rowyn

I am not in favor of the anti-smoking paranoia in the US today; much of it is based on utterly discredited second-hand smoke concerns...

I have to admit that I have my own anti-smoking views (whether or not they fall into the "paranoia" category is subjective, of course), but for more personal reasons than whatever studies are out there. I have never smoked, but when I was around 16, I worked in a fast-food restaurant where nearly everyone did. The back room was, effectively, a smoking lounge and was constantly filled with tobacco smoke. After somewhat less than a year of working there, I found myself, while at home (and thus away from the smoke; my parents did not smoke, either), having cigarette cravings. That was a rather frightening experience. Since then, I have never been able to give any credence to any study claiming that cigarettes are not addictive, or that second-hand smoke is not harmful (if I can develop an addiction to the substance when I'm not even the primary user, something is wrong).

In the case in question, I do think that firing employees for engaging in a legal activity on their own time is taking things rather too far. On the other hand, though, I do believe in making smoking in public as difficult, inconvenient, and uncomfortable as possible. If you insist on destroying your own body, I can't stop you...but you'd darned well better not insist on taking out mine in the process.