Ridiculous

Maybe, but many smokers aren’t deterred by anything. It always amazes me when I see someone outside when it’s 15 below freezing..

Here in New York, smoking is allowed on hospital grounds outside only, as long as the smoker is 50+ feet away from any entrance. Thankfully smoking is not allowed in bars and restaurants any more either. You see people huddled outside these places in the winter.
I always thought that a smoking section in a diner or restaurant was stupid because the second-hand smoke always got to the "non-smoking" section eventually. In that regard, I’d like to share a phrase I once heard: "Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool." :)

Oh my goodness, this is a subject close to my heart (no pun intended) as my children will testify.  I am an ex-smoker.  It is said, we are the worst critics and least tolerant towards smokers.  I do not defend their actions however, until you’ve walked in my shoes please try to have an open, forgiving attitude.  I was addicted for 30 years and the last 10 I probably smoked 3 packs per day.  After many failed attempts over the years to quit by every means available I finally was prescribed Wellbutren and the patch in the highest strength. I stayed on these pharmaceuticals for over a year all the while still smoking; this was how extensive my addition was.  Praise God I was finally able to stop smoking (August 2000) but remained on the drugs ~6 months. It was the most horrific struggle I’ve ever encountered.  I can never pick up that 1st cigarette or I would not be able to stop. Yet the desire is always with me though no longer in control.

Now I, too, am bothered by the insensitivity of smokers in public places.  That hospital should be informed of what their employees are doing.  Though I understand their wanting or needing to smoke, it doesn’t excuse their behavior.  I hope I was more caring of others around me when I smoked except I know I lost many years of time with my kids. They stayed upstairs in their bedrooms instead of spending time with me downstairs in a haze of smoke.  Forgive me. 

I am upset to smell smoke on my grandchildren when they come in from being in a restaurant that allows smokers.  However, it is a stark reminder of how, by God’s grace, I was able to stop that killing habit and enjoy the lives of these beautiful grandkids and their parents.

In State College I used to always see this anti-smoking commercial about that peeing-section thing.  (I just did a quick search but couldn’t find any video of it; maybe it could be found on a P2P net?)  It was really funny and really gross, but that is so completely logical and that’s EXACTLY what a "smoking section" is like.  The smoke doesn’t read the signs and doesn’t stay confined to any one section.