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Smoking and democracy
• MAY I reassure Margaret King (At last a life without smoke, July 5) that I have always been a considerate smoker and sincerely believe I have not “seriously damaged anyone’s health”.
I also believe the passive smoking issue to be not proven.
With the exception of psychiatric day rooms, I am not against the banning of smoking in ‘enclosed public places’ only when a cup of tea is available.
I, too, dislike a smoky environment but it is so easily solved with separate areas and decent air-conditioning.
I would prefer the choice of smoking or non-smoking to be the decision of café and pub owners. This also gives customers a choice and is far more democratic.
EILEEN EARNSHAW
Oriel Place
NW3
• LIKE many non-smokers I welcome the ban.
I also understand the bitterness of smokers who feel the government is interfering in personal choice.
I just hope that all this will not incite some smokers to set up illegal smoking clubs.
In the meantime I don’t wish to appear greedy and ask for smoke-free pavements but I would like to see smoke-free bus
shelters.
CHRISTINE MOULIE
Lismore Close, NW5
• MARGARET King concludes that “any fair-minded person would have to agree that it’s high time the rights of non-smokers were made paramount” (At last, a life without smoke, July 5).
As a smoker, I could not agree more.
The pro-smoking argument from the beginning was to implement legislation whereby both smoking and non-smoking public premises could be in existence.
The anti-smoking lobby, however, has always approached the issue from the infantile position that assumes that all smokers deliberately wish to inflict the practice on those around us.
I don’t want anyone to breathe my tobacco smoke and I certainly don’t wish to impose on the rights of other individuals. I do want to be treated like an adult, however, and I do want the right to make my own decisions.
The original suggestion put forward to legislate for a contained number of smoking premises satisfies both sides of the argument. Obviously, this suggestion proved far too practical and sensible for the current climate.
The argument that smoking premises would impinge on employees’ rights falls apart when you consider the inherent discrimination in the new legislation, which makes no provision for prison wardens, careworkers, hotel staff and council tradespeople.
It’s also worth pointing out that the tobacco trade is the biggest case of drug trafficking in human history and the traffickers are our governments themselves.
If I and my smoking fraternity are such a menace to society, I challenge the government to designate tobacco as a class C drug and have done with it. But this will never happen. I know the reason why.
And if the anti-smoking legislators look up the word hypocrisy in the dictionary, they’ll understand as well.
ALAN MCDONALD
Tufnell Park Road, N7
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