OK being my very first post I guess please don't flame me for what I am about to say.
I've read many intelligent posts on here, mostly made by jmagnus.
Here's my deal, and I AM quoting someone here directly, others indirectly and I apologize as I can no longer remember who: "You're right to smoke ends where my right to health begins". Or something to that affect. And if I was ANYBODY else I'd agree. I have Multiple Sclerosis. I suffer from SEVERE vertigo. ANY kind of stimuli makes my vertigo, and thus my urge to purge, worse. What makes it better? Besides the stupid meds which make me sleepy? You guessed it cigarettes! So by anybody just being next to me, breathing, my own health gets worse. I am not arguing to smoke next to a child or a pregnant woman, just to be able to smoke in a public place where smoking is allowed. In Illinois there were plenty of smoke free establishments before the January 2008 law went into play. I didn't go to them. I'll NEVER forget at midnight I was at Hollywood Casino in Aurora (IL) and the staff took away all the ashtrays the entire place cheered. CHEERED. And now....there is no one there. I don't know where all the cheerleaders went but they apparently went elsewhere with their friends who DID (do) smoke. Anybody who thinks the Chicagoland business area is doing better since the ban went into effect is either more of an invalid than I am or never noticed the long lines to get into places like bars, casinos, etc. Chicago is a bar town. It's not like the other cities where the smoking ban (New York specifically since the weather is similar) has been in effect and has had negligible impact on business owners- specifically bars and casinos (i.e. riverboats). Despite the gasoline prices, people in the Chicagoland area are going to Indiana or Wisconsin to go to casinos {OK- slot machines are the ONLY thing I am able to do without getting sick- don't ask me why....I used to dance
} In fact right now, there is a bill in the Illinois House proposing that businesses can buy a "smoking license", much like a liquor license. No other state has come up with such legislation. And businesses will be forced to buy this license just to get their customers back...and so they can pay the state of Illinois the same amount of money they were paying before. Genius, no?
One of the moderators made the comment that any type of smoking ban was a good one. OK I get it. You want to breathe clean air. I'd like to leave the house and be around people. It's really hard for me but it's even harder to be so young and such an invalid. Can't we all find a middle line, like, somewhere???? Illinois has a total smoking ban with crazy rules about 15 feet from an entrance (I can't even WALK 15 feet), police STANDING on the side of the highway checking to make sure people have their seatbelts on (stay with me people), but NO helmet law requiring people driving at 60 mph plus on a bicycle with a motor on it??!! I am so lost.......
And I hate to rain on everybody's parade, but you need the gene for lung cancer (any type of cancer actually). So second hand smoke can't necessarily cause lung cancer. That's where the tobacco companies get off saying cigs don't cause cancer (just making the point here not necessarily agreeing) because there ARE people who've smoke a bigillion years and died of other things than cancer (probably caused by cigs but as long as it's not **gasp {no pun intended} LUNG cancer, well then**. Nothing can cause lung cancer. Some things in life just happen. Like Multiple Sclerosis. Aye now I'm dizzy. I need a square. Sorry if there was bad grammer or if I was tangential, I DO have a brain disease ya'll
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