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.