Hawaii House passes smoking ban in public housing (section 8, insurance)

[hawaiian by heart]

Originally Posted by McFrostyJ

I can sit next to a person who is drinking a beer or eating a double cheeseburger and not be affected. However, the same can not be said if that person is smoking.

But that has nothing to do with smoking in ones home or aprtment which this law is aiming at. Understandable in public. Im for banning it in bars, restaurants. Im even for banning it in public with designated areas to smoke.

Anyway smoking is fading away, people are vaping now. But the recent actions to make vaping illegal is an example of how we have lost all common since in this issue. ITS VAPED WATER!

My point is it just a witch hunt and an issue of convenience for the same reasons i postted in my last few posts. Nothing wrong with protecting the health of people. So hopefully we will see an exaust from cars/busses law soon? No one needs to breath others smog that kills.

[McFrostyJ]

Originally Posted by hawaiian by heart

But that has nothing to do with smoking in ones home or aprtment which this law is aiming at.

You ever live in an apartment above or next to a smoker? I have and it was awful! On the bright side, it motivated us to buy our first house so that we wouldn't have to deal with that.

[hawaiian by heart]

Originally Posted by McFrostyJ

You ever live in an apartment above or next to a smoker? I have and it was awful! On the bright side, it motivated us to buy our first house so that we wouldn't have to deal with that.

Yeah im surrounded by smokers, maybe to me its not so bad because i used to be a heavy smoker when i was younger.

[Mikala43]

Originally Posted by hawaiian by heart

I believe we are forgetting if the person is a smoker or a non smoker it doesn't matter they still pay 35% of there gross wages towards rent in SEC 8. So where does the smoking come into the discussion? Morale witchhunt? Thou i personally agree that smoking is a filthy habbit and wouldn't want people to smoke, its no morally worse then the millions of people i pay for tax wise for fire, paramedics because they drank to much or ate to much red meat there whole lives.

Don't get all wound up that the poor are being picked-on, many townhouses (privately owned) are forbidding smoking except in few are far away designated areas.

It's being done everywhere here.

And I thought we DID have helmut laws?!

[Dthraco]

Originally Posted by hawaiian by heart

I stand on what i said, either you care about peoples heath or you don't. Its easy to go after a minority the poor and smokers. But what about drinking, more people die to alcohol relatted stuff then smoking. Or more people die from heart disease, diabetes and obesity from fast foods or junk food. But wheres the care for peoples health on the other issues and passing laws to protect peoples health. The reason why you don't see that is because to many people enjoy alcohol or eating fatty foods. Which goes back to my point.

I am all for doing what we can to keep people healthy, and I believe that laws are often needed to stop people from hurting each other. Yes, I am comparing second hand smoke to murder. As stated in another post, drinking and poor eating habits do not directly affect the health of the person sitting next to them. One could argue the increased costs give us less money to spend on quality food and that it does affect our health overall, but that is a much smaller impact than second hand smoke.

It's not about attacking low income smokers. This particular bill is about protecting the Kapuna who are much more at risk from second hand smoke.

We can't make laws to stop people from hurting themselves with things like bad diets and poor choices. I am very glad to see the laws start to pass to protect us from second hand smoke. I had to endure it growing up as a kid and as you can tell, I am very sensitive to smoke. Pissed any time I smell it actually. It's only with a great amount of self restraint that I don't extinguish smokers cigarettes with a small squirt gun or throw their butts back in their cars or purses when I see smokers discard their butts.

I hear where you are coming from, but think the soap box you are standing on is a bit too wide for this particular issue.

[hawaiian by heart]

Originally Posted by Mikala43

Don't get all wound up that the poor are being picked-on, many townhouses (privately owned) are forbidding smoking except in few are far away designated areas.

It's being done everywhere here.

And I thought we DID have helmut laws?!

Nope not getting twisted up, just thought why not a law banning smoking in rental housing period, if it a common thing? If its related to protecting kapuna or others, don't other people other than low income kapuna get exposed to second hand smoke?

[hawaiian by heart]

@Dthraco

Your quote: It's not about attacking low income smokers. This particular bill is about protecting the Kapuna who are much more at risk from second hand smoke. End quote:

Like i said to Mikala43, i have no issue with a law protecting kapuna or others from second hand smoke in apartment bldgs and the public. I just find it odd that this law its just focused on low income public housing only, when its a common practice in Hawaii to not have smoking rental units, and obviously there is kapuna who live outside of low income public housing.

Yes second hand smoke kills, no argument. Its politically correct to demonize tobacco and for good reasons. But really second hand smoke effects on other parties runs a distant second to. Alcohol

How many women were beaten after their drunk ass old man came home from the bar griping about his lousy day? How many teenagers will never make it to college because they were killed by a drunk driver? How many women are date-raped because alcohol was involved?

[hawaiian by heart]

How many AA meeting are held every week in America by people desperately wishing to kick their addiction. How many breathalyzer testing machines have been installed in civilian cars because they cannot help themselves? Crimes like assult and murder caused by alcohol. If we could accurately answer all of these questions, smoking would pale in performance compared with the damage done by alcohol. But alcohol doesn’t get the same treatment…why is that?

No one goes home and beats, robs someone over withdraw of cigarettes.

I agree end smoking because of health issues or we care about effects on others because of it. But please don't make it some morale thing when at the sametime we are legalising pokalolo and despite the facts that alcohol kills others more then anything we don't mention banning it by law.

[WaikikiBoy]

Originally Posted by hawaiian by heart

@Dthraco

Your quote: It's not about attacking low income smokers. This particular bill is about protecting the Kapuna who are much more at risk from second hand smoke. End quote:

Like i said to Mikala43, i have no issue with a law protecting kapuna or others from second hand smoke in apartment bldgs and the public. I just find it odd that this law its just focused on low income public housing only, when its a common practice in Hawaii to not have smoking rental units, and obviously there is kapuna who live outside of low income public housing.

Yes second hand smoke kills, no argument. Its politically correct to demonize tobacco and for good reasons. But really second hand smoke effects on other parties runs a distant second to. Alcohol

How many women were beaten after their drunk ass old man came home from the bar griping about his lousy day? How many teenagers will never make it to college because they were killed by a drunk driver? How many women are date-raped because alcohol was involved?

Drunken wife beating is already illegal. Drunk driving is already illegal. Drunken date rape is also illegal already. I think there are already many more alcohol related laws and controls on the books than cigarette smoking restrictions. And the punishments are more severe as well.

[Dthraco]

I'm not sure why we are even talking about alcohol. There are many things that are much worse than cigarette smoke, but this bill isn't about those.