Smoker's Rights vs. Everyone Else's Rights

[Mathematician]

I always think it's funny when people complain rigorously about tobacco smoke but don't seem to blink when a new road is built. I don't smoke, but it strikes me the wrong way.

Depends on the quantity.

BBQ smoke is harmful and bothersome, smells, etc. as well but are we going to seriously put the police on people trying to enjoy a summer cookout?

 

[ChristineES]

I am not a smoker, but, really, where can they go other than outside- there is nowhere else. People complain about smokers inside, so now they have to go outside but there is nowhere else to go.

 

[Rakhel]

New York has an interesting law that is difficult to enforce in New York. You cannot smoke in city parks or public beaches, or you will be ticketed. However, the only person that can ticket you is a city parks official. A police officer can only stand there and look at you.There are maybe 20 city parks officers throughout the entirety of NYC

 

[Crystallas]

There are no rights here. You would have to bend the meaning of rights to apply it anywhere here.

The smoker doesn't have the right, they have the privilege. You don't have the right for your air to smell a certain way either. Nobody here has this "right".

The best way to deal with this situation, is just to be polite, tell them your problem and ask them if they can smoke somewhere else because of the wind. You can't expect someone to be courteous without them knowing that they are bothering you. And again, be polite. You never know why someone is smoking. I don't smoke, but many do not desire this habit, but they pick it up after something extremely stressful occurs.

 

[Kathryn]

Scenario: I open my house windows because it's a beautiful day, and instead of getting a nice, fresh breeze, the construction worker building the house next door lights up and now my house smells like an ashtray.

I'm all for personal choice, but where do his rights to smoke end and my husbands, children's, and my rights to fresh air in my own smoke-free home begin?

Edit: I forgot to mention that my neighbor across the street smokes cigars and we get that smell in our house too. So what do you think?

I think we can only go so far in controlling what others do on their property. For example, I once had a Korean neighbor who lived in the apartment below mine. She made kimchee all the time, and as most people know, this smell is EXTREMELY, shall we say, pungent.

So - my apartment smelled like kimchee most of the time.

I had a friend over one day who smoked. We opened my dining room window and she sat by the window and blew her smoke out. Get this - my Korean neighbor actually came up the stairs and demanded that we shut the window because she could smell the smoke!

The irony amazed me. Long story short - we didn't close the window, and she didn't stop making kimchee. And we all survived.

 

[Kathryn]

I am not doubting that people can smell even minute amounts of cigarette smoke. But I do think it's amazing that my husband can smoke in our den (he's not a heavy smoker but he does smoke a few cigarettes a day in the den) and then people are always amazed when they find out someone actually does (gasp) SMOKE in our house.

Not only can I not smell it - other people can't either. In fact, when we sold our last house, we asked our realtor if we needed to do anything about this mythical smell of smoke. She had no idea anyone ever smoked in the house - she hadn't smelled a bit of evidence. No realtors who showed the house ever mentioned anyone ever noticing either.

I think sometimes this "I smell smoke!" thing can be exxagerated a bit.

 

[Reverend Rick]

At that point I might make some nasty comment about their perfume or cologne.

I don't like to smell these things either.

 

[Reverend Rick]

I'm all for personal choice, but where do his rights to smoke end and my husbands, children's, and my rights to fresh air in my own smoke-free home begin?

This is a great thread.

Myself, I don't want to hear noise. It is offensive to me. I should be able to sit on my back porch and not hear children playing, dog barking, loud exhaust systems on motorcycles, cars or lawn mowers.

I should not have to listen to music playing or airplanes flying over my house.

Some people have a medical condition where they are sensitive to sounds and it gives them headaches.

If I have these requirements for my lifestyle, it would be a bad choice for me to live so close to my neighbors.

When people live close to each other, they should expect to hear noises and smell things that might be offensive to them.

The solution is, everyone in the neighborhood has to be tolerant of each other.

Everyone should make an attempt not to irritate each other and put up with some inconvenience from each other as well.

The construction of the home next door should be a temporary inconvenience for you.

Your new neighbor if he smokes should find a place to smoke and not be outside your window. He should be considerate of your feelings but you as well should understand that smoking is an addiction and he should be able to smoke somewhere.

 

[beenie]

This is a great thread.

