[PiccoloNamek]

Originally Posted by barfly Throwing a soda bottle on the ground is littering for sure. Throwing a butt in a trash receptacle causes fires. A lot of establishments have receptacles for your butts near entry doors. If an establishment don't have a receptacle, then definitely, it is OK to stomp the butt out on the ground and leave it there.

I've never thrown a red hot butt into the trash just like that; I always make sure it is out first. If a proper cigarette receptacle is available I will of course use that instead.

Originally Posted by cooljay788 Actually, I saw butts on the ground outdoors my entire life, even in the days when smoking was socially acceptable. Even back then, you wouldn't find ashtrays in front of every building or every corner. But of course, I see MORE butts in the environment now that people can't smoke in places period.

I think the highest concentrations of butts are generally found on curbs and street corners. When people are done smoking, they simply throw the butt out the window of their car. I put mine in my car's ash tray.

I've seen empty cans and bottles on the streets for years. Whether you like it or not, you're gonna find litter on the streets as long as you live (and I'm not just talking about butts or empty packs,...nonsmokers will be throwing their empty bottles and cans on the streets.

Yep, I live in a very redneck area, and the streets here are covered with litter, especially beer bottles and empty Marlboro reds packs. The highway near my house has McDonald's bags, beer cans, cigarette packs, and even condoms on the ground. These people have no respect for anything, even themselves.

[cooljay788]

Tell car manufacturers to install ashtrays and lighters. Since modern cars don't have those accomodations for smokers anymore. Although someone told me you can buy an ashtray and a lighter to be installed in a new car without those two items already installed in it.

Even when ashtrays in cars were more common, I'm sure people were still throwing butts out on the streets. I rememba my mother always throwing hers out of the window while she was on the gas. But the wind usually puts it out, and I guess that's why she neva started a fire on the streets.

But times have changed a lil in that regard since then. I know it's a fine in some areas to throw butts out in the streets. Particularly in CA But that doesn't apply to my area. You CAN get a fine for throwing bottles, cans, and fast food bags out of a vehicle by me though.

Banning smoking in cars with kids is becoming more common. Maine and CA are two states with these bans. Some antis wanna ban smoking in cars period, even with no kids inside of the car.

I don't agree with banning smoking in a vehicle that a smoker owns...that's similar to banning smoking in homes. But at least that idea would stop seeing people throw butts on the streets especially if there's no ashtray in the car.

Sounds like the littering problem is indeed all over the nation, and it ain't limited to smokers being so-called litterbugs. You're right on people having no regard for others....and a lotta em don't even smoke. If I saw lots of trash on a road or even in an open grass area, those fast food lovers and alcoholics are disrespectful indeed.

I wouldn't throw a lit butt in a trash can myself. That's a nice way to start a fire. Unless I can find an ashtray, I'm putting it out on the ground.

I can definitely see throwing empty packs in the trash instead of butts. An empty pack on a ground is no different from seeing empty fast food bags, bottles, and cans in the environment.

i wonder if gum chewers are litterbugs too. Since finding gum wrappers or pieces of gum on the ground is no different from seeing butts. Of course, it might be hard for me to come across a wrapper on the ground. And gum pieces are a lot more harder to see than a cig butt. I can certainly tell if I stepped on gum if I see it on the bottom of my shoe when I get home.

[barfly]

Originally Posted by cooljay788 I wouldn't throw a lit butt in a trash can myself. That's a nice way to start a fire. Unless I can find an ashtray, I'm putting it out on the ground.

Well, you guys are better citizens than me because, if there is a trash receptacle and NO ASHCAN, I throw the lit butt in the trash receptacle and I don't usually bother to put it out first. I don't care if it starts a fire in that trash receptacle. It's rather stupid IMO to have no smoking signs in the window of a store and have a trash receptacle right there but not a butt receptacle. I take that to mean that I SHOULD put the lit butt in the trash receptacle. Anti's are already saying that I'm a second-class citizen because I smoke so I might as well be one to live up to the hype. I don't throw lit butts out the car window. I'm in the habit of using the car ashtray everytime even though my parents threw all theirs out of a moving vehicles' window. I wouldn't throw a lit butt out in the forest because that is against "Smokey the Bear" and is more damage than I could live with. However, I don't mind if my butt starts a fire in a trash receptacle in front of a store that has no receptacle for butts.

[seesolo]

Originally Posted by cooljay788 Tell car manufacturers to install ashtrays and lighters. Since modern cars don't have those accomodations for smokers anymore. Although someone told me you can buy an ashtray and a lighter to be installed in a new car without those two items already installed in it.

foreals, like my cousin just bought a new car and the other day i forgot my light so i was like wheres the car lighter and he said there wasn't any and i was suprised and i hate it how you go to family outings and they always criticize you for smoking but whenever they need to light the grill or light a torch they always come running to me for a light

[penwright]

Ever heard of field stripping.That's where you take the cigarette by the butt and squeeze all the tobacco out. Then you just step on the lit tobacco making sure it's out. All you will have left is the butt, which, then you can safely put into a trash receptacle. Also if I couldn't find one, I would put mine in a plastic bag or my pocket until I did find one.

