Health Canada considering new anti smoking law from Maine

[Bawango]

Health Canada is considering adopting a law that prohibits smoking in vehicles when thare are kids from the age of 18 and under. Apparently this law is already in affect Arkansas and another state in the US. If you are caught doing the deed, you get fined $50.00.
I personally think that it is a good law as kids don't really have a say when an adult lights up in the car. And its for the good of the childs health in the long run.

[Mandy]

Hopefully this passes. Smoking should not be tolerated by anyone; exspecially by those who are too young to voice their opinions.

[Dan_Man]

I hope Health Canada introduces this law!
Kids shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of their parents second hand smoke.

[NoseToTheGrind]

I as a non-smoker, grew up around smokers, and really hope this law passes...I used to ask as a child for them to either open windows, or start coughing...and well...they use to tell me if I started I wouldn't notice it so much.

[homey]

I really hope this law passes...nothing worse than seeing people smoking with a small baby in their car....I remember being a kid and even with the windows opened a crack....you still got a lung full of smoke...it was so hard to breathe....let's keep our fingers crossed that this one goes through.

[Corinne]

Oh yes, I remember the days riding along in the car with two or more smoking adults. Windows up all the way in the summer (because the air conditioning was on) or down just a crack in the winter...and your eyes would be burning out of your head and breathing in all that smoke. I would be begging them not to smoke in the car with me, but I grew up in a generation of smokers who really didn't see the harm. I definitly hope they pass this law.

[Mandi]

It's about time! I hope that this goes through. I think it's disgusting to see people care so little. They couldn't take a pit stop to step outside the car? So sad to see children subjected to this. I was as a child, and I hated it. You'd really think that parents and those who watch children would be considerate enough not to do this in the first place....

[Mandi]

Smokers think of nobody but themselves.They think they rule the world:I smoke I need an extra break (while working) what about us non smokers we can't use that as an excuse can we!

Hahahaha Coffee break? Scratch your butt break? >. > run to the vending machine to get your chocolate fix break? I can think of all kinds of breaks that I would take if a smoker at my place of employment got away with 'smoke' breaks. ;)

[Lemme_LQQK]

I am a smoker and I believe that it's a 50/50 thing between the non smokers and the smokers , but in no way is anyone going to tell me I cannot smoke in my own vehicle , there's no way they can enforce that. I mean how are they going to tell if there is a baby or very small child in the car ,unless u have a banner waving in the wind stating the fact.

The police have better things to do than do something as trivial as pull someone over for that. Look at the so called no smoking law of no smoking in company vehicles, uh huh, take a good look around. Especially at the del trucks , moving trucks,the mail truck for land sake, the list goes on, it's because there is nothing they can do to stop it.

Honestly people ...give your head a shake. It's stupid talk.

[Mandi]

Stupid talk that makes an aweful lot of sense.... I'm sure it would be enforced when possible, and if only a few people got tickets for being so inconsiderate of younger people's lungs, then that would make me happier than if no one did.

[Lemme_LQQK]

we'll see !!!

[vanessalynn5484]

As a child I was always in the car with adults who smoked and I used to hate it. I understand that back then it was ignorance really. I know plenty of smokers now who do not smoke in their car anyways because they take their child in it (since they don't want their children breathing it in). It would raise awareness that the danger of second hand smoke is very real (for those who don't know or are in denial) so I am for it!:)

[The_Dave]

It is just common sense to not smoke in a vehicle with a child or for that matter anyone who does not smoke. It is a matter of respect.

[Lemme_LQQK]

They may pass it , but never enforce it......lolol talking from the top of their hats .....plain stupid talk.

[sjchickie]

I guess I have 2 things to say...Im a smoker and i never smoke in the car when my daughter is in their. Sometimes when shes not sure i do BUT its about respect....no you shouldnt expose your children to second hand smoke however I agree with Lemme the chances of them enforcing that is slim here is why. We live in a democracy, that vehicle is your personal property as is your home so to say that they would ban it in cars than why not ban it in homes???? Because as adults we have the choice until cigarettes are illegal and as long as we dont smoke in public to really do what we want.

It is very disrespectful to Smoke with your child in the car....however we live in a democracy for a reason. As a canadian citizen we have a right to smoke, hence why its legal, so to take that right away from us while our kids is in the car would be nearly impossible to enforce. It makes good sense to do it yes, but politically speaking the government cant dictate to us what we can and can not do with our own property as long as its within our legal rights. So yes for the kids it would be better i agree 100% but the chances of them passing such a law would be nearly impossible, the government doesnt get to pick and chose when and when we cant have the rights given to us written in the constitution.
MAYBE they can come up with some other idea that can help prevent the smoking with children around but dictating to us is not what being canadian is all about
I say good luck to health canada whatever the outcome

[Mandi]

I guess I have 2 things to say...Im a smoker and i never smoke in the car when my daughter is in their. Sometimes when shes not sure i do BUT its about respect....no you shouldnt expose your children to second hand smoke however I agree with Lemme the chances of them enforcing that is slim here is why. We live in a democracy, that vehicle is your personal property as is your home so to say that they would ban it in cars than why not ban it in homes???? Because as adults we have the choice until cigarettes are illegal and as long as we dont smoke in public to really do what we want.

