5 days till the ban in wales

[jumpy]

Being a relatively recent ex-smoker I have to say I find the ban smoking in public ruse somewhat hypocritical when we have our city centres choked up by loads of traffic fumes... You only have to walk into town to get a hefty dose of diesel exhaust from all of the buses and emissions from other road vehicles. Prohibiting smoking in all of these places seems a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted already. :hmm:

Besides, I've always considered the possibility of getting glassed or stabbed outside any one of Leicester's drinking establishments on any given friday or saturday night far more of a risk to my health than the bloke smoking a fag at the next table. But that's just me.
Where food is being served is a bit different, but on the whole I find the entire exercise to be a rather dubious and more geared around what's currently fashionable to hate and be seen to hate than out of any real concern for improving public health.

If governments are so solicitous regarding the health of their citizens, then why don't they stop pissing about with these namby pamby edicts to 'protect' all an sundry from the evil ill health despot of second hand smoke and actually do something concrete about removing tobacco from public consumption completely?
Ha! on one hand they are saying "it's your choice as an adult to smoke or not" and on the other you are vilified as some kind of pre-emptive child murderer with your despicable dirty habit (and all the while taking your money regardless). Come on, which is it to be?
Meh. I suppose when half measures are the order of the day, who wants to deny their treasury of the billions of pounds in duty and taxes that are currently levied on the sale of cigarettes? And if this source or revenue 'goes up in smoke' (ahaha, just my little joke) then where will the shortfall be recouped from?

TBH there's more questions than answers as far as I can see. At the very least be true in your motivation and carry it forwards in the same manner instead of the current lip service which we are beginning to see in the form of prohibiting smoking in public places. I wonder how long it will be before you get issued a fixed penalty notice for smoking whilst walking down the street? Well those lost taxes have to be made up somewhere don't they heheh. Which kind of brings me to the root of the problem here; it's all about money - were it not for that tobacco would have been ditched years ago as it pushes all of the right buttons as a highly addictive and damaging control substance, like alcohol for instance; but again there's plenty of people who are quite happy to drink to excess and consider it wholely acceptable behaviour around others, both young and old, so I guess it depends entirely on your point of view as to what consists 'good' or healthy behaviour for you or those around you.

On the grand scale of things allegedly protecting peolpe from passive smoke is of very little concern really, out of all of the other things that have a negative influence on your health there's far more immidiate issues which should be addressed.

Now, where are my smokes? damn! I gave up... I suppose those mind control adverts and water additives to make you more suggestable are really working