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Debate:Should government restrictions on smoking be tightened or rolled back? (view source)
Revision as of 19:26, July 22, 2008
, 19:26, July 22, 2008→Yes, They Should Be Tightened
:Good points. I basically agree. Also, to respond to the inevitable point that this would infringe on the smokers' freedoms, I would point out that government restrict our freedoms all the time to prevent situations where we might otherwise put other people at risk. Even if you own a gun, you're not permitted to go around shooting it just anywhere. Or you may have a license to drive a car, but you atill have to observe speed limits and other traffic regulations. And so forth. Smoking really seems no different - you're welcome to smoke in your own home or in the open air, but not in circumstances where you put other people's health at risk through second-hand smoke. --[[User:AKjeldsen|AKjeldsen]] 14:24, 22 July 2008 (EDT)
:Good points. I basically agree. Also, to respond to the inevitable point that this would infringe on the smokers' freedoms, I would point out that government restrict our freedoms all the time to prevent situations where we might otherwise put other people at risk. Even if you own a gun, you're not permitted to go around shooting it just anywhere. Or you may have a license to drive a car, but you atill have to observe speed limits and other traffic regulations. And so forth. Smoking really seems no different - you're welcome to smoke in your own home or in the open air, but not in circumstances where you put other people's health at risk through second-hand smoke. --[[User:AKjeldsen|AKjeldsen]] 14:24, 22 July 2008 (EDT)
:: Thanks. I just made a similar point on the Talk page for this debate. Even if you don't beleive that second-hand smoke is a health hazard, it's still an annoyance to many non-smokers. We accept regulations on playing annoyingly loud music in open, public spaces because the rights of others not to be disturbed take precedence over those of the individual who's cranking the tunes. That's the same premise for restricting smoking in public - smoking affects an area, not an individual, so the rights of others to enjoy a smoke-free public space outweigh those of the individual smoker. -[[User:DinsdaleP|DinsdaleP]] 15:26, 22 July 2008 (EDT)
== No, They Should Be Rolled Back ==
== No, They Should Be Rolled Back ==