Do you have a right to smoke?
Some say that constitutionally there is no right to smoke. On the other hand it is legal to smoke. This is an important question because if you do have a right to smoke then smoking bans would be likely unconstitutional.
In your private space perhaps you do have a right to smoke. It is easy to argue from a libertarian perspective that whatever you do in your private space that doesn't harm anyone else is not the business of society or the government. On the other hand in public spaces it is the risk of second hand smoke which brings into the question whether or not people have a right to be free from second hand smoke.
Second hand smoke can cause COPD
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a progressive incurable lung disease which is triggered by exposure to smoke. This smoke can be second hand smoke or the smoker's choice. In the case of second hand smoke it is this air pollution which can directly harm innocent people who do not consent to inhaling smoke.
How do you feel about this?
If you are a smoker, do you have a right to smoke? If you have a right to smoke, does it also apply to public places? If you are a non-smoker how do you feel about this?
References
The Right to Smoke. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 1962;87(2):84-85.
I believe people have the right to use tobacco, and have personally found that smoking helps to manage the psychological challenges I experience as a result of living with a horrifically painful and incurable illness. So for me, tobacco is medicine. But since 9 out of 10 cigarettes in the US are manufactured and sold by a single evil megacorp, and these cigarettes contain tobacco grown and processed in ways that make it far more toxic than it otherwise would be, I can understand the biases against it.
I do not believe people have the right to ruin the air's quality for others. I'm happy to respect others' health by not smoking where it would negatively impact the air quality for others. And yet, personal automobiles, coal burning, and a wide variety of industrial practices do far more damage to the air's quality than secondhand tobacco smoke. But smokers are more likely to be of low income, and it is easier to attack the habits of poor people than it is to do something substantive about air pollution.
Tabacco for pain?
Yes - to maintain clear enough thinking to work while experiencing severe pain.
Let me add some fuel to the fire: Do you have the right to smoke at all in a country with a socialized public health system?
The act of smoking DOES harm others though. Even though its legal, it shouldn't be!
I am a non smoker but I have no problem if people want to smoke as long as they are in the right designated area.
It is their right.
As for me, I saw how my father, a chain-smoker, suffered from COPD. He died a slow and painful death. One of his last words to us is whenever we see or know someone smoking, at least tell them his story.
So there, just sharing.
I believe that it is peoples right to smoke and it is their choice. People know and or should know the risks to them as well as their friends and family. Happy Smoking.
Get back on Steemit! I unfollowed because you havent posted in months 😮
i hate smoke my friends do smoking cigerettes the smoke of those ciggaretes killed my eyes :/ i really fight with them to stop smoking :( i hate smoking !
Unfortunately, I am a smoker, and I believe I have the right to smoke in my private space. In my country is illegal to smoke in parks or other public places :D Only on terraces or special places is allowed...
Have you ever had the experience of not being a smoker and someone blowing smoke directly into your face?
yes, and I hate that even I am smoking, this is just rude...
darn ... thanks for the info ... i should quit smoking
following you :)
smoking is a bad habit.even the second hand smokers are in danger too.i ask some of my co-workers why they smoke they say ,it was from their friend .i really hate to see people smoking.check my blog i wrote something about smoking.love this article .steem on man !i will resteem this post .
I am an ex smoker , I used to smoke a lot before my pregannacy , everywhere outside and I would see a lot of people talking and getting annoyed of the smoke and I really did not care then , now ever since I was pregnant and stopped , people who smoke in public really aggravate me , I guess it's kinda like karma coming back to me . Second hand smoke is as bad as first hand smoke and I feel like there should be certain smoke areas designated to smokers so they are not killing others around them as well @dana-edwards
Second hand smoke might actually be worse. It's what smokers blow out as excess or waste, so even smokers don't want it.
Yes I've heard it is worse , I went to some research studies on smoking and they have told me the same
I was a bartender in NYC when the "no smoking" in bars law came into effect. Lot's of people were angry and it hurt business. People would stop in for a drink and when it was cigarette time, they would smoke outside and leave. Others went across the river to New Jersey and smoked in the bars over there. Now I'm used to it and when I go to a bar, my clothes don't stink of stale smoke. Now if someone were to light a smoke in the bar, they would be ridiculed. If you are affecting other's health, then your habit should be restricted, but you should be allowed to smoke outside as the smoke will dissipate. Or there should be a few designated bars for smokers, so at least you have a choice. Just my two cents.
Many times when people suddenly light cigar in the midst of people i feel worried, because i am then a secondary smoker. Correcting them sometimes doesnt go well, i try to excuse myself from such gatherings.
Smoke all you want...but not near me! You can do what you like in the privacy of your own space, but can't infringe on other's rights. This doesn't only apply to smoking.
non smoker, and not bothered with 2nd smoking either, but curious about comparing toxicity of cigarette smoke with car exhaust smoke...
i even found few articles where exhaust smoke of fossil fuel derrivate with who knows what additives sounds like inhalation medicine for toddlers. and smoke from a burned plant is compared with cyclon b.
i am a smoker, and have been for 15 years i will stop in future, but for the time being i enjoy it, i dont care if there are all these anti smoking campaigns anti smoking pictures on cigarette packets if i want to do somthing i will, but when it comes to respecting other peoples health i am al for it i smoke in the garden i dont smoke when i have passengers unless they smoke also and i dont smoke in public places (mainly because it is pretty much throwned appon here in the UK,
at the end of the day do what you like as long as you are not hurting any living thing and you are respecting the laws of the land the haters cant say diddily :D
resteemed and upvoted
I always found the research on second hand smoke misleading. How can they possibly evaluate the subjects when we are all exposed daily to amounts of pollution from so many sources. There is no way to be objective about this.
Does second hand smoking causes COPD? Does walking down the street in NY for 2 hours? How about standing on top of a grill and cooking?.
Inhaling some substances IS bad. No doubt. How much and from where though, we can't possibly determine.
Any of that can cause COPD but more than likely second hand smoke.
It is my right to smoke just as it is your right to ask stupid questions. The constitution outlines what we as a free people ALLOW the government to do. Not the other way around. And the list for the federal government is extremely small. Banning smoking is not on the list and the people who wrote it were smoking while they wrote it. They are called enumerated powers. The rest go to the states.
For me, - this is simple: As nobody has the right to do anything which bothers another person, - you ONLY have the right to smoke if you do it in privacy, - and together with people who also smoke. Apart from this, - you DO NOT have any right to smoke. Thanks!
It doesn't bother me. Constitutionally, it's you're body, gov't cannot govern that or restrict you from doing it in front/around people. Private property is a different story. However, you should have some level of respect, as a human being, to not blow that smoke into the face of others