Burn the Smokers? Man charged for smoking in van

[Freaked out]

This guardian article reports on a man that was fined for smoking in his own vehicle:

A painter and decorator has been fined £30 for smoking in his own van because it was deemed to be a workplace.
Gordon Williams, 58, of Llanafan, near Aberystwyth, west Wales, was on the way to buy teabags for his wife when he incurred the on-the-spot fine.
He claims the van is insured as a private vehicle and he only uses it to travel between jobs. He has lodged an appeal with Ceredigion county council.
"Of course there are tools and things in the van, but a barrister would carry about documents in a briefcase in his own car. This is no different to my mind," he said.

I don't smoke anymore, but I think this whole anti-smoking frenzy has become ridiculous. Particularly, since most people in urban areas are being subjected to far more cancer causing agents from the smog (from vehicles) than from someone driving by smoking, or a guy smoking out on the street.

In Vancouver, you cannot smoke inside any public place, outside on the patios, near a bus stop, or near a doorway or air intake vent. The city council is looking at banning smoking on the beach. I think this is just too much. It can hardly be based on any health reason, but more on the annoyance factor. When we take the ferry over to the island, I see a big brown haze hovering over Vancouver and it ain't from the evil smokers either. I just find it is getting absurd.

[medicvet]

Der Smoking Gestapo at work: you, you there, I can see you, don't think I can't..PUT THAT CIGARETTE DOWN NOW AND STEP AWAY FROM IT SLOWLY!

[JenaS62]

I AM a smoker and I contemplate quitting but I've not yet made the move and my current situation is not condusive to quittting. I will say though that there is nothing more annoying as when the smoking nazi is 350+ pounds (someone I once worked with) and I always wanted to say to her (but I am far to polite to) "hey instead of worrying about my lungs, perhaps you should be worrying about your one heart trying to keep up with two + bodies."

[Fyhre]

I can't stand when I try to distance myself from absolutely everybody to have a smoke, yet there's always that one person who walks by, waves their hand in front of their face, and gives me a fake cough. Hell, I'm smoking in the alley, for crying out loud...clearly away from windows, doors, vents...whatnot. One day, I'm going to punch one of these people right in the throat.

[JenaS62]

Originally Posted by Fyhre

I can't stand when I try to distance myself from absolutely everybody to have a smoke, yet there's always that one person who walks by, waves their hand in front of their face, and gives me a fake cough. Hell, I'm smoking in the alley, for crying out loud...clearly away from windows, doors, vents...whatnot. One day, I'm going to punch one of these people right in the throat.

Right. And they're usually swallowing a Big Mac whole while waving their hand in front of their face and doing the fake cough thing.

[Freaked out]

Yeah, that's pretty much my point. It sort pisses me off too. This righteous attitute people have about it. If a person is outside having a cigarette, I really don't see that as a big deal. If it's still legal to go buy a pack at the 711 ffs then why treat these people like social pariahs?

These same lameassers probably get into their fancy 8 cyclinder SUV and drive two blocks to the store. They wouldn't dream of taking transit and yet they whine about someone smoking on the beach? It's the hyprocrisy that pisses me off. If it's so bad, then stop fu**ing selling it at the store!

[Fyhre]

Until cigarettes become illegal (not likely)...or $30 a pack (likely), people will continue to act ridiculous around smokers. Funny how the majority of the fake coughers (women) I come across seem to have doused themselves in perfume. They must be offended that they can smell something other than themselves.

[Freaked out]

Originally Posted by Fyhre

Until cigarettes become illegal (not likely)...or $30 a pack (likely), people will continue to act ridiculous around smokers. Funny how the majority of the fake coughers (women) I come across seem to have doused themselves in perfume. They must be offended that they can smell something other than themselves.

Well, one could always move to France, they don't sticks up their collective asses over there about it.

