Global Q&A: ‘Do you support banning smoking in public places, indoors and outdoors?’

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Rogerio Malladas, 45, Business

AdministratorI am all for smoke free laws. They may be a way to increase the public health in general by reducing people’s exposure to secondhand smoke, limiting the places to smoke, and helping smokers reduce their cigarette consumption. It’s a warning, especially for children, adolescents, and young people about the dangers of smoking, where smokers are suffering from addiction, cancer, and a lot of other diseases. These rules and anti-smoking laws are ways to avoid the pitfalls of smoking.

Sofia, Bulgaria

Georgi Negovansky, 38, Commercial Manager

Yes, I support the banning of smoking in public places because this is the only way (up to now) to protect nonsmokers from the smoke. Usually smokers do not show consideration to nonsmokers. Smokers believe it is their right to smoke, but don’t care about the rights of nonsmokers. I see very often children playing around smoking people. These smokers must be stopped once and forever. Smokers should have the right to smoke only in certain places and nowhere else.

Puerto Montt, Chile

Yasna Pamela Benitez Matamala, 34, Saleswoman

Yes, I do agree with the ban despite being a smoker myself; I do not understand how it was possible that smoking indoors was previously allowed. And I think that it is a very good idea that the government wants to prohibit smoking in discotheque and pubs, [and]raise taxes on cigarettes, to encourage more people to quit smoking.

Zaragoza, Spain

Javier Sanchez Dutruez, 35, Crane Operator

Yes, I agree with this prohibition fully. In fact, I don’t see it as a prohibition. I think it is to protect people’s right to breathe air free of cigarette smoke for those of us who for years have been suffering for smokers’ habits. And even better than that, it allows us to take our children to public places where before it was impossible because there were lots of smokers around; for example, going to breakfast with your children at a bar or restaurant.

Manhattan, New York City, U.S.A.

Romain Pelleray, 31, Freelance Journalist

It’s a good thing. I’m still allowed to smoke in the streets, so it’s fine. I don’t mind that we cannot smoke anymore in the park. You can bother people. When they passed the law in France, where I’m from, saying we could not smoke in restaurants, we had to adjust our habits, but it was a good thing.

Huskvarna, Sweden

Reinhold Klasson, 68, Retired Electrical Worker

Yes, indoors, but I don’t know what I think about outdoors. If someone smokes in a bus shelter, I get very angry. But inside the building, it is an absolute fine with bans. When people smoke on their balcony, I do not think it affects [much] or is so dangerous to others.

Mt. Hotham, Australia

Lauren Konik, 34, Traveling Chef

I hate eating next to people that are smoking when I’m sitting outdoors enjoying the sunshine; especially eating, that would definitely ban it. I hate cigarettes butts on the beach so ban it there. So yes, I would support banning it in public places.

Look for the Global Q&A column every week. Epoch Times correspondents interview people around the world to learn about their lives and perspectives on local and global realities. Next week’s global question: “What do you think is important enough to go to war, and potentially lose a loved one over?”