Twice in my life, I’ve had cigarette butts that I flick out the front window fly back into the rear passenger window. Twice in 10 years, of regular daily smoking, many of those years where I had a 1+ hour commute each way to work.

Think about the fluid dynamics of the air as it travels around a moving car. Something as lightweight as a smoked cigarette butt isn’t going to be able to break out of the stream to enter into an open car window.

The one scenario I could see this happening in is when you’re stopped at an intersection, and someone flicks a cigarette into your car from theirs. That is really either complete carelessness or, at worst, malicious intent. Either way, the smoker is being a jackass and yes, feel free to turn the hate on.

10 seconds is not my issue — I never said smoking should be outlawed totally, just that I support not allowing it in indoor public venues…because if I’m sitting in a restaurant where many people are smoking, my exposure to it is much longer than 10 seconds. I don’t particularly fear for my long-term health in that kind of situation (I’m aware that one hour among smokers is highly unlikely to kill me)…but aside from having trouble breathing for the duration, my real problem with it is the fact that *I* smell like a damn ashtray for hours afterward!

I also still don’t buy the argument that it’s the same as other scents; most other smells (perfume, garlic) tend to be highly localized and it’s generally unlikely that many people in one room would be exuding the same scent; therefore nothing has quite the same effect as a roomful of smokers. But as I said in my comment above, I am very, very biased when it comes to this subject, and I fully admit it. So I should probably shut up now, but I’ll post this anyway.

Dossy: “I am guilty of tossing cigarette butts out the window while I drive, though” — hey, you’ve hit another of my pet peeves! You do know that your burning cigarette butt can easily fly into someone else’s car and cause an injury or even an accident, right? This is one reason I hate riding with the car windows open in warm weather, because of the possibility of a burning projectile being flung at me when I least expect it. (And no, this has not happened to me personally, though I have known people who it has happened to.)

I think the Germans have the right idea, but that picture eerily reminds me of goatse. *shudder*

Dossy: there are considerate and inconsiderate smokers. The former will stay well away from doors and be sure to dispose of their ashes and butts properly, even to the point of carrying with them a portable ashtray for when there is not a fixed one nearby. The latter will flick butts into the gutter to be washed into the oceans and choked on by gulls, and keep the office door propped open with their leg while smoking outside so they don’t have to take their access card with them. I hope you are of the former variety.

Then there’s the German approach to allowing smoking in restaurants.

Personally, I don’t smoke inside the house. I smoke in my car, but not the family mini-van as that’s what the kids ride in. In severely cold or rainy weather, I will hustle out to the detached two-car garage (which we use mostly as an oversized storage shed, sadly) and smoke in there.

Thanks for reading my rant and helping me think through this. That’s what makes the Internet so great–being able to tap into lots of different opinions really quickly.

But it’s not! An overeater harms only him- or herself, while a smoker can’t avoid having an effect on anyone nearby. That is my point. You simply cannot equate smoking bans with discrimination against overweight or gay people. They are nowhere near similar.

I do vote with my feet (and wallet) when it comes to selecting non-smoking establishments. However, if I were, say, a waitress in an area that has few or no non-smoking restaurants, I wouldn’t necessarily have the choice to avoid being exposed. To me, this is just another occupational safety law like those prohibiting businesses to allow hazardous gas leaks.

Full disclosure: I grew up in a family of smokers, some of whom encouraged me to try cigarettes when I was SEVEN years old. As I grew older, if I complained about the smoke, they’d blow it in my face. All the smokers I encounter now are polite, but I still have a deep and lingering prejudice regarding smoking, and finding out that someone I know does it does lower my estimation of them somewhat — I just can’t help that. But as I said, I would never harass anyone for it; I just do my best to avoid exposure.

Yes, I should have addressed your point: smoking is an area effect. I’m not suggesting that you should be exposed to other people’s smoke. What I take objection to is laws which prohibit private businesses from allowing patrons to smoke. Such a law is, in my opinion, equally offensive as a law, say, that prohibits businesses from allowing people to overeat.

I can appreciate that many people prefer restaurants, bars, etc. to be non-smoking. I understand that simply separating smoking and non-smoking areas doesn’t satisfy some non-smokers. However, I’m also a firm believer of “voting with your feet”–if you object to it, then only patronize businesses that are completely non-smoking. But, to support passage of laws that prevent businesses that wish to cater to smokers–but can’t, because of the law–is offensive to me.

Almost as offensive as, say, passing a law that would prevent women from obtaining legal and safe abortions.

The problem is that many smokers are simply too polite and accept the will of the masses (asses?) instead of coordinating themselves and speaking out, loudly, in opposition. 22% of the adult population is potentially a significant lobbying body, yet smokers rights continue to erode. Why?

put me in a smokey room and i look forward to smelling like crap, blowing black mess out of my nose, and a visit from the two-weeks-of-chronic-asthmatic-bronchitis fairy.

people can smoke all they want — i don’t want to have to suffer for it.

I do not dispute your right to smoke…as long as I don’t have to breathe in your exhalation of said smoke. (And, btw, I’m not one of those people who harasses smokers. But I do support laws banning smoking in indoor public places, for the reasons I mentioned above. Heck, I’m not fond of walking through the gauntlet of smokers outside on my way into work since I have to hold my breath to avoid choking, but since it is outside and I just walk through it as quickly as possible, I don’t make a big deal about it.)