Oct 5, 2023 | Simon Clark, director of pro-smoking group Forest, criticises Rishi Sunak's pledge to create a 'smoke-free generation.'
The Prime Minister has described his plan to increase the legal smoking age by one year annually as the “biggest public health intervention in a generation”. In his speech at the Conservative Party conference, Sunak said the legal age for buying tobacco should rise every year from 2009 to stop youngsters taking up smoking in a bid to “try and stop teenagers taking up cigarettes in the first place”.
Clark says: "The only people who benefit from this are going to be the criminal gangs happy to sell cigarettes to children."
THE TELEGRAPH: Compulsory clean living isn’t what people vote Tory for. The party needs to rediscover the spirit of Churchill
If smoking has a bullish face, it is painter Sir David Hockney’s. From his farmstead in Normandy, the great man has surfaced to denounce Rishi Sunak’s proposal to ban the sale of cigarettes gradually. This, he says, “is just madness to me. I have smoked for 70 years. I started when I was 16 and I’m now 86 and I’m reasonably fine, thank you. I just love tobacco and I will go on smoking until I fall over.”
Here, I say, is the authentic Conservative spirit. This is a man who has taken on board the health warnings and decided to ignore them all. He has calculated the risks, set them against the benefits and decided that he’s going to carry on with smoking because he likes it and it helps him paint.
As he says defiantly, “Many artists have smoked. Picasso smoked and died at 91, Matisse smoked and died at 84 and Monet chain-smoked and died at 86. He smoked and painted at the same time. I can’t do that. I don’t smoke while I’m painting. I light a cigarette every 15 minutes when I stop to check what I’ve done … Why can’t Mr Sunak leave the smokers alone?” » | Melanie McDonagh | Sunday, October 8, 2023
Listen to Nigel Farage speaking common sense on the proposed smoking ban here.
I never thought I would ever agree with Nigel Farage on anything. But on this, I do. BIG TIME! He has got this absolutely right. This proposed law is bonkers. It is also illiberal and anti-Conservative.
So, these young people are going to be old enough to get married, have children and be fathers; and, if we go to war, these young people will be expected to lay down their lives for their country, but they won't be able to enjoy a cigarette. They can be killed in combat, but they can’t enjoy a fag. That is bloody mad!
This country is becoming a dictatorship; it is no longer a democracy. It is also no longer the country I was born and raised in. I am disgusted by Sunak and his stupid, autocratic, poncy ideas. And this particular idea is the stupidest of them all.
BBC AMERICA: After years of debate, Austria's government has announced plans to introduce a total smoking ban in cafes and restaurants by 2018.
Anti-smoking groups say that is too long to wait, but there have been protests by some restaurant owners, who say their business will suffer.
Austrians like order, or "Ordnung" as they say in German. It is hugely frowned upon for a pedestrian to cross the road on a red light. And the streets and underground network of Vienna are kept remarkably clean.
But smoky air in cafes and restaurants has been widely tolerated for years.
Cafe culture
"Smoking is a sort of culture, especially in Austria," Margit Schwed told me as she sat in Cafe Ritter in Vienna, with its gilt chandeliers and marble table tops.
"In the typical Vienna Kaffeehaus you take your coffee and your cigarette. I think people like the flair in the coffee houses."
Austria has one of the highest rates of smoking in Europe, particularly among young people: 33% of Austrians smoke regularly, according to a 2012 Eurobarometer study. Only Greeks, Bulgarians and Latvians smoke more. (+ BBC video) » | Bethany Bell, BBC News, Vienna | Sunday, May 31, 2015
Wednesday, June 05, 2013
Russia:Smoking Ban Met With Skepticism
THE MOSCOW TIMES: The new anti-smoking law that came into force last week and is seen by the government as a measure to fight population decline has been met more with skepticism than strict implementation.
The measures that took effect on June 1 are the first phase in a large-scale program designed to change the public's attitude to smoking by imposing strict restrictions in public places and significantly increasing prices on tobacco products.
Many of the restrictions introduced last Saturday pertain to smoking in places where it has already been prohibited, such as on public transportation and in schools, museums and hospitals.
But now, added to that list are universities, sports facilities, stairwells of apartment buildings, municipal and office buildings, playgrounds, beaches, filling stations and any area within 15 meters of a metro entrance, as well as bus stops, train stations and airports.
