New smoking ban

[AlohaKine]

Re: New smoking ban

The DOH's Julian Lipscher and the Coalition for tobacco free hawaii's Deborah Zysman are NOT an accurate or unbiased source of information on second hand smoke or the effect of this law on business. They clearly have an agenda to sell. Just like a used car salesman, everything they say is to be held in suspision. The law makers seem to have really got hooked by this one.

The antis also hope the law will help to coerce smokers to quit out of despair and frustration, since propaganda alone wasn't working fast enough. That's just plain mean. They won't trick me into being a "believer", because I see through it and it offends me that they think I am dumb enough to see it their way.

Help fight the Hawaii smoking ban. Support the Hawaii Pro-Smokers Alliance. Send a private message for more info. This group has a plan for action.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: New smoking ban

The antis also hope the law will help to coerce smokers to quit out of despair and frustration, since propaganda alone wasn't working fast enough. That's just plain mean. They won't trick me into being a "believer", because I see through it and it offends me that they think I am dumb enough to see it their way.

Ah, but not all smokers are unrepentant ones like yourself. The few of them in my social circle are all very, very private about it; do not smoke in front of us, talk about wanting to quit, but being addicted, worst thing they've ever tried, some don't smoke in their cars, or fret their kids being around them when they puff, yepayepayepa. Society has moved in this direction and continues to do so. These sorts of smokers pay the same taxes on their funsticks as you do, but wouldn't stand up to fight for these business rights, as you do.

Spunky as you are about your habit, how many people here share your same fervor, enough to lobby for their rights?

[AlohaKine]

Re: New smoking ban

Alohakine, do you have any stats on how many adults are smokers in HI? Is your base growing or shrinking? And how many smokers are socialized to hide it/go outside/keep their habit discreet and as private as possible?

The Coalition for tobacco free hawaii ( the group behind this ban ) claims 17% and decreasing. Some people state 20% regular smokers. However social / occasional smokers don't get counted. A significant amount of people lie about it or hide it and don't get counted either. On some dating sites only about 10% claim to smoke on a regular basis, out of 1000's of members, half the smokers must be lying. What is more, the lower the number the DOH and coalition states, the better it looks for them and the easier it is to market their position on taxes and bans since "few" will be effected.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: New smoking ban

10% of the population is nevertheless a sizeable chunk of folk. How many of them are active in fighting for smoker's rights?

[AlohaKine]

Re: New smoking ban

Ah, but not all smokers are unrepentant ones like yourself. The few of them in my social circle are all very, very private about it; do not smoke in front of us, talk about wanting to quit, but being addicted, worst thing they've ever tried, some don't smoke in their cars, or fret their kids being around them when they puff, yepayepayepa. Society has moved in this direction and continues to do so. These sorts of smokers pay the same taxes on their funsticks as you do, but wouldn't stand up to fight for these business rights, as you do.

Spunky as you are about your habit, how many people here share your same fervor, enough to lobby for their rights?

Getting people to sign the petition to repeal the ban outside of clubs was very easy, over 80% couldn't wait to sign it. Most of the bars share the opinion that it should be repealed, some very adamantly.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: New smoking ban

80% of who?

[AlohaKine]

Re: New smoking ban

10% of the population is nevertheless a sizeable chunk of folk. How many of them are active in fighting for smoker's rights?

Most don't think they can win against this because the antis and the media make it look hopeless, so they give up and do nothing. Truth is we beat 1/3 of the bans. The word needs to get out that smokers CAN win.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: New smoking ban

Who are the antis? What sections of society do these antis comprise?

[AlohaKine]

Re: New smoking ban

80% of who?

People hanging out outside the nightclubs, in other words, the people that go to the effected places, not sit at home old couples that never drink for example, which were included in the antis numbers. A sizeable number of that 80% were NON-SMOKERS concerned about the plight of their smoking friends or about personal choice / private property rights.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: New smoking ban

I am a sucker for data, and I would be interested to see a poll attached to this thread:

--I am a smoker and I want these new laws repealed
--I am a smoker and I want these new laws to remain on the books
--I am a nonsmoker and I want these new laws repealed
--I am a nonsmoker and I want these new laws to remain on the books

[AlohaKine]

Re: New smoking ban

Who are the antis? What sections of society do these antis comprise?

Anti-smokers and primarily the anti-smoking organizations such as clearthesmoke.org, Coalitiion for tobacco free hawaii, Hawaii Smoke Free, and some government departments such as the Dept. of Health that have been hijacked by anti-smoking extremists and explioting taxpayer funds.

[Miulang]

Re: New smoking ban

This is the brochure that apparently went out to all businesses in the State with the notification about the smoking ban. There was a story in the PBN (Dec. 11) that is now only accessible by paid subscribers which described the kinds of calls that the AUW is getting on its 211 service about the ban. The story said that the majority of the calls were from people asking questions about the ban and about resources for quitting smoking. Some callers did call to complain about violations and others objecting to the ban, but they were in the minority.

The article also said that the DOH currently is not fining any establishments, just issuing warnings and trying to educate everyone about the ban.

Miulang

[Brad White]

Re: New smoking ban

From Letters...

No, you don't have a right to pollute
Ever since that great new smoking law went in to effect we've all had to endure all those whining, dirty, cigarette-tossing, stinky smokers. They just don't get it.

Especially lame is David Lee Parker (Letters, Dec. 15) acting like all his civil rights were taken away and that it's written in the Constitution that cigarette smokers have a right to pollute our air. As he puts it, a little second-hand smoke isn't going to hurt you. How inconsiderate. He goes on to say, "If you can't stand it, hold your breath." This is the way it works to all those who just simply can't grasp the fundamentals of the new smoking law.

As humans we have a right to and are designed to breath clean, fresh air more than smokers have a right to pollute it around us. Smokers don't realize how stinky and foul cigarette smoke is because their lungs, airways and nasal passages are polluted. The cigarette companies get big, fat and rich, and smokers get hundreds of kinds of cancer and die.

We don't care if you smoke a carton a day -- just keep it to yourself. Smoking, yuck.

Stephen Curty
Honolulu

[craigwatanabe]

Re: New smoking ban

another thing about smokers is when you exhale you just don't relax your lungs, typically it's a whoosh of breath to blow the smoke away from themselves (most likely to someone else).

Not only do we have to smell that smoke, we also have to smell their bad breath which is probably why second-hand smoke is more offensive to those around than the one who is blowing it around.

Non-smokers had to endure cigarette smoke longer than smokers had to endure this ban. The tables are turned and for the better.

[Palolo Joe]

Re: New smoking ban

another thing about smokers is when you exhale you just don't relax your lungs, typically it's a whoosh of breath to blow the smoke away from themselves (most likely to someone else).

Not if you blow upward...

Not only do we have to smell that smoke, we also have to smell their bad breath which is probably why second-hand smoke is more offensive to those around than the one who is blowing it around.

There are a lot of people out there who are non-smokers that get stink breath. Wonder how that would go over... "Hey do you smoke? Because your breath really stinks." *POW*

Non-smokers had to endure cigarette smoke longer than smokers had to endure this ban. The tables are turned and for the better.

The tables are turned? Last I checked, it was still legal to smoke tobacco. If a business decides they're going to allow smoking, that's their perogative. Your beef is with the business, not the smokers.

The no-smoking law on Oahu needs to be repealed.

PS - And hey Brad... can't you do any better than cut-and-pasting someone else's letter to the editor?