Should Smoking Be Banned Completely?
Should smoking be banned in public places? Yes. Should smoking be banned in restaurants? In most of them anyway, maybe all of them. Should smoking be banned around (your own) children? Not a bad idea. Should smoking be banned everywhere? Probably not a good idea.
We know smoking to be an unhealthy activity, and we have learned in recent years how dangerous second-hand smoke is. Many of us have smoked in restaurants in years past, and many of us now greatly appreciate being able to eat in a restaurant without the presence of tobacco smoke.
Smoking should be banned around children, your own or any one else's for that matter. The problem there is, we get the government or the "smoking police" infringing in family matters, and it’s never a good idea. We're certainly doing our children no favors by giving them a daily dose of second-hand smoke, though admittedly, a generation ago second-hand smoke wasn't such a big deal. A law prohibiting smoking in the presence of children would be a good law in terms of having the best of intentions, but probably would not be enforceable.
Which brings us to the last question: should smoking be banned altogether? That would be a wonderful law if everyone agreed to go along with it, but it would be like Prohibition all over again, probably with a vengeance.
A Need To Be Specific - The bottom line is this. A yes or no answer to the general question is basically meaningless. If one gets specific, i.e., should smoking be banned in movie theaters, bowling alleys, retail stores, sports stadiums, and so on, excellent reasons for banning or not banning smoking can be dealt with, and in each case, only a segment of the population is affected. Most of us, smokers or non-smokers will tend to go to places and events where we feel comfortable, and not go to those where we do not.
Ban Everything Bad? - If we banned smoking completely, we should ban alcohol completely as well, and also ban soft drinks and any foods or beverages containing excessive salt or sugar. We should ban everything that is potentially harmful, if not to us, at least to those around us. Eventually, we would all live in a healthier and safer world. The transition might be difficult. Half of us would either be finding jobs in law enforcement, or simply make a few bucks from spying on our neighbors. The other half of us would get be a little envious of the free spirits who had a secret place to smoke and enjoy a contraband cigar, Cuban or otherwise, or had a still hidden deep in the woods.
Movie Star Role Models - Smoking should be banned in public places. It's easy to say that without fear of infringing on people's rights, because we've learned the danger of tobacco smoke, be it first-hand or second hand. But as far as banning smoking completely, the answer isn't in the law, but in education. We're a healthier people than we were a generation ago, at least as far as smoking is concerned. Look at some movies from the 1930's and 1940's. It seems like everyone smoked. It was cool. It doesn't look all that cool anymore. If you were in a fraternity or sorority in the 50's or 60's, you got your share of free cigarettes, from your friendly campus tobacco representative. You got free cigarettes on commercial airliners as well.
It Got Harder And Harder - Maybe, like the author, you smoked a pipe for many years. Smoking a pipe made one look mature, and it was admittedly pleasant, until you ran out of tobacco, or forgot your pipe. More than once a cheap corn cob pipe had to serve. Even smoked a pipe out in the rain more than once on a cold winter day, after smoking was banned in the office. Then it was banned 50 feet from the building entrance, and an umbrella became handy on some days. In hindsight, standing in the rain, holding an umbrella, and smoking a corn cob pipe must have looked a little ridiculous. Took a few times, but I finally managed to quit, one of the toughest things one has to go through. I still have empathy towards anyone standing outside a public building smoking. Hope they can quit too.
Should smoking be banned? Education and leading by example is probably the best way to handle this problem.