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You said it! Opinions on Smoking Read about smoking in Smoking in Public Places (TOPICS, Issue #7). Read what our readers have to say.
In my opinion,the smoking ban in public places is good because nonsmokers shouldn't breathe the smoke of smokers. It's unheathy for nonsmokers and smokers too. For example, at the disco, smokers don't respect nonsmokers and dance in smoke. It's dangereous. For me, it is a good idea to ban smoking in public places because smoking is unhealthy for health. Kids have to be protected from smokers and with a smoking ban, it's an opportunity for smokers to stop smoking Pauline
Berthouloux from France For me, the smoking ban in public places is a very good idea. Why? Firstly, when I go to restaurants, to the disco, to pubs my clothes smell of cigarettes and it is very unpleasant. Secondly, smoking is dangerous for smokers' health and non-smokers' health. Thirdly, the smoking ban is excellent because a lot of people die of lung cancer. In conclusion, I say the smoking ben will not be for pubs' landlords because customers will always go to pubs to have fun. Angie
from France In my view smoking should be banned in every pubic place. To my mind prohibiting smoking in every public place will help smokers to stop and will be more bearable for nonsmokers. I love dancing, but I don't like to go to the pub and to the disco because I don't want my clothes and my hair to smell tobacco. I fell people go to the pub to have a drink so they shouldn't smoke. Caroline
from France I think smoking is harmful for your health. Many smokers die because of cigarettes. Tobacco is a drug for many people, they can't stop it. For me smoking must be forbidden in public places. Smoking is not pleasant for nonsmokers. For example in the disco and at the pub there is smoke, and my clothes, my hair smell tobacco. Smokers must respect nonsmokers. I look for ward to banning tobacco in public places. I feel owners of pubs mustn't be afraid for their business because many people like to have drinks in pub without smoking. Adine
from France Anonymous
from the U.S. I am an athlete. Growing up I was constantly around cigarettes, so you guessed it—I started smoking too. But as a few years passed my sports got more and more difficult. Although I didn't see a change at the beginning I definitely did in the long run. Now, years later I still have breathing problems even though I quit. I understand that everyone wants to experiment, but I can say to all you athletes out there - don't make the mistake I made. Smoking may not have cost me my life, but it caused me to lose the chance at being a professional athlete, which to me is the same thing. Don't be stupid guys, you're better than that! Megan
from Canada Being a smoker but a very caring person, I think it should be restricted to a segregated area in the pub, restaurant or wherever you may need a smoke. You shouldn't put people through what they don't want. I know though that when it is very cold I love walking to a restaurant to have a cup of coffee and a few smokes. So you can see my dissatisfaction when I get there and can't smoke. Myra
Schedlosky from Canada I don't smoke (of course). And my family doesn't have smokers. So I hate smoking. Smoking is not good for our bodies' health. So I won't smoke in my life. I promise! Masanobu
Yamada from Japan Smokers have the right to smoke but, the NON-Smokers also have the right to be in public places without being disturbed by the smoker's fumes and tobacco pollution. Anonymous
from Portugal It's a real war between as if there could be another between pro-boozers and teatotalers, but the war that appeals to me most is that one between non-smokers and compulsive smokers because, me, as lots of people like me, who are not hooked on, are getting sick of smokers' puffing out the smog we detest, claiming that non-smokers are not tolerant at all despite we are inhaling tobacco free, though they do not care a shit if we fancy or not the brand they use or the harm tobacco's causing on second-hand smokers. I can figure out how much more difficult it may be for the hooked-on to give up, but as a heavy smoker myself for over thirty years they might let me give a piece of advice to those tobaccoholics who are aware of health risks caused by tobacco addiction. They should make up their minds and just give up. Juanjo
Rico from Spain I think smoking is bad for u because u can get sick. Ai would like to say that i have read most of the opinions on this website and i totally agree with thoses who say smoking is a bad and disgusting habit. it is no longer an exceptable pastime where you would sit in a room and talk and smoke at the same time we know that it is bad and kill thousands everyday, but still we have tens of thousands of people who smoke, why. that is the question we should be asking our self why would we smoke this little white stick that we know will kill us its like putting a gun to our heads but the death is a slow and painful one. Rachel
