Rotorhead,
OK! It's late I'm tired and I have to go to bed now. There is no disagreement about the health related problems that are caused by smoking. It's about how people are treated that do smoke, being civil or rude. Most smokers know their in the minority today and when asked to move they do. Have a good night.

rotor,

Don't get me wrong, smoking is not healthy in any way. That being said I'm willing to bet that MOST of the people who sit around and whine and complain about how second hand smoke is endangering them are probably their own worst enemy when it comes to their health. They most likely are overweight, don't exercise and have a diet high in fat and sodium. Heart disease is the #1 killer in America, not #2,3 or 4. This kind of hypocrisy is what drives me nuts! Don't cry about your health from someone smoking a cigarette 20 ft away while your sitting on your butt finishing off your second chili dog and washing it down with a milkshake just to go home and take a two hour nap (btw rotor I'm not talking about you and your restaurant experiences, just people in general).

phillyguy,
You are probably right. I'm sure that I have many personal habits which are unhealthy. I'm sure that I drink more now than I did before moving to the VI, and I certainly don't exercise as often as I did when I was younger.

The difference is that my unhealthy habits don't affect the people sitting at the table next to me at the restaurant. They are personal choices that I have made. My extra piece of pie goes to my waistline not the kid at the next table.

I have no problem with people smoking in their own home, that's their decision. However when someone decides they have a right to decide that I should take a known risk with them; I have a problem. In the case of a public restaurant a smoker makes the decision that all of the children in the restaurant should be exposed to the smoke. Did you read what the CDC said about secondhand smoke? Even if you believe that the CDC is lying about the effects of secondhand smoke do you have the right to make that decision for others?

Everyone knows that public smoking is doomed to be made illegal it's only a matter of time. If you want to eat tobacco that's fine. At least then the rest of us wouldn't be forced to share.

Lysol:

Poisoning by this chemical is possible by absorption, inhalation, or ingestion in large quantities. It has been speculated that this chemical may be carcinogenic, though results are currently under debate. Practice standard safety measures when dealing with this product. Limit exposure by inhalation, ingestion, or absorption. Household versions of this chemical, however, are often diluted and the risk is far lower than with concentrates, but it can still pose a danger if used improperly. Use only in a well ventilated area in accordance with the directions. If poisoning has occurred, contact your local poison control office and seek immediate medical attention. This chemical should not replace the use of soap and water and some bacterial resistance may occur with over-use of this product.
Versions of some chemicals related to this product were once used as antiseptics, etc., on humans, however, this is no longer considered safe. Do not clean wounds with this product as it is poisonous.

Don't think I wouldn't complain if someone sprayed this around me in a restaurant!!! With many people today having breathing problem and allergies how stupid can one get to using this product!! A paper towel misted with vinegar does a better job!!

Rotor...although I believe in bars/restaurants, etc. not allowing smoking, if I was sitting in a restaurant and you started to spray your Lysol around, I'd be livid. Not only do I want that misting down onto my food, but I also don't want the taste of Lysol in my mouth. Please, leave the can at home and try to go places where you know smokers won't be.

Here's Sherri saying that yes, everyone has a point! Both Lizard AND Roterhead as well as others!
I am a smoker and NOT proud of it! I hate the way my car smells as well as my home and when I know someone is coming over, spray Lysol (too funny) to try and hide the smell of my cigarettes. I battle my habit everyday and do hope I will someday kick the habit! I never want to offend anybody and always remove myself if in an enclosed area, but not always when I am in the out of doors, depending on the situation. I constantly get told that I should not smoke, that is bad for my health and that it doesn't look good on me and I always agree with them. To quit is easier said than done, tho I do have the desire to do so.

There are non-smoking restaurants in the VI, the few I know of:
Oceana, and Wikked. Does anyone know of others? Guessing Havana Blue as well as they are sister restaurants with Wikked. This way, those you who do not smoke can rest assure you will not be bothered with smoke while dining. Hope this is helpful.

Had that lady come up to me at the beach, I would not have done what that gentleman did. I wouldn't have been rude to her (I don't believe), But I would have continued to smoke my cig. until finished.

ps- Legislation just passed a law stating that we can no longer drink while driving!

The MAIN reason some beaches banned smoking was to help control the proliferation of cigarette butts in the sand. Not a pleasant thing to have your child play in someone else's ashtray. Maybe it happens, but I've never seen a smoker carefully place their butts into a container for later removal from the beach.

Good Morning,

jmcg,
I read the same article, how Belmar NJ passed a local ordinance on the grounds that cigarette butts were clogging their rake machines on the beach. So shame on the smokers, and your 100% right (the beach is not an ashtray). So now it is against the law to smoke on the beach, thats the law in Belmar NJ. However as the thread states Smoking Cigarettes in the USVI is still legal. Common courtesy should be extended by both smokers and non-smokers. How this thread morphed into Restaurants and Health issues (was not my intent).The lack of simple common courtesy and respect is what annoyed me.

The MAIN reason some beaches banned smoking was to help control the proliferation of cigarette butts in the sand. Not a pleasant thing to have your child play in someone else's ashtray. Maybe it happens, but I've never seen a smoker carefully place their butts into a container for later removal from the beach.

