The right to smoke where we live

To the Editor:

Bill No. 225 (Smoke-free Places Act) begins with this Explanatory Note: "This Bill requires all indoor workplaces and public places to be smoke-free, with the exception of designated smoking rooms in health-care facilities for the acute or long-term care of veterans, in licensed nursing homes and residential care facilities and in homes for aged and disabled persons. It also requires outdoor areas of all restaurants, lounges, beverage rooms and cabarets to be smoke-free."

Mr. Rodney MacDonald explained why smoking rooms are still permitted in licensed nursing homes and licensed residential care facilities with the following statement: "These are people's homes and they have a right to smoke where they live," said Mr. MacDonald. (Source: Friday, October 14, 2005: Nova Scotia Health Promotion).

People should have the right to smoke where they live and it’s discriminatory to expect otherwise. It also suggests discrimination and legal issues for places such as universities to ban smoking in the 'student's homes', which would be residences on campus or apartment buildings.

The right to carry tobacco and smoke in private vehicles where smoking/tobacco is banned on entire properties also needs to be challenged. Should it really be 'against the law' to smoke in a vehicle you are paying for based on where you are parked?

What’s the reasoning? Will the car itself not exhaust more pollution than any cigarette? Is a person expected to throw out a pack of cigarettes just because they're driving through a 'no tobacco' zone?

Smokers should just go ahead and smoke where they want until laws are changed in their favour. Isn't that how things are done in this province?

Tanya M. Sponagle

New Minas