For the past eight years, I have been a smoker.
I know the health risks, but I still do it. I know that I am addicted, but that doesn't keep me from smoking. Simply put, I don't feel like quitting right now.
When I want to quit-probably after I graduate and finals are no longer a part of my life-I will. That is my decision and no amount of draconian anti-smoking rules and regulations will change my mind.
Banning smoking in restaurants, bars, or even in whole towns makes no sense to me.
Why do anti-smokers feel they have the right to be so strict in a society that prides itself on allowing its members some personal freedom?
If you want to create designated smoking areas, that's fine. But outright bans of tobacco are absurd.
The recent campus regulation that requires smokers to be at least 25 feet away from a building is fine with me. I don't see how they are going to enforce it, but that's their problem. This regulation has all the potential, however, of turning into a prohibition of tobacco on campus.
I chuckle a little when I think about how they will enforce that. Maybe they will get more glorified mall cops to walk around and hand out arbitrary citations.
The stigma around smokers has gotten out of control. I've been called disgusting, crazy and stupid for no other reason than my smoking.
I don't think drinking is all too smart or healthy either, but I don't go to Sky Bar and call everyone there a revolting lush.
Cessation programs that are run in conjunction with the school of pharmacy seem like a joke to me. I can understand the motivation behind the programs, but their sudden appearance alongside the new 25-feet rule looks like foreshadowing to a smoke-free campus.
I may sound like I'm fighting a losing battle, and it is starting to look bleak for smokers like me. I'm 26 years old, but when I hear anti-smokers getting in a hissy fit, I feel like a child who is being told what to do. Adults should be allowed to do what they like, that is, within reason.
I hope this regulation will not go any further. But I'm not holding my breath, which is hard to do anyway.
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