Hassall England Actually the tobaco smoke contain three principal dangerous chemicals; i.e. tar,nicotine & CO. Tar badly affects our lungs, nicotine affects our lungs, nerves & cardiovascular system. All these problems may lead to cancer. Smokers by kissing cigarettes may get mental satisfaction, they may get mental pleasure, but they simply burn their life span. By smoking at public places they also create polluted environments and the people who continued to live in this environments are no less prone to these health hazards. These are called passive smokers. Hence in my opinion smoking should be banned at public places by creating self awarness. In a democratic country like India consciousness rather than use of force will be a effective weapon to tackle the problem Sujit
Kumar Panigrahi, India People say that smoking is bad, and I agree, even though I do it. I started because I knew my mom would flip out, and I also wanted to see what she would to, since she allows my brother, 2 months older than me, smoke. She wouldn't allow me. Everybody knows smoking is bad, and it is ten times worse than pot. Pot is safer, and in my opinion, healthier, than cigarettes. I think they should legalize marijuana if it isnt as harmful as cigarettes. Besides, its not like you HAVE to do it. Tamra
S., U.S. Reading some of the opinions here makes me wonder if these people did get their entire train of thought from public service announcements. Why is it that people always mention peer pressure and a big reason for people to start smoking? As though we are all a bunch of sheep that just can't think for ourselves. I started smoking to rebel against my parents. Because of the simple fact that I wasn't suppose to. I agree with the general idea that tobacco companies are money hungry and Joe Camel needed to go bye bye. But how are they different from any other company? They are selling a product and we are buying it. Several opinions on this page are not even based in reality. One person stated that smoking was the number one casue of death therefore it should be illegal. Actually car wrecks kill more people per year. So I guess we should make driving illegal. The truth as I see it is that we all need to stop screaming for everything we disagree with to be illegal. I own my body so I SHOULD have the right to do with it whatever I see fit. This included "illicit" drugs. Prohibition doesn't do anything positive. Education is the only answer. Matt
Golden, U.S. All of us are aware that smoking is harmful to the environment thus affecting our her health. No matter what your reason for smoking is, you should look ahead and see the facts. Now, some people advance that smoking(and the whole tobacco thing) is a sense of relaxation. Let me tell you one thing, folks: I seriously think that the relaxation some of you use as an excuse(for smoking) comes from the respiratory movements performed by your lungs, certainly not the tobacco! Just go out and take a deep breath!! Denis
Acka, U.S. Three hundred years ago, the American colonies began exporting tobacco to the European nations and subsequently got all of Western Europe addicted to tobacco. As a result, the colonies could charge exorbitant prices for tobacco and were able to sustain the otherwise lagging economy of the agricultural Southern U.S. The same story continues today, as nearly the entire world is addicted to the tobacco drug. Likewise, children and young adults start using this highly addictive substance every day, despite the fact that it is known to cause heart disease, lung cancer, birth defects, and an array of other life-threatening diseases. Besides, it is an annoying habit for those around a smoker, and smokers always feel free to litter their cigarette butts on the ground wherever they are. I understand that tobacco is adictive and very difficult to stop using later in life, but I will stand by my statement that anybody who starts smoking today and lives in the U.S. or another developed country where the harmful effects are clear has either lived under a rock his whole life or is just plain stupid. Richard
Beddingfield, U.S. Teens should have the right to pick if we want to smoke or not, we are people to let us make are own mistakes and let us learn for them and if that means but us dieing than that is what it is. Sarah,
U.S. If smoking is pretty much the main cause of death, why is it even legal? A lot of people don't even realize how dangerous it is to their health and most of all to others. I really think they should be told! Katie
