Massachusetts lawmakers consider making smoking ban more rigorous
Just in the same time when tobacco smokers are facing constant difficulties like enormous price increases and vigorous indoor smoking bans, and are forced to cuddle together like castaways in front of a bar to have a smoke, they would probably be tortured even more in case the recently introduced legislation would be approved.
Massachusetts State Senator Ted Speliotis introduced a bill to amend Indoor Smoking Act, which will be considered by the Public Health Committee at the next legislative session starting this week in Boston.
Under the introduced amendment outdoor smoking should be banned within 25 feet from windows and doors of any public establishment, especially when windows are opened and the ventilation system draws the air that is supposed to be clean inside the establishment unless the owner of that establishment manages to convince local public health officer that the public is not exposed to the hazards of secondhand smoke produced by the people who smoke outside. The measure is introduced after several months from the implementation of a ban on smoking in outside patios meaning that smokers would be forced to go even further from the bars.
Meantime, smokers rights’ advocates state that the latest proposal has reached the point of absurdity. Kevin Heifer, member of FOREST, said that the latest proposal should be perceived as a relentless attempt to alienate and exorcise the smoking minority, what has become an obsession for the local authorities. He said that nowadays there has been a tendency in the government to consider smokers as a third-class people, deprived and unworthy of any rights and respect. Thus the only question is how long they would keep tormenting smokers. Why not simply outlaw smoking since it is so hazardous?
FOREST member as well stated that the smoking minority who expose innocent people to the hazards of secondhand smoke are considered by the lawmakers as a malignant tumor on the public health that has to be removed.
Another smoker complained that the issue with smoking bans in the majority of places has gone a little too far adequacy because health nuts started to claim that exposure to secondhand smoke leads to cancer among animals and birds. However, everybody forgot about the hazards of pollution from cars and planes, which has been proven to be many times more hazardous than cigarette smoke. The vegetables are poured with chemicals, the food is genetically modified, the water is contaminated with chromium, but no-one cares as long as people are concerned with secondhand smoke. That seems like cutting a dash but people seem to believe in everything theor government says.
