What triggered the FDA changes?

[pipesmokingtom]

Right. It's a social thing that influences politics. Smoking is bad - how bad is debatable, but irrelevant. People who don't like smoking are loud and if you counter their arguments, you hate the children. They've built up their anti-smoking crusade to be some sort of infallible, morally superior high-ground and there is no room for compromise. Now we're even talking about third-hand smoke, and evidently we're able to damage the health of the innocent just by having smoke particles in our clothes and furniture. *sigh*
We are fighting a losing battle and have an unjustifiable position.

 

[perdurabo]

PipesmokingTom, great point about the smoke particles....what about the molds, pollen, pet dander,etc. Get rid of smoke particles,lol we can't kill the animals, destroy the tress and flowers, and control mold. My concern about smoking around my kids was the nicotine they'd enhale. Come to find out nicotine evaporates in the air immediately. This is ignored, smoke maybe an allergen but so's the rest of the stuff in the air around us. Let's not discuss the individuals reaction toward tobacco, it changes from person to person. You can't have a standard to base the data on. Impossible.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Right, but smoking tobacco is a behavior. Comparing it to environmental health hazards is a false equivalence. We are choosing to damage our neighbors health, and this can not be allowed. At least not at the prices the free market would bare. If we want to behave badly - we're going to feel the pain in our wallets.

 

[warren]

Interesting about Reno. I can see the push back, who wants to leave a slot or table to go smoke? In Vegas I know one can leave a table, chips on the felt and come back knowing that all the chips are as one left them. Slots I suppose are a different matter.
Up here it was the servers (bartenders, wait staff, etc.) who backed the ban in the bars and restaurants. I know the knee jerk response is, "get another job" but, such didn't fly up here. After that it was easy for the Assembly to pass a ban in all public buildings.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

In Vegas I know one can leave a table, chips on the felt and come back knowing that all the chips are as one left them. Slots I suppose are a different matter.

The casinos proper were exempted from the ban. It affected bar owners that have gambling in their establishments the worst. If I have to leave my beer and my mindless video poker to go outside to have a smoke, I'm just going to go somewhere where I can do all three at the same time (a casino).
If I have to take a break from compulsively pushing the button to blow a cig, I'll have more time to think about compulsively pushing the button. Maybe I'll even just decide to go home and spend time with my family tonight instead of blowing all my money at this bar

 

[tmb152]

I'm actually cool with smoking bans in restaurants and buildings. I don't care to eat smoke.

Of course, those really affected are the perpetual cigarette smokers who smoke a couple packs a day. They are the most likely to want to smoke during a meal or right after and have to stand outside. As a pipe and cigar smoker, I have no problem waiting until after I leave the building. Indeed, cigars smell best when you are the one smoking them, I cannot say I enjoy them as much if someone else is smoking one in the room.
And I also cannot say I have ever entered a room in my life with a /pipe/ smoker and been bothered by the smoke. Indeed, more often, it is rather pleasant and appealing.
But until the indoor smoking ban, smoking sections were FULL of smokers! I really feel for those (cigarette) smokers who are forced to stand outside in the heat, cold or rain to have a smoke, I don't see any reason why a room in a(n especially large) building could not be made available with air filtration. We live in a representative republic and our laws were created EXACTLY so that minority's rights could be protected to have equal say under the law, unlike a democracy where mob rules. There is no justice in saying you smokers are a small(er) lot so we will trash all consideration of your needs in lieu of the convenience of others.