It is very disrespectful to Smoke with your child in the car....however we live in a democracy for a reason. As a canadian citizen we have a right to smoke, hence why its legal, so to take that right away from us while our kids is in the car would be nearly impossible to enforce. It makes good sense to do it yes, but politically speaking the government cant dictate to us what we can and can not do with our own property as long as its within our legal rights. So yes for the kids it would be better i agree 100% but the chances of them passing such a law would be nearly impossible, the government doesnt get to pick and chose when and when we cant have the rights given to us written in the constitution.
MAYBE they can come up with some other idea that can help prevent the smoking with children around but dictating to us is not what being canadian is all about
I say good luck to health canada whatever the outcome
Well darlin, drinking is legal. and you can't drink and drive can you? you put others at risk, smoking with a child in your car puts them at risk. I have to agree, it would be difficult to enforce, but I would really love to see them do it. A car is a much more confined area than a house.

[Dan_Man]

Good point Mandi!

[Bawango]

Yeah its going to be difficult to enforce like a lot of existing laws but its a step towards the right direction. I cannot believe what I am reading! For the sake of smoking some people here would rather not make the small sacrifice of not smoking in your vehicle while your kids are in it. Also we are talking about smoking in your vehicle not in a company vehicle. I'm sure most people do not drive their kids in the company van.
I'm also all for having rights but what about your kids right to clean air?!
Also people the law if passed only gets you in trouble if you are caught smoking in your car with kids in it that are 18 years old and below.
To me this is not a very difficult choice to make. Suck it up and wait till my kids get out of the car then smoke? or smoke anyway while my kids are in the car? Consider this, smoke in your car and expose your kids to second hand smoke. Whats the worse that can happen? Asthma? Okay, Asthma = having to buy asthma medication which is not covered my medicare.
Flovent alone is $80.00 if you have no benefits. Bad enough that you willingly pay $7 a pack for smokes, now you have to pay for your kids asthma medication?! Thats if your kids only gets asthma.

[Corinne]

In an ideal world most parents would have enough common sense not to smoke in their vehicle and subject their child to second hand smoke. However, we do not live in an ideal world and unfortunately I see people puffing in their cars all the time with their kids sitting right beside them or behind them. Therefore why not support a law that will at least, on some occasions, fine those who lack that sense and perhaps make them think about what they are doing. At the very least make them pay for their mistakes.

[user5624]

I read somewhere that growing up in second hand smoke doubles your chances of lung cancer. I wish I knew where I read that, if anybody can find it (if anybody decides to look this up) can you post the source?

[Bawango]

This law that health canada is mulling over is again being copied from the US of A. You know, the home of the brave, land of the free, democracy and free speech. 2 States, count it 2!! states in the US of A have this law in affect and 1 more joining. Think our neighbors didn't put up a fuss about this as its you know infringing on their rights?! Well it passed anyway. Oh and Lemme Look as far your question to how going to tell if you have a baby in your car? Well an infant or child seat is a dead give away. And as far as I know the police can stop you if they suspect you of something. Just like being suspected of possibly driving under the influence. Oh and A) they can see you try throw out your cigarette and B) Theres a difference between a car that smells like cigarettes and a car that smells like someone just smoked in.

[sugadip]

I think this would be a great law to pass. I didn't realize this was a law in some states.

[ceg]

I have two cousins who's parents smoked around them all the time as they were growing up, their immune systems are a mess. If the smallest cold is going around they will catch it and be sick for weeks, mean while other kids might get a sniffle. The youngest has numerous health issues to being with and with the smoking it made it much much worse.

I feel bad for them that their parents didn't have the common sense not to do that around their children. My parents quit smoking when me and my sis came along, best choice they ever made.

I don't understand why anyone would want to smoke anyways. It's unattractive, smells terrible, discolours your teeth, skin, hair and nails. Not to mention it's extremely unhealthy.

[mustang5lboy]

i can not believe this i never usually post on these type of things but being a parent and a smoker and having a car this law they think there going to pass would be good. But on the other hand i would like to see any cop or any other person at the matter tell me what i can do inside something that i own and payed taxes on what to do. I am not saying that i smoke when my 2 year old is in the car cause i do not i have a choice he does not. But if there is an adult in my car and my son is not and they told me not to smoke here i would tell them to get out and use there own car. For them to enforce this law would be something to see when the law now states no smoking in public facilities.
This law if u read the copy includes any public used vechiles including cop cars and caps, service vechiles owned by the city. How many times have you seen a cop a capy and a city worker smoke in the vechiles you really think they are going to enforce this law something to see.

[Lemme_LQQK]

Don't smoke in your vehicle or anywhere , BUT it's ok to poison your liver with alcohol...mmm yeh makes a lot of sense now doesn't it???

[The_Dave]

You have to wear your seatbelt in a vehicle you own and it is strictly enforced.

[Mandi]

Don't smoke in your vehicle or anywhere , BUT it's ok to poison your liver with alcohol...mmm yeh makes a lot of sense now doesn't it???

