Should smoking be banned in public places?

Topic:
Health Debates

26 Contributors
in this discussion.

Yes
50% of users

  • Yes it Should

    Because the majority of people want to be healthy

    Yes Anonymous

  • People do not need to be exposed to dangerous cigarette smoke that can cause harm.

    Second hand smoke is a serious and dangerous problem. People should be able to enjoy public places without being subjected to smoke. The right to smoke does not mean smokers can subject others to their harmful smoke.

    Yes MycaMy

  • It should be banned

    when I was little about 9 months my dad was smoking around me. I must have inhaled too much smoke and had to be taken to the emergency room. I had to be put in an oxygen tent for 3 days. Even after that day I’m not able to take smoke being around me.

    Yes Anonymous

  • shoud be banned

    yeah i think so children dnt wanna die slowly from someones choice they didnt lmake the choise so they shouldnt have to walk and be grossed out and shtuff

    Yes Anonymous

  • it should be banned

    i think that smoking is one of the worst things you can do in public. it is really bad and you people saying it will be ok you are all murderers cause you smoking in public is putting out second hand smoke wich is really bad it highers the risk of cancer for non smokers

    Yes Anonymous

  • Smoking bans are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, which prohibit tobacco smoking in workplaces and/or other public spaces.

    A smoker's (poor) choice should not affect the health of others. Secondhand smoke contains hundreds of toxic chemicals including arsenic ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, benzene, and vinyl chloride. It is known to cause cancer, coronary heart disease, and respiratory problems. There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

    Yes Anonymous

  • Secondhand smoke is fatal to non smokers and very annoying.

    People say that they have the freedom to smoke if they want to but they are forgetting people have the freedom of life which smokers take away from them. Smoking is a nasty thing turning people who smoke into ugly people with bad breath. It also kills them slowly as well as those around. Basically I think that its not right to let smokers decide on my life and my health just for their nasty habit.

    Yes Anonymous

  • I agree that smoking should be banned in public places because it harms the people who don't smoke, in a passive way and that too for no fault of theirs.

    Although I am a smoker myself, I would hesitate to smoke in front of my parents. The reason being that my smoking should not affect their health. Then why should I smoke amongst others and cause them serious hazards? If someone is addicted to smoking, he/she can do so in an area where it does not harm others.

    Yes bakakae

  • Secondhand smoke is annoying and deadly; therefore, smoking in public places should be banned.

    Smokers make a choice each and every time they light up to put their health at risk. However, when they smoke in a public place, they are taking that choice away from the non-smokers that also use that public place. It would not be permitted to spray deadly pesticides all over a crowd of people in a public place, and it should not be legal to fog the same crowd with deadly tobacco smoke. Smoking in all public places should be banned across the country.

    Yes R0zJosh

  • I feel smoking should be banned at indoor public places.

    As a smoker i do understand the non-smoker. I understand the fact that it is an unhealthy habit and no one should have it forced upon them by others. Second hand smoke is a real issue and inside buildings and close quarter events it should be banned. I do have an issue with banning it in all public places though. If the park or a street is the public place you are speaking of then I do not think it should be banned. If it is a large open area then I don't feel the government should have the right to tell me that I cannot smoke.

    Yes w00tboycomic

  • Second hand smoke kills.

    Watch a loved one die from lung cancer caused by second hand smoke and you'll know. Standing by helplessly as my non-smoking mother, who worked with smokers for decades, suffer and die made me wish for cigarettes to disappear from the earth entirely. I do not want to breathe smoke, nor does my family. If I choose to use substances that destroy my body, it's my choice, however stupid. Other people should not be able to make that choice for me by blowing their toxic smoke in my face.

    Yes BLeonard

  • Smoking should be banned in public places.

    I do believe that smoking should be banned in public places. I think smoking and second hand smoke consumption should be someone's choice. I think that smoking in public is rude and inconsiderate. Also it is not far to smoke around children. If people want to smoke around their children a home that is fine but it should not be forced.

    Yes barbiegirll

  • I believe smoking should be banned in public places across the country. Smoking poses a serious health threat for non-smokers since second hand smoke contributes to many serious health problems.

    Second hand smoking is proven to be worse than first hand smoking. If a person makes the choice to live a lifestyle where their own health is at risk, they should not create health hazards for those around them. If smoking was not banned in public areas, kids, the elderly, pregnant women, and babies would all be put at risk. Smoking can lead to all kinds of cancers and health problems. Smokers are given the freedom to smoke in their own privacy and smoke zones and that should be enough.

    Yes MyHier
Voice Your Opinion
No
50% of users

  • No,smoking should not be banned.!

    Smoking is a personal choice.Have anybody heard of the First Amendment.If they want to kill their selves with cigarettes, let them and If you dont want to risk your health.LEAVE..Its as simple as that!!

    No Anonymous

  • No smoking should not be banned

    Smoking is a choice an i believe that smoking in public places does not harm anyone im tired of people thinking they are better then everyone else an banning something that most of everyone does it is not the governments choice it is the owner.. if you dont like being around cigarettes or dont like the smell you are welcome to leave or go in a store. "public" means everyone has a say in what they want to do.. yes some people dont smoke but that doesnt mean everyone else cant and no one is any better then anyone else in this world i dont get why you fight over something so dumb.. it dont matter if we smoke in our house, on our porch or, in public places smoke is still everywhere... thats my thought

    No Anonymous

  • No, it is smokers choice to smoke so there for it should be the owners choice!

    if i owned a bar and all my workers smoked i would like it to be a smoking bar, and if non smokers didnt want to come to my bar then thats there choice like it would be mine to having a smoking bar! smoking shouldnt be banned in public places!

