Should fines be imposed for smoking in public place?
I support penalties or fees for smoking in public places.
Smoky environments are very bad for most people. It is hard to breath; smoke impregnates your clothes and your hair and also gives you a chance to get some diseases, including cancer.
In order to avoid all those inconveniences; authorities should impose sanctions, penalties and fees to people who smoke in public places. That includes indoor and outdoor public places.Posted by: l0olllooiSmoking in a public place exposes others to second hand smoke.
Second hand smoke is dangerous to non-smokers. Smoking should not be permitted in public places and people who choose to smoking in public places should be fined. Most know about the health risks of smoking and if they cannot stop, the least they could do is not expose others. This is limiting, but it is a bad, unhealthy habit that should be discouraged.
Posted by: babydoll93I agree that fines should be imposed on those who smoke in public, because they are putting other people at risk.
I agree that fines should be imposed on those who smoke in public. If a person chooses to smoke, and accepts the risks to their health and well-being, then that is their personal choice. But, others should not have to be exposed to second-hand smoke, while enjoying public areas.
Posted by: AverageHoward86Smoking in a public place puts innocent bystanders in danger, so those who do this should be punished.
Second-hand smoke has been proven to be as dangerous as smoking itself. When a smoker smokes in a public place those around them can not help but inhale second-hand smoke, which puts their own health at risk. In a private place, nonsmokers may ask the smoker not to smoke, or set their own standard of behavior, but in a public place they can not. Therefore, a smoker who puts others at risk without their consent should face consequences.
Posted by: RaymoCanyonsCigarettes are a leading cause of cancer and death.
I am very big on opposing cigarettes as they ultimately destroy peoples lives and they are harmful to health. Cigarettes cause many kinds of cancers and are not in anyway as beneficial as the plant cannabis. They are truly the worst legal thing to ever be cultivated and everyone should think twice before they end up hurting themselves.
Posted by: waffletimeGovernment should heavily regulate the use and production of cigarettes as they are harmful to those who don't even use them.
Cigarettes don't just affect their users. They affect society. An individual who chooses to smoke affects everyone around them. Even if you don't smoke you are affected by second-hand smoke and all the health complications is causes. Government has a right to regulate and ban smoking because it doesn't just hurt those who engage in the activity.
Posted by: D3vyHighSmoking is contaminating the air around us with toxic chemicals.
Nicotine and other chemicals from cigarettes are proven to be very harmful to an individual's health, and while some adults may choose to put them into their bodies, they are also putting them chemicals into the bodies of others by contaminating the air. We all deserve clean air, free from chemicals and toxins, and for someone to purposely contaminate another persons air and possible risk someone's life or health (someone may have a severe breathing disorder or allergy) should be a crime. It is already against the law to inject someone with a substance without their approval, why should it be okay to do the same through the air they breathe?
Posted by: AnonymousI agree that fines should be imposed for smoking in public places, because there is no disputing the health risks of second-hand smoke.
Even reformed smokers who can relate to the addiction of tobacco concede that smoking in public is offensive to those who don't smoke. Society, in general, has a right to an expectation of being able to enjoy public spaces without threat to health and well-being. Public smoking puts everyone in danger, including kids, and should not be tolerated, especially given the sad state of health care in this country. Nobody should have to endure the stench and foul air that public smoking creates and they certainly should not be exposed to cancer-causing toxins against their will.
Posted by: N3vinFaceYes, the public health consequences associated with smoking in public spaces justify a cautious fines regime.
Assuming the considerable research on second-hand smoke's health effects is accurate, there is a public policy justification for seeking to limit smoking to private property, and perhaps only to designated areas of even privately owned public accommodations. Yet the much milder regime prevailing today, focused on educating the population through schools and mass media as to the dangers of smoking to one's self and others, and incrementally banning the practice in some public areas, has already done a great deal to reduce the prevalence of the habit. Social disapproval now arguably does the preponderance of the work in discouraging smoking, and there is something to be said for promoting health through non-coercive means. But a balance of the two approaches seems defensible, to extend existing gains. After all, perhaps fines could follow preliminary warning citations, as occurs with minor traffic violations. Health care costs would be reduced as well.
Posted by: M4I4cFeIineYes, I believe fines should be imposed for smoking in public places.
Research has shown that second-hand smoke kills as well. I do not think it's fair for others to inhale smoke because I am smoking. The habit I choose should only affect me, so smoking in public is a hazardous to other people's health. This especially affects those with breathing problems. I grew up with asthma, and it got pretty bad when I was around someone who was smoking. We should fine others who decide to smoke around others and expose them to the smoke.
Posted by: DistinctJamar63Fines should be imposed for smoking in public places.