Matheson, Canada I think smoking should not be allowed in America or anywhere else. People die every day because of this and nobody seems to really care. My mother and father smoke and I tell them all the time to quit because they are killing us more then they are killing themselves. They never listen. I told them one day they will wake up and realize one of us is gone and they should have thought twice about what I said. The government should be putting there foot down and stop the tobacco industries. They complain about the deaths of people who smoke and yet the industries are still running. The money shouldn't matter. It's the lives of each and every one of us in the U.S. Ginger,
U..S. I really think smoking is wrong. I mean most people start smoking because of peer pressure, depression, the need to lose weight, to relax, or to fit in. Some people, especially youth, start to smoke to feel better about their selves. They think it's the only way to get through their problems. Unfortunately, nearly 100% of youth will encounter cigarettes. Some people take the good way out, like refuse to smoke, but some choose to smoke. Smoking causes lung cancer, bad breath, yellow teeth/nails, bronchitis, and other diseases. But, mentally, if someone's been smoking, they can encounter some loss of concentration and/ or balance, and it affects their social life and. I think that the tobacco companies should not sell cigarettes, because smoking becomes very addictive, and kills more people than car accidents, marijuana, illicit drugs,suicide, murder and other things all put together. It's a major problem in the world, but tobacco companies make billions of dollars each! year. I'm no expert........ I'm just a 13 year old. Tayeba
Lugz, Canada Smoking is a terrible habit! It will lead you to loving it, to addictedness, and, then, to death! Every year, so many people died of lung cancer, and some of them were smoke addicts! Smoking will take away people's lives and will take away people's money, too. Suppose that a person who addicts to smoke will spend 5 U.S dollars per day, and, then, he or she will spend almost 2,000 U.S dollars in one year. It equals to 64,000 NT dollars in Taiwan! If his or her salary is 32,000 per month; then, he or she must spend 2-month salary to support the smoking life! Do you think it an exaggerated example? Absolutely Not! Take one friend of mine for example. He has been smoking for near 10 years and he smokes two or three packs a day. What a terrible habit! I don't like the smell of tobacco. It makes me feel faint and sick. According to one scientific statistics, the pollution from smoking does much more harm to people than from factories. On the other hand, smoking will not! only damage the smokers, but also the people around them. Is it really interesting to smoke? No, I don't think so. Jeff,
Taiwan Nowadays people start smoking at early ages, sometimes between twelve and fourteen years old. In the last ten years smokers have reached 50 % of the population. I think that tobacco is a legal drug which should be illegal because of the illnesses that it can cause as cancer; problems in your skin, teeth and mouth; etc. Another thing which should be illegal are those advertisements encouraging people to smoke. They show themselves comfortable and relaxed after having smoked a cigarette and, in this way, young people are persuaded to do the same. In conclusion, I think that the community should make an advertisement against cigarettes explaining all the bad things that could happen to people when they start smoking at such early ages and continue all their lives. Romina,
Argentina Smoking is something that is right for some people, but is not right for others. Many people all over the world smoke a lot of cigarettes daily. It is dangerous for them because it could cause dancer in many parts of the body. And the people who are around those that smoke are in danger too, because they breath the smoke. I think we have to work a lot to try to stop smoking. It could kill us at any moment, and we still have much to do for this world. I say to the people who read this, “ If you smoke, please for yourself and for all of us, STOP smoking. It is killing you, and you don’t know it. I think teens should be taught more about the dangers of smoking before they even start, and there should be "special undercover agents" to keep an eye on the types of stores that sell cigarettes and then fine them severely. This is only my story and my opinion, but I think a lot of people would agree with me on this one. Maggie
