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Writer's Block: Tobacco road - the funcrunch files


May. 14th, 2011 09:32 pm Writer's Block: Tobacco road

Tobacco road
Would you want your city to outlaw smoking on public streets? Why or why not?
Reply 988

Tough one. San Francisco has already outlawed smoking in many public places. I absolutely detest cigarettes, but I do support the right of people to smoke, and I don't think they should have to be confined to their homes to do it (though I often wish that were the case, and even then there is secondhand smoke to worry about if children are in residence).

What I do not support is littering. Throwing cigarette butts on the ground is already technically illegal, but how many smokers actually pay any attention to that law? Sure people throw plenty of other things on the ground too, but with a burning cigarette there is a rather more immediate need to get rid of it rather than carrying it around looking for a proper trash receptacle.

So I don't really have a firm answer. I just wish I had the guts to confront someone I see casually throwing a cigarette butt on the ground. I really do.
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(no subject) - (Anonymous)
From:funcrunch
Date:May 16th, 2011 07:25 pm (UTC)
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Good for you for not being intimidated. Wish I had the guts to confront people doing things like that.
From:hopita
Date:May 20th, 2011 05:36 pm (UTC)
(Link)
What I do not support is littering. Throwing cigarette butts on the ground is already technically illegal, but how many smokers actually pay any attention to that law? Sure people throw plenty of other things on the ground too, but with a burning cigarette there is a rather more immediate need to get rid of it rather than carrying it around looking for a proper trash receptacle.

For the most part, I agree with you.

When I still smoked, I was very diligent about grinding out the burning part of the cigarette, and then sticking the filter in my pocket for later disposal. Now, technically I suppose I was still littering, but what I was dropping on the ground was the biodegradable stuff -- the last smoldering bits of paper and tobacco. I suppose by my logic it would be OK if people dropped unfiltered butts on the ground -- it's the filters that stay there forever..