Smoking in cars

[Topaz]

Should people smoke in a car were there are kids in it? Rolling down the window won't help much just blow the smoke in the back were the kids are. Apparently there going to be a fine of $200 if caught. If I'm not mistaken, aren't drivers suppose keep BOTH hands on the wheel at all times?? If so, how can one smoke, drink, eat, shave, apply makeup, talk in the cell phone???

[Drea]

Should people smoke in a car were there are kids in it? Rolling down the window won't help much just blow the smoke in the back were the kids are. Apparently there going to be a fine of $200 if caught. If I'm not mistaken, aren't drivers suppose keep BOTH hands on the wheel at all times?? If so, how can one smoke, drink, eat, shave, apply makeup, talk in the cell phone???

What about the people who drive standards? Ack all this time they have been illegally taking their right hand OFF the wheel to shift. OMG!

/sarcam

I smoke when I drive. If one cannot smoke and drive, one needs driving lessons. As for having the kid in the car. I say I am glad I no longer have little kids. Next "they" will be coming into our homes.

So next time I see a parent feeding their kids McDonald's I am going to phone social services. They are directly putting the health of their child at risk by letting them eat that garbage. Also the grocery store. Parents should have identifing tattooes so we can stop them from purchasing food items (twinkies etc) that may be detrimental to their children. Only those adults with no children or grandchildren should be allowed to purchase anything but milk and fresh vegetables.

/not sarcasm.

[BC_chick]

I don't smoke, but the whole anti-smoking witch-hunt has got to stop! Sure, let your kids eat Kraft dinner every day of the week, don't give them any fruits or vegetables, don't care if they ever exercise, let them play unsupervised on the internet where all types of evil lurks, but we're coming after you if you smoke in the car with them. Just to add insult to injury though, you're free to smoke to your heart's content in your tiny two-bedroom apartment you share with the kids.... even with all the windows closed.

Ridiculous!

[seabee]

Next thing, the health nazis are going to make people believe that a person who smokes in a car in which there is a child is as dangerous as the gas death rooms in Germany before 1945.

Will they forbid people with children to smoke in their own homes? In other words, if you smoke, don't have children. To make sure, smokers should be sterilized. [sarcasm, obviously].

People have been smoking much less in the last few decades. Results? Increase in childhood asthma, not a decrease. Increase in smog. Increase in mortality due to smog.

What if lung cancer was never due to smoking but from cars? And the overly sedentary lives that goes with it. What about the drastic increase in childhood obesity, in juvenile diabetes.

I have a solution to please everyone: forbid children in cars. [sarcasm, of course).

Smoking does not kill people; people kill people, or something like that.

[Guest American Woman]

Will they forbid people with children to smoke in their own homes? In other words, if you smoke, don't have children. To make sure, smokers should be sterilized. [sarcasm, obviously].

It appears you could lose custody of your kids if you smoke.

An Ohio court last year gave custody of a 6-year-old boy to his father solely because the boy’s mother and her fiancé smoked.

Link

[Shakeyhands]

I dunno... this doesn't seem too big of a deal to me. We have worked to rid public places of the danger of second hand smoke, and rightly so. Does it no logically follow that we protect those the least capable of protecting themselves?

btw - I smoke, and I never do it in the house, car or for that matter in front of my children. Its a small concession for their health.

Edited December 8, 2007 by Shakeyhands

[Big Blue Machine]

They should work on banning cellphones from cars.

[Lazarus]

I dunno... this doesn't seem too big of a deal to me. We have worked to rid public places of the danger of second hand smoke, and rightly so. Does it no logically follow that we protect those the least capable of protecting themselves?

btw - I smoke, and I never do it in the house, car or for that matter in front of my children. Its a small concession for their health.

Ditto, I also smoke, filthy nasty habit that it is. But I don't smoke indoors when I have non-smoking visitors nor do I smoke in the car if I have one of my nieces or nephews with me, or any other non-smoker. (one of the benefits of riding my motorbike to work is that it cuts down on my commute smoking)

So the so-called Health Nazi's stopped us from smoking at our favorite restaurants or bars? Made sure we can't smoke inside our offices and now want to stop us from smoking in cars with kids in them. Great, to be honest I am all for these measures and then some. As far as I am concerned, my right to smoke stops at your right to breathe unpolluted and clean air.

