Vancouver Park Board passed a new law banning smoking on beaches

[Vanner]

Now that's a butt of good news for me! Another nail hammered down on smokers' coffins.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100420/vancouver_smoking_100420/20100420/

If that one shows success - maybe Calgary and other cities will follow for the parks here! I've been to some beaches there and these ugly butts in the sands are disgusting...

Well, you can tell that I detest and loathe the smell of smoking! Smokers... don't cry over me - deal with that yourself!

[Modelexis]

I think it should be banned in city parks.
I was at the park last weekend sitting on a bench enjoying the sun and reading a book and 3 benches down some broad lit up and the smoke passed across all the benches and into my general direction.

It's 2010 and only really ignorant, or people with really low levels of intelligence still smoke.

The real shame is that I have to pay for them when they get sick with cancer or other related health problems.

[Kloubek]

Originally posted by Modelexis

It's 2010 and only really ignorant, or people with really low levels of intelligence still smoke.

Woah there sparky. I smoke (lightly), and I'm neither. I am aware of the risks, and that keeps me from smoking even more. The ignorance in this thread is really coming from you, more than anything...

Is smoking a good idea? Nope. Should I have got into it? Nope. Should I quit? Yup. But it is no more a "stupid" choice than someone getting drunk. And I'm going to venture to guess you have done so.

[97'Scort]

I hate the smell of cigarettes but love a good cigar.

[Zephyr]

We've had the same ban for a few years now, city parks included and schools and anywhere near government buildings.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by Kloubek


Woah there sparky. I smoke (lightly), and I'm neither. I am aware of the risks, and that keeps me from smoking even more. The ignorance in this thread is really coming from you, more than anything...

Is smoking a good idea? Nope. Should I have got into it? Nope. Should I quit? Yup. But it is no more a "stupid" choice than someone getting drunk. And I'm going to venture to guess you have done so.

So, just because someone else does something that's stupid, means it's ok for you to do something that's stupid? That's kindof a stupid argument you know, since one thing really has absolutely nothing to do with the other. It's a rationalization that allows you to feel like you feel a little better about your own personal stupidity.

Taken by itself, the decision to light up a cigarette, put it in your mouth, and inhale the smoke is a stupid decision. I doubt that anyone can really argue that, since taken by itself, the negatives far outweigh the positives.

Now, just so you know, I don't think you're a stupid person, just a normal person that makes the odd stupid choice. That in itself, is perfectly normal as well, and we all do it. I'm pretty certain that everyone has a blind spot for some sort of self-detrimental behavior, and they'll usually go to great lengths to defend it to avoid facing it directly. That's just life though.

[kertejud2]

Originally posted by Kloubek

Is smoking a good idea? Nope. Should I have got into it? Nope. Should I quit? Yup. But it is no more a "stupid" choice than someone getting drunk. And I'm going to venture to guess you have done so.

Lighting up a cigarette and 'getting drunk' are not equivalencies. Having an occasional cigarette and having an occasional drink would be on the same plane, and moderate drinking has shown to have some health benefits while moderate smoking does not.

Don't try to drag alcohol into this debate to try and make yourself feel more justified in your decision to smoke. That's how gateway drug debates start.

[Dilmah]

One of these days I'm going to hold down a smoker and blow fresh air in their face! Lets see how they like it...

I've yet to meet a smoker that doesn't want to quit, sure some say they like it but we all know deep down inside sooner or later they all wish they never started.

[TimG]

+1 for this move.

I was there recently and this was all over the media. What this article doesn't say is that it's not just smoking, but any open fire like a BBQ is banned on beaches and parks due to how dry it gets there in the summer (at least that's the official reason, i'm sure that the fact that smoking is a dirty habit is the unofficial reason).

[TYMSMNY]

Originally posted by 97'Scort
I hate the smell of cigarettes but love a good cigar.

hard to find a place to smoke a good cigar nowadays (besides at home).

[Crymson]

The argument that Kloubek makes is a good one.

We ALL do destructuve things to ourselves we know we shouldn't be we do anyway becuase it's either fun or easy, and nobody is beyond hypocrisy in this matter. If you think you are, you're a liar.

Smokers are just an easy target.

I would love to see fat people banned from beaches and parks before smokers, but that's not going to f'ing happen.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by Dilmah
One of these days I'm going to hold down a smoker and blow fresh air in their face! Lets see how they like it...

