Nanadee and bella, you both brought up some very good points! Like both of you agree that smoking like drinking should be be a choice if you so choose. To abuse either would be foolish, however many people do. But that is their choice and as long as it doesn't infringe upon my rights they are free to do as they want.

Frankly I would prefer a hundred times over, having a smoker coming at me on the hi-way or roadway than a drunk or drug addict. Or worse, some stupid fool talking on a cell phone distracted by a conversation, or trying to text message while driving! Those things terrify me!!! And they are far more likely to kill me then the few cigarettes I smoke a day that will take a culmination of decades to do any damage, (if they do) as opposed to a matter of seconds in a fatal car crash.

I am one of the first to complain when someone doesn't smoke responsibly. And that means not smoking in the presence of others who may find it irritating, or have health issues related to asthma or allergies. Or those who do not dispose of their cigarette butts properly. THEY irritate the crap out of me! If one is going to smoke they have no business throwing their butts out the window of their car or dumping their ashtrays in parking lots or any other place other then a trash receptacle.

And again I have to be the first to agree that smoking should not be allowed in public places other then bars, bowling alleys, billiard parlors and the like. Eating establishments, hospitals, dept. stores, office buildings etc.etc. should have banned it many years ago. I am happy with that. However where I draw the line  is where the state or govt. has mandated a ban on smoking in privately owned businesses. This SHOULD be up to the individual owner and not mandated by any govt. or state agency. If the business owner chooses to smoke on HIS or HER OWN PROPERTY, or chooses to allow his patrons or employees to smoke, as well that  should be his or her CHOICE! If non smokers choose not to patronize this establishment for that reason, that is THEIR choice.

I suppose the next thing the govt. will have to OUTLAW is sunbathing and tanning salons. Considering the incidence rate of malignant melanomas has risen by 40% in the last few years,and is one of the most virulent and deadly cancers known to man, alongside pancreatic cancer. (which has been blamed on "smoking" as well, because a few people that have died from it, smoked)

The question is, where does it end? Before long all of our rights will be taken away from us, including eating, drinking water, and breathing, because all of these things contain carcinogens. OH! And we better quit driving our cars as well, as they are one of the biggest contributors to pollution of carcinogenic substances in history. I wonder how many people would give up their cars if the govt. told them they had to?!!!!! That would be a fight I'd like to see!!!

And while I'm on the subject, to ANYONE who sprays their yard with chemicals that make me VIOLENTLY sick and unable to breathe, if you can spray your yard with deadly chemicals, I should certainly have the right to smoke a couple of cigarettes a day, that aren't doing a fraction of the damage to my body, that all those chemicals I'm inhaling do.

Yard chemicals and sprays, along with agricultural pestisides and insectisides should have been top priority on the govt.'s hit list decades ago. Where are they on the important matters?

If the govt. wants to go after somebody it should be those destroying MY clean air with their lawn chemicals and farm chemicals, from which I can't run or hide!!! I HAVE NO CHOICE!!!!

At least the cry babies can stay away from cigarette smoke, IF THEY CHOOSE! Where are those of us violently allergic to these chemicals supossed to go???? The MOON????