Yes. I do mind.

In the name of good health and manners, here is a link, some info from that page, and a rant for you all. Nothing specific brought this on, I've just been stewing on it for a while, and it's time to let it out.

The dirty facts about second-hand smoke.

Everyone knows second-hand smoke kills. Everyone knows. Yet many public places knowingly allow it to hurt us.
Second-hand smoke is poison. It's the deadly smoke exhaled by the smoker, plus the smoke released from the end of the burning cigarette.

It contains over 4000 chemicals, many of which directly cause cancer. Six of these chemicals are so dangerous that the North American Air Quality Rules say that no one should ever be exposed to them. And over 50 of them are so toxic, many of them are banned at any level in workplaces everywhere. Like 4-aminobiphenal - a substance so harmful it has been banned in the workplace for over 30 years!

Second-hand smoke causes first-hand illness. Lung cancer, heart disease, asthma, croup, Sudden Infant Death, miscarriages… need we go on?

Ventilation systems don't work. Research shows that ventilation provides no solution to the problem of second-hand tobacco smoke. In fact, it takes three hours to remove 95% of the smoke from a single cigarette.

Non-smoking sections don't work either. Even when the smoking is out of sight, it's still right there in the air we share. The smoke sticks to your clothes and hair, not to mention your lungs!

Second-hand smoke is the leading cause of workplace death in Canada. Employees who are routinely exposed to second-hand smoke have a 20% higher risk of lung cancer. Food service workers have a 50% higher rate of lung cancer than average.


Scary, no? Now for my 2 cents.

I think smoking should be banned from all public places, if not illegal. I realize the illegal part is a bit harsh, but if you think about it and perhaps compare its harmful effects to other banned substances, it begins to make more sense. At the very least, the laws regarding legal age to purchase need to be more strictly enforced, and there need to be laws brought into effect preventing 8 year olds from being able to smoke legally. If you can't buy them, you shouldn't be able to posess them either.

Why should you be able to smoke wherever you want? The whole, 'it's my right as a smoker' argument doens't fly at all with me. It is never your right to willingly and knowledgeably inflict harm on other people. What you want to do to your lungs, skin, teeth etc. in your house is your business, but beyond your front doorstep, you lose that privelege. I can't walk up to you and spray my perfume on you, you'd kick my ass. I don't mind the smell, but I understand that other people may not agree with my tastes. I can't walk up to you and punch you in the face, or even the arm. It's not going to do any permanent damage the first time, but it will leave its mark on you.

I realize that smoking is an addiction, and it's not just something you can stop doing at the drop of a hat, for most people. I have nothing against the people who smoke; smoking itself doesn't make you a bad person, obviously. Wanting to inflict your addiction on other people, however, is something I will have to take issue with. I apologize if I've offended anyone, but this whole debate is getting a bit old, and somebody needs to make a decision.