Smoking

[Olaolu1]

I have only been in the UK for a month now. I was pretty surprised by the wide spread smoking in the public spaces! Yeah, leave aside public transport, malls and some others. My major concern is how do you cope with this as someone with asthma!

[djbctla]

I cover my nose and mouth with my hand and hurry away. BERNARDINE

[JenniferW]

When you say public spaces where are you referring to? I had thought smoking was pretty much banned everywhere indoors in the UK except your own home. And outdoors in places like railway stations.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to JenniferW]

I find it is technically, but a lot of people a) ignore the signs for outside places, or don't notice them, and b) like to congregate near entrances/exits so you have to walk through them to get in or out - which really annoys me, especially as the smoke often then goes inside! People often walk down the street smoking too, which is not ideal if you're walking behind them.

Olaolu1, I don't know which country you've moved from, but from my experiences visiting other countries we aren't the worst for smokers here in the UK (Greece, Italy and Switzerland spring to mind there), but we aren't the best either. Other countries do have less outdoor smoking - I found people smoke less in the American cities I've visited.

I don't usually have problems with a brief exposure eg just walking past someone smoking very briefly, unless I'm already very twitchy asthma-wise. It can be a problem if it's more prolonged eg inside a shop, or even A&E(!!!!) where people are smoking just outside, or I have to walk through all the people having a smoke break or getting in a last one before the train. Some people will move if you ask/point out the sign, but too many can get nasty about it.

I think overall the public supported the ban on indoor smoking but there's always a few who get militant about 'smokers' rights', and forget how that affects others. I'm not a fan of things like 'but you can just move away' outdoors. I think there's a lot of smoking that isn't covered by the law, but should be by manners and consideration. I shouldn't have to stand in the rain to avoid smoke, the person lighting up should be the one to move themselves out of the way. I'd also consider it incredibly rude and unpleasant to light up inside your own home with others there without asking if they mind, and stopping if they do - even though that's generally legal.

[JenniferW in reply to Lysistrata]

I hadn't thought about people congregating round entrances (the smokers shelter at work is at the back of the car park) , yes that's very inconsiderate and can create quite a plume of smoke when it's a group.

[Mandevilla in reply to Lysistrata]

I've actually had to tell people to stop lighting up in MY home, and they've got quite snarky with me at being told they either have to smoke outside or not at all!

[TheWelshWriter in reply to Mandevilla]

Shocking!!

[Celie1 in reply to Mandevilla]

How rude!

[Patk1]

Yr right - people smoking at entrance to hospitals is my bug bear.its banned on hospital grounds but still they do.blackburn hospital is v bad as they smoke frm entrance to carpark pay machines so cant avoid thm.

[TheWelshWriter]

I don't see many smokers myself. What I do see is a lot of vapers vaping everywhere. They try to secretly vape on the train and at train stations. I once saw a guy in a restaurant puff on his vape... no joke! I was at a concert recently in a stadium and loads of people vaped. I had to take my rescue inhaler as that bothered my chest.I try to avoid vape and cigarette smoke where I can.

[Mandevilla in reply to TheWelshWriter]

Urgh, I hate those vapes! A lot of people who used to be really considerate about where their cigarette smoke went seem to think that they don't have to worry about vape vapour in the same way, but I find it just as bad for my lungs, if not worse! And it spreads so far - you can sometimes see someone walking down the street with a trail of vapour at least 10 feet behind them!

[TheWelshWriter in reply to Mandevilla]

Yes there seems to be a misconception that vape is safe so some people think it's OK to vape around others.

[Itswonderful]

I agree! Personally I believe you want to smoke do it at home. Or in your own car with windows closed on your own. Nowhere else. Same with vapes. Walking around town can be a nightmare. Just ban it in public full stop.

[Mijmijkey74 in reply to Itswonderful]

I dislike seeing smokers huddled together outside their places of employment, or inside those ridiculous smoking shelters.that become urinals for dirty men who can't be decent. I agree no smoking inside public buildings and inside public transport. Though there should be separate smoking carriages on trains. I agree nobody should just light up whatever they smoke in somebody elses home/vehicle or on their property without asking. I do believe that as adults it is nobodies right to dictate an adult cannot smoke outside as they wish. The outdoors is for everyone, and I would not encourage any smokers to be smoking inside their homes or vehicles but instead smoking outside where the smoke is blown away. As for vaping out on the streets, absolutely not if sickly sweet fruity smells billowing huge clouds of steam train steam for miles. Sit on a bench and do it, but vaping is trend and not addiction so it isn't necessary to be doing at all, as for smoking weed out on the streets, absolutely not, keep that inside special cafes or inside in own shed/garage/greenhouse, it is druggy drugs and the types that openly smoke the stuff tend to be shifty and shady. Smoke it in own home, but not to the point that it can be smelt 2 streets away. Maybe you should just stay inside your own home and shop online instead of wanting to be a mini Hitler/Starlin and impinge on peoples freedoms outdoors that nobody owns. If someone wants to have a smoke outdoirs and isn't congregating huddled together all looking like zombies and making areas look seedy, then leave them be, cross over if don't like, because maybe their is something about you they don't like, that they feel you should move away from them because of. Maybe they don't like the smell of your coffee/food/cologne/perfume and they find it offensive. Maybe they find that energy drink smell offensive, or the alcohol on a train/plane journey you may be taking and drinking. Just examples!

[Itswonderful in reply to Mijmijkey74]

I agree the outside is for everyone but currently with cigarette smoke and the chemicals from vapes are being blown into other people’s lungs, including children’s lungs. Currently the outside isn’t for everyone because there’s no way people can escape the smoke, even if you cross the road to escape it it blows around. There is no choice about breathing but there is a choice about keeping the air clean enough to breathe for the general public so smoking in public places should be outlawed. There is no safe level of cigarette smoke inhalation. We should all be able to walk outside without having to inhale it. There were similar arguments about making smoking illegal in enclosed public spaces but everyone accepts it now and people complained and made the same arguments against the seatbelt law and even the drink driving law and these things have saved lives and people accept the laws now without argument. It isn’t comparable to someone wearing perfume or the other things you mentioned.

[Elspe]

Public spaces? Walk through the pedestrianised area of town - vapes AND cigarettes, cigars, pipes - and that is on a very quiet day. People are completely inconsiderate of others, even when you're coughing. I've had smokers sit down on a bench by me and light up, even when I ask them not to.

[Poshcards]

I still wear a mask when I go out x

[Birthday60]

and don’t get me started on all those lovely dog friendly shops and cafes …. It’s a nightmare.