    No Anonymous

  • No, smoking should not be banned in public places, only because we have defined "public places" so broadly that any such ban would infringe on our private rights.

    We should ban smoking in places where the public has a right to expect to be breathe clean air. I believe we have created a problem in our definition of "public places". It must be remembered that such smoking bans are generally local ordinances, not national or state created laws. Some local ordinances are attempting to ban smoking in all workplaces, thus infringing on the right of the employer to set his/her own rules for the workplace. Some ordinances have been passed that ban smoking in all restaurants, directly impacting the owner's right to make decisions regarding how his/her business is run. Smoking has been banned in public buildings, such as Post Offices and State buildings, and public transportation. It seems that the underlying consideration should be whether it is optional for the public to be in the previous three examples. If an employer wishes to allow smoking and an employee does not like it, he/she can seek employment elsewhere. If a restaurant chooses to allow smoking, patrons can eat elsewhere. We can and should ban smoking in public buildings and public transportation, but we must also beware of infringing on our individual rights as property and business owners.

    No CI3Iike

  • No, because if marijuana is being legalized, and barbecues are allowed, then cigarette smoking cannot be banned.

    Burning firewood and holding barbecues generate smoke that can be inhaled. Since all smoke contains soot that can damage lungs, allowing these outdoor activities, where all can be exposed to it, means that small smoke exposure to the public is not a danger. Marijuana has been legalized for medicinal purposes in dispensaries where people can smoke it in groups, therefore the smoke from the marijuana is not considered a severe health threat. Marijuana has been banned for much of our recent history for the threat the drug posed. How can we allow the drug, and then say that tobacco smoke must be banned while the drug of tobacco is legal? The answer is that we cannot ban smoking without banning all sources of smoke.

    No Pir4And

  • I don't believe that smoking should be banned in public spaces.

    I do not support laws being written that ban smoking in public places because for a place to be considered public means that everyone has the full right to utilize this place. If only smokers face restrictions, then the establishment does not meet the public criteria. People should have the right to smoke if they want to. Car exhaust fumes impact peoples lives just the same but there are no laws against driving.

    No IoweAim

  • The government should not ban smoking in public places, because people should have the right to smoke anywhere they choose. Public establishments should protect the needs of the public and not restrict certain individuals for their lifestyle choices.

    Owners of establishments should have the right to ban smoking in their establishments, the government should not. It is not the job of our government to protect people from every bad influence. If people choose to smoke or to frequent places where people are smoking, then they understand the risk they are taking. We are a capitalist society, so let consumers influence this, not the government. If people do not want to go to, say, a restaurant because people smoke there, then that can influence the owner to not allow smoking there. Leave it up to the individual business owners and their clientele.

    No Myh3r0HiIar

  • I believe that smoking is a choice and to allow smoking in public places is also a choice for the owners.

    In my experience (being a smoker) I think it is a little over board to ban smoking in say a bar. Smoking has always been part of the bar or club scene and now banning smoking from such places would be detrimental to the business. We as smokers should have the same freedom rights as non smokers.

    No WeareQuinc

  • Smoking should not be outright banned because it oversteps the bounds on what kind of establishment a person can run.

    A business owner should be the person setting the standards of the restaurant. If you do not want to eat at a place that allows smoking, then you should spend your money elsewhere smoking is not tolerated. Business owners should be in control of the smoking policy within the bounds of their establishment. The government has over stepped its bounds when it began telling businesses how to run their establishments.

    No R3ubHockey

  • No smoking should not be banned period.

    What gives government the right to tell a person they cannot engage in perfectly legal activity. Adult Americans should be free to do as they wish, as long as it does not harm another. Smoking should be allowed in public places, if a non smoker does not like it they are free to leave. I am not a smoker, but I'm sick and tired of smokers being treated like second class citizens.

    No BriaBlacken

  • Banning is a strong solution. Taxing would be preferable.

    Although it would be complex, a tax on smoking in public would be better, in that it could increase tax receipts, while maintaining the freedom for smokers to do what they want, while paying for the consequences. There must be a point at which society would be willing to allow people to smoke in public, in return for tax revenue. If, for example, every time someone smoked in public, they had to pay $100,000 toward universal medical care, or $50,000 toward education, then I think that the society would be happy to allow a few die-hard smokers to smoke when and where they pleased. As a political and practical matter, something like this is probably impossible, and outright bans are more feasible, but as a theoretical matter, a tax is almost always preferable.

    No Iuk45Grinder

  • The issue of smoking has received an undue amount of bad PR.

    While smoking in public places that are within a confined area should be restricted, an all-out smoking ban is a bit excessive. Everyone has the ability to remove themselves from a situation that is troubling to them, and if a non-smoker is disturbed by the presence of a smoker they should just leave the area.

    No ThegaXen

  • I don't think smoking should be banned I feel that its a persons right to smoke if they choose and should have a place to do so.

    I think that we should continue to have smoking areas and smoking in bars and outdoors. While second hand smoke does affect others around the smoker a smokers right to smoke should be up to them. I think its great that restaurants and some offices have smoking areas. If people were allowed to smoke outside then it wouldn't be such a bother. If you were at a restaurant and were allowed to go upstairs to a smoking lounge or one was behind the building, people could smoke in peace and non smoker could enjoy themselves. I actually think review can be made from smoking. Smokers will go to places that allow smoking. In airports you could actual charge a entrance fee to have people enter the lounge. Once there's a separate like a lounge then it should be allowed.

    No C0ImEIite
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