Personally I see these measures as a positive health and safety measures, along the lines of the laws that say you can't take a drop a load in the middle of your office floor. But I guess some people have a problem being told what they can or cannot do, even when its common sense.

[Lazarus]

They should work on banning cellphones from cars.

Ask anyone who rides a motorbike about this, and they will agree with damn near 110%.

[Topaz]

I do feel for people that smoke and I have a relative that tried to quit but wasn't strong enough until... at the age of 50, they found a spot in the lymph node on the right-side . He went through treatments for 6 months, traveling everyday 3.5 hrs to hospital and home, was very stressed out , took the patch and zyban and the fear of dying, had quit smoking in 4 months and beat cancer. The drs said he had it in his body about 3-5 years, when it gets to 8-10 few will survive. He had no symptoms what so ever, just got luck and went to his drs on another matter. He was one of many who never thought it would happen to him because he became the first in his family to have cancer, but started smoking at 14 and cancer finally got him 36 years later. I just wondering what are smokers going to do when the government decides to ban smoking in Canada when the healthcare can no profit from treating the smokers or the government isn't making any money on the taxes.

[Carinthia]

I am also a smoker but I completely agree with no smoking around people who do not smoke. I don't smoke when there are children in my house or in my car. Smoking in a closed up car when there are children in it seems like an irresponsible thing to do. If I had it to do all over again I would never smoke, so why would I blow smoke in the faces of little kids on a continuous basis? Not only is it detrimental to their health, it could also encourage them to take up smoking later on. Monkey see, monkey do.

I even feel a bit guilty smoking around my dogs and cats.

Edited December 9, 2007 by Carinthia

[Drea]

I don't think smoking will ever have to be "banned" completely.

Eventually there will be no more people who smoke and the tobacco companies will have to diversify.

I am a smoker but I do expect I will have to quit at some point. It just po's me that parents can feed their kids a steady diet of kd, but are vilified if the kid walks through a waft of smoke. What do the gestapo do to parents when a diesel drives by their child? What about all those poor kids who live where there is no automobile aircare? How much pollution does a child suck in while waiting on the side of the road for the schoolbus?

Indeed, someone had mentioned that childhood asthma rates are up while smoking has decreased. Perhaps we should just put kids in bubbles until they reach adulthood?

[Guest American Woman]

Indeed, someone had mentioned that childhood asthma rates are up while smoking has decreased. Perhaps we should just put kids in bubbles until they reach adulthood?

According to the Canadian Lung Association, Asthma is not caused by smoking. But of course asthma isn't the only concern regarding smoking. Still, I've always heard that there was a connection between smoking and asthma, so that news comes as a surprise to me.

[Drea]

Perhaps it's just god's way of weeding out the weak.

Here we are, all modern medicine, saving those who should not be saved. If god means a person to die, who are we to try and save them?

Asthma used to be a death sentence for those who had severe cases. Perhaps we are messing with god's plan for these people? Maybe there is a special place that they are supposed to go and we are stopping them from getting there by giving them inhalers?

Secure your place in heaven! Let the sick die -- if god gives them a sickness we should let it run its course. We should not interfere with god's plans!

[Carinthia]

Perhaps it's just god's way of weeding out the weak.

Here we are, all modern medicine, saving those who should not be saved. If god means a person to die, who are we to try and save them?

Asthma used to be a death sentence for those who had severe cases. Perhaps we are messing with god's plan for these people? Maybe there is a special place that they are supposed to go and we are stopping them from getting there by giving them inhalers?

Secure your place in heaven! Let the sick die -- if god gives them a sickness we should let it run its course. We should not interfere with god's plans!

Not being a religious person, I prefer to contribute to giving kids a fair chance at survival. Kind of like what animals do to protect their young.

[Moxie]

Both my parents were smokers, and speaking from experience the second hand smoke damn near killed me. I could barely draw a breath. Adults choose to smoke, children shouldn't have to breathe in toxic fumes because an adult chooses to smoke.

[jazzer]

What about an outdoor smoking ban? link

[capricorn]

What about an outdoor smoking ban? link

I wonder if those anti-smoking activists in Nova Scotia are lobbying the government to have tobacco made illegal with the same zeal they're using against the smoking population.

The incredible part of your linked article is that non-smoking citizens would be provided a process to launch actions against smoking citizens. If adopted, that by-law would pit one group of citizens against another group of citizens and it will not be a pretty sight.

