# Non-smokers: How rampant and how deep is the smoker hate? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 27, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317 "2012-11-27T22:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/161 "2012-11-29T17:09:18Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Smoking should be legal in the open air\* and private residences, as long as no one who doesn’t consent is forced to pass nearby. I’m not sure what to do about apartment buildings: you shouldn’t have to be a homeowner to have a bad habit, but equally you shouldn’t have to be a homeowner to avoid other people’s smoke. > > . That doesn’t quite work either. We live two houses down from a house where there are at least 2 smokers. I know because I can smell it when they are outside smoking. This is when I am in my own home. I can smell the tobacco smoke. One time my little girl, who wants to talk to everyone, started to run towards them while they were smoking just to say hi, and I had to stop her mid run. I felt bad that I had to keep her form going over there, and possible embarrassing the people who were outside smoking because my daughter loudly asked 'Why can’t I go over there mommy?" And I whispered to her “Because they are smoking sweetie and the smoke may make you feel sick.” So she says loudly again “Why does smoking make you sick. Is smoking bad?” I dragged her inside to explain to her that smoking can make your lungs very very sick and we shouldn’t smoke and we should stay away from people when they are smoking. I felt bad, especially for our neighbors who I feared I had needlessly embarrassed. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/162 "2012-11-29T17:19:29Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Untrue. I know people who smoke one cigarette a week, or one a day, or only in times of stress. The key to avoiding addiction, I am told, is to refrain from carrying the pack on your person, and not to smoke while in the same room as the pack. > > My work wife does this. She actually keeps her cigarettes in _my_ office, so she can’t get one at work without my knowledge and permission. Not that I’d deny her one; they’re her property, after all. But it’s an easy check on herself land way to avoid losing control of the impulse. ‘Chippers’ (like your wife) are turning out to be more common than previously thought. Apparently there’s a big cohort, for example, of 2-a-day smokers. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/163 "2012-11-29T17:22:50Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I’m having a bit of trouble reconciling the strong anti-tobacco sentiment on the SDMB with it’s seemingly pro-legalization stance on pot. One habit is super nasty and we should do anything we can to eliminate it but the other is okay? I support legalizing pot, as long as it’s not smoked. That is, I support the infamous pot brownies. I also support tobacco brownies. I don’t support putting smoke into the air that other people are likely to breathe. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/164 "2012-11-29T17:25:57Z")
Long-term ex-smoker before quitting 20 years ago. I support even the harshest anti-smoking laws. You should be allowed to smoke at home, nowhere else, period. What I would really like to see is tobacco outlawed, period. Unconstitutional? Infringes on rights? I couldn’t care less. I’ll let the courts sort that out. Me, I’ll keep on supporting stricter laws. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/165 "2012-11-29T17:27:32Z")
A work wife is another name for a female co-worker with whom you have a close, platonic relationship. In the 50’s men often called their secretary their work wife. > **[Work spouse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_spouse)** > > "Work spouse" is a phrase, mostly in American English, referring to a co-worker, with whom one shares a special relationship, having bonds similar to those of a marriage. Early references suggest that a work spouse may not just be a co-worker, but can also be someone in a similar field who the individual works closely with from a partnering company. > A work spouse has been defined as “a special, platonic friendship with a work colleague characterized by a close emotional bond, high levels of dis... ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/166 "2012-11-29T17:59:21Z")
> [@April\_R](#): > > I dragged her inside to explain to her that smoking can make your lungs very very sick and we shouldn’t smoke and we should stay away from people when they are smoking. I felt bad, especially for our neighbors who I feared I had needlessly embarrassed. Shoot, don’t feel bad about that! Keep going. “Next time we see the neighbors, we’ll go say hi, but we want to avoid cigarettes and smoke.” (Or bikers/skaters without helmets, adults who are angry or swearing, etc) I’m all for preserving the dignity of strangers, but smokers know kids shouldn’t be encouraged to smoke and smokers know that others might have asthma or allergies. It’s perfectly okay to use smokers as an example of what not to do. If they take offense, too bad. Your friendly kid didn’t need to waste time on them anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Retrograde\_Wandering\_Stars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/87869e/32.png) [@Retrograde\_Wandering\_Stars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retrograde_Wandering_Stars)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/167 "2012-11-29T17:59:24Z")