P., Venezuela I'm a 14 year old who currently goes to a high school in Toronto, Canada, and I see a lot of teens smoking illegally around the school. All along the street, the students are puffing and huffing those cigarettes and it just makes me sick! Mentally and physically! When I first stepped into a bakery across the street from my school to buy lunch, the room was filled with second hand smoke and teens smoking and gambling. I couldn't keep myself from coughing and gasping for air. The store owners don't say anything about the actions and they actually support it by selling the cigarettes to the teens (underage) in secret. (Reaching under the counter and pulling out singles, charging 25 cents each.) I can't believe people could be so low that they'd violate the law just to make money off of desperate teenagers, addicted to the deadly. I think teens should be taught more about the dangers of smoking before they even start, and have "special undercover agents" keep an eye on these types of stores and then fine them severely. This is only my story and my opinion but I think a lot of people would agree with me on this one. A.Z.,
Chin Don't smoke please. Harash Smoking is very bad for health. At the present time a lot of people are dying because of smoking. In my opinion, people must understand that "Smoking" is a disease. When people accept this position they can get better help. Nowadays, there are lot of places that give help to people with this disease. Piedad
Quinton, Ecuador I think smoking is wrong no matter if you are in a public place or in the please of your own home. It's wrong. It kills billions every single day. Billions get diagnosed every single day with some sort of disease because of smoking. I think a law should be made against smoking. Smoking should not be allowed period. Erin,
U.S. I think that smoking is not good at all, but I also think that if someone wants to smoke that it is ok. Andrew
Piskorski, U.S. Personally, I think that smoking is the rudest, most disgusting habit a person could have. Not only is it gross that smokers are destroying their health, and basically everything about their appearance, they are also putting non-smokers' health at risk. If I really wanted to kill myself, I could do it without the help of someone who is addicted to nicotine. I am therefore, extremely happy that there are more and more laws restricting smoking in public places. To all of yousmokers ou—there don't choke on a bone. Sandy
Nelson, U.S. I'm glad you are educating people about smoking It's a great thing you are doing Jessy
Stephenson, U.S. I'm a non-smoker whose boyfriend is a heavy smoker. Smoking is addictive. You cannot help but smoking if you are once addicted to cigarettes. I think it is the worst thing about smoking. Another problem is that the tobacco industry is big money makers not only in the U.S. but also in Japan. It consists of tobacco farmers, manufacturers, and consumers. I don't know how many people are killed by cigarette-caused diseases, but quite a few people have been killed. Tobacco War! This is the title of the book which I read last year. How to solve this big issue?
Kanako
Sato, Japan I think that at first, most teenagers start to smoke the cigarettes to imitate their parents or friends who smoke. Particularly, parents influence their kids as a role model. So, if the parents smoke, their kids can accept smoking naturally. Parents who smoke have to know that they can lead their kids to have a bad habit. Also, smoking causes many health problems. Because smoking affects not only smokers but also non-smokers, the kids can have health problems because of their parents. We have to keep our kids from smoking environments. Youngil
Seo, Korea Smokers think that smoke can help them when they are nervous, sad, or when they want to communicate. They can smoke anywhere they want to smoke like in restaurants and cafeterias. Some non-smokers say that they never smoked before, but smokers have smoked in front of them. Therefore, non-smokers become second-hand smokers. Smokers don't care about their health. Though they know that smoke is harmful, they still continue to smoke, and non-smokers are affected by them. Nowadays, more and more smokers get lung cancer. Smokers still smoke because smoking is a habit. Though they want to quit, they can't. We are non-smokers. We have to help them learn how to quit. In public places, we should put sign plates to prohibit smoking. That can help them stop smoking. Ngoc-Anh
Thi (Annie) Ho, Vietnam Smoking should be banned in public places. Smoking is an annoying habit to non-smokers. The smoke could cause someone to cough or feel uncomfortable. In addition, smoking could be the reason for many deadly diseases. Many scientific studies show smoking causes lung cancer and heart disease. This reaction not only occurs in smokers, but second-hand smokers will get those diseases, too. The research shows us second-hand smoking is worse than first-hand. If someone smokes in a closed public place, the circular air condition system will keep that unfresh air in the building, so everyone will breathe the smoke in the air. Pantium
Wong, Hong Kong There are some rules to live together as a society. Everybody has to adapt to these because they are for us. For example, it is your right to have a pet, but you can't enter a government office with your pet. By no means does that mean your freedom as individual is restricted or prohibited. It is a well-known fact that smoking can cause cancer. This factor is proved by medicine. So, it is an important subject for society. Health ministers have to be careful about this fact. Recep
