Aural Fixation Wrote:
Being allergic to smoke, that's what I have to do. If I'm standing in line, I have no problem telling the person who lights up next to me to step out of the line while he/she smokes. If they object (it's rarely happened), then, I'll ask someone to save my place in line and I'll stand away while they finish their smoke.
Sorry to say, but smokers ruin my night. I go into the bar/club coughing, go home coughing and wake up with a sore throat the next day. Years of being a second-hand smoker (Pop smoked) abused my lungs.

like you said, its rare that a smoker would deny a request to put out a cigarette, especially from someone who is allergic. i've been in plenty of situations where i've been standing next to someone at a show and they've asked me (nicely) to put out a cigarette, and every time i've apologized, put it out, or moved someplace else where i'm not bothering them. i just don't see why we need a law to accomplish what custom does just fine. either way, if faced with someone who is determined to be a dick, you've still got to get out of line to find a club owner/cop to enforce the ordinance.
another unrelated thing thats been bugging me about this whole debate: people are up in arms that they be able to go to a BAR and drink BOOZE without the specter of cigarette smoke. doesn't alcohol cause massive harm to society? there's something like
40,000 alcohol related deaths per year, and thats excluding accidents and homocide. and yes, i understand the argument is that smoking hurts people other than the smoker. but what about drunk driving accidents? lately there's around
25,000 drunk driving fatalities per yer, which account for more than half of all traffic fatalities.
at least one half of all violent crimes involve alcohol (any cop can tell you that.) all of this occurs despite of our current alcohol regulations, which are obviously pretty ineffective.
second hand smoke is bad for people, but in a much more indirect way than jamming your car into oncoming traffic. people don't live in laboratories--its impossible to say that any one person who develops cancer "got it from second hand smoke", because they'll always be exposed to tons more carcinogens in the environment. smokers don't riot, fight, rape and kill--at leas not because of the cigarettes.
so, all you politically correct anti smoking types, by the logic of protecting society from harm caused by others, are you ready to stand up against the sauce?