Smoking laws

Now do not get me wrong here....I am a smoker and agree with some of the new laws that have been brought in over the last 12 months.

But stopping people from smoking at the wheel of your car or in your own home, surely is a step too far?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1247488/Cigarettes-sold-plain-packaging-latest-bid-sweep-away-smoking-Britain.html

" But Tory MP Philip Davies said: ‘Given that people are well aware of the dangers of smoking, the Government should let people decide for themselves what they want to do ".

Sounds like a very sensible approach to me but, as we have a Nanny state that seems to take away peoples FREE choices now, this will no doubt get backing and become law.

The idea that " hiding " fags uinder the counter will make them less attractive is a notion made up by a twat ( with an A ). Shows like Corrie and Eastenders watched by millions of people and no doubt a few million of those will be impressionable kids, should they not be looking more into stopping that on tv instead?

I cannot understand how having them on display in a shop makes them attractive to kids....sweets are far more attractive in a shop. Kids see it on the telly everyday so surely that is a place the Government should look at?

I kinow there will be a split on these new measures, the non smokers thinking it is great and a lot of smokers thinking it is going too far. I am in agreement as a smoker that some of the things they have done is a benefit, but I think things are now going a step too far.

The very people who are making these new laws are massive anti smokers themselves, so I believe have their own agendas. The smoking ban in pubs and clubs I agreed with but it should not have been a blanket ban, smokers should have been given some choice here as we live in a free society.....apparently.

The comment " Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said: 'We must keep pushing hard for a tobacco free future and keep up the momentum gained by England going smoke-free in 2007 ", is all well and good but....why do they just not ban the sale of them in the UK? Revenue that is why.

They are always quick to spout the ammount the NHS spends on treating smokers, but are never equally as quick to say how much money is paid to the Government via tax on them, which I did see once is more taken in than taken out. Why do they never publish those figures?

Yes we should have laws to protect our children from smoking but I think they are now going too far. Proper school education like most things is a great way to start, not by inflicting draconian laws on people that choose to smoke.

They should make it illegal to smoke while driving. if you can be fined for eating while driving, using a phone while driving, blowing your nose while driving (or sat in traffic, out of gear with the handrake on ) then smoking while driving should be banned too.
i watched some idiot driving down the Aston Expressway at 50 last week, leaning over to the passenger seat to light a fag off his mates lighter, i don't see the sense in allowing people to hold a burning stick in their hand while driving several tonnes of metal at high speed
If they wish to let their passengers smoke in the car, thats fine, same with smoking in your own home (as long as you don't have your brats breathing in the fumes).

Yes a good point there Gnv. But as usual it is " do as we say and not as we do ".

Yes I also fully understand the smoking whilst driving.

I when I am out on me bike see car drivers trying to light their cigs up whilst driving, and yes have to agree that it is just as distracting as talking on a mobile is.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2007-06-11b.141621.h

I am a none smoker and also hate smoke free pubs.

Smoking has already been over legislated, and now needs leaving alone. So far all the attempts to deter young smokers have been ill conceived, and done the exact opposite.

My personal feelings are, that I have had quite enough of the nanny state, and what I see as Labours over zealous approach curbing our activity's

No, of course not, but their cock ups are freshest in my mind

Obviously that comes from a smoker? Thought not? Used to be a smoker? Probably.

Next you will want us to be a car free Island or....a drink free Island.

What about peoples RIGHT to smoke? Or would you like that taken away as well?

I doubt though if you want to be a car or drink free Island as you probably do both of them, and that would affect you.

Remember apparently 8 yes 8 million people smoke in this country.....why should that many people have their right to smoke taken away, just because others do not like it?

There are plenty of people out there who get pissed and cause havoc every weekend and cost the NHS billions of pounds, but I do not ask for drink to be banned, only the sale of it more controlled....which it is.

The same with fags....take some action to try and stop kiods from smoking, but that ain't gonna happen, and allowing soaps to shows big stars smoking does not help.

IF they banned smoking you would be ok for them to increase taxes to make up the shortfall of tax from smokers? Probably not.

