An Opinion Piece on Secondhand Smoke

I am not a smoker, myself, but have family members who smoke. While I believe that it is physically unhealthy (proven by many statistics) am I encroaching on someone else's freedom when I ask them not to smoke in my house or around my children? When in closed public places, is it too much to ask that they obey the "nonsmoking rules," and/or congregate in smoking areas when performing their habitual nerve calming activities?

It use to be that nonsmokers could site statements such as When a person inhales side stream smoke(from the end of a cigar or cigarette), they take much of the pollution of the cigarette straight into their lungs. It has also been said that a "Passive smoker" (one who consistently inhales secondhand smoke) is more likely to have cancer and heart attacks. These were common and understandable reasons for asking a smoker to extinguish the act of smoking around the "nonsmoking public." After reading another article debating such claims, I am unsure if the physical factors are as detrimental as previously thought.

Does it really matter, though? What about respect for others? There are laws of public respect and decency. Have we forgotten that smoking is an addiction? Those people who engage in it are not thinking straight when it comes to their particular addictive behaviors. If they don't even see how much it hurts themselves, why should we expect that they would have empathy for those who are not wasting their money with an addiction that they can't seem to overcome? Should we even be debating this topic with those who have such addictions. It is like debating with an alcoholic about reducing the number of liquor stores in particular neighborhoods. I don't ask someone who is addicted to porn to support my efforts for tighter security measures on computers or more stringent regulations on marketing strategies of erotic material. It is obvious that those who engage in ingesting narcotics would oppose any effort to decrease or eliminate their substance of choice. So, no one should be surprised when a smoker responds negatively to your insistence that this particular type of activity is unhealthy for both you and them. They have a hard time understanding how their behavior effects others and even if they understand it, their addiction will not allow them to admit it.

What can we do? Well, certainly, there are laws in place and we could support those laws. But, I have known too many people who complain about the habitual smokers in their family, yet not be firm with their own boundaries. Complaining and belittling does little more than cause conflict within the family. It seems like people want to complain about many things, yet they rarely want to set any boundaries and stick with those boundaries. My house is a nonsmoking house. Everyone knows that they are not permitted to smoke in my house. It is nonnegotiable. There is no amount of cajoling, guilt or circumstance that will change my mind. "I'll smoke out the window." "I'll leave the door open." "after all that I have helped you with today, Can't you let me smoke just one?" "I'm not feeling well and it is extremely cold outside." This last complaint is quite ironic. If they are not feeling well, then why decrease oxygen to your blood cells? In addition, I tell my family that if they would like to smoke, I am in no way obstructing their opportunity to do so. However, we can continue our discussion after they have finished their cigarette/cigar. Of course, rudeness is not appreciated. However, there are times when you can limit your opportunity for inhaling secondhand smoke. I have respectfully declined to be in a person's physical proximity until they are no longer engaging in such destructive activities. That is my choice.

Sources:
healthline: http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/smoking-3/3
www.fumento.com/disease/smokingdebate.html