Conversely, I have no right to stop a smoker from pursuing his addiction in the open where it does not affect me and, equally, neither do I have the right to enlist the government to stop him.
I will even go so far as to say that compulsory healthcare paid in part by the taxpayers does not justify the government in restricting smoking because it adds to the cost of healthcare.
For a bit of perspective: A gallon of gas (equivalent to ~4000 cigarettes of burned organic matter) pollutes the atmosphere as much as a pack a day smoker in ~7 months.
Further, while smoker is burning a dried leaf of an ancient medicinal plant optimized over 8000 years by billions of lifelong test subjects for beneficial and pleasing properties of its smoke, the gasoline is optimized for powering engines, and not at all for inhalation of its fumes. If you put a person with dozen smokers puffing away in a closed garage, they'll all come out just fine after an hour. You put the same person with a car engine running in the same garage and he will be dead before the hour is over.
Right, but how likely is it for a smoker to light up and blow smoke in your face? It’s much more likely that a non-smoker goes and blows their opinions in a smokers face.
Know how many times non smokers (strangers) come up to ME, and tell me how bad smoking is, etc? Lots of times. It really pisses me off, so I piss them off. Usually saying something rude back.
But vaping leaves zero to no smell or residue on anything, and the smells aren’t very offensive at all, no ash, no cigarette butts all over. But those holier then thou types are now all over vaping. Just because they think they are the center of the universe, they’re right and no matter what you say will prove them otherwise. I’m sick and tired of it. Nothing is more irritating then having a smoke and some dipstick idiot comes up to you and starts lecturing you out of no where when you have 10-15 minutes for a break or lunch.