Alright, this is a little too much from me... (Smoking ban with kids in car)

[ken0042]

The one common theme is that most of us in this thread tend to agree that people shouldn't be smoking in their cars around children. The fact is, some people do. But the question is, how other than making this a minor offense do you stop people from doing it?

Not trying to be argumentative; just trying to see if anybody has any good suggestions.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by shane_c

I'm a non-smoker and I'm all for it. I think we have something similar in NS. If people had some common sense and weren't so self centered then we wouldn't need laws like this. I'm glad they are putting it in place. I have never gotten the appeal of smoking. It's such a filthy habit. It's no different than going up on a roof and sucking in smoke from the chimney. For those who feel that they should be able to smoke wherever they want, whether it be in a car with others or out in public, I think that the rights of those that want clean air trumps your rights.

Like I said, I am all for no smoking in a vehicle with children or in buildings but saying I have no rights to smoke in public on the street because you want fresh air is you taking the issue to far. There is no clean air and I don't see you whining about buses and other vehicles that drive by you emmiting much more crap then my cigarette does and yet I am sure if I was standing beside you on the street smoking it would be me that would get the dirty look. If I want to go up on my roof and suck smoke out of my chimney that is my right, it is not affecting you whatsoever. I am willing to keep my smoke to myself and not share it with others but the anti-smoking crusaders drive me nuts!

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Azure

I still thinking educating the public would help a lot more than legislating laws like this.

Not that the law is a bad thing, but the government imposing so much control over us is never a good thing.

All the information is out there but for whatever reason these self centered a holes still choose to smoke in vehicles with children present.

[Calgaryborn]

Originally Posted by ken0042

The one common theme is that most of us in this thread tend to agree that people shouldn't be smoking in their cars around children. The fact is, some people do. But the question is, how other than making this a minor offense do you stop people from doing it?

Not trying to be argumentative; just trying to see if anybody has any good suggestions.

You educate people{something a government can help with}. As individuals we speak up when we see someone doing something that is harmful to their child and hope they heed our warning. Beyond that we respect a parent's right to raise a child as they wish. Parents will make bad decisions but, it is their decisions to make.

The government doesn't have to control every aspect of our lives. Beyond things that fall under the category of clear and present danger the government should leave parents alone.

Not too many of us were raised by parents who weren't guilty at times of making decisions that weren't in our best interest. The fact that they invested so much of their lives in us gives them the privilege to be wrong on a few things without penalty.

[shane_c]

Originally Posted by Calgaryborn

You educate people

Kind of like when I lived and Calgary and would try to tell someone that our community is not an off leash area and that there is one about 10 minutes north on Deerfoot and they would tell me to F-off and mind my own business.

[flamesaresmokin]

Originally Posted by Azure

I still thinking educating the public would help a lot more than legislating laws like this.

Not that the law is a bad thing, but the government imposing so much control over us is never a good thing.

Thats exactly the way I see it. We are supposed to be smart and healthy as a generation. So why is it people seem to think we need the government weilding power like that over us? I'd say the vast majority of the population is capable of making informed decisions about health and child care so why waste the time and money to enforce some garbage bylaw that is uninforcable anyway.

Public scrutiny is the harshest critic for anyone that smokes with a child in the car anyway....lets leave it at that.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by shane_c

Kind of like when I lived and Calgary and would try to tell someone that our community is not an off leash area and that there is one about 10 minutes north on Deerfoot and they would tell me to F-off and mind my own business.

Call a bylaw officer if it is that big of a deal. Sorry for my curt response but that has nothing at all to do with this discussion.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Calgaryborn

You educate people{something a government can help with}. As individuals we speak up when we see someone doing something that is harmful to their child and hope they heed our warning. Beyond that we respect a parent's right to raise a child as they wish. Parents will make bad decisions but, it is their decisions to make.

You wouldn't believe how many times i've been told to eff off, take a hike, mind your own effing business , etc etc

If a parent is endangering the health of a child, they do not deserve the respect of others!

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by Dion

You wouldn't believe how many times i've been told to eff off, take a hike, mind your own effing business , etc etc

What makes you think that a fine will stop this from happening? If fines were any sort of deterrent I would drive the speed limit.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

What makes you think that a fine will stop this from happening? If fines were any sort of deterrent I would drive the speed limit.

What makes you think they won't?

[FanIn80]

I'm of the opinion that anyone who thinks it's OK to smoke in a car with their children probably isn't going to respond to anything other than physically having that "right" removed.

In other words... In this day and age, if you don't have the common sense to realize on your own that you're killing your children - then you don't have the common sense required to respond to normal methods of "education" and "trust."

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Dion

If a parent is endangering the health of a child, they do not deserve the respect of others!