The law, developed by the Health Ministry and signed in February by President Vladimir Putin, was designed to put a dent in the death rate caused by smoking and help boost a dwindling population. » | Yekaterina Kravtsova | Tuesday, June 05, 2013
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Tasmania Considers Cigarette Ban for Anyone Born after 2000
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Australian state of Tasmania is considering a ban on cigarette sales to anyone born after the year 2000 in an attempt to create a smoking-free generation.
A week after Australia upheld its world-first laws plain packaging laws, Tasmania's upper house unanimously passed a motion to introduce the ban from 2018.
The measure was proposed by Ivan Dean, a Tasmanian independent MP, who said the ban would be easy to enforce because the state already has restrictions on sales of cigarettes to minors. It would be the world's first such age-based ban and is also reportedly being considered in Singapore and Finland.
Mr Dean, a former police officer and mayor, said the ban would prevent young people "from buying a product that they can't already buy" but would not affect adult smokers.
"This would mean that we would have a generation of people not exposed to tobacco products," he said.
"It would be easier for retailers to enforce because when they ask for ID, all they would need to see if the person was born after the year 2000 ... As the generation reaches 18 years, there will be fewer of them smoking and while some of those first turning 18 might smoke, as time goes on fewer and fewer will."
The state government, which will now consider whether to back the proposal in the lower house, indicated support for the ban.
"Saying that those people who sell cigarettes legally cannot sell cigarettes to a certain age is appropriate," said Michelle O'Byrne, the state's health minister. "We do it now. What the smoke-free generation would say is that, potentially, anyone from the year 2000 would not be able to buy cigarettes ever, because every year, it would just get that little bit older." » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Gruselbilder: EU-Kommission will Rauchern Angst machen
FRANKFURTER RUNDSCHAU: Politiker in Brüssel wollen die Regeln für die Vermarktung von Zigaretten deutlich verschärfen. Vorbild könnte das australische Modell sein, das auf eine besonders drastische Methode setzt.
Die EU-Kommission plant die Regeln für die Vermarktung von Zigaretten noch einmal deutlich zu verschärfen. Das sagte am Donnerstag ein Sprecher von Gesundheits- und Verbraucherkommissar John Dalli der Frankfurter Rundschau. „Wir wollen Jugendliche noch stärker davor abschrecken, mit dem Rauchen anzufangen“, erklärte er. Die neuen Vorschriften wolle die EU-Kommission Ende Oktober oder Anfang November vorstellen.
Schon jetzt sickern einige der Ideen der Brüsseler Politiker durch. Von Gesundheitskommissar Dalli ist bekannt, dass er Sympathien für das rigorose australische Modell hegt: Dazu gehören Einheitspackungen für alle Zigarettenmarken mit gruseligen Abbildungen von missgebildeten Babys oder kranken Lungen. Zudem würden die Markenlogos von den Schachteln verschwinden.
Die Tabakkonzerne sind gegen diese Vorschriften vor das höchste australische Gericht, den High Court in Canberra, gezogen. Sie beklagen unter anderem, dass sie enteignet würden, wenn sie ihre Logos nicht mehr verwenden dürften, die sie mit Milliardeninvestitionen aufgebaut hätten. Dafür wollen sie entschädigt werden, was für Australien im Falle einer Niederlage teuer würde. » | Von Daniel Baumann | Freitag, 13. Juli 2012
SOUTHEAST EUROPE TIMES.COM: A new law adopted by parliament in mid-May, extending Bulgaria's smoking ban to all indoor and some outdoor public areas, took effect on June 1st against the backdrop of a lingering war of words between the measure's opponents and supporters.
The move comes seven years after smoking was first disallowed in government buildings, schools, kindergartens, airports, public transport and taxis in Bulgaria.
Smoking is now also fully prohibited in cinemas, playgrounds, school courtyards, at open air events as well as restaurants, bars and cafes -- where, over the past seven years -- such facilities had to create separate sections for smokers in order to stay in business.
Patrons who wish to light up in between meals or drinks must now go outside or risk being fined 150 to 250 euros. Fines for owners -- or managers -- range from 2,500 euros for a first offence up to 5,000 euros for a repeat violation.
