A Debate Or A Discussion On The Dangers Or Positives From Smoking

I have been thinking about this topic of smoking and I think this one would be quite a busy thread if people put time into their responses and contemplate about it.

Smoking.... a multi-billion pound/dollar/yen/euro... hell it's worth billions in any currency each year, pretty much.

But we're not here to discuss how much it's worth the the government a year, we're here to discuss the issues around smoking.... such as:

• Second-hand smoke - do you hate it when people smoke around you (if you're a non-smoker), are you scared about the risks of second-hand smoke? Do you hate the smell of it? Or do you just live with it?
• The Cost Of Smoking - this isn't limited to the price of cigarettes, this also includes health implications... if you're a smoker, do you care about the risks involved in smoking as far as your health is concerned? Do you get pissed off about the price of cigarretes going up every year by some ludicrus amount? Or are you a non-smoker and think that the price should be made higher, or lower?
• Smoking in public places - should people be allowed to smoke in public places? Should it be limited to their own home/car? Or should you be able to exercise your right to freedom and smoke where the hell you want?

If you're very anti-smoking, please respect the views of smokers, and if you're a smoker and are sick of people whining about people who smoke, please remember that everyone is entitled to their own oppinion.

I will post up my opinion in a little bit after the debate and discussion gets started....

Well, i guess im the first one to get started on thsi one..

I don't smoke and i really hate it when people smoke around me because i have to breath more smoke than they do..sometimes i can't even breath because of it..and i'm not sure if it does much damage to you because i know people that are living 70+ years and they smoke like crazy...
I like the way how they made it in some public places, like seperate smokers and non-smokers..make a seperate place for smokers..As for the prices, i dunno i guess thy should be cheaper, if people wanna smoke let them smoke.. everybody ecides for themselves so why whouls we care..

I'm not a smoker, even though I already smoked, and I (like most of the people) too hate it when people smoke aroud me. I don't like the smell of the smoke, among other things.

I see negative aspects and positive aspects. Even that most people think smoking has no positive aspects, they are totally right, because the positive aspects of smoking should not be called "advantages", because they are not, and are just 'positive' for a certain group of people that eventuallyy enjoyed it, or enjoys it.

Of course you all know about the negative aspects/disadvantages of smoking, and I'm not going to talk about that. The main reason for people to smoke, is that they became addicted, and they don't feel the same 'pleasure' they used to feel the first days they started smoking.

Other advice that I must give to you, is that neverminding all that everyone usually says about "smoking is bad", "I can't stand for the smell", "it's very unhealthy", etc, for some of you, that oppinion could change from one day to another, and believe me that I know what I'm talking about. Even I used to say "That could not ever possibly happen to me", and for my surprise, it happened, because there are certain things that happen in our life that hit us so hard, that we forget about everything else for a moment, and we even do things we wouldn't imagine ourselves to do.
When (and *if*) this day will come to you, you will understand what I mean, until then, you should be prepared for everything that life could throw at you.

This post has been edited by Radioactive: Jul 3 2006, 10:47 AM

Bleh, smoking is gross. It's always bothered me to some extent.. smokers always say it's a bad habit and they want to stop, but they just can't make themselves do it.. it's kinda scary.
But now I work retail, and seeing people counting out their nickels and pennies to buy two packs of cigarettes, then telling their kids they don't have any money for cereal or something.. it pisses me off. Mainly when it's the same lady who comes in and buys two packs every single day.. not only does she stink of them, her children do too, which can't be healthy. >.<
My area is voting to up the cigarette tax, and I plan on voting for it. I certainly don't want cigarettes to be illegal, the government has enough control over our lives already, but that doesn't mean they have to be cheap. Every time the price goes up, more people talk about quitting.. maybe if it goes up enough, they really will.

In the newspaper the other day, I saw a story about some states, counties, and towns banning smoking in various public places. Thank god. If people want to smoke, fine.. but don't do it around me, please.