I am quite allergic to cigarette smoke. It has been that way for me from an early
age, and for that reason, I have to avoid smoke if I don’t want to suffer. With that in mind, however, I strongly
disagree with a local ordinance passed in Rockville, Maryland. In this matter, the County Council voted to
impose a ban on OUTDOOR SMOKING for publicly maintained sidewalks and
parks. The vote to impose this ban was
five to four. (This seems to be the
controversial breakdown of significant votes these days.)
What I didn’t realize is that Rockville is now the
61st city in the country which has a ban on outdoor smoking.
What does the mayor think? Mayor Al Muller weighed in on the subject, indicating his support
for this measure, as he claimed we are talking about public health for those
who suffer from asthma and have allergies.
The mayor believes that people in those circumstances should not have to
stay away from public sidewalks and parks.
Why do we live in such an “all or nothing” period of
time? How about some compromise
here? What if half of each park were
made non-smoking, and the other half be such that people could smoke to their
hearts’ content? I never quite
understood why in this technological age, airplanes could not do better than
put a curtain up between row twenty-five and twenty-six to distinguish between
the non-smoking section and the smoking section. The curtain was a joke.
If you were in row twenty-five, you were in for a long flight. For that matter, row twenty-four wasn’t a
whole lot better. With that in mind,
while I understand why smoking was banned on airplanes flying within the United
States, and from a selfish standpoint, I enjoy not having to deal with the
smoke; that does not mean I think that was the best solution. I am a big believer in compromise, and in
the Rockville, Maryland instance, I just don’t get it. This is now being referred to as the
“toughest outdoor smoking restriction in the nation.” Is that something to be so proud about? As a non-smoker, I appreciate it greatly when smokers are
respectful, however, I think there is a significant difference between finding
common ground and making the smoker feel like a pariah.
Yes, I don’t want to be reduced to a coughing,
wheezing, nose-blowing guy because someone is smoking in a less than
considerate matter; however, we are talking about the outdoors here. Smokers who violate this law in Rockville
are now looking at one hundred dollar fines.
Apparently, smoking in Rockville is about to become an even more
expensive habit than at present.
Reaction in Rockville has certainly not been one
hundred percent favorable. Apparently,
acts of civil disobedience are being planned, and the tobacco industry may well
weigh in with a lawsuit. So here we
are, a foolish law followed by a lawsuit that didn’t have to be, clogging our
already well-clogged court system. And
I can’t wait to read about the type of acts of civil disobedience that will be
forthcoming. Are people going to dress
up like cigarettes and picket the Mayor’s office? Will there be a marathon chain-smoking session as smokers
surround the Mayor’s building and refuse to let him leave? I would suggest that this is what happens
when people push for absolute-type laws that don’t take the other side into
account. I hope the people of
Rockville, Maryland, find some common ground so that civil disobedience or
lawsuits will not be necessary.