Thursday 17 April 2008

The Smoking Gun?

As I mention in a previous blog, I distrust the type of people who want to ban smoking in any 'public place', but have never really examined the claims about the dangers posed by 'passive smoking'. Luckily, someone has; the musician Joe Jackson spent years looking into the claims made against tobacco - the supposed harm that derives from smoking (active and passive), the role of the pharmaceutical companies and governments, and the zealotry of anti-smoking campaigners - and has published his findings on his website (see the link on the left).

Suffice to say, I can't make the case better than he can. Please read his findings; I find them unarguable, but feel free to start an argument with me about them. But please read them, it's important - socially, politically, economically, and for our own health - that we know the risks (or lack of them) of the drive to ban smoking.

2 comments:

thomas said...

John - it's not that I *know* that second hand smoke contains a staggering number of toxic substances that would have not been allowed to be released into confined spaces where people gather if it wasn't so ingrained and normalised in the culture, I can *feel* it too, and it used to make me feel sick. And I very much doubt that I was deluding myself here. It's not that your clothes stank, what made them stink was in your lungs too...

Anyway, smoking as such is *not* banned you can still smoke, you just have to go outside. Just like cars are not allowed to drive on the pavement. I think this clear ban is much better than having lots of exceptions. I really go out more these days, and am happy to organise small Plus gigs in places I definitely avoided previously. And you should be thankful for that! ;-)

anyway, what are you doing over the weekend? :-)

Johnny2 said...

As you know Thomas, I do believe in exceptions, for all things, so that consenting and knowing adults can do what they like to themselves and each other - and equally that those adults shouldn't inflict harm on others, which is why I support a ban in most public places, and all music venues etc etc. (And, in private areas, cars can do what they like, and I see no reason why, in a private bar/club, people can't do likewise>)

Am still trying to get gigs myself - right now I'd be happy to play in a health spa, with no smoke, booze or indeed lights, if only somebody would have us!...)

Chris may be down this weekend - ther goes another piece of my liver - I hope you have a good one.x