Indoor Smoking

[doormanpoet]

I recently had a three star letter in the Nashville, Tennessean regarding smoking in buildings, entryways and doorways. 15 states have totally banned smoking in said places, and not only the airlines, but all Marriott and Westin hotel properties which is approxiamately 10,000 hotel and motel brands of Marriot and Westin have banned smoking on their properties.

Several cities of certain states have banned smoking, and several businesses here in Nashville have banned smoking. Why must state senators like Thelma Harper defend smoking and smokers so much? Why must our state legislature be so "pro smoking" when the State of Tennessee spent 1 billion dollars on smoking related illnesses last year?

According to www.phillipmorris.com second hand smoke kills 11,000 people a year due to cancer. 500,000 Americans die each year to cancer from smoking and more than that die from heart disease.

We are more concerned with terrorist attacks and bird flu than we are smoking related illnesses and deaths!

According to a report on CNN, more Americans have died from smoking and heart disease than the total of all wars and all terrorists attacks combined!

Do you think Tennessee will ever have a smoking ban? Will we ever get to go to a smoke free bowling center, nightclub, restaurant, or bar?

In some states, insurance companies no longer insure employees that work around second hand smoke.

How does smoking affect or effect the built and urban environment we love so much?

What are your thoughts?

John

[Relient J]

I'm opposed to smoking because of the damage it does to the body, but I don't think the government should pass a law outlawing it on private property. That said, I do wish more businesses would ban smoking.

[franktown]

Almost every year a bill is proposed to the Legislature but Jimmy Neifeh (sp?) sends the bill to the Agriculture Committee, which OF COURSE would never let it out of committee and so the bill makes no progress.

[BnaBreaker]

I would suspect that several Tennessee lawmakers have ties to the tobacco industry. Smoking in inclosed public spaces should absolutely be banned in my opinion. This isn't something anyone should take lightly. Second hand smoke is incredibly harmful. And i'm sorry...I don't mind if anyone wants to smoke...hell, if i'm with friends who want to smoke i'm not going to be a tight ass about it...but take that crap outside. Call me crazy, but I don't feel like contracting lung cancer from your cigarette just because you forgot to wear a jacket.

[The Tot Pack]

haha yeah.. that Ag Council won't do anything with it.. why? cause tennessee produces ALOT of to-back-er

[smeagolsfree]

Smoking is a horrid habit and should be banned in all restaurants and bars. I hate the smell and the way I smell after being around it.

[nashvillwill]

for the record, i am a smoker. a heavy smoker as a matter of fact. however, i support bans on indoor smoking. i personally do not smoke inside my own home because its terrible for electronics, fabrics, and it just smells bad. I have visited a few cities with smoking bans, and it doesn't really affect my experience. Yes, i sit in a bar and wish i could light-up, but most places are very accomodating about letting you step outside for a smoke. Its nice to know that i am not bothering those around me, and most importantly....it cuts down on how much i smoke. Honestly, if i live in one of these cities i would probably quit(which i desperately need to do) because it would just become to much of a hassle.

The only rule i think is ridiculous is the ones about "no smoking within however-many feet of doorways". first of all, these rules are not very enforcable. secondly, if a smoker approaches a doorway, puts out their butt next to the door, how much smoke can realistically travel inside? i gaurantee you much more carbon monoxide enters buildings from auto traffic than from outdoor smokers. ordinances are good, but come on. until tobacco is illegal i'm going to smoke outdoors whenever i want....even if i'm 10 feet from an entrance.

[nashscan]

Apparantly the executives at Gaylord read Urban Planet threads. The Opryland Hotel is going completely smoke free in February. Even in its bars. A few years go, you could smoke anywhere in the hotel including all the lobbys. I have mixed feelings about this decision.

[barakat]

Ban it, it's nasty. Tobacco should be classified as an illegal drug.

[nashscan]

Ban it, it's nasty. Tobacco should be classified as an illegal drug.

[BnaBreaker]

What other behaviors do you want to regulate in my life? Maybe we should make bacon cheeseburgers illegal.

[barakat]

In my opinion, either make it illegal or make all drugs legal.

[Jeeper12]

I'm defintely for making it illegal indoors (other than private homes). I also think even in homes kids are due some level of protection from parents too ignorant to care. In 20 years I think we'll look back and find it hard to believe that indoor smoking was ever permitted anywhere.

[Hankster]

I'm defintely for making it illegal indoors (other than private homes). I also think even in homes kids are due some level of protection from parents too ignorant to care. In 20 years I think we'll look back and find it hard to believe that indoor smoking was ever permitted anywhere.

[Jeeper12]

I think the problem is the harmful effect of second hand smoke. There now seems to be clear and convincing evidence that exposure to this can and does cause cancer. Also, I suffer mildly from sinus allergies and though I hope I've never ingested enough of it to get cancer, exposure always aggravates my sinuses and usually ends the quiet enjoyment of an evening out. And why should employees of these establishments be forced to work in such an unsafe and unpleasant environment just so smokers can enjoy this habit outdoors AND indoors ?

It's no secret anymore that smokers as a class increase everyone's healthcare cost due to the cancer, emphazema, diabetes and other ailments brought on or made more acute as a result. This point reminds me of the bikers who don't want to ride with helmets but expect society to pay their six and seven figure hospital bills when they hit the pavement.

I don't think smoking should be banned outright but I do think employees, children and the public should be reasonably protected from it. I also hope that the government and the healthcare and insurance industry continue to find ways to force smokers to absorb the increased cost of their healthcare so the rest of us don't have to keep subsidizing it (I think our very own Healthways is helping with this). IMO when smokers are forced to absorb the "real" burden of their healthcare and are no longer permitted to inconvenience and pollute the air of innocent bystanders most of them will quit anyway.