[MeganS]

I totally agree with you! But more in a theory sort of way. I feel almost like banning cigarettes will just be the start of the government having way too much power that is bound to go to their heads - though I might just be paranoid.

But I DO think cigarettes should be more limited on where they can be used. I saw someones comment on your blog saying that if people want to continue commiting slow suicide through smoking, big macs, alcohol, etc, then that's their choice. I agree with that, however, the latter 2 are only harmful to the person who makes the choice to have them. People who have never picked up a cigarette in their life can die from it from being around it.

Underaged smoking laws need to be enforced a thousand times more. I've seen cops drive right past groups of smoking teens without blinking an eye. There are an incredible amount of teenagers who start smoking to get away from the "stresses of school" or whatever. By the time they become adults, they probably realize that everything wasn't as bad as it seemed, but they're still smokers because they just can't kick the habit. If underaged smoking laws were as strict as underaged drinking laws, I think the amount of adult smokers would be cut in half.

I'm SO happy that most states have finally moved to ban cigarettes in restaurants, but I think more needs to be done. There need to be designated smoking areas AWAY from where there is a lot of people traffic. I think smoking in public parks should be banned too - except for in desig. smoking areas. More and more people are also developing asthma nowadays, and cigarette smoke can be VERY dangerous if someone with bad asthma inhales it.

I don't care if someone decides to smoke - that's their choice - but I don't think that people around them should have to suffer the consequences.