I am having a debate with someone about whether smokers have rights.
I maintain that as cigarette smoke is a pollutant, smokers have every right to do so, as long as it is away from other people who it would affect. In my mind, this would be similar to the right to commit suicide (which I think is a right).
I maintain that it is unacceptable that they smoke in public places, as cigarettes have been shown time and again to have serious deleterious effects on human health.
However there seems to be a core group of smokers who confuse "smokers rights" with being able to smoke anywhere they like.
Here in Queensland, Australia, smoking is now banned in many public areas but there remains an unfortunate grey area....that of balcony smoking. Some smokers think they have the right to smoke on their balconies simply because it is not expressly banned......despite it going directly into the units of those next to or above them. I think this is seriously deluded thinking as there cold easily be children living in those affected units.
I invite comment on this subject.