By Michael Travis
Editor in Chief
These days, smoking a cigarette feels like a crime.
People frown at you as they walk by, look at you like you’re doing something wrong, or what’s worse, act as if you have some terrible, contagious disease that must be avoided at all costs.
Why has the anti-smoking trend gone so far as to evoke disgust at the mere thought of a smoker?
Simply because non-smokers don’t like the smell of smoke, or feel that those tiny puffs of second-hand on the wind are so life-threatening that the faintest exposure will do irreparable harm.
Most of this hype and unwarranted fear has been caused by an intense anti-smoking campaign that has been unwillingly (and some would say unlawfully) funded by tobacco companies, thanks to a heavily biased court ruling.
The campaign has successfully managed to turn public sentiment against cigarettes — and the smoker.
In California and other heavily urban states like New York, the anti-smoking movement has led to all-out smoking bans in certain public areas. Restaurants and bars are the most common places where this has happened.
These types of bans are understandable — people shouldn’t have to breathe smoke while they eat, and waitresses in bars shouldn’t have to suffer from lung cancer later in life. Indoor areas trap smoke and make it more dangerous for people to breathe.
What is ridiculous, however, are recent prohibitions that have been imposed on larger, open-air areas — like college campuses.
Admittedly, some campuses are bigger than others, but the point is that outdoors, exhaled smoke drifts up and away, far from the reach of human lungs. The smoke isn’t trapped in a confined space like it is indoors.
Instead of a blanket ban, colleges and other large outdoor venues — such as Disneyland, for example — should at least consider having smoking areas where those who choose to exercise their freedom to smoke may do so in peace, without bothering anybody.
Non-smokers can be made aware of these areas, and avoid them if they choose to do so.
A recent study found that roughly 25 percent of people in the United States consider themselves “regular smokers.”
That means there are more than 62 million people who smoke on a regular basis. This does not include those who smoke “socially.” Obviously some consideration must be given to a group so large.
Another shocking development in the crusade against smoking involves advocacy groups that are trying to ban smoking in new Los Angeles housing projects. The proposals would prohibit anyone inside the government-subsidized apartments from lighting a cigarette, even inside the very rooms in which they live.
Some people might think that the idea is a great one — after all it will keep things smelling fresh and reduce fire risks.
But the proposal has one huge problem.
It totally invades an aspect of people’s lives that are not subject to the control of any government agency.
We’re talking about privacy and personal freedom here.
No law should be able to tell someone if they can smoke in their own home, just as laws should not be allowed to dictate what food someone eats on what day.
The bottom line is, this is a free country, and people are free to smoke tobacco in it if they so choose. Adults are not children, and are fully aware of the risks they take when they light up. There is even a blatant warning label on the boxes and cartons that the cigarettes are packaged in.
If you don’t like the smell of smoke, walk the other way. If you are worried about second-hand smoke, avoid the person — the planet Earth is a pretty big place and there’s plenty of room for everyone.
Repeated warnings, bans and demonstrations against smoking only serve to drive society into alienating another group of people. And the last time I checked, that was totally against what the United States stands for.
Next time you see someone smoking, give them a break. Remember they’re people too.
January 23, 2003