Apparently, cigarettes are the new crack cocaine. At least, that’s what New York mayor Michael Bloomberg seems to believe. After banning smoking in indoor public areas, he now wants to do the same with outdoor areas such as parks, beaches and pedestrian malls.
Like most ex-smokers, I’m vehemently anti-smoking. I always encourage people to quit; I continuously tell them that they’ll feel so much better once they do, and so on. If you ever met one of us former smokers, or if you are one of us, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. However, I do believe some of my fellow anti-smokers can take it a step too far. They don’t understand that there’s a difference between convincing people to quit smoking and to legislate your views and force people to give it up (or, if they refuse, to become social pariahs).
We should encourage people to quit, but we must not make the mistake of treating cigarettes as the new crack cocaine; they’re not.
/