Children walk on our lawns and streets barefoot. Some are too young to think to walk around a lit one. Do you really want to be responsible for them getting burned? Think about what you are saying before you just decide it's all right for you to toss your butts anywhere you want.

I, and thousands other smokers, attended a get together every year. This is where I learned to field strip our cigarettes. The grounds were beautiful and everyone was happy, including us smokers. Newspapers reported on this and complimented us because most places, with such a high number of people, usually were littered with cigarette butts. That made us feel pretty darn good.

As an on-site resident manager, I was responsible for cleaning up cigarette butts every day. I even had to clean up whole ashtray droppings from cars in our parking lots, even though there was a huge garbage bin just a few feet away. I grew very tired of this behavior. I even had put pails of sand out only to find butts right beside them. Then someone stole them! So I didn't put anymore out there after that.

I don't care if I'm treated like a second rate citizen because I smoke. I'm not going to act like one because I have too much pride in myself. I'm still going to field strip my cigarettes and I'm going to treat people, non smokers included, as I like to be treated-with respect and consideration.

As far as non-smokers coming to my home? I sell items on-line and a lot of people, who come here to pick them up, don't smoke. I most certainly don't want to lose my customers, so I don't light up when they are here. We also have a friend, who does not like smoking at all. We go into our kitchen and turn on our fan in the window or we wait until he leaves. This man has been a great, financial help to us in our times of need more than once. We certainly don't want to lose his friendship. He is also a hard worker and helps anyone who needs it. He deserves our respect. I have a lady friend, whom I've know for years. I don't smoke around her because she is my best friend and I care how she feels. She has never said anything to me about it, but I care about our friendship so I don't smoke in her car or home. Yet, when we were out for the day, she made it a point to stop somewhere where I could sit outside and smoke while we continued our visit. She, too, has given me money and gifts throughout the time we've known each other. Do you really want to cut non-smokers completely out of your lives?

I also do not believe children should be subjected to our smoke in a closed car or our homes. What about their rights?

And you wonder why non-smokers have such a problem with us. Maybe it's time to do a check up from the neck up and figure it out.

It's not just a matter of our rights. It is a matter of what we do with them when we have them. Is it just possible things would be different for us if we had thought this through before and treated everyone with the respect they deserve?

[cooljay788]

With all due respect, the only rights a kid have is to get an education and live.

When it comes to how I raise my kids (if I ever become a dad), if a kid thinks I'm violating his/her right to breathe smoke-free air, then I can take him/her up to an orphanage instead.

I grew up around a smoking mom for YEARS. And the smoke I inhaled from her cigs never hurted or killed me as a boy. Why would 2009 be different from 1979 in that regard with smoking parents?

Yeah, I'm thinking about what I'm saying. And if you believe smoking around your own kid is child abuse and if you believe kids have rights too, then you essentially agree with antis that inhaling SHS is deadly.

A TRUE smoker wouldn't even believe kids have rights. If kids DID have rights, why would they need parents to help them live? LOL

PS: Kids gotta work their behinds off if they DO want "rights." They gotta wait til they grow up before they see rights at all.

[Sally]

I have to admit that I agree with PenWright on this one. You darn right our children have rights. It is not fair for them to breathe second hand smoke if they choose not to. How dare someone say children do not have rights to clean air, have you smoked so many cigarettes it has warped your mind?

I do not agree that it should be against the law to smoke in front of children and that we can be taken to jail if we do so, but our we adults smokers or are we children smokers that should know the difference on cleaning up after your own smoking messes, do not throw your butts on the ground and knowing you should not smoke in small closed in environments around our children.

I think the bottom line is this. This is why the government and states are coming down hard on all the smokers and making all these laws about were we can smoke, who we can smoke around and the fire safe paper on the cigarettes to keep the dumb people that catch their house on fire because they get toasted, fall asleep with a cigarette in their hand and ends up killing their entire family, makes perfect sense to me. What they are saying is we are a bunch of dump smokers that need to be told what to do because we do not have enough common sense to do the right thing for ourselves.

Clean up after ourselves. Be respectful and not smoke around others that do not wish to partake, do not allow your children to inhale second hand smoke and stop getting drunk and falling asleep with a cigarettes in your hand and burning your house down killing others.

Hmmm that should be a no brainer don’t you think?

