[arctichomesteader]

I'm no fan of smoking, I grew up with a heavy smoking father, but the anti-smoking crusade is getting a bit absurd. If someone lights one up in my jeep with the top off on the highway, I'd have a hard time believing it's putting any occupants of the vehicle at risk. If a window in a truck or car is open and the smoke is leaving the window, well, I don't think there's much risk. If the vehicle is closed up pretty tightly, well yeah, that's a problem. But this law is just another of the absurd "zero tolerance" policies stripping everyone of freedom.

[delmioquartiere]

Originally Posted by Oriz

Good.

So pot good cigarets bad? Hot smoke in your lungs is a bad thing.You really don't have to research this simple statement. It's seen by most as common sense.

On the other hand lets get that revenue right. Just another pot for the likes of Shumlin to **** away on vacations with his girlfriend.His children should be proud.

[delmioquartiere]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

From time to time I read news reports of people pulled over on I-91 for traffic infractions, and some of these drivers were transporting heroin while their children were present in the vehicle.

Is it possible that one reason for this law would give LEO's the opportunity to pull over a vehicle for the smoking violation, and allow them to further observe what's in the vehicle? Or would that be an unintended (but beneficial) side effect?

No the people in Montpelier that are supposed to represent us are too stupid for that to be the case. Their first thought was the fine to increase revenue, expect that to be a non-stop theme going forward. Even more so than the past. They don't use the word tax though. I believe they refer to it as revenue enhancement now.

[harry chickpea]

Clearly no one on this thread ever drove down Pine Street in Burlington when the gasometer was still in existence.
I was grateful to smokers around there.

[Oriz]

Originally Posted by delmioquartiere

So pot good cigarets bad? Hot smoke in your lungs is a bad thing.You really don't have to research this simple statement. It's seen by most as common sense.

On the other hand lets get that revenue right. Just another pot for the likes of Shumlin to **** away on vacations with his girlfriend.His children should be proud.

Pot actually has some benefits. Tobacco does not. I'm not saying smoking it is the best way to do it - but you don't always have a choice. Vaporizing is better, oils even better, there are many ways...but even if you have to smoke it, once or twice a day, it is still better than a pack of smokes.

[68vette]

I'm not going to get into which one is better or worse. The American Lung Association has the comparison data. I do not like smoking and as part of profession, I'm opposed any type of inhaled smoke that has health implications. From the ALA: Like tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals. There are 33 cancer-causing chemicals contained in marijuana. Marijuana smoke also deposits tar into the lungs. In fact, when equal amounts of marijuana and tobacco are smoked, marijuana deposits four times as much tar into the lungs. This is because marijuana joints are un-filtered and often more deeply inhaled than cigarettes. Both are not good for you in the inhaled form.
My personal opinion, the Church Street ban on smoking is not for health reasons. Like I said, I'm opposed to smoking, but I feel the ban was put in place to keep a certain clientele from associating in the marketplace. Lets face it, the groups that are hanging out and smoking in the marketplace are not what helps attract and keep tourists in the marketplace. I think they are looking to keep the marketplace cleaner and hopefully cut down on the numbers of undesirables in the marketplace.

[delmioquartiere]

True but you will **** off all those Canadian tourist. I really could care less, I feel smokers have NO rights. I hated even being on an elevator with someone who just had a butt.

Funny how things have changed my father smoked THREE packs of Kents a day and at 13 years old I was designated to go to the variety store three different times each day to get them, I guess in his mind each time was going to be the last...he died of Parkinson's not knowing anything. His wife, not my mother would get a baby sitter so she could go out and enjoy her life..didn't want him to die because a lot of money would go with him and did.

[68vette]

Originally Posted by delmioquartiere

True but you will **** off all those Canadian tourist. I really could care less, I feel smokers have NO rights. I hated even being on an elevator with someone who just had a butt.

Funny how things have changed my father smoked THREE packs of Kents a day and at 13 years old I was designated to go to the variety store three different times each day to get them, I guess in his mind each time was going to be the last...he died of Parkinson's not knowing anything. His wife, not my mother would get a baby sitter so she could go out and enjoy her life..didn't want him to die because a lot of money would go with him and did.

Sorry about your father. My parents smoked Kents as well. I remember going into the grocery store and buying cigarettes from the vending machine for them. Both stopped smoking eventually. My dad passed away a few years ago, but his lungs were not effected/damaged from 60 years of 2 packs/day. He had a pulmonary function test done prior to his passing and the results were normal for his criteria.
He did the best thing for me when it came to smoking. He didn't want me to make the same mistake and start. I was about 12 and thought it would be cool to take a pack and smoke a few in the woods with my neighbor. Someone told my mother and of course my dad found out. He came home and didn't yell at me or ground me (or smack my tail) as I expected. He grabbed a pack of cigarettes and took me outside. He said "If you want to smoke, then let's smoke." He made me smoke the whole pack in front of him. I was green and puked my brains out for hours. That was the last time I touched a cigarette.

[delmioquartiere]

Originally Posted by 68vette

Sorry about your father. My parents smoked Kents as well. I remember going into the grocery store and buying cigarettes from the vending machine for them. Both stopped smoking eventually. My dad passed away a few years ago, but his lungs were not effected/damaged from 60 years of 2 packs/day. He had a pulmonary function test done prior to his passing and the results were normal for his criteria.
He did the best thing for me when it came to smoking. He didn't want me to make the same mistake and start. I was about 12 and thought it would be cool to take a pack and smoke a few in the woods with my neighbor. Someone told my mother and of course my dad found out. He came home and didn't yell at me or ground me (or smack my tail) as I expected. He grabbed a pack of cigarettes and took me outside. He said "If you want to smoke, then let's smoke." He made me smoke the whole pack in front of him. I was green and puked my brains out for hours. That was the last time I touched a cigarette.

Thanks, I often wonder about all the toxic chemicals in the butts and if that contributed to the
Alzheimer's that he lived with for a long time. My Nephew saw him just before he died in a nursing home I think; he was about 10 years old at the time and I recently had a talk with him about being born as a little baby and basically reverting back to that form if you are "lucky?" enough to live a long enough life.

My father had some serious issues with physerious like I've never seen in my life and as a kid I heard it was hereditary and I thanked god for years about dodging that bullet. But honestly they still know little about that issue. He would sit in his chair watching TV and at the end of the night there was a pile of white flakes from his constant scratching his legs all night. Scary stuff really, they know as much about that now as they did 40 years ago...nada I think the Korean war really messed him up.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by 68vette

My personal opinion, the Church Street ban on smoking is not for health reasons. Like I said, I'm opposed to smoking, but I feel the ban was put in place to keep a certain clientele from associating in the marketplace. Lets face it, the groups that are hanging out and smoking in the marketplace are not what helps attract and keep tourists in the marketplace. I think they are looking to keep the marketplace cleaner and hopefully cut down on the numbers of undesirables in the marketplace.

I have to agree with this.