I have never heard of anyone suffering or getting diseases from second hand drinking.... But hey you know, to some people dealing with a drunk is bad enough. You're also not allowed to be drunk in a public place. Poisoning your own liver, vs. rotting other peoples lungs? Come on now.

[vanessalynn5484]

You have to wear your seatbelt in a vehicle you own and it is strictly enforced.
That is a really good point, I was thinking that myself.

[girdy]

I really didn't expect smokers to start defending their reprehensible addiction and behaviour. Run a Google search on "effect of second hand smoke on children". Increased chance of SIDS. Ear infections. Colds. Pneumonia. Developing Asthma. Developmental handicap. Ever wonder why your kid is sicker than others, and not as smart? It's because you smoke.

Your kid is more likely to start smoking, if you smoke. Surely you've seen your kid imitating behaviour.

The only way to get rid of this pestilence on society, is to stop the kids from smoking. Smoking used to be cool. More and more people are developing contempt for those who take those stinking things, light them on fire, and start sucking on them. The drive to get smoking stopped altogether needs to continue, banning smoking near children in captive environments is the next logical step.

My prediction is that within a generation, smokers will be regarded as highly as we regard crack addicts now, and there will be tobacco houses for the remaining addicts, because smoking will have been outlawed. It's just a shame it couldn't happen faster.

[vanessalynn5484]

People smoke because it is highly addictive. Some studies show that tobacco addiction could even be genetic. Not smoking in front of your kids or exposing them to the smoke is a good way to keep them from not smoking for sure. Trying to quit altogether would be even better. However, I think bashing smokers is wrong. It is one of the hardest addictions to quit and for some people it is nearly impossible.

I don't think anyone should expose children to smoke, but that doesn't mean I think that smokers are the root of all evil! They have an addiction. When their brain is depleted of nicotine it starts "screaming" at them to fill it up again. Some people are more predisposed to have addictive personalities, this makes quitting anything (including smoking) highly difficult.

[Corinne]

I unfortunately am a smoker...I hate smoking, I hate what it does to me, I hate the way it smells, I hate feeling ashamed of the fact that I smoke. I wish I could find the strength to quit. I just don't see how anyone in their right mind can come up with an argument that it is o.k. to smoke around your kids, especially in a car. Ya, ya it is your property and all...but come on people..why would you do that to your kid. It is such a small sacrifice to step out of your car and have a smoke or to step out of your door to have a smoke. And there is an added advantage, when you smoke outside you smoke less...well that worked for me anyway.

[Sekhmet]

One needs to remember that smoking is an addictive habit. Not just physically but emotionally.
In order to break it, one needs to want to enough that they will or can get the help to do it.

It is not as simple as saying "voila" and it being stopped.

But that being said, the Government seems to be going around this problem in what I believe is the completely wrong way; attempting to force people to stop is not the answer, Helping them to stop is.

It is akin to letting your child have the keys to the vehicle every Saturday night and then saying No because I don’t like how you turn the radio on.

[Bawango]

I started this to get peoples opinion on a law that may or may not be passed. But like a lot of threads its slowly being swayed to a whole different topic.
All this law is asking if it indeed passes is consider your kids if they are in the car when you light up. No one is saying that smokers are terrible people but the act of smoking is bad for you and the people around you.
No one here is questioning that it is a smoking is a hard habit to kick either. So for you smokers, relax. It's not a thread to attack smokers.

[ceg]

I'm also not bashing anyone that smokes but I've seen what it can do to people. It's made my younger cousins terribly sick all the time, it helped kill my grandmother, it's given numerous friends and family cancer. People get cranky and even down right mad when they want to feed the addiction and you might be in the way of them making it outside.

Where I work probably %70 of people smoke. The place looks like a mess, people standing around outside all the time and cigarette butts everywhere. It's an awful look for a business to have.

For something that doesn't have one positive attribute I'm surprised so many people do it. People here keep comparing smoking and drinking. At least drinking in moderation can actually be good for you.

[BEagles]

One of the stupidest laws I've ever heard of. Hey, since we know it's bad why don't we just stop them from smoking in a house with a child as well. I mean what's the difference between getting a lung full of smoke in a car and getting a lung full of smoke in your living room. I'm not a smoker, I think it's absolutely disgusting, but to try and enforce something like that would be ridiculous.

[mustang5lboy]

i think that it would be great to pass the law but how many of you seriously think that it will be enforced? It's just like the no smoking in commercial vehicals (ie: cabs) how many cabs drivers do you know that tell their fares they can't smoke in the vehical. As long as they are getting their money to drive them where they want to go they could care less, and yet you never see them being pulled over and given a ticket for it. It all sounds good and it'll look good on paper but i doubt very much it'll be enforced as much as everyone is saying it will be.

[Bawango]

Okay, the new proposed law is for "Anyone caught smoking while with minors in the vehicle." You would not get in trouble if your in your vehicle by yourself smoking.
So everyone that is all up in arms about this proposed, see I wrote proposed law. Smoke in your car all you want, just make sure anyone that is considered a minor is not in it.