I’m currently in my fourth or fifth relapse of smoking cigarettes. Apparently it takes most people nine goes before they can kick the habit for good, so I’m making good progress. Cigarette addiction is worse than heroin addiction. That’s also just what they say, I have no personal experience with this (although people have their suspicions about me I’m sure, some people are just naturally bone skinny, sallow skinned and weak alright?!). I’m not trying to quit at the moment either. Generally you can tell my mood by my smoking. Boredom and stress are key factors, but there are other reasons too. Christopher Hitchens, Bill Hicks and Julian Casablancas to name-drop a few trendy examples. These guys are helpful when I’m quitting as well, as they all managed to quit the bastards later on in life.
However, when I hear that the Minister for Health James Reilly is considering legislation to ban smoking in cars with children present, and the possibility of later introducing a ban on smoking in cars altogether, I don’t take issue because I’m a smoker, I take issue because it’s completely unjustified and sensationalist. My problems with this are many, but the major one is this: your car is your private property. Just because you drive it in public doesn’t give the government any power to decide what you do in it, as long as you’re obeying all other laws and not endangering other drivers. If you think smoking makes you a danger to other drivers, then allow me to put forward the following suggestions for Minister Reilly to add to his legislation: coffee, radios, breakfast rolls, Red Bull, hands-free phones and children, for a start.
Now just to be clear, obviously smoking around children is bad form. Only a moron would light up in a car with children in the back, but unfortunate as it might be, it’s not a crime to be a moron. Common sense is all that’s necessary. I know Minister Reilly is attempting to do a good thing here, possibly building a stepping stone towards a ban on smoking in public places similar to that recently passed in New York, but the cynic in me wonders if he’s headline grabbing. How could the Gardaí possibly enforce this? Why would they want to? How much government control are we going to accept in our lives?
I hope common sense does prevail on this one and an alternative suggestion is put forward, such as more effective initiatives towards helping people to quit.
