A Melbourne city councillor wants smoking banned in all public spaces in the CBD and the wider Melbourne City Council area.
Newly-elected councillor Richard Foster, who is finalising the proposal, says under the propsal smokers will only be able to puff away in private spaces — and then, only if they are not dining areas.
The plan to make Melbourne a smoke-free zone got us all fired up in the Mamamia office this morning — so we decided to battle it out and ask for your input.
Whose side are you on?
FOR – Kate Leaver: “Keep your cigarettes away from sensible pink-lunged humans.”
Alright Smokey Smokersons of Victoria, here’s your ultimatum. You have until 2016 to quit, or take your habit indoors. My suggestion? Keep your cigarettes away from sensible pink-lunged humans who deserve the basic right to breathe fresh air, pronto. It’s the only respectful thing to do.
As an (arguably sanctimonious) non-smoker, I fully support the legislation that would lead to a smoke-free Melbourne. I want it bad, I want it now, and I want it Australia-wide.
To me, this is a no-brainer. The whole issue comes down to this: Which do we value more, the right to smoke or the right to breathe?
If you choose to suck on a flaming stick of tobacco, you can do that on your own time and in your own designated space. If you want to smoke, that’s cool, they’re your lungs and it’s your life. But it’s not your city. And it’s not OK for you to force people to smoke passively. All that says to me is that you prioritise your idiot decision to suck on your own personal exhaust pipe over my right to breathe fresh air. It’s only truly a ‘personal choice’ if the potentially fatal consequences of that choice are confined to the smoker, and that’s what needs to happen.