Acar, Turkey I do strongly support the idea that smoking should be prohibited in public. Smoking is harmful for humans. For example, it causes lung cancer. According to statistics, a high percentage of patients in or out of hospital that have chronic diseases are smokers. Smoking in public affects others who don't smoke at all. Second-hand smoking bothers non-smokers. They feel ill, tired, fatigued, and cough when they are in contact with second-hand smoking. Pregnant women shouldn't smoke or be around second-hand smoke at all. Since smoking or second hand smoking affect people's health, smoking in public should be prohibited, or at least, smoking and non-smoking areas should be separated. Holly
Yan Ma, China Smoking is a bad habit, of course. But there is nothing we can do about it. It is already there. We can not deny or ignore it. On the one hand, the smokers aren't guilty just being smokers. They have their rights. On the other hand, the non smokers are affected by the fumes and feel that smokers are stepping on other people's rights. Allowing smoking in certain public places is the only way to avoid the conflict between the two kinds of people without bothering each other. Farid
Belharat, Algeria Smoking is a person's addiction to nicotine. It's one of the most harmful habits that human beings have ever formed. Despite that, today people are accustomed to it and most of us really don't care enough if we see somebody smoking next to us. But being more and more aware of the effects of inhaling fumes produced by smokers, health associations are holding a war against tobacco firms. Cut would we state firmly that tobacco firms are responsible for everything? I don't think so. Why? Because freedom is the most important notion for humanity. Smokers always have the right to smoke, and non-smokers have the right not to smoke. We should be allowed an equal opportunity to exercise our right. Although, everywhere there is always smoker' lounge and non smokers' section, the main problem is smoking in public. Can we find a solution to that? Kenneth
Ukah, Nigeria I'm only 15 years old, and I live in California, where smoking is illegal in public. I can't stand going to Arizona or especially Las Vegas because smoking in public is legal there. The people smoke in elevators and I think it's rude. I don't mind if people want to smoke. It's their choice, but my grandfather just died of smoking related cancers, so I don't agree with it. Tara,
U.S. Smoking in public places affects not only the smokers' health, but also the health of nonsmokers. Some people develop an allergy to smell or fumes, and some people have an allergy to nicotine and tar. There factors affect negatively the nonsmokers. In my opinion, smoking should be allowed in special places. These places have to isolate nonsmokers from the smell or nicotine. It would be better if people stopped arguing about smoking in public places. Vladimir
Nepochatov, Ukraine Nowadays more and more people are joining the large group of smokers around the world. Smoking is considered a bad habit, and it brings bad consequences. People know about the bad consequences that smoking brings to their health. It has been scientifically proven that smoking causes serious diseases which attack the respiratory system. One of the most dangerous illnesses that smoking causes in lung cancer because of the components of the cigarettes like nicotine and tar. Although a package of cigarettes has a warning notice, "Smoking could be dangerous," people don't care about that and continue smoking. In my opinion, smoking is a bad habit which only carries bad consequences for our health, deteriorating and affecting our lives negatively. Aleida
Lopez. Peru In my opinion, smoking is a bad habit, and sometimes it can have very dangerous consequences. I don't say smokers should quit smoking, but they should stop bothering others. If smokers don't care about their health, they should know that they don't have the right to cause damage to others. For example, a pregnant woman who smokes and doesn't think what kind of problem she is giving to her baby. Or a person who smokes in a closed room and there are children around him. Those are some of many examples which smokers must take into consideration because they are not just damaging their health, but they're also harming innocent human beings. Amer
