Where There's Smoke, There's Ire

There was a letter in last week's Verona News, the weekly freebie that gets delivered to all township residents, defending people's right to smoke in public places. This, of course, was written in response to pending legislation to make smoking illegal in public places in New Jersey, as it is in New York.

The letter went on to say that "smokers have rights" and before you know it, the health police will be going after people who eat fatty foods. Uh, not quite the same thing there. Yes, it's true, tobacco IS a legal substance and people who smoke cigarettes generally don't rob or kill people to feed their habit. (Although, with what it costs for a pack of butts these days, that may soon change.) Yes, in New Jersey, people still have a right to smoke to their heart's content in public places.

And, I'll even take it a step further and admit that, as of yet, there is no strong scientific evidence that proves that exposure to second-hand smoke causes disease. Yes, it's true that if you have a pre-existing lung disease or asthma, the smoke will probably aggravate your condition. But CAUSE disease? Bring on the proof.

That being said, I think most people, smokers included, will agree that second-hand smoke is just plain disgusting. It gets into your hair, your clothes and no one, except another chain smoker perhaps, enjoys kissing a smoker. My brother smokes and even he agrees that the smoke is gross. If we are out in a restaurant, he always steps outside or goes into the bar area to light up. If he's at home or in someone else's home, he steps outside. Yes, he is one of the few considerate smokers. "Few" being the operative word here.

So, using the convoluted logic of the smokers, why is that in New Jersey, smokers have rights but those of us who do not smoke, well, we can go pound sand. What about MY right to breathe clean air? What about MY right to go home, after a night dining out or dancing, without smelling like a friggin' ashtray? And, what about the rights of people who make their living working at bars, restaurants, and clubs in NJ? What about their right to work in a smoke-free environment?

New York, and other U.S. and European cities who have followed suit, have the right idea. When the anti-smoking law was first implemented, everyone whined that it would hurt business but that has not been the case. If anything, people who normally wouldn't go out to a club or restaurant because of the smoke, now go in droves.

We're not saying that smokers can't smoke. Light up all you want, that's your business. But when you're blowing smoke in MY face, that's where your rights end. If the majority of smokers had been considerate in the first place, like my brother, then we wouldn't need to consider such a law.