This kind of wild-eyed rhetoric is just a little much. It's not like these kids are being used as human shields in a war zone for Christ's sake.

If dad has a cigarette in the car when he picks up the kid from school the child isn't going to keel over.

Again, it's stupid to do and nobody should do it but let's not be so melodramatic. I don't have kids and if I did I wouldn't smoke anywhere near them, but really, it's not the end of the world if some people do.

And I fully expect the lectures about second hand smoke and bla bla bla... but I think we should calm down a little about this.

[ken0042]

I can also see the "eff off" response happening a lot. That was the response I got from a buddy when I mentioned it to him once.

He went on about the window being cracked, the kids not seeming to mind, yadda, yadda. However if I could have come back with "well, you know its against the law" I might have had a better arguement.

The awareness campagn has been around since I can remember that smoking is bad. But there are people much younger than me that smoke. The "2nd hand smoke is bad" has been around for 10-15 years. Just recently have we banned smoking in restaurants, etc.

I guess I don't think a media campagn costing 100's of thousands (or millions) of dollars is the answer. Make it a law; a slightly controversial one, and let the media agencies debate it on their own. Cost is nothing; it might even bring in a few bucks, and it might get some people's attention.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

This kind of wild-eyed rhetoric is just a little much. It's not like these kids are being used as human shields in a war zone for Christ's sake.

If dad has a cigarette in the car when he picks up the kid from school the child isn't going to keel over.

Again, it's stupid to do and nobody should do it but let's not be so melodramatic. I don't have kids and if I did I wouldn't smoke anywhere near them, but really, it's not the end of the world if some people do.

And I fully expect the lectures about second hand smoke and bla bla bla... but I think we should calm down a little about this.

Maybe if you got off your beloved soap box and ceased your condesending remarks you understand why some get peeved at the actions of these parents.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I can also see the "eff off" response happening a lot. That was the response I got from a buddy when I mentioned it to him once.

He went on about the window being cracked, the kids not seeming to mind, yadda, yadda. However if I could have come back with "well, you know its against the law" I might have had a better arguement.

If that was me in that situation he'd no longer be a friend of mine.

The awareness campagn has been around since I can remember that smoking is bad. But there are people much younger than me that smoke. The "2nd hand smoke is bad" has been around for 10-15 years. Just recently have we banned smoking in restaurants, etc.

Taking away the rights of smokers seems to be an effective way of getting the message across. A neighbour of my recently quit as she got fed up with no place to smoke.

I guess I don't think a media campagn costing 100's of thousands (or millions) of dollars is the answer. Make it a law; a slightly controversial one, and let the media agencies debate it on their own. Cost is nothing; it might even bring in a few bucks, and it might get some people's attention.

My feelings exactly. There comes a point and time when no amount of advertising is going to be effective. It's the size of the fine that will hit parents hard in the pocketbook.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Dion

Maybe if you got off your beloved soap box and ceased your condesending remarks you understand why some get peeved at the actions of these parents.

Okey-doke.

Are you sure you are not telling me to get off my soapbox from, well, a soapbox?

[Dion]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Okey-doke.

Are you sure you are not telling me to get off my soapbox from, well, a soapbox?

Just responding to your condesending and holier than thou comments

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by fotze

I think cooking wings in the oven with children in the house is child abuse.

And most certainly all television and video game technology must certainly be removed, as the lifelong damaging implications it has on the child's psyche, including social skills and homicidal dimensia, can simply not be ignored or addressed through advertising campaigns.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Originally Posted by Calgaryborn

1. Is this law warranted by the risk to the child?

2. Given the income levels of many families in our country does imposing a fine actually harm the child?

3. Is this law Just and fair considering there are many things parents do that are at least equally as harmful to their children that we as a society tolerate?

4. Should smokers be protected as a minority? They do seem to be receiving a lot of abuse because of their addiction.

1 Yes- Secondhand smoke is pretty noxious stuff...especially for infants

2 No - You know we are targeting smokers right? By your logic increasing cigarette tax would harm the children too...lets make cigs cheaper :/

3 Yes - So if you can't fix everything...don't bother tying to fix anything?

4 No - I don't think anyone really cares if they smoke...as long as their habit doesn't affect anyone else

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

And most certainly all television and video game technology must certainly be removed, as the lifelong damaging implications it has on the child's psyche, including social skills and homicidal dimensia, can simply not be ignored or addressed through advertising campaigns.

Why does this thread have to keep getting derailed? It's ONE law that is potentially coming into place to protect children from parents who are too stupid in this day and age to know that smoking in your car with your children present is just plain stupid. Then people keep coming back with sarcastic remarks about how we should just legislate everything.