h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That's really hard to say. FYI, I'm a non smoker, I have never made a single drag from a cigarette, cigar, joint, pipe, you name it. From that point of view it would be very simple to say "Ban smoking, anytime, any place!" But I also realize that nicotine is highly addictive, so a total ban of smoking would be really hard to enforce. The price for a smoking ban would be an increase of delinquency (if smoking was a crime). Would the police (or whoever is in charge) be able to enforce that kind of law? I doubt that.

My proposal would be as follows:

Smoking should be banned in all areas where people have no choice to go to or not: Offices, public transport, etc. ... It should be allowed in places where people have that choice: Bars, pubs, etc. ... I think you get the point. Nobody should be forced to expose themselves to other people's smoke under any circumstances. Everybody should have an easy and comfortable choice to avoid that. (I have that choice when I decide not to go to a bar where people are allowed to smoke.)

*BUT* (That's the big BUT): Smoking should have a cost-covering price. Cigarettes are just too inexpensive, if you take the costs for smoking-inducted medical treatment into account. If a pack of cigarettes would cost something like $20, that would solve a lot of problems. Those who are not yet really addicted might be 'motivated' enough to quit before it's too late, and those who *are* addicted would at least pay for the treatment that they cause.

Jeremy

P.S.
I agree with most of the people who have already posted to that forum: Absolutely *NO* smoke near children.

I agree with most of what you're saying, but there's one problem with saying you'd allow smoking in places where people have a choice to go or not. Does this include places like restaurants, museums, shopping centres etc?


If so, then essentially those people who choose not to smoke, or to be exposed to second hand smoke don't have a choice - they will have to avoid these places. Isn't that penalising them because of something they have no control over?

Personally, I think that if you go into a bar or pub, then you should be prepared to accept smoke, but places like restaurants should at least have non-smoking areas.

It has been said in another thread:

Having smoking and non-smoking areas in a restaurant is like havin a peeing and non-peeing end in a swimming pool. I would leave it up to the resstaurant's choice whether they allow smoking or not, and then up to the customers choice whether they like to go there or not.

Jeremy