It Should be Illegal to Smoke on Public Property in the United States

This proposal is unreasonably restrictive, and foe's central argument in support of this proposal is based on an inaccurate factual assertion. First, foe supports the proposal by arguing that the safety of the public is jeopardized by second hand smoke on public property. Foe's argument is premised on his or her assertion that "there is no safe amount [of second hand smoke] that one can be exposed to." Not only has foe not established this fact with evidence, but there is evidence to the contrary. The magnitude of the risk from exposure to tobacco smoke is correlated with the amount of tobacco smoke that one has been exposed to. [1][2] Stated differently, the more smoke one breathes in, the greater the risk to one"s health. Logic dictates that the converse is also true - The less smoke one breathes in, the lower the risk to one's health. At some point, one's level of exposure becomes minimal and the corresponding risk to become negligible. At that point the level of exposure can reasonably be considered safe. I'm not going to assert specifically at what point that is, but I will assert that the amount of second hand smoke encountered on public properties and public easements such as sidewalks, parking lots for government buildings, and city parks, etc. isn't substantial enough to jeopardize public health. This assertion is substantiated by studies which indicate low risk from levels of exposure to tobacco smoke which greatly exceed the levels encountered casually on public property. A man who smokes until age 30, but no more after that age, avoids almost all the risk related to exposure to tobacco smoke [2 - See Conclusion - "cessation at age 30 avoided almost all of it"]. For exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS aka second hand smoke), multiple studies indicate that one must be exposed to upwards of 15 years of working in a smoky workplace or residing in a smoky residence before any statistically significant increase in risk becomes measurable [3 - pages 164-167 / 5-40 - 5-43] Given this evidence, and foe's lack of evidence, it strains one's credulity to accept foe's assertion that minimal exposure to second hand smoke encountered outside on public properties is significant enough to reasonably be considered hazardous or unsafe. There isn't enough exposure from this source to jeopardize one's health. However, this isn't the only reason to foe's argument is unconvincing - Foe doesn't appreciate the that the proposal is too imprecise. The proposal would restrict smoking in places where there would be no meaningful impact on second hand smoke exposure, and the proposal would permit smoking in places where the exposure to second hand smoke is problematic. "All public property in the United States" would necessarily include all federally and state owned land, which comprises the majority of the land in many states. [6] The proposal would not include areas of private property used by the public, such as door ways for grocery stores, convenience stores, and restaurants. The proposal would restrict smoking in areas where the smoker is the only person there but nonetheless is on public property, such as the middle of the Nevada desert or remote locations in Alaska. Additionally, Foe doesn't seem to appreciate the value there is in allowing people to smoke on public properties. Whether we like it or not, adult smokers represent a substantial portion of the American population, numbering at 42.1 million [4] out of a population of approximately 320 million [5]. Many of them enjoy smoking, and we shouldn't restrict their ability to do so without a good reason. Sources: 1 - Mortality in relation to smoking: 50 years' observations on male British doctors - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... 2 - The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... 3 - Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders - http://oaspub.epa.gov... 4 - Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults in the United States - http://www.cdc.gov... 5 - U.S. and World Population Clock - http://www.census.gov... 6 - Federal and State Controlled Land - http://www.americaplundered.com...