[Carinthia]

Both my parents were smokers, and speaking from experience the second hand smoke damn near killed me. I could barely draw a breath. Adults choose to smoke, children shouldn't have to breathe in toxic fumes because an adult chooses to smoke.

Your post has jarred much guilt in me. Many years ago I remember my little daughter burying her head in her shirt to breath whenever I lit up in the car. I finally clued in and stopped out of respect for her discomfort. Wonder how many kids hate it but don't or can't act out against a parent who does it?

[Wilber]

Perhaps it's just god's way of weeding out the weak.

Here we are, all modern medicine, saving those who should not be saved. If god means a person to die, who are we to try and save them?

Asthma used to be a death sentence for those who had severe cases. Perhaps we are messing with god's plan for these people? Maybe there is a special place that they are supposed to go and we are stopping them from getting there by giving them inhalers?

Secure your place in heaven! Let the sick die -- if god gives them a sickness we should let it run its course. We should not interfere with god's plans!

People used to say that if god had meant us to fly, he/she would have given us wings. My answer was always, if god hadn't meant us to fly, he/she wouldn't have given us the brains to figure out how.

[Moxie]

Jazzer I think that bylaw sucks big time, smoking is legal and yet the Anti-Smoking Nazis want laws to make it illegal. The pollution around us is a real threat, second hand smoke a few feet away from someone isn't anymore dangerous than the emissions from an exhaust pipe. I believe there was a demonstration yesterday by non-smokers and smokers, their aim was to let the counsil know it's a stupid piece of Nanny Nation Legislation. Exposing someone to second hand smoke in confined places is one thing but to try and police an entire community is absolute madness.

Carinthia, sorry didn't mean to give you a case of the guilts. When I was young everyone seemed to smoke. I have a sister who smokes around her little girl, and I rant at her constantly about it. My niece needs puffers and inhalers, but when she visits me she has no breathing problems. My nagging is helping, she's starting to smoke less in the house and more outside on her deck. Baby steps.

[Oleg Bach]

Jazzer I think that bylaw sucks big time, smoking is legal and yet the Anti-Smoking Nazis want laws to make it illegal. The pollution around us is a real threat, second hand smoke a few feet away from someone isn't anymore dangerous than the emissions from an exhaust pipe. I believe there was a demonstration yesterday by non-smokers and smokers, their aim was to let the counsil know it's a stupid piece of Nanny Nation Legislation. Exposing someone to second hand smoke in confined places is one thing but to try and police an entire community is absolute madness.

Carinthia, sorry didn't mean to give you a case of the guilts. When I was young everyone seemed to smoke. I have a sister who smokes around her little girl, and I rant at her constantly about it. My niece needs puffers and inhalers, but when she visits me she has no breathing problems. My nagging is helping, she's starting to smoke less in the house and more outside on her deck. Baby steps.

Roll down the window and turn up the blower and ALL the smoke leaves the compartment in a car - anyway - if I want to stick a cigar in the mouth of my ten year old and light it up for him and he smokes it - that's my buisness - I own my offspring - the state does not - I brought them into the world..the state did not...my wife owns me - and she is also my property - the money I earn is mine also - and if I want to toss an unborn child into the river that's my buisness - and if I want to see my offspring go to full term - that 's my buisness - if an individual does not take ownership of his wealth - being it family or material - OTHERS WILL STAKE CLAIM- I can do what I want..go have your own children and keep your slimmy paws off mine you intruding hypocrites - maybe I may even give my two year old a shot of sweet whiskey for Christmas - send your "protection workers" over! Maybe me and the kid will be puffing Cuban cigars also - just kidding - but not by much - get your hands off my wealth - and mind your own buisness - those into the child protection racket - or monopoly - don't give a damn for other peoples kids...so they should just f o.

[AngusThermopyle]

I own my offspring - the state does not - I brought them into the world..the state did not...my wife owns me - and she is also my property

Wow! Just Wow!

So you support slavery? You believe that people are objects that can be owned? I hate to break this to you, you don't "own" anyone. You have custody of your kids, not ownership.

Once again, Wow!

[gc1765]

They should work on banning cellphones from cars.

Hear, hear.

[gc1765]

What about an outdoor smoking ban? link

Sounds good to me. I don't care what people do on their own property, but I have just as much right to be in public as anyone else without having carcinogens blown in my face.