The smoking ban, what it really is, from a business owner
#61
Board Regular
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 341
Government will never ban public smoking all together. Want to know why? Impossible to enforce.
#62
Originally Posted by Deus
Government will never ban public smoking all together. Want to know why? Impossible to enforce.
Laws are like locks. They are there to keep most people honest. The ones that disobey the laws will do it no matter what. We have seat belt laws in BC, I know it, and still I get a ticket every few years when I actually get caught not wearing one. The vast majority of the time when I do not wear a belt I do not get caught. Mandatory Seat belts is an example of a law that is practically impossible to enforce. And yet, most jurisdictions now have them. Generally speaking, people are sheep.
#64
Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 103
Originally Posted by Jagerbomber
Ever hear of prohibition? They banned alcohol...dont think they wont do it with smokes.
Good for government Good for the health industry Good for the pharmaceutical companies Obviously good for the cigarette manufacturers, their owners and share holders Cigarettes aren't going away anytime soon.
#65
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,589
Originally Posted by Jagerbomber
Ever hear of prohibition? They banned alcohol...dont think they wont do it with smokes.
I doubt it, myself. Revenue is revenue. And no matter how much lip service is paid to saving lives, it's really about the money, who has it, and where it's going. It's a $350B market or so, with over $10B+ spent in advertising every year. Good for government Good for the health industry Good for the pharmaceutical companies Obviously good for the cigarette manufacturers, their owners and share holders Cigarettes aren't going away anytime soon.[/quote] An excellent point made here, Kjax!! Prohibition failed, but some people were made very wealthy by it. The so called "War on Drugs" is an even greater farce. Again, some people are being made wealthy by it. Again, as in the days of prohibition, some law enforcement officers and entities are having their incomes nicely subsidized by it as well.When in the course of civilization has any society ever successfully waged a war against a commodity?? Where tobacco comes into the picture, I agree that it is ludicrous for government agencies who tax tobacco products to become overly involved in where and when it may be used. I do believe that an employer has the right to decide if smoking will be permitted, and I don't think that non-smokers should have to share an office with smokers. In adult settings such as bars, taverns, or nightclubs, where no adult is forced to enter or patronize, I think that the individual owner should have the right to choose what clientele he/she will cater too. In places frequented by children, I do consider it proper to protect them from other people's smoke. When it comes to a driver smoking in his own truck?? I think that is a matter best left between an individual company and its' drivers. I do recognize a person's right to smoke, but I do not construe that as a smoker's right to smoke wherever and whenever he wishes. I will strenuously take issue with those who seek to deny the deleterious effect that smoking has upon the body, or those who must breathe second hand smoke. |
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