I'll admit it, I'm a smoker, but I NEVER leave my butts on the beach and in fact, I take any other butts I see with me. It's very very easy to take a bag with you to the beach and pick up other peoples trash.

It's amazing what I've seen left on the beach. Cans, bottles, diapers, paper containers and even feminine products. Some people are just pigs.

Peggy,
You should get upset and complain if someone uses Lysol near you. Especially if you have allergies. I would gladly stop using the Lysol if you asked, and I never leave my empty cans lying around. Don't they have non-Lysol areas in most restaurants?

On the other hand, non-smokers should start standing up and complaining to restaurant owners as well. I'm not sure what the statistics are related to death by Lysol (I suspect they are so low that they aren't being tracked) but the ill effects of smoking are well documented.

A modification of what you said "Don't think I wouldn't complain if someone smoked around me in a restaurant!!! With many people today having breathing problem and allergies how stupid can one get to using this product!! " Tobacco, you have to love it and defend its use don't you? COUGH, COUGH!!

We should all be more tolerant and just get along. COUGH, COUGH!

Good morning Rotorhead,
Did you oversleep this AM. If you are going to participate in this thread, you gotta get up a little earlier. LOL

lizard,
Sorry for the late arrival. I got distracted when this discussion slowed down around 4 a.m. Anyone want to talk about more controversial topics? Politics? Religion? The VI Government?

Rotorhead,
Maybe tonight, I've got to go to the beach now, hopefully that women from NJ went home! Have a good day!

For anyone visiting STT-
We (non smokers) had a great meal at Toad and Tart. We ate in the non smoking room but we could have enjoyed the meal just as much in the smoking area. I kind of wish we dd. Maybe it was just early in the evening. I didn't notice any smoke oder in the bar. On the other hand, I let my son talk us into dinner and a show at Mohegan Sun Casino. The inside of the building STUNK. By the end of the evening my eyes were burning, tearing and my sinuses were swollen. Never again!

Hey everyone, I've enjoyed this thread immensely. As an ex-smoker I can now totally relate to why my sister used to complain so much about my smoking! And now I understand how selfish I was to subject her to my smoking all those years! Ironically enough, I work in an office on STX and the owner spends half the year here (we're EDC) and guess what? We all have to breathe his CIGAR smoke when he is here! Gross! Plus I'm dating a smoker! (I know he's gonna chime in when he reads this, haha! ) So I guess it's all penance that I have to pay for my years of smoking. But if anyone is thinking of QUITTING....do it! Once you get thru the withdrawal (and it is bad) you will feel so incredibly healthy, you won't believe it! And you'll stop coughing all the time. Yuck! (OK MF, I am not trying to convert you, so don't even say it!)

Rotorhead, are you the dude that flies over STX all the time in your helicopter?? Pretty cool!

islandjoan,
I do fly around STX 3 or 4 times a week. When I first move here I used to ride my motorcycle to explore the island but the helo is more fun.

Patroling the coastline of STX since 2000.

wow rotorhead, that's awesome!!! I'm sure I've seen you fly over more than once unless someone else on STX has their own helo 🙂

As suspected from the get-go, this thread is going a bit haywire.

ANTI-smokers's comments are running rampant, but those nasty cigarette-smoking addictive people basically remain quiet, acknowledge that their habit is an addiction and also acknowledge that they'll douse their fag when asked.

I'm over 60 years old and I've smoked cigarettes since I was 16 years old. My mother is still alive at 93 years old and she is/was a smoker, My father died three years ago in his mid nineties. He was a pipe smoker his whole life but smoking had nothing to do with his demise.

As I mentioned in an earler post on this thread, my restaurant is geared to accomodate both smokers and non-smokers. The main bar smoking area, with all the fans going full blast, has never posed a problem. The non-smoking air-conditoned "Cozy" is an option duly recognized by many.

Non-smokers sometimes choose to sit at the bar or at a bar table because one of the group is a smoker. DUH! Their druthers!

I'm getting rather old where push comes to shove. Where smoking is concerned, I have my rules where my place is concerned, If the VI legislative body eventually decrees that all restaurants in the USVI become non-smoking, then I'll state my case at that time!

Cheers!

The message is "It's okay if there's money in it for the government."

I used to be a cigarette smoker but one day I sitting outside the Laundromat in Welcome smoking a Merit Ultra lite and an older dark woman sat beside me and lite up a Black and Mild cigar. It had a great aroma. I asked her what it was and she gave me one . I gave up cigs and puff on a B and M occasionally.
But I have always been a beach person and totally despise seeing cig butts on the beach. It drives me crazy. Everyone knows you take your trash off the beach but what about those insidious filters that have a half life of like 100 years.
It just be one of my twisted, altered state dreams to go to the beach and not have to deal with the ash tray thing.
I pick up every one I see but it never ends.
So, welcome to the USVI and have a great time and fall in love with the place like I did and do enjoy a smoke on the beach, Just take your butts with you. Just put them in your empty beer can or bottle.

What's up with the lines on the roads? If they give me some paint and a roller I'll volunteer.