[kddani]

There's also quite a few of smokers who are obese, and a lot of times it is hard to separate which causes what disease, most of the time they compound and both contribute.

Also, cigarettes are ALWAYS something that someone chooses to do. Obesity MAY sometimes be caused by medical conditions. So discriminating against someone for something they CHOSE to do is a lot different than discriminating against someone for something they don't have control over (*disclaimer, i'm saying SOME, not all or most, obesity is due to disease, so let's not start that debate)

As to cigs, Rudey's right, the taxes aren't coming out of the storeowner's pocket. Of course, as a storeowner, someone like Tom would be against anything that limits smokers. Cigarettes are a cashcow. It's not a frivolous thing, it's something that smokers "need" every day and no matter how high the prices, many keep smoking. Storeowners are happy to exploit that addiction as it makes their pockets fat.

Also, alcohol doesn't kill people, unless it is abused. All of those studies that say a glass of red wine is good for you. There's nothing out there to show that a cigarette a day is good for you in any way, shape or form. The same with fatty foods- in small quantities, they won't hurt you. When you eat like 15 McDonalds quarterpounders a week with a large fry, yeah, that's gonna hurt. Again, cigarettes in small quantities still cause damage.

I feel for smokers, because I know they have an addiction, but at the same time, there are so many ways to quit- products, support groups, etc. etc. So I'm really not bothered by this regulation very much. Some of my coworkers are heavy smokers... I think they're awesome people, but I can't stand to be around them sometimes because of the smell. An air filtering system had to be purchased for one of our (nonsmoking) employees who has severe allergies. And, as others have noted, the frequent smoke breaks take away from productivity, and non-smokers (in most workplaces) don't get the same type of break.