If it is against the law to smoke in these public places then yes fines or something should be imposed. As a smoker I understand and agree that nonsmokers have the right to fresh, smoke free, air. As with any law, if you break it there should be a consequence. Whether it be jail time, a fine or something else a law would not be worth anything if there was no punishment for breaking it. Just think what it would be like if laws were only on paper and not enforced in anyway. Murderers and rapist would run free through our streets and crime would rule the world. I may not agree in some of the things our government does when it comes to cigarettes (the sin tax is one of them) but if a law is made I will have to, as a citizen, abide by it.
Posted by: w00tboycomicI believe smoking in public places should be banned and people fined if caught as it should only be done in the privacy of ones home
Now that the dangers of second hand smoke have been realized it is only sensible for smoking to be banned from public places. It has become a personal matter and therefore if caught smoking in a public place people should be fined as they have to suffer the consequences of possibly harming someone else's long term health.
Posted by: J Navarro 62I believe that smoking in public places endangers the health of all people in the public area, and endangering people's health warrants a fine.
For those who smoke, freedom to act upon their own desires sounds reasonable. However, upon considering the negative impact to the health of others the rationale begins to crumble. Virtually any other action that puts others in danger, such as reckless driving or careless aiming of a gun, results in a fine or imprisonment. Smokers in public places ought to suffer similar consequences.
Posted by: ButEasyI agree with this...
Smoking is injurious to your health. It causes cancer. Those who smoke they harm themselves but they harm our environment and non smokers also. Many people today suffer from asthma and they can not have just a little stroke but die. Smoking also causes pollution and people who smoke leave their cigarettes everywhere they can (on the ground, in the grass, on the plants.) No-no to smokers!
Thank you.Posted by: AnonymousI do believe that police should issue fines for smoking in public places where smoking is banned.
If fines are not imposed on illegal behavior, then there is little to discourage it. In public places, where smoking is prohibited, such as pubic buildings, playgrounds and schools, these rules should be enforced. Parents really hate taking their kids to public playgrounds where other adults and teenagers are smoking. It poses a health risk to the children. If smoking has been banned in the public place, then enforce the law and fine folks for doing it. It would make the playgrounds so much more pleasant.
Posted by: MeatyClarence70Yes, because it's the law.
It's the law in many areas that smoking in certain public places is not allowed. It's not just a policy, but a law. Therefore, it's only logical that fines would be imposed as punishment for violating the law. Putting a person is jail for it should come only after fines are failed to be paid. Fines should come after a warning.
Posted by: R34d3HomeyBecause smoking in public is hazardous to the health of others, it should be illegal, with a fine attached to it.
If I'm able to carry around a deadly weapon and use it at will with impunity, why wouldn't I do so? That is what public cigarette smoking is. It is the use of a deadly weapon with impunity. Not only does this weapon kill the person using it, it kills those around the person. For this reason, public smoking should not be tolerated, and should have a fine attached to it.
Posted by: MariaRIt is both legal to do so, and it will minimize collateral risk caused by smokers.
Second-hand smoke is proven to be at least as carcinogenic as firsthand smoke, and smokers are already causing enough damage to themselves without involving innocent women and children. Public smoking is both obnoxious and dangerous, and much of the populace is already against it. As for the legality of such measures, states are absolutely allowed to implement them under constitutional police powers.
Posted by: TheSansI think fines should be imposed for smoking in public places to deter smokers from imposing their smoke on everyone else.
I think fines should be imposed on smokers who insist on smoking in public places. It is well known that second-hand smoke is bad for people and, even if it wasn't, it's very annoying for non-smokers. Most smokers are polite enough to put out their cigarette after a friendly reminder, so this fine should only be imposed on the deliberately rude smokers who need an extra push to teach them how to behave.
Posted by: tagappsSmoking should be banned in public places for three simple reasons.
Firstly, it poses an imminent and unavoidable health risk to those that are innocent bystanders who do not have a choice. Secondly, it sets a bad example for others. Impressionable teenagers, for example, assume this is a "cool adult" thing to do and therefore they may want to try it. Finally, it's a fire hazard and an environmental strain!
Posted by: Anonymous
No smoking is still a legal product.
The response to smoking has gone too far. Cigarettes and cigars are legal products. It is absurd that it become illegal to use those products in public places. Certainly people should be considerate of those around them to avoid blowing the smoke on or towards them, but the products are legal and the use of them is still legal.
Posted by: R43ShepI do not think fines should be given for people who smoke in public.
I do not think that fines should be given to people who are smoking in public. Smoking is a choice and should not be punishable by the government. Every time someone buys a pack or carton of cigarettes they are paying a very high amount of taxes which help fund things such as schools.
Posted by: TickoCa22