Recently at Reason.tv: How Far Will Smoking Bans Go?

January 7, 2009

On Friday, January 9, the California city of Belmont's controversial smoking ban—which snuffs out smoking "in individual units and their patio/yard areas of multi-unit, multi-story residences (apartments, condominiums, and townhouses) that share common floors and/or ceilings with at least one other such unit"—goes into effect. As a result, about the only place Belmonters will be free to smoke is detached single-family houses.

Which makes it a good time revisit Reason.tv's "Just Can't Quit: How far will smoking bans go?" This eight-minute documentary was produced by Ted Balaker and features one of the greatest exhortations to do things for the "children, children, children," you'll ever see outside of an episode of The Simpsons (right around the 3.50 mark).

For embed code, related links, and the video "Talking Butts" (which features a great cameo by John Waters), go here.

Related video:

"Do You Really Want to Live in a World Where Giant Inflatable Apes Are Banned?"

"Banned: Welcome to Nanny State Nation"

Reason mag on smoking issues.

Comments

nobody u no and a big fan of j|1.7.09 @ 7:57AM|#

suck it big tobacco

Elemenope|1.7.09 @ 8:26AM|#

suck it big tobacco

Yeah. After all, there's just no way this will cause a great deal of suffering and inconvenience to badly addicted people.

Just stick it to the corp and everything will be all right, right?

|1.7.09 @ 8:27AM|#

If everyone would stop playing the griefer's version of the game they would go away.

|1.7.09 @ 8:47AM|#

Its going all the way, baby. I think the Mexican drug cartels have found their next and most lucrative source of income.

.|1.7.09 @ 8:49AM|#

Elemenope is a troll enabler. Bad boy.

Elemenope|1.7.09 @ 9:00AM|#

Elemenope is a troll enabler. Bad boy.

Yes. Yes, I am. Clubbing trolls is fun.

It's the spammers that I can't stand.

Derp Aderpaderp|1.7.09 @ 9:04AM|#

LOL, I'm with you there, Elemenope!!! LOL!!!!

Derp
anonymity.fu.tc

|1.7.09 @ 9:15AM|#

Why dont they just outlaw cigartees altogether? I mean, all they do is KILL people so why not just stop it once and for all.

Jess
www.web-privacy.pro.tc

LurkerBold|1.7.09 @ 9:25AM|#

I am not even going to look at that video. I can see from the first frame that it is just another corporate exploitation of women.

phalkor|1.7.09 @ 9:35AM|#

Wow. It's like, it's like, smoking brings a lot of people just a little bit of joy and, and you get to take that away from them. [cuddles up to Jason Terrell] You are so awesome.

for the love |1.7.09 @ 9:49AM|#

1) Why won't H&R mods just IP ban the friggin' spammers? It's 2009, guys. You're not hating capitalism by cleaning up unsolicited advertisements, okay?

2) LMNOP is a humorless autistic robot. This has been known for a long time.

Elemenope|1.7.09 @ 9:56AM|#

LMNOP is a humorless autistic robot. This has been known for a long time.

This is true. How I type is a mystery known only to my keepers.

|1.7.09 @ 9:59AM|#

LMNOP is a humorless autistic robot.

I prefer to consider him an idiot savant. The miracle is not what he types, but rather that he can type at all.

And he can count dropped toothpicks like nobody's fucking business.

Elemenope|1.7.09 @ 10:05AM|#

492 toothpicks!

|1.7.09 @ 10:08AM|#

See, told you so.

|1.7.09 @ 11:15AM|#

Why dont they just outlaw cigartees altogether? I mean, all they do is KILL people so why not just stop it once and for all.

So do cars, hospitals, and forcing your beliefs on other people.

Ok, that last one is just a wish I have.

|1.7.09 @ 1:26PM|#

Sorry LMNOP, the box says 500.

[someone come through for me here...]

BakedPenguin|1.7.09 @ 1:50PM|#

There's 8 left in the box.

|1.7.09 @ 1:51PM|#

1) Why won't H&R mods just IP ban the friggin' spammers? It's 2009, guys. You're not hating capitalism by cleaning up unsolicited advertisements, okay?

To your credit, you seem to have not noticed the product the lead spammer is hawking is an IP anonymizer.

|1.7.09 @ 8:21PM|#

""""Why dont they just outlaw cigartees altogether? I mean, all they do is KILL people so why not just stop it once and for all.""""

Cigarettes don't kill people, people kill themselves smoking.

The issue puts a citizens' ability to pursue their happiness against a government's ability to interfere with a citzen's freewill in the name of protecting its citizen's health. Which one do you prefer? I'll vote for the first everytime.

|1.9.09 @ 10:26AM|#

Government doesn't want smokers to quit... smokers pay huge Pigovian taxes and fill the coffers of general funds that spend little on 'quitting' ads -- the tobacco and pharmaceutical do that job.

As well, the anti-tabac NGO's reap hung buck$ to fill their administrators' pockets.

And in the publish or perish world of 'science,' studies showing negative or no-risk results don't get published while those that feed the HealthScare industry (and thus further inflate govts'power to control our lives.

One can only hope the worm will turn -- and possibly it will when the 'war on obesity' backfires. Perhaps the sheeple will finally recognize that their lifestyles may be next.

Yours for banning too much perfume or aftershave as well as air fresheners (which contain benzene and formaldehyde.