The European Commission wants Member states to ban cigarettes, e-cigarettes and heated products tobacco from outdoor areas, according to new recommendations published on Tuesday (17 September).
I'm a former smoker, I miss them like I miss my first true love. Every now and then I still go for my pack and its been 5 years. I STILL chew nicotine gum but stop being pussies and fucking ban cigarettes. Stop trying to nudge smoking into this shitty little niche, Stealing peoples liberties inch by fucking inch is a bitch move.
Either be willing to fight the fight with the addicts and big tobacco or not.
I was only aiming for the lulz because cities outdoor particulate matter or PM 2.5 is terrible, and mostly generated by cars. But their sales/ companies lobby are stronger than those of nowadays tobacco brands...
I'm not sure how I feel about this, and I'm a non-smoker who hates cigarette (well, any kind of) smoke, and despite getting permanently nose-hit by CoVid, I can still smell cigarette smoke from miles away.
As much as it sounds lovely at first, this is restricting smokers way too much. If, as a European you find it ridiculous that you have to hide your alcohol bottle/flask/can with a paper bag in public in parts of the US, then this is even more restrictive. Apart from the dismissive answers to the question "Where should I smoke now", the only typical answer is "at home". Now, if these smokers live together with non-smokers then this is either forcing them to smoke under their nose or find the nearest place where it is allowed (good luck).
On the other hand, fuck yes. It is forbidden in bus/metro stops where I live, but not in the narrow, enclosed passageway leading out of the stop. Therefore, smokers get out of the train, start smoking as soon as they leave the stop (to be honest: right in the stop), and the two slow walkers right in front of me prevent me from overtaking, and the same is true behind me - so I have to inhale that shit while we walk along that long passageway.
And not like it was much different on a busy pavement, in outside seating, etc.
If they actually disposed correctly of their cancer-sticks I would prefer to be a ban only on urban areas. But seeing how the entire floor is littered by the paper dildos, I think smokers haven't shown they can responsibly smoke in non-urban areas. Fuck them.
This reminds me a little bit of judging any kind of social (or ethnic?) group by the loudest ones. You don't see the decent ones not leaving cig butts. On the other hand, maybe it doesn't even matter if there are people who still leave them.
But similarly to the prohibition era, I don't think this will make smokers quit; this will just push the users to smoke/litter in less controlled areas. I hope I'm wrong.
Now that you mentioned... you're right, I always knew, even as a kid (I have only seen that in movies, though, which tend to make it super obvious anyway). In that case I didn't use the best analogy.
Indoor smoking bans in public places made sense, but this is just dumb as fuck.
Second-hand cigarette smoke is a health hazard when frequently ingested and it was probably refreshing to not have everything smell like tobacco. But this harmed the hospitality sector and made smokers far less inclined to go out drinking. A lot of pubs shut after the 2007 smoking ban introduced by the UK and the hospitality sector hasn't really recovered since. A good 'best of both worlds' approach would have been to allow larger establishments to have a ventilated indoor smoking area and make it a soft-ban, but unfortunately big tobacco is the enemy.
And now Keir Starmer (British PM) wants to push through a similar outdoor smoking ban to what the EU are proposing, where it would become illegal to light up outside a hospital or in a pub beer garden.
This moronic plan would basically kill what is left of the hospitality industry, and if Keir Starmer's grand master plan to solve our country's housing crisis is to make more pubs shut so greedy parasitic landlords and property developers can snap them up and turn them for a profit, then he's gonna be remembered as the UK's worst prime minister. And believe me when I say that the Tory bastards who killed thousands with austerity measures, dragged us kicking & screaming out of the European Union, partied in 10 Downing Street while we were forced to lock down from COVID, and who crashed our economy with tax cuts have put up some stiff competition.
Fun fact, you used to be able to smoke on airplanes, and the air quality on flights actually decreased after smoking bans were put in place, because the regulations around air conditioning were also cut.