Joubarani, Syria Smoking has been around for thousands of years. It has been used for social activities; for example, Native American Indians used it to get together in groups and smoke peace pipes. In this century, smoking is like a fashion for teenagers, and they're not being educated about the danger of smoking. All those cigarette companies are making big profits because of people's addiction to cigarettes. Now lung cancer is linked to cigarettes, and cigarette companies are being sued in court for millions of dollars for all the heart problems they have created. Now, there is a lot of educational material, and there are programs that are educating the public about the danger of smoking. Eulalie
Tungo M., Zaire, Republic of Congo Everybody has to know that every time he smokes he is causing disease for himself step by step. Also, being a smoker puts you in a bad position in the society. First of all, smoking is bad for your health. It is the truth. Everybody knows that it is the main cause of cancer. Moreover, smoking in front of people bothers them and makes them second hand smokers. Their health is affected by smoking even though they don't smoke. In my opinion, non smoker people have the right to keep their pure health. Also, smokers spend a lot of money for cigarettes because nowadays they are getting more and more expensive. Moreover, smoking causes an unpleasant smell for people who don't smoke. In my opinion, quitting smoking is the best thing you can do. Mirna
Hazim, Lebanon I'm a smoker, and I think that smoking is something bad for our society and health, even though it is our problem if we do smoke. In my opinion, we should have the right to smoke unless we are bothering somebody. I mean if we are close to somebody; for example, I show respect to somebody who is sitting right in front of me and doesn't like smoking. But if I'm sitting or walking alone, I smoke. Public places don't mean that we can do whatever we want, but we should have the right to smoke. As for myself, I do respect public places like restaurants, airports, subways and cinemas, but if I'm in the middle of a big street or square, I smoke. Gilmer
Coronado, Venezuela First of all, I would like to talk about the right to smoke. Nobody wants to say if another person can smoke or not. So far, and luckily, I am a nonsmoker, but I could have become a smoker, and I wouldn't have wanted to get a reaction from nonsmokers. We have to learn that we need respect between us. If we are in a car or public place with somebody who smokes, we shouldn't have to remind him not to smoke. He should do what is right because we keep the respect between us. He can smoke, but he should know how and where to smoke. Ok, sometimes we need some rules like non-smoking and smoking sections. Even though we have these good rules, I don't know why people want to ignore them. Maybe they are just trying to keep their rights. I think, if the people just want to keep their rights, they will cause stricter bans. Mehmet
Ali Comert, Turkey I'm not a smoker, but I think everybody has the right to do what he wants, if he shows a little respect to the others. I think that smoking in buses, cinemas, hospitals and restaurants is obviously a bad habit because they are closed places. People can smoke, but only in the smoking areas. If companies like Philip Morris which distributes Marlboro cigarettes say. "Cigarettes are harmful to your health," that is the most important reason to believe that it is a bad habit. On the other hand, I think education is the most important point. The government has to show the population why smoking is a bad habit and has to create new smoking places. Danilo
Quiñones, Colombia I think that smoking is a habit like others that we have, but unfortunately it is one of the bad habits because it can cause many illnesses, even death for smokers and non-smokers. Even though I'm aware about what smoking can cause, I don't agree that smoking in public places should be banned because everybody has the right to smoke or not smoke. In my opinion, the only thing we can do for smokers is educate them in the best way, so they respect non-smokers and know when or where they can smoke. Blanca
P. Salmerón, El Salvador I think smoking is a very bad habit. Smokers don't think that smoking can cause deadly diseases such as lung cancer and heart problems. Smoking also causes teeth problems and bad breath. When you are next to a person who is smoking, it is dangerous for you because inhaling the second-hand smoke has the same effects on you as on the smoker. So I don't think people should be allowed to smoke in public places such as hospitals, schools, and airports. Herón
Pacheco, Mexico Smoking causes dangerous illnesses. It can cause lung cancer, emphysema, and heart diseases. It should be prohibited in public places like restaurants, cinemas, and other public places. A smoker has the right to smoke, but he has to think about the privacy of non-smokers. Second-hand smokers are affected more than first-hand smokers. We should help smokers not to smoke by having them use nicotine patches on their bodies. Deepak
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