I've yet to meet a smoker that doesn't want to quit, sure some say they like it but we all know deep down inside sooner or later they all wish they never started.

I wish I never quit.

I LOVED smoking. The act, the smell, the taste, everything. A non smoker would not understand this. A cigarette was also a great stress reliever. Also was a great social activity. Smoking WAS FUN!

And it is utter bullshit about having to pay for a smoker's healthcare. A smoker pays extremely high taxes for every pack of smokes they purchase. That more than pays for any additional costs for health care a smoker might incur.

I quit smoking about 20 months ago, not because I wanted to, but because of my daughter, and didn't want to set a "bad" example for her.

If I had my druthers, I would be smoking still. But hey, I must be uneducated and stupid and all that just because I like smoking huh?

[codetrap]

Originally posted by spikers


I wish I never quit.

I LOVED smoking. The act, the smell, the taste, everything. A non smoker would not understand this. A cigarette was also a great stress reliever. Also was a great social activity. Smoking WAS FUN!

And it is utter bullshit about having to pay for a smoker's healthcare. A smoker pays extremely high taxes for every pack of smokes they purchase. That more than pays for any additional costs for health care a smoker might incur.

I quit smoking about 20 months ago, not because I wanted to, but because of my daughter, and didn't want to set a "bad" example for her.

If I had my druthers, I would be smoking still. But hey, I must be uneducated and stupid and all that just because I like smoking huh?

No, you're not that. I just think you're lying. If you thought it was all that, you'd continue smoking and set the example for your daughter that you thought was right and good.

[TKRIS]

Originally posted by Modelexis
The real shame is that I have to pay for them when they get sick with cancer or other related health problems.

We've been over this before a few times on this board.
Smokers pay ~$8/day in additional tax. If anything, they should be complaining about you non-smokers being a drain on their cancer-money.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by codetrap


No, you're not that. I just think you're lying. If you thought it was all that, you'd continue smoking and set the example for your daughter that you thought was right and good.

No, I honestly quit for my daughter. well that I grew weary of my wife nagging me about it, and not liking the smell.

If I wanted to be single and separated from my daughter, I would still be smoking.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Good call, I think the biggest issue is people throwing cigarette butts anywhere they feel.

[Dilmah]

Originally posted by spikers


I wish I never quit.

I LOVED smoking. The act, the smell, the taste, everything. A non smoker would not understand this. A cigarette was also a great stress reliever. Also was a great social activity. Smoking WAS FUN!

And it is utter bullshit about having to pay for a smoker's healthcare. A smoker pays extremely high taxes for every pack of smokes they purchase. That more than pays for any additional costs for health care a smoker might incur.

I quit smoking about 20 months ago, not because I wanted to, but because of my daughter, and didn't want to set a "bad" example for her.

If I had my druthers, I would be smoking still. But hey, I must be uneducated and stupid and all that just because I like smoking huh?

I stand corrected, you wanted to quit, oh wait that's what I was saying... Thanks for making my point.

Why wouldn't you want your kids to smoke if it's so good?

[spikerS]

Originally posted by Dilmah


I stand corrected, you wanted to quit, oh wait that's what I was saying... Thanks for making my point.

Why wouldn't you want your kids to smoke if it's so good?

I didn't quit because I wanted to quit.

I wanted to keep my wife and daughter. It was a case of what was more important.

[sheik_yerbouti]

Originally posted by TKRIS


We've been over this before a few times on this board.
Smokers pay ~$8/day in additional tax. If anything, they should be complaining about you non-smokers being a drain on their cancer-money.

I'm going through cancer treatment right now and I've always been a non-smoker / light-drinker. I just got one of those random (and not serious) cancers that young people get. However, I imagine that the cost of my treatment, diagnostics, and all other stuff so far this year is probably getting close to $100,000 for the government. They'll probably spend at least that much more over the next year on me. If you do the math on how many $8 days in taxes it will take for a smoker to pay for the system, you'll see how unlikely it is.

Edit: 35 years or so for the 100,000. Smokers rarely live that long.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by spikers


No, I honestly quit for my daughter. well that I grew weary of my wife nagging me about it, and not liking the smell.

If I wanted to be single and separated from my daughter, I would still be smoking.

There's not much I wouldn't do for my daughter either.