Thoughts on Vancouver's proposed smoking in public places ban

Vancouver is beautiful as well as all the people that live in this breath-taking city.
A majority of Vancouverites are healthy, active citizens who care so much about health they feel the needd to tell you what you can and can't do and where you can and can't do it.

Case in point, Vancouver is proposing a smoking in public spaces ban.

Now, I have issues with this proposal. Not because I'm a smoker, but because public spaces are places where people should be able to enjoy themselves as they please. Sitting outside in a lovely park is one way to relax, but for many having a cig break is a way to cut stress.

Many anti-smoking activists state that second hand smoking kills and if we don't allow smoking in public spaces then we will be sparing the lungs of those that don't smoke. Others also claim that it will cut down on pollution.

My rant will hopefully address these concerns:

1) No smoking in public is better for everyone.

While I can agree with this, I would like to do a bit of story-telling that might make you think twice about banning smoking in public spaces.

This year has been rough on me. I had a bad break-up, several friends die and a slew of other issues that weigh down on my already busy, burdened life. And you know what?! When life gets hard I enjoy a cig. I know i'm doing no good for myself, but I acknowledge that with every drag I take.
Now, when I first heard that a good friend of mine died (and not in a peaceful way) I was so outraged, I wanted to throw my computer out my window and I wasn't concerned at looking who might be below.

But, I didn't throw my computer out the window. My next impulse was to verbally and possibly physically assult the next person I saw because her death was in vain and it wasn't fair.

But alas, I didn't. I calmly went into my purse pulled out a smoke and walked around the block contemplating life.

These precious moments to myself allowed me to collect my thoughts and for me, personally, smoking helped calm me.

Of course afterwards I felt super crappy but it was another reminder to myself that I'm alive and I shouldn't take that for granted...until my next smoke of course.

To those who think smoking is polluting:

Yes, yes it is. Happy? But if you haven't figured it out yet, EVERYTHING we as humans do is polluting in some way. I know that we can all cut back, but I'm sure smokers are doing not much more harm then cow farts polluting the atmosphere.

Plus, if you had a cig butt disposal (like this one) it might encourage people to throw their butts away instead of places taking away their ashtrays which cause frustrated enviro-friendly smokers to either carry their butts on them (yucky) or throw them on the..gasp...ground.

So, although government is really good at deciding what's best for all of us, think twice.
Do you really want a bunch of stressed out people roaming public spaces dying for a smoke but instead bash someone's head in?

And the next time you claim that smokers are the worst for the environment, direct that rant to the hamburger you're eating or the car you're driving, or the airplane you're flying in...