I don’t think of it in terms of morality or health concerns. Smokers smell bad. They make everything around them smell bad. It’s like BO, but worse because it’s contagious. That smell clings to everything the smoke touches. The smokers can’t detect how bad they smell. Worse than stinky cheese or wet dog. I don’t want to smell like that, so I hope they stay away from me. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/168 "2012-11-29T18:06:14Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > IThe worst person in Hollywood is Jim Cameron. He had both leads in _Titanic_ smoke, and when confronted with it, he cluelessly said said that he wanted “to show that they were rebels”. He even had Signory Weaver’s character smoke far in the future in _Avatar_! Fuck you, Jim.. Yes, Big Tobacco write Big Checks. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/169 "2012-11-29T18:11:48Z")
[quote=“Jackmannii, post:152, topic:642317”] I’m not aware of a substantial secondhand pot smoke problem or associated health risks that’d be anything remotely near what they are for secondhand tobacco smoke. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t support restrictions on public pot smoking where it could affect the well-being of non-smokers. I also have doubts about the wisdom of repealing all pot legislation, but that’s another story. [QUOTE] Right. In general Pot is not smoked in public (not should it be, even if decriminalized) and is not smoked in an amount anywhere near cigs. I don’t know any dopers with a 2 pack a day habit. And as pointed out, pot works well in consumables. Note that I did say that tobacco users can inhale dip, snuff, chew, etc to their hearts content. Can also be disgusting, but no danger to others. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/170 "2012-11-29T18:49:25Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > What about the other stuff related to smoking tobacco? We’ve had posters comment that tobacco smokers are idiots. Are pot smokers idiots? Should pot smokers have their health insurance increased, or, as suggested for tobacco users, have their access to public health care limited or eliminated? Given the current trend of eliminating acceptable places to smoke tobacco, where will people be able to smoke pot? We have people at the SDMB that act as if even a whiff of tobacco smoke is doing them a great amount of harm. Does pot smoke not stink? This is the part I really don’t get: Why do pot smokers get a pass but tobacco smokers are vilified? > > No, it’s not. If smoking tobacco isn’t comparable to alcohol then neither is smoking pot. I shouldn’t post when I’m working. Ok yeah smoking pot still produces smoke. Even if pot is legal very few people are going to light up a joint at work, just like very few people are going to pop open a can of beer at work. I’m not going to say nobody does but I’m sure there are a few jobs where lighting up a joint or drinking a beer isn’t going to get you fired. I won’t say nobody does (there is sure to be a chain joint smoker out there somewhere), but in general people don’t smoke pot the same way they smoke cigarettes. There will probably be the same restrictions on smoking pot as there are on drinking alcohol, people won’t be walking down the street smoking a joint anymore than they would walk down the street drinking a beer. You won’t see people clustered in doorways smoking joints. People won’t be taking a 15 minute break from work to go smoke a joint, and they won’t be throwing roaches out their car windows. It’s not like everybody who smokes cigarettes is going to switch to pot and clog our lungs with smoke. You don’t have to smoke pot, there are other ways to get the effects. I think all eating tobacco will do is make you sick. I don’t see what one has to do with the other. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/171 "2012-11-29T19:38:33Z")
> [@sahirrnee](#): > > Ok yeah smoking pot still produces smoke. And as such if it is legal you will come into contact with it at some point. My neighbors like to smoke pot and I occasionally get a whiff of it some evenings when I take my dog outside. For some people in this thread that would be far too much contact if it were tobacco smoke. > [@](#): > > I don’t see what one has to do with the other. I have a hard time understanding why you don’t see what one has to do with the other. We’re (general we) working are hardest to make it harder and harder for people to smoke tobacco. We pushed tobacco smokers outside (justified in my opinion) and now we’re making it harder for them to even smoke outdoors in parks. Smoking tobacco is certainly unhealthy but so is smoking pot. Maybe it’s not as bad as tobacco but it’s still unhealthy. So yeah, I don’t see the two products as being completely dissimilar. It still baffles me that people are anti-tobacco and seemingly pro-pot at the same time. Especially given many of the reasons why people say they hate tobacco. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/172 "2012-11-29T19:59:42Z")