As for the perfume thing, even that is getting stoogy. At the office where I work we received a stern memorandum on the use of "scent" - ffs, what is the world coming to. Seems like everything must be hermitically sealed and sterilized. But this is my theory, all of the baby boomers (who, by the way, smoked and took drugs and helped MacDonalds reach that 1 billion served watershed moment) are now reaching retirement, and you see, they want to live forever. That's my take. Of course, given the fact that this will heavily tax the current pension funds you would think the government would start encouraging smoking so that people you know, kicked it pretty quickly after 65, and then you have less pensions to pay out. That's my cynical view.

In the end, I understand and agree with the bylaws prohibiting it indoors, but prohibiting smoking in your car or on the beach is going way too far.

[JenaS62]

Originally Posted by Freaked out

, but prohibiting smoking in your car or on the beach is going way too far.

I'm not sure I could even drive if I was not permitted to smoke. It's kind of like drinking coffee without a smoke. Impossible.

[Fyhre]

Mmhmm. You know, I don't smoke in my car or my home, but that's my decision. What's next? Telling us we don't have that decision anymore...and we just can't smoke in our homes? Because a little smoke might waft out when you open the front door, or seep out the ventilation duct in the laundry room? I wouldn't be surprised.

Jena, I can't remember the last time I had a McDonald's burger. I have a craving now. That's just great... ;)

[JenaS62]

Originally Posted by Fyhre

Mmhmm. You know, I don't smoke in my car or my home, but that's my decision. What's next? Telling us we don't have that decision anymore...and we just can't smoke in our homes? Because a little smoke might waft out when you open the front door, or seep out the ventilation duct in the laundry room? I wouldn't be surprised.

Jena, I can't remember the last time I had a McDonald's burger. I have a craving now. That's just great... ;)

Sorry I did not mean to lead you into temptation. :-)

And I believe I read somewhere - maybe on here even, that in San Francisco or one of those more liberal cities - that you could not smoke in your home if you home is attached to another home - like condos or appartment complexes.

A long time ago - I read a comical article by a smoker who was talking about in the next 20 years or so (and I read this article 20 years ago problably) that instead of "speak easies" there would be "smoke easies" where you would knock on the door of the place - give a password and go in an order a carton of smokes. I laughed back then - but I am now starting to see it very well could happen. I can see myself driving through the "hood" trying to cop a pack of smokes from some little dealer kid on the corner.

[Mezurashi]

the recent spate of anti-smoking laws (otherwise known as Draconian Social Legislated Behaviour Guidelines) seems to me to be less about Smoking and more about Pushing The Envelope ...

i.e. relating this to gas prices -- I know someone in the market Research Industry who has had to deal with both Shell Canada and Petro-Can doing provincial surveys on gas prices and such. each time the company was asked by the OilCorp to determine the Highest Gas Price People Would Be Willing To Pay At A Given Time. soon afterwards he noticed that gas prices spiked up 10 - 50 cents past the Max that had been recently determined by the research surveys, hung there while the media played up consumer outrage, then the prices 'dropped' down to the level the surveys indicated would be acceptable to the masses. thus the public 'felt better' thinking their outrage forced the OilCorp to drop pump costs without realizing they were paying 20% More than before the initial spike ...

AntiSmoking groups gave the more seriously dedicated Dictatorial types in gov't's around a way to test out some extremely restrictive and otherwise Unlawful legislation what would have caused near riots had they been applied for anything but tobacco (hell, we can't even get restrictive laws passed regarding truck idling, construction noise at 6 am or outdoor patio drinking past 2 am).

every time these folks get more support for their anti-smoking legislation there more they will try to push even more draconian laws upon the populace. it has been a gradual build-up to this point and I expect things to get even worse in the next 18 months (the time until the 2010 Olympics).

my only hope is that 2008 Beijing will be such a pathetic charade that the world will wake up to the reality that having Political Committee's organize Fun is like having 5 year old children organize a Nobel Laureate event. but the Political Committee's are fighting for their funding, so be careful of your fingers ...