Smokers do have rights but for the most part they are so worried about everyone telling them they can not smoke then being responsible smokers therefore they have lost the concept of what their smoking right truly are. I have never met more rude people in my life than smokers are and I am a smoker so it hurts me to say this, however truth is truth, I have witness a women asking a smoker to move because she was allergic to cigarette smoke and do you know what this adult smoker said? Tough S*** I have a right to smoke here if I wish too it is a free country and if you do not like it move. This smoker acted ridiculous being for the fact we were all standing in line with 45 other people to get tickets for a movie. What was the person suppose to do jump out of line because this retarded smoker refused to be courteous and was she suppose to go back to the end of the line were was fresh air to breathe? Did the guy really have the right to smoke there? Yes but was it the right thing to do? No it was not the right way to handle the situation. Situations just like this one is why we now have babysitter that have to tell us were we can smoke.

Children do not have rights, what is this world coming too? Do children have the right not to be beaten from their parents? That is why CPS now tells us we can not beat our children like we could back in 1979. Now maybe you can understand why we now have babysitters telling us were we can smoke. It always narrows down to the stupid idiotic people that lack the responsibility for their own actions. Then people wonder why things are the way they are. Sheesh!

[smoke_clouds]

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha
thats so dumb

[misslisanicole]

The lady must've had a bad morning and looking to pick on someone to share her miseries with. Actually running out of the store to nag someone over a cig butt... LOL walking away was the best thing you could've done, bet she complained about it half the morning to the other customers.

The only thing I've heard about smoking @ gas stations is that smoking is prohibited within like 50 yards or something from the gas pump. I've never confirmed the validity of this, so I may be wrong. Don't know how much the fine, if any, would be. But then you weren't even by the pump, so that's just ridiculous.

Your post reminded me of when I got yelled at by some crazy chick when I went to Griffith Observatory last year. I know some of the local mountains suffered from widespread fires, and I just wasn't in a mindful state really enjoying the hike from where we parked towards the observatory. OMG, l never even had time to take a second hit, before another hiker completely dead stopped me in my tracks, lectured me about how I could even think of lighting a disgusting cigarette that was destroying the parks and mountains nearby, was I blind not to see the warning signs along the road that it's ILLEGAL and I'd have to pay $541 fine, blah blah blah. She was talking so loud in such a serious tone that everyone walking by us slowed down to watch/listen. Caught me completely off guard... BITCH, all she had to do was point out the sign and I would've put it out. I was so shocked holding my cig the whole time she was going off on me, I didn't know if I should just throw it on the ground and have her yell "FIRE!" or step on it or what! Took me a few seconds to snap back to what was going on... until she took a small step closer to me with her dog like she wanted to fight, eyes piercing @ the cig my fingers are holding, saying, " PUT THAT OUT NOW!"

What a SPAZ!!! I don't get it. It was a really beautiful day, nice weather, sun was warm and fuzzy, lots of park visitors walking along side of the mountain road, typical family crowd... we'd just parked, I lit a cig without even thinking looking forward to the long past-due visit to the observatory since it got its facelift. Then BAMM out of no where a cigarette nazi attacks me like she owns the park. I guess I'm still shocked thinking about it now. I can understand if I threw an attitude or ignored her... but nope, I never said a word, waited til she was done and said, uh.. is it ok to put it out on the ground with an obvious forced smile and then said chill the frak out, no need to have a heart attack as we walked away.

Anyway.. sometimes strangers can get so out of control offended, or act like as though they are intentionally targetted for whatever they're tripping on. Just say it, no need to bark it... what can you do right?

[MamboSun]

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek This is rich. The guy throws a cigarette butt on the ground, and is (rightfully) called on it, and then a bunch of people come to complain about the encroachment on the rights of smokers. The right to do what? Litter? Give me a break! Would you complain about the rights of soda drinkers if I made a post complaining about getting caught throwing my Mountain Dew bottle on the ground? Personally, I always throw my butts in the trash. If there is no suitable receptacle available, I will keep the butt with me until I find one. For me, this issue goes beyond smokers vs. nonsmokers. I am strongly against littering in any form. I never, ever do it, and it makes my blood boil to see other people do it so flagrantly. Throwing your butts (or cans or bottles for that matter) on the ground is a trashy, crude, and chavish thing to do, and only harms the environment and gives non-smokers more ammo to use against us.

Agreed. Throwing a butt on the ground isn't "smoking", it's littering. Once the cigarette is out/leaves your grasp, you're not smoking. I smoke and think it should be allowed in more places (or at least left up to individual businesses, only legally banned on school [not university] property, in hospitals [leaving it up to them to designate smoking areas], and fire season in parks), but... littering is just douchey. Put it out, wait a few seconds, throw it in the trash. Or just throw it in your pocket until there's a trash can nearby.

Littering does not equal "smoker's rights"... littering is just littering.