Why persecute smokers?

I understand and agree that non-smokers have the right to a smoke free environment, but did any of these nonsmokers ever sit beside a person who took a bath in perfume or after shave? A lot of people are allergic to those things, so prhaps they should be banned from public places as well. Smokers are treated like second-class citizens with no rights. As we all pay our way in this world, smokers should at least be provided with a comfortable place to smoke. Non-smokers have comfortable places to not smoke, but smokers are put out in the cold and rain. Doesn't seem quite fair to me.

Boy i know how you feel. They are absolutely nasty. My smoking is not as bad as their mouths. But i guess they are perfect. Perfect idiots.

I am NOT a smoker and I absolutely agree with you. Yes it is unhealthy to smoke, but it is also unhealthy to eat a big cheeseburger all the time and lots of people do that. My boyfriend smokes, and I hate it, but it's his choice. And yes he has a much higher chance of getting lung cnacer, etc but it's ironic to me when an obese relative of mine tells him he needs to quit. They are JUST as unhealthy by being so overweight; yet no one can tell them to stop eating so much because that would be "mean." I don't understand why smokers are SO hated, especially when they're very consciencous of their smokng (smoke outside, not around others, not around kids, etc). We all make unhealthy life choices, not just smokers. People have a very "holier than thou" attitude towards smokers. THe state also preys on them; here in NY they just jacked the state taxes yet again, and now it's about $10/pack. THe state LOVES smokers cuz that's how they get a lot of their revenus (75% of the cost of a pack of cig's in NY is just state taxes). And they're trying to tax citizens if they try and buy the cigs at an Indian Reservation too (the native's are none-to-pleased to be dictated laws on their own sovereign land). NY is absoultely broke and desprete though, haha but that's getting into another discussion.

I honestly didn't have that problem very often in the 8 and 1/2 years that I was a smoker. There was just one which was a pregnant girl that intentionally came to stand in a designated smokers area just to complain. The rest were friends and random people that were for some reason concerned about my health and trying to inform me about lung cancer and all this stuff lol. You're right though there's a lot worse things. I don't see anyone complaining to the guys that insist on bathing them selves in Axe body spray. I'd much rather inhale gallons of cig smoke than that stench.