Should smoking be banned outright?

Post Reply New Topic

Discuss

I am not saying it should be banned, but I would like it to be banned. But I also think that pot should be legal.

It would be more honest than the disgraceful quasi-prohibitionism we have these days.

No. I think ASH and other organisations should be disbanded, taxes on tobacco should be lowered, and the smoking ban should be abolished.

Oh I can see it now, people smuggling cigarettes across the boarder or growing them in their own homes. Here we go again with more taxes spent on the war on drugs. Next we'll have speak easys where em' gangsters will sell you a smoke for a whopping 10 grand. Yes I know I'm being outrageously over the hill but this is what helps promote illegal supply and demand.

Agreed! Again!

The prohibitionists are so stupid, they can't see all this. They believe that with their bans and their laws they can mould human nature. Sigh.

I also disagree with a smoking ban. It doesn't help that the anti smoking interests groups manipulate any study they fund to their favor. Maybe a valid one exists, but it's difficult to trust these groups when they pull crap like that.

The anti-smoking groups are massive, massive liars. They're up there with the very best of them.

I agree with this

Absolutely not. Why shift a multibillion dollar industry from legitimate businesses to the black market? In addition to that I don't think the government should be telling people what they should be smoking or not smoking, though I do think they should make the associated risks as apparent as possible so that people appreciate what they are engaging in. And by risks I mean thoroughly investigated risks, not just "drugs are bad, mmmkay". Prohibition does not work and causes more harm than good. That being said I do not think any drug use that through its nature is a toxic contaminant to the local atmosphere, especially en masse, that affects more than the individual making the choice to consume, should be allowed in every place where people choose to socialize. Designated places to consume drugs (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, etc) should exist, and combinatorial places as well (smoking bars/cannabis+tobacco bars, etc).

Smoking is an unhealthy, decadent, and antiquated practice; it feels pretty good though. But there exist ways to consume nicotine that do not have to involve other people. During the day people can always use nicotine gum or other products (I used to do this). I do think that if enough citizens ask there should be designated smoking areas in accessible places, that have at least a roof over the top for shelter, and during winter could have sheets of plastic set around to keep in the warmth (put a couple of little chimneys on the top to ventilate it). In tropical areas mosquito netting could be draped around it. Just to be clear I don't advocate banning it on the street or etc but I do think that people should show common courtesy and smoke in a discreet area. I always did this when I smoked, no matter the weather. I see a lot of smokers do this as well so I don't think that many have a problem with the idea, other than the die-hard pseudolibertarian style smokers who want to blow smoke in people's faces just to show that they can

Depends on what you smoke.

No because that would criminalize even more of the population over their personal life choices....but if they did they might as well ban alcohol to......then more than half the population will be criminals which will help the system collapse along

Nutmeg?

I don't think it should be banned.

I do think that people who choose to engage in it, knowing the risks, should take responsibility for themselves and their choice down the road financially rather than depending on the state to pay their medical costs.

By that logic, should we on the same note require the same from people who have high risk hobbies, drink more, eat bacon for breakfast and watch more than 4 hours of TV every day?

Some things have risks, yeah sure. But there's a world of difference between watching tv for 4 hours a day and choosing to smoke a packet of cigarettes a day.

The soda/junk food tax seems to keep popping up as another way to bleed the citizens dry. While the information on health risks should be readily available on anything we consume, I don't think we need a nanny government. We obviously don't have one now, because the money that the states recouped from the tobacco lawsuits isn't all being funneled into stop smoking programs. For all the PR about health concerns, shouldn't the government not be cutting funding to these programs?