Quote:
| Originally Posted by Finless If people didn't like smoking so much then there must already have been a market for non smoking venues so why didn't some entrepreneur get started creating some? Why does the government have to interfere? |
Why do smoker feel they have a God given right to smoke in public? In the past, non-smokers just put up with it. Pub and restuarant owners simply wanted as many customers as possible, and since the non-smokers all thought that they just had to put up with it, the busnesses didn't ban smoking. Non-smoking areas were always a joke, but used as a sop to those who didn't like to breathe someone else's cancer fumes. This legislation is popular; it isn't just the Labour Party who wanted it - a lot of people agree with it.
Smoking is significantly different from other activities in as much as smoking in pubs etc actively causes harm to all those present. If I go to a pub and get smashed, I might start a fight (highly unlikely) or I might puke in public (still unlikely), but so far neither of these has happened so I estimate the amount of harm my beering up has caused others must be nil. Smoking a few fags in a pub does harm to everyone present - every time it's done. I have had to chose those places I could go into because smoke irritates my lungs and makes my eyes burn, now I have the same choice of venue as everyone else. Also, I am much happier taking my little boy out with us for an early meal out.
Just my 2p