Nearly half of the 7.4 million Bulgarians smoke regularly, making the country the second heaviest-smoking nation within the EU after Greece. » | Svetla Dimitrova for Southeast European Times in Sofia | Saturday, June 16, 2012
Friday, May 27, 2011
Outdoor Smoking Ban Comes into Effect in New York But Smokers Remain Defiant
MAIL ONLINE: Tourists in New York might find that the air is that little bit fresher on their next visit to Central Park after a ban on outdoor smoking came into effect on Monday.
Smokers can no longer legally light up in the city's public parks, beaches and promenades. Pedestrian plazas are also no smoking zones, including the ones in Times Square and Herald Square.
But many smokers said they would flout the ban, despite the threat of a $50 fine.
People will be fined for lighting up in any New York parks - except the Roberto Clemente, Riverbank, Gantry Plaza, Empire-Fulton Ferry, East River, Bayswater Point, Clay Pit Ponds State Parks.
But some smokers on the streets of New York said it was worth risking the $50 penalty. Continue reading and comment » | Paul Bentley | Friday, May 27, 2011
EVENING TIMES: Pub bosses are starting a campaign to allow smoking in bars again, five years after it was banned.
The Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) claims that 800 pubs have gone out of business since the smoking ban was introduced in 2006 and argues Scotland has the toughest anti smoking legislation in Europe.
Scots publicans will meet today with landlords from countries where smoking in bars is still allowed.
Legislation is in place in some countries to protect staff and non-smoking customers from second-hand smoke.
Publicans will hear from bar owners from the Netherlands, Croatia and Hungary, where laws are in place that allows smoking but prevents involuntary exposure to smoke by staff and customers.
The SLTA’s Paul Waterson said they did not want to overturn the smoking ban, but wanted it changed to allow choice for drinkers and flexibility for pub owners.
He said: “We have invited operators from countries where there [are] more flexible law[s] on smoking.
“We think that after five years it is appropriate to revisit the smoking ban and see if there a solution that is sympathetic to both sides. » | Stewart Paterson | Tuesday, May 24, 2011
New York Adds Parks and Beaches to Smoking Ban
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: New York City has added the city's parks and beaches to the list of places where smoking is banned.
The ban, which officials hope will prevent problems caused by second-hand smoke, adds to the city's 2003 ban on cigarettes in bars and restaurants.
The new law will not be enforced by police but by some 200 parks personnel who watch over the city's 29,000 acres of park land and beaches. Violators face a $50 fine but officials say the ban is meant to be largely self-enforcing.
"We don't think that people should be exposed to those chemicals when they go to a park to enjoy the fresh air," city Health Commissioner Thomas Farley told Reuters. » | Tuesday, May 24, 2011
China Introduces Smoking Ban – But with No Penalties
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: China has banned smoking in public places in an attempt to placate the World Health Organisation, however, there are no penalties for those who flout the rules.
China has the world's most serious smoking problem, and more than a million Chinese die each year from smoking related diseases, according to the China Centre for Disease Control.
The country's 300 million smokers are now banned from smoking in public places indoors, such as hotels, restaurants and bars. However, smoking in the office is still allowed.
The ban appears to have come in response to pressure from the United Nations World Health Organisation (WHO), which castigated China for failing to comply with a global anti-tobacco treaty. The WHO has said China's decision to finally implement a ban is a "groundbreaking" move. » | Malcolm Moore, in Shanghai | Sunday, May 01, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
China to Ban Smoking at Indoor Public Places
REUTERS: China will ban smoking at all indoor public venues from May in an effort to shield the world's most populous nation, and its largest cigarette producer, from the harmful effects of the habit, the health ministry said.
China, which has more than 300 million smokers, will require businesses to display prominent no-smoking signs, forbid vending machines from selling cigarettes and ensure that designated outdoor smoking zones not affect pedestrian traffic, according to a ministry statement reported in Chinese media on Thursday.
Businesses should educate customers about the health hazards of smoking and workers should attempt to stop smokers from lighting up, the ministry said.
The ministry did not state specific penalties -- a sign that the new ban might not be rigorously enforced. Read on and comment » | Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Chris Lewis | BEIJING | Thursday, March 24, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Hospitals Shift Smoking Bans to Smoker Ban
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Smokers now face another risk from their habit: it could cost them a shot at a job.
More hospitals and medical businesses in many states are adopting strict policies that make smoking a reason to turn away job applicants, saying they want to increase worker productivity, reduce health care costs and encourage healthier living.