If that really second hand second hand smoke is killing a buttload of people, as some data seems to suggests it does, I would imagine all those people hitting a joint now and then when pot becomes legal are going to be as likely to die as people exposed to second hand smoke. I mean, if pot smokers wanna die, let em. Butt I think they are fooling themselves that tabacco is a cancer stick and weed is a just a good ole time. And did you know smoking pot makes you a better driver? (cue and now you know music) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/173 "2012-11-29T20:24:23Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I have a hard time understanding why you don’t see what one has to do with the other. We’re (general we) working are hardest to make it harder and harder for people to smoke tobacco. We pushed tobacco smokers outside (justified in my opinion) and now we’re making it harder for them to even smoke outdoors in parks. Smoking tobacco is certainly unhealthy but so is smoking pot. Maybe it’s not as bad as tobacco but it’s still unhealthy. So yeah, I don’t see the two products as being completely dissimilar. It still baffles me that people are anti-tobacco and seemingly pro-pot at the same time. Especially given many of the reasons why people say they hate tobacco. As has been said- one can be against the idea of putting some young man in prison for 5 year for possessing a small amount of pot, but still be in favor of a ordinance that would fine a smoker (of any substance) some $50 for smoking in public. I am against Prohibition, but have no issue with Public Drinking ordinances. I have no problem with doing almost anything that is purely self-destructive as long as you don’t destroy anyone else along with you. Smoke in your house, but not in my face- pot _or_ tobacco . Are you really having that difficult a time in understanding this? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/174 "2012-11-29T20:33:12Z")
> [@April\_R](#): > > A work wife is another name for a female co-worker with whom you have a close, platonic relationship. > In the 50’s men often called their secretary their work wife. > [Work spouse - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_spouse) First time I’ve ever encountered this (apparently really common) notion. Weird eh? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/175 "2012-11-29T20:57:07Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > First time I’ve ever encountered this (apparently really common) notion. Weird eh? I’ve “experienced” it without realizing it was “a thing”. Yeah, weird here as well. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/176 "2012-11-29T21:37:20Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > I hate smoking. I hate the smell of smoke and I hate that it makes me wheeze if I’m around it. I hate the smell of stale smoke on people’s clothes. > > Don’t hate the people who do it, though. I’m just grateful if they don’t do it near me. This exactly. I really hate cigarettes and smoke, especially stale smoke in a car or small room. Oh, and I sure wish the smokers over at the park would not stand _right next_ to the track where people are running, and instead choose a spot somewhere else in the 50-acre park to stand and smoke. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/177 "2012-11-29T21:42:25Z")
Haters gonna hate. I wouldn’t date a smoker, and I strongly dislike being trapped in places where I can’t avoid smoke or the smell of residual smoke, but other than that, I could care less. I myself smoked from about 2 1/2 years total, off and on. I never had a real addiction to it, but I find it enjoyable, and I would still smoke if it wasn’t so bad for me. But I’m too much of a health nut. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/178 "2012-11-29T21:42:45Z")
I do not like people smoking around me. I do not like people starting fires with lit cigaretts. I do not like the litter from smokers. I hate people who claim cigarette smoking does not kill people. I hate people who smoke and complain about being broke all the time. I hate people asking me for cigarettes and/or matches. My standard reply is “I do not smoke. Do I look that stupid?” And I frigging hate smokers hitting me up for money. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/179 "2012-11-29T21:45:03Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > And as such if it is legal you will come into contact with it at some point. My neighbors like to smoke pot and I occasionally get a whiff of it some evenings when I take my dog outside. For some people in this thread that would be far too much contact if it were tobacco smoke. > > I have a hard time understanding why you don’t see what one has to do with the other. We’re (general we) working are hardest to make it harder and harder for people to smoke tobacco. We pushed tobacco smokers outside (justified in my opinion) and now we’re making it harder for them to even smoke outdoors in parks. Smoking tobacco is certainly unhealthy but so is smoking pot. Maybe it’s not as bad as tobacco but it’s still unhealthy. So yeah, I don’t see the two products as being completely dissimilar. It still baffles me that people are anti-tobacco and seemingly pro-pot at the same time. Especially given many of the reasons why people say they hate tobacco. You are assuming that by making pot legal everybody is going to be smoking it the same way that tobacco smokers smoke cigarettes. You don’t know that is what they are going to do. I am assuming that the rules for smoking pot will be as strict if not stricter for smoking in public places. Not only do you have the smoke issues but you also have the getting high issues. Not only that, pot does not have to be smoked, there are other ways to get high. One has nothing to do with the other. I can be against having a smoke filled environment without objecting to someone baking up a batch of special brownies. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317/180 "2012-11-29T21:54:53Z")
For all the people talking about cigarettes vs. pot, have you ever read up on all the chemicals that are in cigarettes? The cigarettes are not natural “tobbaco, paper, and that’s all!” We’re talking amonia, formaldahyde, and acetone. Now I’m not saying that marijuana smoke is healthy by any means but if I had to chose between the two, I’d definitely rather have to be around the marijuana smoker. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-smokers-how-rampant-and-how-deep-is-the-smoker-hate/642317.md?page=10)