Cigarettes, sure, but including ecigs sounds unreasonable? I quit smoking couple of years ago and regular cigarette smell makes me gag but Iqos and liquid vapes are not that offensive outdoors.
I have only smoked regular cigarettes (quit 5 years ago after 10 year long addiction). Not sure why you assumed I use ecigs. I can only say tribalism is a cancer upon internet discourse.
Ecigs are just as, if not more disgusting than regular cigarettes. Vape clouds tend to linger in the air a lot longer. And then there's the fact that single-use vapes exist and it's a fucking disgrace.
There are obvious health benefits from making smoking as annoying as possible for smokers which will lead to long term medical cost decrease. Secondary smoke from ecigs outdoors is still neglible compared to cars, farts and people in general.
I find lots of things annoying outdoors but I guess it's not so common here to become an issue. Ecigs users are usually conscious enough to keep distance from other people. I hear it's getting pretty bad with disposable vapes but haven't seen much of that myself, likely a perk of not living in a big city.
O hate regular smoke smell, but weirdly I prefer it to flavoured e-smokes. My brain is telling me that that's artificial as fuck and I should stay clear. And it's right.
As much as I like the idea of getting rid of smoking altogether, this is a huge infringement on self-determination. Sure, go ahead and declare certain public areas as non-smoking zones. I'm absolutely fine with that. Even if it means that the entire inner city is such a zone. No one should have to inhale secondhand smoke. But if you're somewhere where you don't bother anyone, why should that be illegal?
At home, in private lodgings and dedicated smoking areas.
This is one thing once more which would be a non issue if it weren't for the people who throw their stubs everywhere and blow smoke in the faces of others.
But how are you supposed to smoke at home when smoke detectors are required by law already and cigs keep setting them off? Not everybody lives in a gaff with a balcony or in a house with a garden behind.
Plus, I don't like smoking at home either. Just glad I got a balcony for that.
they should get a person sized air tight box, get inside, smoke as much as they'd like. but they shouldn't be allowed to open the box again because i don't want that shit going outside.
The article says the focus is on kid-friendly outdoor areas like parks and near schools, which makes total sense as a place to start. Doesn't seem like it's everywhere outside being banned. And generally encouraging people to not take up smoking in the first place is wonderful. For people who smoke, quitting is the biggest thing they can do to improve their health.
This is a good compromise. I understand cafés wanting to be able to have their guests smoke at the tables on the street, and frankly if someone is walking the street at night by himself i couldn't care less whether he smokes as long as the remains are put in the trash.
The article uses the phrase “key outdoor areas” so I would assume this means you can’t smoke in a crowded plaza but you can still do so on your own balcony or whatever.
Lmaooo good luck, like half the population under 30 vapes now. Those wrappers all over aren't all one "vape georg" who is more nicotine than man.
If anything, if Europe wants to save it's entertainment and restaurant industries from streaming and ghost kitchens the #1 thing they could do to instantly boost interest in local spaces is to allow vaping indoors.
Huge reason no one goes to cinemas anymore is cuz you can't vape in there as freely as you can at home.
Huge reason no one goes to cinemas anymore is cuz you can’t vape in there as freely as you can at home.
I assure you, as someone who doesn't smoke or vape, that is not the reason I don't go to cinemas.
On the contrary, being trapped in a room with dozens of smokers or vapers would further discourage me from going.
In England again, a study of ~180k showed in 2023 that the proportion long-term actively vaping is now 10%, from 4% in 2021, and only 1.3% in 2013.
At 10%, that's 6.6 Million vapers in the UK.
Considering active research since the 90s has been in a desperate hunt to be the next big public health discovery, but has not yet managed to come up with any actual negative effects of vaping save the rise in BP from Nico comparable to a cup of coffee, and how surprisingly many say nicotine improved their mental health (see the ash study) myself included, I'd say it's unlikely people are going to stop any time soon either.