speaking as an ex-smoker, ex-fattie, and ex-pot user (a health insurers nightmare, am i healthy for the rest of my life or will i renege on one of the things i gave up, or will i still suffer consequences even if i stay away from the evil things?...aarrghhh) i think that smokers should be forced to quit or stop smoking.
The arguement about what about fatties etc just isnt appropriate for one simple reason, people get fat because they eat too much, but eating is something that you do have to do, it has a purpose involving keeping you alive, ok some people eat too much, but they still have to eat. Smokers are doing something recreational, therefore they dont have to do it, it doesnt keep them alive for some reason, they start it because its trendy/cool/hard/peer pressure/etc, then they claim they cant stop it because of the drug in it that keeps them addictive, or because it calms them down etc. So what? you started it when there was no actual reason to that was necessary to your life, so its tough on you. Personally i think for definite anyone working in the health industries whether private or business should not smoke, partly to set an example, also to keep the surroundings more clean and unpolluted, nothing worse than someone who walks into work having sucked the life out of a ciggie just before they walk in the door to then let all that smoke that clings around them percolate the office/whatever. Even when i smoked i wasnt keen on smokey atmospheres unless i was smoking myself, now i dont i really cannot stand it, i rarely go into bars for this reason, yet i love a good drinkie sesh.
A chain of pubs in the UK (they usually have one in every town centre, plus some local up the road type ones and some more trendy bar style ones) called Wetherspoons has just announced plans to ban smoking in all its pubs sometime within a year, i think its a good idea, specially seeing as they do serve food as well.
there ya go, another long post that i wrote while bored at work, wow this is a good way to pass the time...lol