Myself, I don't want to hear noise. It is offensive to me. I should be able to sit on my back porch and not hear children playing, dog barking, loud exhaust systems on motorcycles, cars or lawn mowers.

I should not have to listen to music playing or airplanes flying over my house.

Some people have a medical condition where they are sensitive to sounds and it gives them headaches.

If I have these requirements for my lifestyle, it would be a bad choice for me to live so close to my neighbors.

When people live close to each other, they should expect to hear noises and smell things that might be offensive to them.

The solution is, everyone in the neighborhood has to be tolerant of each other.

Everyone should make an attempt not to irritate each other and put up with some inconvenience from each other as well.

The construction of the home next door should be a temporary inconvenience for you.

Your new neighbor if he smokes should find a place to smoke and not be outside your window. He should be considerate of your feelings but you as well should understand that smoking is an addiction and he should be able to smoke somewhere.

Couldn't agree more.

It's interesting that people started attacking and one person even told me to "move" before I even disclosed my opinion or what action I did take (which was to close my window until he left).

I'm a very tolerant person (as is my entire family), and even though I was a bit irritated, I did what I needed to, to fix the situation and not make a scene. After all, I'm like you in that I have a lot of allergies, so I'm sensitive to smells, etc. I just have to adjust, which I do 99.9% of the time.

 

[Magic Man]

I think sometimes this "I smell smoke!" thing can be exxagerated a bit.

I don't. I think your story is a story worth telling precisely because smoke almost always makes a house smell. You were lucky that it didn't with yours. It's extremely rare that regularly smoking in a house doesn't leave a smell.

 

[Reverend Rick]

Couldn't agree more.

It's interesting that people started attacking and one person even told me to "move" before I even disclosed my opinion or what action I did take (which was to close my window until he left).

I'm a very tolerant person (as is my entire family), and even though I was a bit irritated, I did what I needed to, to fix the situation and not make a scene. After all, I'm like you in that I have a lot of allergies, so I'm sensitive to smells, etc. I just have to adjust, which I do 99.9% of the time.

Having a construction site right next door will drive anyone crazy. Dust, debris, noise and people parking everywhere will try the patience of the best of us.

 

[Reverend Rick]

I think sometimes this "I smell smoke!" thing can be exaggerated a bit.

When I was a smoker, I used to believe the same thing. I had a complaint at the office that my full length coat was smelling up the coat closet. I had to hang it up in the shop.

Now, I can smell someone lighting up 100 yards away. The thing is, just because I can smell it does not mean I am consuming carcinogens at that distance.

People really can smell the smoke, that is the truth.

 

[beenie]

Having a construction site right next door will drive anyone crazy. Dust, debris, noise and people parking everywhere will try the patience of the best of us.

It sure does. Our neighborhood is custom homes, so there is no "phase". Building is sporadic, and custom homes take longer to build. Oh well, I knew that moving into a new neighborhood...we'll survive.

Agree that people can smell cigarette smoke from a long distance. I smell it whether I see the person or not. Admittedly, I have a keen sense of smell, which is not always a good thing.

 

[fenrisx]

Humm interesting subject. I personally despise the smell of cigar and as a vegetarian it does far worst to me than to regular folks (vitamin C is more important to us and cigar destroys it)

The unsmoker is even worstly affected by passive smoking that the active smoker.


But what, was he like just besides your window smoking or where they SO many builders the smoke somehow got to your window? Sorry I am just not sure how does the scenario worked xD. Can´t you tell them to put it out or get out of your lawn? <_< >_>

Second hand smoke is a health hazard, smoking should be banned. Done.

 

[fenrisx]

You could close the windows....

you could quit....

 

[Rakhel]

you could quit....

you could learn...nevermind. I'll be nice(though its killing me)

 

[Kathryn]

People should have the right to smoke on private property, as long as it's OK with the property owner.

 

[Storm]

you could quit....

I've quit dozens of times. Do you know what "addiction" means?

 

[beenie]

Second hand smoke is a health hazard, smoking should be banned. Done.

Although I agree that second hand smoke is health hazard, banning smoking altogether is a ridiculous suggestion.

you could quit....

I'm sure the millions of people who want to quit wished it was that simple.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

People should have the right to smoke on private property, as long as it's OK with the property owner.

... "the property owner" in question being the owner of the property that's subject to the smoke, whether or not it's the property where the smoking is actually happening.