FL: LETTERS

Source: St. Petersburg Times
Date: Monday, January 7, 2002
URL: here

What smokers choose to do to their own bodies is their business.
However, when they inflict the dangers of their personal habits into the
lungs of another person, their rights have to be seriously modified. . .
The bottom line is that people have a right to breath clean air. Smoking in
public takes away this right. I applaud Naples for thinking about making
this right a reality.
But my favorite part of the column says most smokers would gladly
comply with our reasonable requests not to smoke! Mr. Gosier, for many,
many years I have tried to do just this. Even when asked politely to
refrain, or step aside, "most smokers" just inhale deeply and blow smoke in
my face. I assure you I am polite in my request, neither self-righteous nor
superior, just a person with a disability trying to get some fresh air. . .

I think it's a shame that it will take an amendment to the Constitution to
bring about much-needed change in the cigarette war. But I wholeheartedly
support the SmokeFree for Health Campaign being promoted by the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association, and urge others to do so.

Elijah Gosier's column about Naples' plan to make smoking illegal
appears to be more of a look into the mind and heart of a man struggling
mightily to stop smoking. . . If he really is trying to quit, hopefully, he
will focus exclusively, not on his personal difficulties, but rather,
entirely on the excruciatingly painful effects -- his suffering and
probable early demise will have on his loved ones, friends and column
readers. He must know that it would exact a terrible toll from his family
and friends. His thousands of readers would also miss him a great deal.