The policies reflect a frustration that softer efforts — like banning smoking on company grounds, offering cessation programs and increasing health care premiums for smokers — have not been powerful-enough incentives to quit.
The new rules essentially treat cigarettes like an illegal narcotic. Applications now explicitly warn of “tobacco-free hiring,” job seekers must submit to urine tests for nicotine and new employees caught smoking face termination.
This shift — from smoke-free to smoker-free workplaces — has prompted sharp debate, even among anti-tobacco groups, over whether the policies establish a troubling precedent of employers intruding into private lives to ban a habit that is legal.
“If enough of these companies adopt theses [sic] policies and it really becomes difficult for smokers to find jobs, there are going to be consequences,” said Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, who has written about the trend. “Unemployment is also bad for health.” >>> A. G. Sulzberger | Thursday, February 10, 2011
Thursday, February 03, 2011
New York Smoking Ban Extended to Parks and Times Square
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Lawmakers have voted to extend New York City's smoking ban to parks, beaches – and Times Square.
The ban approved on Wednesday by a vote of 36-12 is one of the most ambitious outdoor anti-tobacco efforts in the U.S.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn says the new law will save lives and make New York a healthier place to live. >>> | Thursday, February 03, 2011
Butt Out: New York City Council Bans Smoking on Beaches, in Public Parks in 36 to 12 vote
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: A unusually divided City Council on Wednesday passed a total ban on smoking in parks, beaches and public plazas.
Council members in favor of the bill gave impassioned speeches about loved ones who died of smoking-related cancers and children who suffered from asthma.
Opponents crowed about civil liberties, but came up short in rallying enough votes to strike down the ban.
It passed 36 to 12.
The ban on smoking in parks is the latest proposal from Mayor Bloomberg to curtail New Yorkers' bad habits. >>> Erin Einhorn, Daily News City Hall Bureau | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Smoking Ban for Beaches and Parks Is Approved
THE NEW YORK TIMES: After a bitter debate over individual liberties and the role of government, the City Council on Wednesday handily approved a bill to ban smoking in 1,700 city parks and along 14 miles of city beaches.
By a 36-to-12 vote, the Council passed the most significant expansion of antismoking laws since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg pushed to prohibit smoking in restaurants and bars in 2002.
The Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, said the ban was an affirmation of the rights of nonsmokers. “Their health and their lives should not be negatively impacted because other people have decided to smoke,” Ms. Quinn said at a news conference. Opponents of the bill spoke strongly against it; several members derided it as an overly broad law that would infringe on individual liberties.
“We’re moving towards a totalitarian society if in fact we’re going to have those kinds of restrictions on New Yorkers,” said Councilman Robert Jackson of Manhattan, who described himself as a marathon runner and nonsmoker.
Others said the ban would set a dangerous precedent. Councilman Daniel J. Halloran III of Queens said, “Once we pass this, we will next be banning smoking on sidewalks, and then in the cars of people who are driving minors and then in the homes.”
A compromise that would establish designated smoking areas outdoors was scuttled by Council leaders in favor of an all-out ban. The bill will become law 90 days after Mr. Bloomberg signs it, which he is expected to do this month. >>> Javier C. Hernandez | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
ANTI-RAUCHER-STADT – NYC: Rauchverbot in allen Parks und Fußgängerzonen
KRONE: Die härteste Anti-Raucher-Stadt der Welt bleibt ihrem Kurs treu: Das Stadtparlament von New York City hat am Mittwoch eine Ausweitung des bereits bestehenden Nichtraucherschutzgesetzes auf öffentliche Plätze beschlossen. In den 1.700 Parks und Fußgängerzonen der Stadt kostet ein Griff zum Glimmstengel 50 Dollar Strafe.
Die Mittagspause mit Kaffee und Tschick im Central Park, die Rauchpause am Times Square und der qualmende Spaziergang am Flussufer werden für die New Yorker Raucher bald der Vergangenheit angehören. Die Abgeordneten des Stadtparlaments votierten am Mittwoch mit 36 zu zwölf Stimmen für das strikte Rauchverbot, das neben Restaurants und Bars künftig auch in den 1.700 Parks der Stadt, an Uferpromenaden und in Fußgängerzonen gelten soll. >>> | Donnerstag, 03. Februar 2011
New York adopte l'interdiction de fumer dans les lieux de plein air
LE MONDE: Il sera désormais interdit de s'en griller une petite sur les pelouses de Central Park. Après les Espagnols, c'est désormais au tour des New-Yorkais de devoir se conformer à une loi antitabac particulièrement restrictive. Le conseil municipal de New York a adopté, mercredi 3 février [sic], l'interdiction de fumer dans ses parcs, sur ses plages et autres lieux de plein air.
