I'd like to preface this rant by saying that it is in no way directed at my friends or acquaintances who smoke. Every time I've ever seen them lite up, it was always in the designated puff zones. That being said. This message is directed to those people who choose to ignore the designated smoking areas.
I am an asthmatic and have recently had some minor breathing complications. I don't blame smoking or smokers for this, but their presences does not aid my situation. When designated smoking areas and new smoking rules were heightened a few years back, I was extremely pleased. No longer would I have to come home smelling like smoke when I left a Bar. No longe would I have to walk through a cloud of smoke as I walked into school or the mall.
Unfortunately, many people believe these rules are a nuisance and a hindrance to their personal liberties, and freedom to smoke. These smoking bylaws were created to protect people who do not smoke, do not like smoke, are allergic to smoke or may have health conditions that are exasperated by smoke. It's too bad that the few ignorant smokers who do not obey the signs and rules infringe upon the space of others.
Thursday (unlike most days of the week), I had the pleasure of walking through a wall of smoke as I entered my office building. Although the property management has clearly posted signs noting the designated and prohibited smoking areas, some smokers feel they can ignore the rules and light-up anywhere they please. I don't understand why this type of behavior is tolerated.
A few years ago, I was a patron at a Night club, where the DJ and management decided to announce that the Smoking By-Law would not be enforced at their establishment. As soon as the announcement was made, hundreds of Club patrons lit up and filled the Club with smoke. Since I couldn't handle the reek of smoke, I decided to leave. Before I left, I spoke with the on-site manager and asked for a coat check refund and a cover-charge refund. The manager declined, and I left the Bar. The following day, I called the region of Peel's Smoking Task Force and lodged a formal complaint. One week later, I was called by the city representative to inform me that they had conducted an under cover investigation and found the Club to be in contradiction of the region's smoking By-Laws. Victory was mine and I was sure that my concerned citizen approach would have resulted in a financial penalty to the Evil Club. Much to my surprise, the city representative informed me that although the rules were being broken and the management and staff were doing nothing to enforce the by-law, the city chose to let them off with a warning as there wasn't enough rules being broken. To me it appears that the city's bark is bigger than its bite. I guess the next time I feel like breaking the law, I should only break a few and I'll get off with a warning instead of being charged.
Getting back to the earlier story of me walking through the wall of smoke at my office, I have very little motivation to contact the building management when smoking by-laws are being broken. Instead, I will take the fight fire with fire method. I know that there's designated washrooms, but I could choose to ignore them. If I whipped it out and started pissing at the entrance of my office, I am sure someone would call the police. So why is it that we tolerate smokers who smoke in designated non-smoking areas? What's the worst my public urination would do? Maybe if it's cold, my pee would freeze and someone may slip on it. The frozen pee scenario is quite a long shot, while the negative affects of second hand smoke are proven.
Now, I assure you that I do not plan on dropping trow and peeing, or dropping a deuce out front of my office entrance. I just want people to recognize how smoking is tolerated more-so than most other social faux-pas.
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