Smoking ban in UK

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beka51073

New member
A friend of mine left work this week. She was off to pastures greener and in recognition of this fact we all went out for a few drinks on Thursday night. After a few drinks, and then a few more drinks, the pub we were in shut and we decided to move onto a club to have even more drinks. Got to the club (an immensely wanky joint infested with media (read cunty) types) and ventured downstairs to the main room where I could hear dirty beats emanating from the other side of the door. I opened the door and then it hit me. A wall of body odour assaulted my sinuses with such distinction that I forgot to sneer at the ultra trendily dressed clubbers, who were all too concerned with the way they looked as they danced along with the music.

On July 1st smoking was banned from all public places in England. I am a heavy smoker of many types of dried leaves and have been for many years now. I awaited the total ban on smoking with trepidation. Smoking is quite a central part of my nights entertainment and I knew that this ban would effect the way I liked to do things. Having said that I quite enjoyed the smokeless atmosphere and going outside for a cigarette wasn't so bad, quite an ice breaker in fact. No problem.

Thursday night was the first time I had actually gone to a club since the ban and I honestly could not believe the hideous stench in this place. This was a clean and tidy club as well, not some dirty little heaving sweatbox. It was an immense smell of locker rooms with a gentle hint of vomit. On top of this I was expected to buy myself a drink that would cost me around
 
I happen to agree with your disgruntlement. They've had a ban on smoking on public places in the state where I live for 10+ years, and it still annoys me. Several cities have proposed a ban on smoking completely. It reminds me a bit of the states that used to be "dry", meaning that the sale or consumption of alcohol was completely prohibited. This didn't stop people from drinking though, they just bought it across the state lines, or made bathtub beer.

I agree that folks should be able to visit a business and not be greeted by a face full of smoke. What I would like is a choice. If someone doesn't like breathing in the toxic waste of second hand smoke, then go to a no smoking bar. For those who enjoy the taste and smell of a tobacco product whilst imbibing in their favorite potent potables, have a bar that allows the practice.

I dislike any sort of regulations that are decreed by well meaning folks who think they're deciding what is "best for me". If I wanted to stop thinking for myself, I'd move to Utah.
 
What NY discovered when they tried to ban smoking in one county is, a lot of people would just go to the next county to eat or visit a bar. Restaurants in the no-smoking county did suffer and most rebelled by allowing the smoking and would pay the fine if they had to in order to allow the smoking. You just can't leave it up to the establishments to allow smoking or not because that would not change a single thing in the current situation. Most establishments are afraid of losing their smokers because there are so many. Businesses are very much afraid of change. Especially ones that directly effects their customers. Unhappy customers equals customers that don't come back. But, there are many non-smokers that would visit their establishment and keep up their business, and there are plenty of smokers that would comply by the rules and stay with the places they enjoy frequenting.

So in order to allow businesses to keep their current customers, the ban has to effect an entire state. Just going county-by-county or even establishment-by-establishment means too many people will look elsewhere to smoke and businesses will lose money even with the new non-smoker customers visits. Smokers don't like change just as much as restaurants and bars. It's a fact if not more so.

The reason why these rules are coming around is not because non-smokers don't like smoking. It's because of the health hazard smoking causes for both types of people. We all know that smoking is the primary cause for lung cancer in smoking, but it turns out that second hand smoke is even more dangerous for non-smokers. They too get lung cancer because of something that someone else is doing. It's very rare for someone to get lung cancer due to another issue. Cancer from another area of the body will occasionally travel to the lungs and cause lung cancer, but still, second hand smoke is MUCH more of a primary cause of lung cancer. So my hanging around smokers in closed in establishments like restaurants and bars, smokers are basically signing a death warrent of those that do not smoke. Non-smokers have just as much of a right to be in any establishment they wish. It's not fair for non-smokers to have to choose where they go and not go just to avoid a cluster of cancer causing smoke.

So by whining about how unfair it is that smokers now can't go into the places they once liked to frequent and have a cnacer stick in their hands, remember how unfair it is to force us to chose to be in a smoked filled room and run the risk of getting sick caused by somethign we chose not to do. Smokers can still smoke, just not in those buildings. Go home, go outside. The winter may be a pain in the ass, but why force others to inhale the crap you blow out just so you can feed your addiction? It's a lot healthier for smokers to hang out with non-smokers in a non-smoking joint, than for non-smokers to hang out in a smoke filled room with a bunch of smokers. Smokers, it's for your own good that these laws are put into place. They aren't set to piss you off or make your lives more difficult. It's there to please everyone; Non-smokers, your own health, and your health insurance! You're health insurance is happy, you don't pay as much as you'd have to if you had the risk of getting sick with cancer. So there, we should all just get along and be happy with the rules that are set.

There is nothing that states you must smoke in order to relax in a restaurant. There is no rule that states that smoking in a bar gets you laid. In fact, smoking just screws up your taste buds and dampens your sense of smell. I for one can't believe you'd rather go through life not experiencing the true nature of how things taste and smell! You are seriously missing out on what small favors life has to offer.

Oh!, and one more point to point out. Smoking forces your body to not health as easily as a non-smoker. You have an infection in your body, it takes longer to heal. You have an inflammation, it takes longer for your body to fix it. Smokers tend to have colds more easily and those colds take longer for the body to rid itself of that virus. All that because of the lack of oxygen in your blood stream taking up valuable space in your blood that could be used for your immune system to take over much more easily. You also get more nasty diseases more often as you age if you continue to smoke because the smoke will quicken your body's deterioration again because of lack of healthy blood and clean oxygen in your blood stream. Why people continue to smoke and bitch about having to change the location of where they smoke is beyond me. I had to live with a chain smoker when I had bronchitis. It's no wonder why I never got rid of that nasty cough that comes with bronchitis. My lungs could never heal completely and I've NEVER smoked even once in my life time and never will!

My 2 cents is over.
 
Yeah, you hold the majority view on this one and an understandable one too.

I had two points though and I am not up to speed with the way the ban is enforced over in the US, but it is illegal to have a public place where you can smoke indoors in the UK now. First point was why can't there be a place where smoking is legal indoors, if the non smokers don't like it they won't go there. Second point was an observation. Clubs fucking stink now. Really bad, body odour is never a pleasant smell and in a cramped underground club it is prevalent. Not a fun place to go.

Smoking in restaurants should be banned, I do agree with that, not necessary at all. Smoking in all bars? No. Smoking in some bars? Why the fuck not. Surely it is our choice as individuals whether we want to or not. If you don't like it, don't go there.
 
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