L'interdiction, immédiatement salué par le maire de la ville, Michael Bloomberg, s'étend aux 1 700 parcs et aux quelque 22 kilomètres de plages de la ville, ainsi qu'à des quartiers piétonniers comme Times Square ou aux promenades, de Brighton Beach à Brooklyn.
Michael Bloomberg, un ancien fumeur devenu adversaire acharné de la cigarette, s'était heurté à une forte opposition en 2003, lorsqu'il avait interdit de fumer dans les bars et les restaurants. Il était, à cette date, un pionnier de la lutte contre le tabagisme passif mais, depuis, des centaines de villes à travers le pays, dont Chicago et Los Angeles, ont interdit de fumer dans les parcs et sur les plages. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Jeudi 03 Février 2011
New York used to be a fun city to visit. Alas, those days have long gone. I have spent a few great short breaks in the Big Apple; but I doubt that I shall ever return. There are many other, far more tolerant cities to visit. And I speak as an ex-smoker! So the smoking ban would have absolutely no effect on me.
But there is something quite objectionable about the lengths that Michael Bloomberg is going to to stop New Yorkers having any pleasure from life. But let's face it: There is something quite objectionable about Michael Bloomberg himself, anyway. So what else can we expect from this little squirt, this little pip squeak?
At a mere 5' 6" tall, the man displays all the characteristics of a man overcompensating for his physical shortcomings, for his physical handicap. Indeed, it would seem that he suffers from the notorious Napoleon complex. The man is an utter killjoy! A despicable, obsessed killjoy at that! Further, he is clearly neurotic. Check out his profile on Wikipedia. He is so obviously a man with far more money than sense.
Meanwhile, I feel sorry for the poor New Yorkers who have to be subjected to this man's nasty, selfish little ways. He has spoilt the fun of many New Yorkers. Now it’s the parks and beaches. Next it will be the sidewalks. Then it will be smoking in anyone’s home (already a reality in many apartments in the city, I’m told), and then it will be alcohol, etc. He’s already started his battles against salt, and trans fats. Did this man lack his own nanny, or what? Couldn’t his mother afford one for him? Is this why he now wants to nanny everyone else instead?
The sad thing is that these ridiculous laws will soon be enacted this side of the Atlantic too, since our European politicians are incapeable of thinking for themselves. As a result, any crap the Americans come up with is soon copied here. It appears these days to be de rigueur in European politics to copy all things American.
When I gave up smoking, I didn’t expect the rest of the world to give up with me. Not so Michael Bloomberg. He is an ex-smoker – I believe I am right in saying an ex-chain-smoker (has Google expunged this fact for dollars?) – and when he decided to give up, he also decided that everyone else was going to have to give up with him! And as he couldn’t achieve that goal, he decided that he was going to use his money and cocky ways to make life as difficult as possible for those that refused to comply!
Although I have given up, I recognise that I derived many hours of pleasure from the habit; and I have no desire to deprive others of the joy it gave me for many years. And yes, as much as people these days don’t want to hear it, smoking can be cool, smoking can be sexy too. But it all depends on the smoker, of course.
Greece to Police Ignored Smoking Ban More Strictly
ALERT NET: ATHENS – Greece said on Tuesday it will enforce a largely ignored smoking ban with hundreds more inspectors, the third time in recent years it has tried and failed to stop the EU's heaviest smokers flouting the ban.
"The Greek state cannot continue to be made a laughing stock," Health Minister Andreas Loverdos told reporters. "We are starting tomorrow -- the ban will be fully implemented."
Most cafes and restaurants had shrugged off the latest, Sept. 1 ban and taxi drivers smoke with impunity while driving.
Loverdos said the government would launch a fresh campaign against smoking and hire hundreds of additional inspectors to slap fines on business owners and smokers.
