When I first came to North Carolina, a na’ve youth enamored of all things substance-related, I realized that I had entered a state in which smoking was almost encouraged. With the prices of cigarettes ludicrously cheap and a plethora of establishments that allow smoking indoors, North Carolina is a refuge for smokers. I found myself initiated into a sort of “club,” in which all those who smoked were guaranteed the sanctity of fraternity and a light.
I know that I am not alone in glorifying smoking, but now those of us in “the club” are facing the onslaught of a public war against tobacco smoke, where history and economy have made smoking a worldwide specter.
According to the N.C. Tobacco Prevention Control Branch, there are nearly 1.5 million smokers living in North Carolina. That’s about one seventh of the population of the state.
With this in mind, North Carolina House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman has made it his prerogative to install a bill prohibiting smoking in public facilities. Holliman, a lung cancer survivor, has attempted, but failed, previously to instigate smoking cessation bills.
I cannot help but think of all the bars, diners and pool halls that would be affected by this bill if it was passed. Many of this college’s haunts allow public smoking.
Despite the looming prohibition of smoking in public that has so far swept through the Northeast, the South-and especially North Carolina-has avoided giving in to the progressivism.
The simple thought of a ban on public smoking in North Carolina seems hysterical. The few people that I talked to about the ban thought that I was joking when I told them about recent developments.
Robin Shores, a junior and a smoker, was forthcoming about the possibility of a smoking ban in his home state.
“While I enjoy smoking in diners I think that restaurants aren’t really smoke-friendly places,” said Shores. “Bars, on the other hand, are a whole different thing. I think smoking sections would be the best, and most logical, compromise in this situation.”
Seth Cogdon, a senior and a non-smoker, had some enlightening thoughts on the subject of the proposed ban.
“There’s some bars in New York City where they allow people to smoke despite the ban on public smoking,” said Cogdon, a native New Yorker. “I’ve never been bothered by smoking in diners or bars.”
In the face of this trend, I have heard many stories about the tragic effects of cigarette smoking from those who perhaps unintentionally support the ban.
Just recently when I drove over to the CVS to buy cigarettes, I was told a story by the elderly cashier; whether it was a case of stigmatism or friendly wisdom I do not know.
His daughter had apparently just recently fully recovered from lung cancer. She had cancerous lymph nodes removed from her lungs and it had taken her two years, and an inordinate amount of pharmaceuticals, to recover completely.
The story is not unlike numerous others that I have heard over the years, but it reiterated a thought that should permeate every smoker’s consciousness: disease and smoking go hand in hand and they will strike intimately.
Needless to say, the situation in North Carolina about a smoking ban is a complicated, serious matter that has at its heart a general concern for those who may be affected by smoke inhalation.
This being said, I don’t plan on quitting smoking anytime soon, and would still like to go on enjoying the luxury of smoking indoors. I predict that this bill will not pass and is not likely to meet general approval in a state that has a history of tobacco production and enjoyment.