cigarettes

[angelheartee]

cigarrettes should be banded because it's killing us and our children

[heroftimes]

As someone who is fairly liberal, I wholeheartedly disagree with you.  See Prohibition.

cigarrettes should be banded because it's killing us and our children

[queenofnines]

No one forces cigarettes into your mouth. Some people quite enjoy their vices; we're all going to die anyway.

[rmendoza1]

As bad as cigarettes are, I have to agree that it is that person's choice to smoke. And the most you can do is ask them to smoke elsewhere, but that's about it. And yes, look at what happened when drinking alcohol was illegal. People kept drinking and even drank more because it was illegal.

[StarlitNirvana]

I don't think cigarettes should be banned, it is a person's right to smoke. I would like no-smoking public places however as I don't care much for secondhand smoke.

[vickysue]

I smoke, but not in the house or anywhere that it is not wanted. There are planty of no smoking areas. All public places resturants and most bars, and parts of casinos, churches and almost anyother place you go, so you can't say you would like more no smoking spots. We as smokers maybe would like a few places where we can smoke. I have seen it time and again where there is a smoking area a non-smoker will come into the area and grip like heck. Oh wel to each his own.

[nhendrickson]

I don't think cigarettes should be banned, it is a person's right to smoke. I would like no-smoking public places however as I don't care much for secondhand smoke.

Agreed.  I have no problem with respecting the right to smoke as long as my right not to inhale secondhand smoke is respected as well.  We don't inhale the smoke through a filter so we are actually more at risk than the smokers are in this respect.  So do what you want at home, folks. 

[de3ik]

I hate cigarettes and hate second hand smoke. I know it will never be outlawed, so I choose to try and stay in the non smoking sections and do not allow smoking in my home.

[ssliva67]

Can't ban cigarettes...government would lose out on the "sin taxes" they collect on them and alcohol sales.

[PGS28]

I agree 50%.  I agree b/c what you're saying is true yet I disagree b/c if this liberty is taken away what's next?  Plus, people deal with stress in different ways and although smoking is definitely not good for health it helps some people get through the day, which unfortunately for all isn't an easy thing to do.  But I definitely appreciate your desire for everyone to have good health  I definitely can't look down on the smokers when I'm eating WAY more butter than I should.  I'm trying to do better, I definitely don't want to gain the weight back I worked so very hard to lose this year.

[mc1962]

Thats what makes this the United States of America, we have the choice to live in a country that allows us to choose.  I feel that we are free to make a choice, if you do not want to smoke then don't, if you do then so be it.   

[pgk1965]

i believe if you want to smoke nobody should tell you that you cant. we live in a free country if you want to make people quit you may want to outlaw drinking wich also kills people . the worst people complaining about others smoking are the ones that decided to quit ....wich is great for them but dont try to tell me what to do

[ktheodos]

As much as I would love to see cigarettes banned, I can't imagine it happening any time soon! I'm all for higher cigarette taxes though and higher insurance fees for people who smoke - the incentive has to be there not to do it! I did read a report that said the amount of cigarette smokers are down though, which is a good sign!

[BlackSheepNY]

Cigars, cigarettes, alcohol, and yes, even DRUGS - ALL are a PERSONAL CHOICE.  So what you're saying is that you want people's "personal choices" taken away from them?  The way I see it is like this:  If you don't like smoking, drinking, drugging - DON'T DO IT.  If you don't like your FRIENDS or FAMILY smoking, drinking, drugging - DON'T SEE THEM ANYMORE.

Seriously, I wish people would quit b*tc*ing about the things that OTHER people do.

Let me ask you a question.  How do you feel about the states of Washington and Colorado legalizing pot smoking for recreational use?  If SMOKING CIGARETTES bothers you, then this legalization should REALLY bother you.  Unless, of course, you're a hypocrite.  What say ye?

[wildequusheart]

Absolutely cigarettes should not be banned. This is a free country, and I find that usually the people I have had in-depth conversations with about why smoking should or should not be banned are very against having any of their own vices taken away. While it's true that there's a high correlation between respiratory illnesses, such as lung cancer, and smoking, smoking is not the only culprit. All you fans of fried foods, did you know that frying food deposits carcinogens on your food? Fried chicken, fried shrimp, french fries, chimichangas. Yep. They've found carcinogenic chemicals on them. Hasn't stopped me from eating them. On some barbecued meats too. If you like to barbecue with charcoal, experts recommend you put aluminum foil over the coals b/c as you grill, any fat that drips onto the coals burns and deposits carcinogens back on the food you're about to eat. And none of that explains why some people who smoke for years and years never get cancer (think George Burns) while those who haven't yet been exposed to a significant quantity of carcinogens are fighting cancer (think childhood leukemia. Support your local children's hospital!) So if we ban cigarettes because of their bad effects, what else are we gonna ban? Fried foods? Cars (they pollute)? Light bulbs (check out the box the next time you buy some. It's illegal to throw many of them in the trash b/c they contain mercury, a toxin)?

And no, I'm not a smoker. I was recently; I'm in the process of quitting. But it was my choice to start, and it was my choice to quit. The key word there is choice. I don't think anyone out there has the right to take away my choice to do what I want with my life and my body as long as I'm not hurting anyone else. And I was a respectful smoker. I didn't smoke inside, I tried to stand downwind so others wouldn't get my second-hand smoke (believe it or not, most smokers I know don't like second-hand smoke either). And I believe it goes both ways. There are lots of things other people do that I don't like, but it's their choice to do it (hello to all of you who got your baby girl's ears pierced).

As for sky high taxes and sky high insurance premiums on tobacco products, sounds like discrimination to me - making a distinction against a particular group. Usually these taxes don't go for cancer research or any other medical research (remember, smokers aren't the only ones who get cancer. We could all use a cure.) Our government right now has a recent history of waste, why should we burden one (or two, if you include the farmers who make their living growing tobacco) group of people to give the government more funds to squander? As for raising insurance premiums, uninsured and under-insured people are already a huge strain on our society (I won't go into the details, it'll just make this that much longer), which is why we now have Obamacare (with all of its benefits and all of its flaws). People already have enough trouble getting insured if they have pre-existing conditions. Ever known someone who couldn't find a better job because changing insurance meant their a pre-existing condition, like diabetes, would no longer be covered?

But ultimately, don't take away freedoms from someone else if you don't want them taken from you. I believe it was Thomas Jefferson who said something along the lines of those who would give up freedom for security deserve neither.

As a final rant, I have a pet peeve I really want to get out there. If you are a non-smoker, do not walk into a designated smoking area, especially if it is one of only a few in a large area and one that can be easily avoided, and then complain about people smoking! That's like walking into a kindergarten classroom and then complaining that there are children in the room. What did you expect?