with smoke the minute I walk out the door. The smoke seems to bother me much more since I quit smoking some 20 years ago. There is a steady stream of smokers walking across the street for their regular breaks. That kinda irks me...but since I do spend a few minutes everyday reading on a particular web site, I figure I don't have too much room to complain.

 

[Bart Adkins]

methane gas ain't so great for your health either...I hope they don't pass a NO FARTING rule too or I'm SCREWED...second hand farts KILL!:lol:

 

[Kerry Matthews]

If you attend a public school, there should be no prayer in the classroom. It doesn't belong there.

 

[Gavin Allan]

If you attend a public school, there should be no prayer in the classroom. It doesn't belong there.

As long as they have tests, there will be prayer!

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Krash says:

If you attend a public school, there should be no prayer in the classroom. It doesn't belong there.

Krash, is that an "absolute" position of yours? For example, if a young school student in a classroom wants to pray because he just heard about bad news, should he or she be prevented from praying in that setting?



I ask, because I like to read and take the 1st amendment literally:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

And, if taken literally and logically, allowing prayer in a classroom, to me, is not "Congress making a law establishing a religion." However laws or actions by govt entities that would disallow prayer in the school are pretty clearly "prohibiting the free exercise" of one's religion.



Before you get all hot, just reread what I have said, forget about the "Seperation" debate that has come up the past few decades, and recognize that I AM NOT suggesting schools have organized prayer. I am just suggesting that possibly in our zeal to make sure our govt is not pushing a specific religion (which was debateable), have we clearly limited "free exercise" of religion?



TJR

 

[Johnny O]

One problem mentioned already I think is when you have a non-smoking workplace the smokers are on break an awful lot. When Pittsburgh passed a no smoking in public buildings law, half the people in the purchasing dept of the hospital I worked at were outside smoking A LOT. I'd rather deal with second-hand smoke and get work out of people.

Got a good laugh once. I was driving past the Calgon building outside of Pittsburgh in the winter, temp in the teens and snow is friggin' blowing sideways, and about 8 smokers are huddled next to each other at the bottom of the driveway. :wacko: That would be enough to make me quit.

 

[Mark Grumpy]

Krash, is that an "absolute" position of yours? For example, if a young school student in a classroom wants to pray because he just heard about bad news, should he or she be prevented from praying in that setting?

That's OK so long as Mahmood can whip his rug and and start wailing.



While he's wailing, the rest of us can step out for a smoke.



grump

 

[Kerry Matthews]

If someone wants to pray by themselves, fine... go for it. But I don't think that the entire class should be made to recite a prayer. I don't believe in a god, nor do I want to be required to pray to one. That's all.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Okay, Krash, I got you now. So, prayer CAN have a place in school. Kewl!