Rights and freedom of speech in this country is slowly being eroded...soon we will just be told what to do over everything, you will moan though when they try and do that over something that you like to do though.

I understand why new laws are being brought in and agree with some of them but that does not mean we have to be treated like lepers!! They are fecking quick enough to take our taxes on it though....hypocrits!

you know what kenty, i would have far more sympathy for that comment if what you were doing didn't affect those of us who don't. those of us who don't smoke can still die from passive smoking.

so my question to you kenty is this....should drink driving be legal then? i mean lets face it, there are those of them who do it and think they are in full control and won't kill anyone. so what is that about do you think? am i taking away the person's right to drink? or am i actually saying...you know what, it's fine that you drink, but you don't have the right to put someones life at risk while you do it? what about other people's rights to not want to be poluted by your killing smoke? it's always so one sided when it comes to smoker's rights

most of my friends are smokers while i am not. if they are in my car, or my house they don't smoke. if i'm in their's they do what they like but i'm lucky that they do take none smokers such as myself into consideration. but as i travel most days with smokers i do think that smoking at the wheel of a car should be banned. you are not even supposed to take your eye off the road to check the radio, talk on your phone, eat or drink. yet people seem to think it's ok to obscure their vision with smoke and not have hold of the wheel properly due to holding a fag and so on. ban it.

as for your own home, do what the hell you like.

whips

Whips I understand what you are saying, and the passive smoking thing I have my own belief on that but...I understand about non smokers rights, and lets be fair here you have far more now than you have ever had.

My gripe is the hypocrisy of it all. They take the tax yes always bleat on about how much it costs the NHS....bollox is what I say to that as smokers put in more than they take out, and I saw that in a medical journal somewhere.

We cannot smoke in pubs or clubs....fine. We cannot smoke at our workplace or in the works van/car...fine. Is that not enough?

Local councils in some areas are banning people from smoking outside of pubs on the streets, as it seems some people just drop their fags on the pavement. Now whilst I believe that is true to an extent, I believe it is about over zelous councils.

So it seems that now I can smoke in my car and in my home but....IF they get their way both of those COULD be made illegal. Where the feck does it stop?

IF someone comes into my home and does not smoke they have a simple choice, either do not come in or put up with my smoking. It is my house and I will do as I choose in it.

But even then that is not quite true as IF someone enters my home to say fix an appliance, that becomes their place of work and they could ask me to refrain from smoking.

I would love to know the true figures of ALL the tax they take from smokers over a year, I bet it would be a massive ammount of money yet....treat us like lepers.

I just wish they would stop bleating on about it costs the NHS this or that....lets have the figures of how much we put in as well, but they won't as I think the figures would far outweigh what we take out.

Bottom line here Whips is that you are a non smoker and that is great, but you can go almost anywhere now and be smoke free, so what more do you want?

If they banned it completly would you or others be prepared to cough up the money they will lose through tax, via your paypacket? Probably not.

so what? are you saying it doesn't exist? that there is no way that if i'm sat next to you while you smoke any of it can enter my lungs?

damn right i should have more rights in a public place than a smoker, and that includes family and friends too. i should have the right to clean air because i choose not to polute my lungs by smoking in the first place. what you do is toxic, why the hell should you have any right to do that to me or anyone else? if i choose to be around someone who smokes then i'm taking matters in my hands, it's not being forced on me. you talk about pubs too. so ok i used to walk into a pub where people smoked, my clothes stank, my hair stank, i've had clothes burnt, i've had my skin burnt, and to get away from all that i was forced to stand outside just to get some clean air!

that is exactly what i want and exactly how it should be. those of you who feel your rights are impinged only do so because you have go away with it for so long. none of you have thought about the rights of us non smokers when you have smoked in public places. now you know how we have felt for decades. you talk of hypocrisy, a little of your own in those words you right kenty.

like i said though, i have no problem with people smoking. i will gladly go and stand outside with my friends while they do. i know that the habit dictates that they need to smoke after they have eaten or at certain times. when i'm in their homes i don't mind, like you said, it's their home i can always go outside. but at least it gives me the choice. you can choose to maybe kill yourself smoking as is your right, i get to not have to suffer because of it. simple really.

whips