Commented:
I support protecting peoples air space from dangerous concentrations of unhealthy fumes whether they originate from smoking or from transportation, shipping, personal vehicles, factories, power plants, chemical/petroleum refineries, aircraft, ships, fireplaces, BBQs, candles, incense, cheap perfumes, volcanoes, on and on. However, I do not support fanaticism. Often, well meaning special interest groups can not seem to compromise to the point of being self-defeating. If you are really interested in providing assistance for smokers to quit, consider this: Smokeless tobacco products (Snus, E Cigarettes, etc.) have proven to be a much safer alternative to smoking and many nicotine addicted smokers have made the switch to them. Since they do not burn or otherwise produce smoke, smokeless tobacco products not only reduce the harm to the consumer, they do not threaten anyone else. FDA approved smoking cessation products (with or without counseling) have a miniscule success rate. Rather than futilely insisting that all tobacco usage be stamped out (good luck with that approach), how about embracing multiple approaches; quitting smoking or Tobacco Harm Reduction as the next best thing. If the same fanaticism Ive witnessed were applied to transportation exhausts, diesel school buses would be banned; they expose the children to fumes that have been directly related to lung diseases. In the words of Abraham Maslow If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.
