Absolutely NOT.

Ban smoking, and I am banmning overeating.  You're fat?  well, McDinalds can't legally serve you then, since you set a bad example.  Same damn thing, same damn health problems, same bad example.

The govt. banning smoking and continuing to sell them and make billions of $$ off of the taxes is a restriction of freedom and abhorrant.

FUCK NO.

You being fat doesn't make me die, you smoking makes me die. 

in a toned down form.

Let me chime in with, there are certain self decided smoke-free restaurants and bars.  If you don't like the atmosphere/ambiance of a place, you go find a new one.  In my opinion, smoke is part of said atmosphere/ambiance.

just my opinion.

Don't go to that street corner or brothel.

Let's say we don't ban in restaurants, how about in open air?  I don't want to breathe your smoke while walking down the street, would you agree with that?

That's inane.

Maybe they couldn't find another job, and are now forced to breathe in carcinogens 8, 10, 12 hours a day.  Is that right?

Gracias

But I have been, and I have also been a smoker and a non-smoker.

Listen, here's the deal, and excuse me for being on a high horse, but smokers being quickly herded into a second class citizenship was the topic of my 20 page research paper this year in grad school, so I have done much more research on this topic than you have.

Yes, smoking smells.

Yes, SOME reports maintain that second hand smoke is worse than smoking yourself.  However, I work in research, and I have come in contact with doctors and investigators from NIH that have been doing this for years, and many of them laugh at the government's "miraculous findings" fueled mainly by interest groups.

If it's such a problem, then make it illegal across the board.

If we cannot use the product, then don't sell it.

And by the way, you would shit your pants if you even had a glimmer of an idea as to how every avenue of tobacco affects the economy across the globe.  The smoking ban will never happen, and the infringemnet on smoker's rights is akin to any other restriction of rights and civil liberties.

To quote a man I dislike, but in some ways respect:
"The United States is not some hellish kibbutz where there’s just one communal dining area, which only serves comfort food...The person who smells cigarette smoke and wrinkles his nose before batting the air like a loon is now in the same position as the Peeping Tom neighbor who climbs precariously atop the fridge, binoculars clutched in leprous palm, in order to report the vile bedroom antics of the couple next door.  You have to go out of your way to be offended.  Never doubt that there are such people; never give them an inch either if you value privacy or diversity."(Hitchens, Vanity Fair, May 2001)

But I like my cancer.

As long as we don't go as far as California which has banned some people from smoking on thier own decks!! (sorry at work, no time to find link, but it's true)

here is the link to the city's webpage

From my paper:
Recently, the Calabasas City Council of Calabasas, California voted unanimously to adopt a Comprehensive Secondhand Smoke Control Ordinance. (City of Calabasas, 2006)  Calabasas has one of the strictest tobacco bans to date, making smoking illegal and off limits in public places where someone else might be exposed to and offended by secondhand smoke.  On March 17, 2006, the ordinance went into effect, severely limiting the act of smoking in public areas within the city.  Because these public areas are outside in the open air, and not inside a building deemed for public use, the law has created quite a controversy.  The city’s website has devoted a section to answering questions about the ban, and the following information can be found under the secondhand smoke facts section:
Has the City of Calabasas banned smoking?
No.  The purpose...is to limit public exposure to second hand smoke in public areas within the city.
Where is smoking prohibited?
Smoking is prohibited in all public places in the City of Calabasas where other persons can be exposed to second hand smoke.  These places include indoor and outdoor businesses, hotels, parks, apartment common areas, restaurants and bars where people can be reasonably expected to congregate or meet.
Can I smoke in my house or apartment?  Can I smoke on my balcony?
Yes, the only exception is if your apartment, backyard, or balcony is directly adjacent to a common area, such as a laundry room or pool.
What should I do if I witness someone violating the ordinance?
If you are at a business, retail store or restaurant, please ask an employee to enforce the ordinance.  If you are walking down the street or in another public place, you can ask the smoker to extinguish their cigarette, cigar or pipe. 
What is the consequence if I offend others by smoking?
The ordinance provides a variety of methods of enforcement, ranging from warnings, to tickets, to lawsuits.  The ordinance can be enforced by the city or by private parties who have given notice to the City.  The city expects to rely on warnings and tickets for most offenders but will consider more serious penalties for willful or repeat offenders.

Democratic Libretarian anyone?

Never thought of myself as one, but I can't have people banning me from smoking in my own house, that's just not cool.

Here is a link to the Washington Post story on it:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/27/AR2006062700710.html

According to the report, the government's most detailed statement ever on secondhand smoke, exposure to smoke at home or work increases the nonsmokers' risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. It is especially dangerous for children living with smokers and is known to cause sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory problems, ear infections and asthma attacks in infants and children.

parents shouldn't smoke around their kids out of respect for their new pink lungs and hearts.  I don't smoke in my apt bc my dog and cat shouldn't suffer for my actions.  And they also should go to one of the millions of non smoking/non smoking section equipped restaurants before they force me to spend my $100 on an app, a dinner, a dessert, and a bottle of wine somewhere else so some child can throw his food on the floor and scream, while I have to stand in the cold next to a huge ashtray and 30 other smokers.

Sorry, I am really pasionate about this.  It's bullshit, and a total infringement on our civil rights.

and certainly not to infect other people with cancer. 

I certainly do have the right to partake in any LEGAL activity I like.  Write the govt and tell them to make it illegal then.  This argument is done.

Nice.

That would be just splendid.

Then that is a legitimate argument.  Glad you finally got the point.

To keep a LEGAL substance on the shelves, which provides one in four Americans significant contributions to their own economical well-being, while pandering to give in to the whiny self absorbed freedom haters of the country who hate being annoyed and offended is just a trick out of the hard right's playbook.

Cell phones give people cancer.  So do outdated cars and trucks with crappy fuel emmission standards.  As do microwaves.  As does smoked fish.  Many things give you cancer.  Ever lived near a power line?  Should we outlaw those?

This is a wedge issue, wake up; the federal government will never give up those "splendid" tax returns.