I got 13/20. Got most of the country questions wrong.Originally Posted by alan45
I've not ventured into this thread before, looks like I've missed quite a bit.
I'll start from the top... I totally agree with the ban. Why should the non-smoking population have to suffer from other people's ignorance? Its a well-known fact that 80% of smoke is invisible so times that puff of smoke by five and you'll (hopefully) understand why I , and many others, do NOT want to be subjected to that.
Everybody has their right to do as they wish and if they want to poison themselves, and others, then thats their choice. Unlike drug and alcohol abuse, smoking has direct health consequences on other people. (Understand that I am not talking here about stealing to fund addiction etc.)
The car analogy... I don't understand what that is about. As I understand it, exhaust fumes have far fewer emitted toxins that cigarette smoke. There are 616 intentional additives in tobacco. I couldn't find how many additives are in petrol but I found this "for the most part, the use of additives is neither required or prohibited by the Regulations," meaning that there are very few additives in petrol. Which pretty much closes the matter for me. More additives in = more pollutants out. Which is worse?
Next... Like many other people have mentioned, the smell of smoke on clothes is awful. Now you may say "just wash them" but thats not the point. Often the smell of smoke doesn't come out if you've been in a very smoky place, which really annoys me when I've been out and spent good money on a new outfit only to have it ruined by ignorant people. Also, why should I have to sit next to a table of smokers when I'm having a meal in a pub? Its not a case of "go somewhere else." If I want to eat in a certain pub/restaurant then I should be allowed to without being suffocated by the people at the next table.
I know lung cancer has been mentioned but smoking causes lots of other cancers: mouth, nose and throat, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, bladder, stomach, myeloid leukemia, kidney. Plus heart disease, emphysema, bronchitis, airway infections, damage to the lungs, peptic ulcers, reduced fertility, the list goes on. I can't understand why anybody would want to subject their body to that all for a quick puff several times a day.
I forgot to add, on the money side, if people stop smoking then the government probably won't need to recover lost revenue from somewhere else because the NHS will be able to cope, making up for lost revenue (does that make sense??). There will be no need for NHS advertising on tv and fag packets, no treatment for smoking-related illnesses needed, definatly no need for the NHS to provide aids to help smokers quit etc.
I could go on with reasons why the ban is a good thing but I'll leave it there. I know this may come across as very strong but it's something that I really do detest. I apologise if I offend anyone
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