A Bit of an Anti-Smokers Rant

[zonomo]

No wonder there is a tidal wave of Anti-Smoker thinking in our society. In walking this AM to my neighborhood coffee shop, I see this man in a suit smoking a cig, no problem there. Then he flicks his ash onto the door step of a building, which will get tacked into the building. Then he drops the cig butt, steps on it and walks into another building. That got me to looking down on the sidewalk and I see the smokers litter everywhere! I know this topic has been discussed to death here but I had to get this off my chest.

 

[phred]

As a 'reformed anti' myself, I have to admit that much of my objection to smoking was not about the smoke per se (although I'm still not a fan of stale smoke smell), but the littering involved. Spent matches, ground-out butts (or still-smoldering ones - even worse in a dry climate), ash piles... I was older than I care to admit before I found out that there were some smokers who actually policed their butts.

 

[dlattim]

It has always amazed me that a person that would never throw a can or piece of paper on the street will mindlessly toss a cig butt down or out the window of his car. Even worse is the dumping of full car ash trays in streets and parking lots. I can't figure out how people justify this.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

Here in WA state flicking your cigarette out a car window or just leaving it on the ground will get you a $1001 fine. It used to be only $121, but because there were so many brush fires along freeways and other areas because of cigarette smokers they up the fine to $1001. If the cop catches you it will be a bad day for sure. Serves them right though. If you're going to smoke then at least be responsible for your butts and other trash.

 

[kashmir]

This gets me to thinking that most cig smokers don't really enjoy the smoke. They just need it. And need it now. At the end of the butt, why, they're just disgusted and throw it down. Don't see that with cigars and pipes tho. I've always thought that if cig smokers could see how much we enjoy our pipes and cigars, there'd be more who'd go for the switch.

 

[bigboi]

I agree, the trash really lends to the anti-smoking way of thinking. I try to pick up the smokers mess if I am someplace smoking my pipe and see it. One,its trash and needs to be put in a trash can and 2, when people see the pipe guy picking up other smokers trash it helps them realize not all smokers are careless of the environment. Do I like picking up other people's trash. NO. But I do because I want there to be a positive image of pipe smokers. I also say something to people who flick their butts.

 

[brdavidson]

This is a 100% true story, driving down the highway to work a few years ago and the guy in front of me flicked out his butt. Didn't think much of it until about 5 minutes later when smoke started pouring into the cabin. I pulled over and popped the hood and the sound dampening mat they use to quiet engine noise was on fire! I had some water in the car and put the fire out. I took it to the shop around the corner of my office and told them what happened and asked them to check it out. Turns out the butt went up under the hood and caused the fire, they found the butt up inside the noise matt! The mechanic in 20 years had never seen anything like it.

 

[scottishjohn]

With my "pipe"; I personally leave no evidence.

Only a "room note" here and there. :puffpipe:

 

[ugh457]

A similar story to brdavidson, a friend of ours was riding his motorcycle, and the motorist in front tossed his cigarette butt out the window. He ended up catching it in his helmet; luckily, no serious injury to him; just the car door of the offending motorist when he caught up to them ...

 

[zonomo]

Well, these stories just make we wish that instead of having anti-smoking laws that ban it everywhere, that we just had stiffer penalties for litter bugs. I'm sure a police officer would love to write a $1001 ticket vs a $45 speeding ticket anyway. Just makes me mad because I know there are considerate smokers out there.

 

[teufelhund]

I know all to well the police calls; it was almost a cardinal sin to not field strip your butts. I'm so glad I have more than five minutes to myself to sit back and enjoy a bowl rather than just puff through a cigarette and rush back to the world. ::

 

[appointed]

Seems that all the negative conceptions folks have of smokers all goes back to cigarettes. But the littering problem is an easy one to solve. Simply raise littering fines and direct the police to ticket them for littering. A few $500 or $1,000 will make most folks cautious about throwing their butts everywhere. That's usually the very reason they litter in the first place. Most folks won't throw trash out their windows for fear of a ticket, but no one ever does anything about butts. Seems to me this would be a worthwhile and effective solution. I am generally against taxes, fines and regulations, but butts are ugly to see and costly to clean up. Not to mention fire hazards. If someone wants to smoke nails, then by all means do so, but I do not think it is much to ask that they pick up after themselves. I certainly do not discard my pipes on the roadside after I am finished.

 

[drwatson]

I have noticed at times here the anti-cigarette community. I amnot a cigarette smoker,and I dont like the litter either. I also agree that litter is litter, and it should be delt with as that. But side note rant, although we/you may not enjoy that smell, Is it not all tobacco? If we think for any minute they wont come after us after they have finished with the cigarette companies, think again. If anything they are our big brothers that can beat up the neighborhood bully. These companies have all the money and lobbying power.

 

[tombraider]

Years ago there were ash trays and garbage cans in parking lots, street corners and at the entrances to buildings. These things are hard to find nowadays. The "powers that be" think that if they take away the ashtrays people will find something better to do with their butts. They have found something worse.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I think you're right. It seems the biggest hang up about cigarette smokers is the littering with just stomping the butts out anywhere or tossing them out the window of the car.
When I'm out and about with my pipe I keep an old tin on hand for the ash and spent matches.

 

[scottishjohn]

lordofthepipering; +1 on the empty tin use. That makes two of us. :puffpipe:

 

[zonomo]

I amnot a cigarette smoker,and I dont like the litter either. I also agree that litter is litter, and it should be delt with as that. But side note rant, although we/you may not enjoy that smell, Is it not all tobacco?

I don't think the smell is at issue here. I personally don't like the smell but I also hate the smell of parmesan cheese. I just don't think it should be illegal. Now if people started leaving their left over parmesan cheese all over the place, I'd be in support of a stiff littering fine for that.

If we think for any minute they wont come after us after they have finished with the cigarette companies, think again.

But they HAVE already come after us by lumping pipe smokers in with cigarette smokers. The Internet Sales Tax will be yet another hit.

Years ago there were ash trays and garbage cans in parking lots, street corners and at the entrances to buildings.

Really great point Tombraider.

 

[deanp]

The problem isn't the smoking, it's the littering. Unfortunately, this just gives anti's more ammunition to pile on to support their smoking bans.

 

[roadqueen]

I'm one of the considerate smokers. I stand downwind of non-smokers, I don't smoke (cig or pipe) at crowded events, and I certainly don't like butt litter. I usually carry an empty cig pack, and after discarding the cherry, deposit my butt in the box to be thrown out later. I call it my Stinky Butt Box. If I don't happen to have my portable trash receptacle with me, I use the same method of putting it out, then stick the butt in my jean pocket. Easy-peasy, I don't know why more smokers can't be bothered to take that tiny step.
I do agree though, it's just one more arrow in the anti-smoking movement's quiver. Cig smokers! Stop littering!

 

[phred]

But side note rant, although we/you may not enjoy that smell, Is it not all tobacco?

Well, since I'm the one who brought up the smell...
Not exactly. My palate may not yet be educated enough to discern the amount of Latakia in a blend, but there is a discernible difference between cigarette smoke, cigar smoke, and pipe smoke when they're being smoked. Once they've gone stale, the difference is negligible - and it's the stale smell that really gets to me. And there are those who believe that the other additives in cigarettes make the smoke smell that much worse, which I'd consider to be a working hypothesis. It's one reason I was surprised to find my friend's experiments with pipe smoking to be pleasant enough to start my own - the scent of the pipe tobacco was actually pleasant, while cigars are merely tolerable to me, and cigs are barely tolerable. My quirk - and mostly a side issue with regard to the littering. :D