Of course Smokers' should have rights.

They are entitled to the same rights as
everybody else.

I think this whole question of rights
for smokers and others comes down to ethical
considerations.

Ethics is all about doing what is right.

I think it was the Greek philosopher Aristotle
who stated something like that.

And what is doing what is right?

Well this really comes down to doing whatever
is going to cause least harm to others.

The law, our behavior in society, and accepted
ethical considerations often go hand in hand.

For example, it is against the law to damage
someone else's property. This is also not socially
acceptable behavior and it is obviously unethical.

However, consider another scenario, such as
telling a lie. Now, this may or may not be against
the law. It is really a consideration of the
context in which the lie was told. And, from the
point of view of our behavior in society, telling
lies in generally unacceptable. But, if as
Aristotle claims, that ethics is doing the least
harm to others, there may well be situations
where telling a lie may be a preferable situation
to being totally honest.

Now, what has all this got to do with smokers
and their rights?

Well, I shall try to explain, taking into
consideration the three factors mentioned above.
That is:

The Law
Acceptable Behavior in Society, and
Ethics

Firstly, the law regarding the use of tobacco
products has changed considerably in recent years
in most western countries.

Why has it changed?

There is now overwhelming evidence of the dangers
associated with smoking and the use of tobacco
products.

Those dangers apply not just to the users of the
product, but also to all who come into contact with
the toxic fumes of burning tobacco.

So, exposing others to these risks is no longer
socially acceptable. And, smoking in the vicinity
of others is certainly not causing least harm, so
therefore is also unethical.

Laws tend to reflect societies' values.
In my part of the world, smoking is no longer
allowed in restaurants, pubs, clubs, and in
most work places.

It is not legal, socially acceptable, or ethical
to go and beat up someone.

Even if it is legal in some places, it certainly
is not socially acceptable or ethical for smokers
to breathe their dangerous passive smoke anywhere
where others may be adversely afffected by it.

I do have empathy for smokers who would prefer
not to be smokers. I was in that category myself
for many years. It is difficult to stop and stay
stopped. There is not one effective method of stopping
smoking and staying stopped that works for everybody.
If you are a smoker who wishes to quit,
you will need to find the strategies that
are right for you. There are some excellent resources
available for you however.

www.stayingstopped.info is one such source, and has
link that will take you to many others.

But in conclusion I will reiterate what I said
at the beginning of this article.

Smokers do have rights!

They have the same rights as the rest of us!

But, none of us have the right to cause harm
to others.

Ian McKenzie (www.ianmckenzie.name) is Director of Ian McKenzie's Domains, and Professional Performance Australia. He has a work history background in education, motivation and health promotion. His web site Staying Stopped www.stayingstopped.info has useful strategies for smokers trying to quit and for health professionals working with smokers.