Inspectors can impose up to 10,000 euros ($13,350) in fines on bar and restaurant owners tolerating smoking and up to 500 euros for smokers who break the law. But only a handful of penalties have been imposed despite widespread violations. >>> Reuters | Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Spain Smoking Ban Law Approved
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Spain’s smoke-filled bars, corner cafés and restaurants are on the verge of extinction after lawmakers on Tuesday approved a tough new antismoking law that will rid the country of its reputation as one of Western Europe’s easiest places to light up.
The bill, proposed by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and his governing Socialist Party, passed in a 189-154 vote that also rejected a Senate amendment to allow casinos to have smoking areas. >>> | Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Spain Passes Law to Ban Smoking
THE TELEGRAPH: The Spanish parliamentary commission passed a bill on Wednesday night to make all bars and restaurants no-smoking zones, bringing Spain in line with the European Union's strictest antismoking nations.
he law is expected to pass the Senate and become law on Jan 2.
The law also will make Spain a tougher place to smoke than many other European countries where bars and restaurants are still allowed to have smoking sections, and will prohibit smoking in outdoor places such as playgrounds and the grounds of schools and hospitals.
The current law put in place in 2006 prohibits smoking in the workplace, and workers smoking just outside their office buildings are a common sight.>>> | Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
New York Plans to Ban Smoking Outdoors
THE TELEGRAPH: New York City officials have announced a plan to ban smoking outdoors.
City officials said that the new legislation would outlaw smoking in parks, beaches, marinas, boardwalks and pedestrian plazas throughout the American city.
That means no smoking in Central Park or on the Coney Island boardwalk.
People who break the ban could be issued with quality-of-life summonses by the parks department. >>> | Wednesday, September 15, 2010
NYC Will Pursue Smoking Ban in Parks, Beaches
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Broad extension of city’s smoking ban would mean no smoking in Central Park, on Coney Island boardwalk
New York City wants to take its tough smoking ban outdoors.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other officials announced Wednesday that they will pursue a broad extension of the city's smoking ban to parks, beaches, marinas, boardwalks and pedestrian plazas throughout the city.
That would mean no smoking in Central Park, no lighting up on the Coney Island boardwalk and putting the cigarettes away if you're lounging on the traffic-free Broadway pedestrian plaza in Times Square.
Officials said they are basing the proposed law on claims that even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can pose health risks. “The science is clear: prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke, whether you're indoors or out, hurts your health,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement. “Today, we're doing something about it.” >>> Sara Kugler Frazier, New York , The Associated Press | Wednesday, September 15, 2010
How do New Yorkers put up with Bloomberg? He’s a despicable little tyrant. And I mean little. At 5’6” he’s diminutive! But that means he’s just the sort to have a Napoleonic complex.
This man is tyrannical, arrogant, and self-righteous.
Many years ago, I remember reading that he used to be a chain-smoker. He decided to give up. That was good for his health. Unfortunately, at the same time as he decided to quit, he decided that the whole world should quit smoking along with him. Ex-smokers are often like that. By the way, Google seems to have been purged of all reference to Michael Bloomberg having been a heavy smoker. I wonder why?
I am an ex-smoker; and I have successfully quit. I derived years of pleasure from smoking; but the time came to stop; and I did so. But at the same time, I promised myself that I wouldn’t become an insufferable ex-smoker. That means to say, an ex-smoker who cannot tolerate other people’s smoking faiblesse. In fact, even though I have given up smoking, I am quite happy to be in the company of smokers: it gives me great pleasure to see others enjoying themselves, and feeling relaxed. Unlike Mayor Bloomberg, I am not a killjoy.
I like to think that I take a balanced view of the evils of smoking. Of course it’s not a healthy habit. But then so many things in life aren’t healthy either. Is it healthy to have tattoos? Is it healthy to have piercings? Is it healthy to eat a lot of saturated fat, or salt, or cholesterol-rich foods? Is it healthy to walk for a long period on the sidewalks, or pavements, with vehicles belching out exhaust fumes? What is Mayor Bloomberg going to do about the pollution from the traffic in New York? Surely that is far more injurious to the health of New Yorkers than a small amount of second-hand smoke, sitting next to someone on a park bench in Central Park!
Come to think of it, what is Mayor Bloomberg doing about the infestation of bedbugs there in New York city? I can’t imagine anything more important for him to tackle than bedbugs. I certainly think he’d be better advised to tackle that problem first. The problem is acute.
